davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1932-04-24
Dramatists Who Help
The New York Season
List of Outstanding Playwrights During the Past
Few Years-Several Plays Classed Among
Those Worth Seeing Second Time
By Percy Hammond.

bit of Counsellor -at-Law" that he
grudgingly permitted me to see: and
am moderately grateful for The Left
Bank" He is satisfactory playwright
as playwrights go. having a sense of
manner as well as of matter.
I'D like to see the following plays again:
THE Animal Kingdom Leslie
Howard and his charm" in a play by
Philip Barry.
"Cynara. In which Philip Merivale
as respectable English citizen finds
tragedy in Irritation with a shopgirl.
There's Always Juliet. Herbert
Marshall and Miss Edna Best again
captivated by each other, he as an
ingratiating American business man; /;
she as smart English woman, also
ingratiating. John Van Druten wrote
the piece.
"Bloodstream. The brutal journal
Of day in prison mine where the
convicts are at bloody odds with their
keepers. Performed with what appears
to be validity by an exciting cast of
players.
riddle Me This" Frank Craven
as reporter and Thomas Mitchell as
his pal, police captain, at work on
murder mystery the secrets of which
are disclosed in the prologue.
"Whistling in the Dark" Ernest
Truck, representing a writer of crime
stories tells a gang of murderers how
to kill man by placing poison in his
tooth paste. Then, with the help of
an obliging radio, he prevents them
from doing so.
Counsellor -at-Law The story of
a nice but shifty New York lawyer paul
Numb whose past comes back to poster
him but not Importantly in the full
flush of successful career.
THE Left Bank. An exhibit of the
fiimsy life led by posed Americans
learning to write books and to paint
pictures in Paris
THE Laugh Parade Ed Wynn In
so good a show that it makes musical
comedy almost a necessity.
The Cat and the Fiddle Comic
opera love among the music composers
enlivened by pretty songs and pretty
singers.
Face the Music Smart satire by
Irving Berlin and Moss Hart, deridine
show business. the depression and the
New York City Hall in the best revue
manner.
"Of Thee I Sing."-A gay extrava
ganza making hilarious butt Of Amer
ican politics and politicians.
Evening star., 1932-04-24
HE perplexing problem Of
what is right and what Is
uyropo for Juvenile cO1-

44G ~ ASSNO@~
what is right and what is
i wrong for juvenile con-
sumption in the cinema
game continues to trouble anxious
parents. 1t being scarcely a Sc
cret that the daily film tonic
poured into theatric channels Is
not exactly the right sort of food
for the growing boy and girl, 1t
seems a logical question to ask,
and why isn't it?"
1t may be of more than aver
age interest to serious film think
ers for them to read the follow
ing letter from distressed parent
who is more than averagely upset
by the problem at hand.
She writes: "In the raising OF
! two little girls, now and 10 years
old, have been hard beset by the
movie problem. All other chill
dren the age of mine go freely to
shows which are frankly a mix
ture of filth, morbidneSS, actual
horrors and unhealthy excite
ment.
I'm all of them death is fea-
tured in all its horrid forms and
details "a dozen horrible deaths
in one film being no exception );
crime in the shape of robberies,
kidnapingS, drunken orgies, Is
featured in detail.
Are we a race of morons, that
our children must be fed on such
material? If we are not, we soon
will be, for the childish mind fed
on such food can reach no cul-
tural development.
ITO such newspaper as yours
I appeal in the name of the de-
cent citizens of America, in the
name of the culture of America,
to do something to get into this
city series of half-dozen decent
shows for the children of Wash
ington, during the school seasons
at least.
Look at the wealth Of material
to choose from, plays of historical
interest, fairy stories, legends,
shows depicting the life of other
countries, classical novels. A few
I could mention would be 'Nanook
of the North Robin Hood'-well,
/ don't seem to be able to think
of any more. There haven't been
very many.
"A series of these movies could
be brought here and would doubt
less be patronized Just as the
Kinder concerts were. Americans
are not the monsters that the
movie kings would make us out
to be. American mothers would
send children to good shows-if
there were any to See."
**
MRS. CARLOS B. MIRICK, the
writer Of the above, is Justly
indignant at the paucity of screen
dramas suitable for children. The
trouble Is that other parents
haven't been the same. With the
result that youngsters, in order
to be kept away from the ances-
trail kitchen and other vantage
points of nuisance, have been i'm
plored by mothers to betake
themselves off for an afternoon
at the movies, no matter what
the topic on hand Is or was to be.
Under this system the cinema
has houriShed. It Is evident that
as soon as a parent says to her
Evening star., 1932-04-24
Uses No Make-Up.

IN "The Heart of New York." the
screen comedy now at the Metro
politan, the players appear on the screen
"as is; that is, without makeup. This
is due, 1t is explained, to a daring and
successful experiment by Mervyn Leroy
who directed the picture.
Mr.. Leroy, who became famous for
his Little Caesar" and "Five-Star
Final" has created many innovations
He is now experimenting with lighting
and photography in order to obviate
face smearing."
THE mistake made all these years, y
Leroy says, has been the use of grease
paint on the faces of character actors
and actresses. 1t has always seemed a
necessity from the standpoint of ap-
pearance, for motion picture film cannot
be retouched and the camera has q
habit Of grossly exaggerating minor
flaws.
In everyday life we show emotions
through the play of muscles and lines
on the face. In motion picture drama
a great deal is lost under sometimes
unnecessary mask of grease paint and
powder"
Evening star., 1932-04-24
McLaelen Has Travelled.

VICTOR McLAGLEN, the film star
believes audiences are the finest
things in the world to meet face to face,
because they put you. he says if you
are screen actor in your place
McLaglen is doing personal ap-
pearance" here this week at the Rialto
Theater under the management's head
line stars" policy.
Audiences give you new slant of
yourself" McLaglen says Picture
players lose track of audiences, because
they spend their days playing before
cameras and microphones. They fall
into evil ways simply because they
haven't audiences to register reactions.
MY few personal appear ices have
taught me some startling tn igs. And
I'm glad-glad to meet audiences, find
out what they like by checking their
interest. their reaction, and give them
what they want"
McLaglen, who Is British, 6 feet tall,
weighs 200 and over, was one of the
stars of What Price Glory" while
Paris Sleeps" The Devils Lottery" and
THE Cock-Eyed World" He has trav-
eled in Europe, South America. Canada
and South Africa, broke wild horses on
the pampas, battled Jack Johnson In a
no-decision bout. has eaten poi In Ha-
waii, fought with the Irish FuSillierS in
Mesopotamia, and topped off his fight
ing by playing a big screen role in
Beau Geste."
Evening star., 1932-04-24

FOR unctu0uS numOr ana au-
r. dacious satire that never
/ theless carried nothing of
malicious bitterness, in a
setting of dainty and delightful
music replete with the capricious-
ness of delicate comedy, there is
nothing in the annals of the the
ater to compare with the Gilbert
and Sullivan operettas that came
into being away back in the 187Os.
They owe their written word to
william S. Gilbert, gifted Eng
lishman of varied culture and
wide experience, who made fun of
the pretensions of his day. Their
music reflects the Pucklike in
spiration of Sir Arthur Sullivan,
classmate of our own Theodore
Thomas, who studied at the Royal
Academy and later was a pupil
of great masters at Leipslg,
Germany. The one was a bril-
liant satirist, unique in the world
of literary criticism, author OF the
famous ''Bab Ballads" of an ear
lier century and a polished play
wright, whose "Pygmalion and
Galatea" is, perhaps, the best re-
membered here of his more seri-
Gus works; the other a composer
of Joyous and often capricious
moods, who, nevertheless, could
sound the depths and did with
his famous composition, THE Lost
Chord" which is fresh in memory
in the present day.
The partnership of these IA
nous men in producing comic
operettas was formed in 1871, and
lasted full 20 years. 1t produced
"H. M. S. Pinafore," 1.-The Pirates
of Penzance," Trial by Jury,
Patience" "Ruddigore," THE
Mikado," probably their master
piece; THE GondolierS," 'YeOman
of the Guard" and others more
or less famous in days gone by
And it is with selections from
these that the Shubert-Belasco
patrons will be entertained by
Milton Aborn's aggregation Of
Gilbert and Sullivan specialists
during the week.
THE peculiar genius of Gilbert
and Sullivan, like that of
Charles H. Hoyt, who gave to the
American theater a series of ex-
quisite comedy satires in later
days, among them Temperance
Town" The Milk White Flag"
which traveStied the tin soldier"
of the militant amateur, and
many others quite the thing in
days of old, at once took a firm
hold upon the Anglo Saxon
amusement lover, and served to
perpetuate their memories-that
of Gilbert by newly created ad-
jective, "Gilbertian," which was
related to a type of humor unique
with its author, and that of Sulli-
. van in the music which carried
in the ditties that ran freely in
THE Pirates of Penzance" the
long familiar melody Of our mod
ern Hail. Hail, the Gangs All
Here" THE Pirates" had theme
devoted to the policeman, who
even then was plastered with q
lot that was mot happy one. >
Indeed, Sir Arthur Sullivan's
melodic inspiration ranged from
the ridiculous to the sublime, but
never lost an iota of its charm
wherever it lighted. Familiarity
with the Gilbert libretto. while
Evening star., 1932-04-24

he, manly American, should be
Tilted for a rival whose veneer of
foreign culture should make that
rival his superior. 1t also sug-
geSts, probably, how early in our
national existence was developed
the spirit that prompts all true
Americans to look down with con-
tempt upon the willy foreigner.
THERE are those of us left who,
perhaps, recall the annual
Gambols of the famous Lambs
Club of New York theatricaldom,
which, preceded with a parade
down the Avenue" a la black
face minstrel, wound up at the
National Theater with an enter
tainment by the pick of the pro-
feSSion that was incompatible in
its day and generation. There is
also in Gotham another club,
quite as famous, perhaps, with
George M. Cohan, shielded by the
venerable title Of abbot as it's
executive head. This club is the
Friars, but why so called it has
never been explained. Well,
Washington is going to have a
visit from the Friars, who have
annual FrolicS, instead of Gam
bolS, and one of those Frolics is
promised some time, possibly in
May. The big New York Frolic
takes place at the Metropolitan
Opera House on May 8, and the
tour begins at Newburgh, also in
New York, Immediately there
after. Just when we shall wit
ness it is not definitely stated,
but when it comes it will be
worth the price of admission, for
the FriarS have a way of doing
things that even the Lambs would
never attempt-at least, so it is
said.
Evening star., 1932-04-24

TN recent lecture to the League
| for Industrial Democracy, Joseph
1 Wood Krutch, drama critic of the
Evening star., 1932-04-24

I'm recent lecture 10 the League
for Industrial Democracy, Joseph
Wood Krutch, drama critic of the
Nation, instructed his pupils to
be grateful for any good play
wright" often turn to Mr.. Krutch's
leisurely, courteous, wise and impartial
digests, knowing that my hasty impress
sions will be disentangled and reformed
Always in his lucid discourses helpful
hints are to be found, opening the eyes
and sharpening the wits of even the
most austered playgoer His guidance
is sure and stimulating and when he
tells us to be grateful for any good
playwright we should set out at once
to be so.
To whom, then, shall we confess our
obligations? Since Mr.. Krutch was
talking about dramatists of today !
suppose that he excludes the debts we
owe to the older masters. perhaps re-
garding them as already overpaid. Our
gratitude, therefore, can be limited to
the up-and-doing authors OF the pres
ent, those who are qualified to seize the
ideas that are afoot and by imparting
them "entertainingly" make the stage
a social force. In the absence of any
identifications by Mr.. Krutch wonder
II Thanksgiving is due to Philip Barry,
John Van Druten, Noel Coward, Owen
Davis, Ben Levy, S. M. Behrman,
Maxwell Anderson, Rachel Crothers,
Vicki Baum, Marc Connolly, Moss Hart,
Robert E. Sherwood, Ring Lardner and
George Kaufman? Shall we count the
spectacular Mr.. O'Neill among our
blessings, and are we beholden to Mr..
Shaw for such improvements as he may
have added to civilization? 1 think
shall put all of them on my list of
those entitled to be requited either for
what they have done or for what they
may do.
Having smitten the rock of apprecia-
tion and brought forth the above
trickle of applause I am disposed to
let it fow more abundantly for Elmer
Rice, now en- route to Muscovy and the
dramatic mines to be worked in that
vicinity I thank him for "The Adding
Machine" one of the best of the expert
mental plays thank him for Street
Scene" the busiest of the upper class
melodramas. I thank him for the little
Evening star., 1932-04-24
A Revival of Operettas
And a Thrilling Drama
Scheduled for the Week
Players Close With "Onthe Spot" Thoughts
on Gilbert and Sullivan Writings
KAY FRANCIS
NMAN WANTEO1
EARL -
By w. H. Landvoiet.

%OR unctuous humor and not at all indispensable
r. dacous satire that nevertheless be found most help
tbee carried nothing o full in disclosing the full richness
Evening star., 1932-04-24
Stage and Screen Attractions This Week

BELASCO-"Tral by Jury"-"Pinafore" Tomorrow evening
NATIONAL-Naona Players "On the Spot" Tomorrow
ming
GAYETY-"Rainy Daisies" This afternoon and evening.
WARDMAN PARK-"The Contrast?" Friday and Saturday
evenings
ON THE SCREEN.
FOX-"Young America" This afternoon and evening.
PALACE-But the Flesh Weak" This afternoon
ming
EARLE-"Man Wanted" This afternoon and evening
RIALTO-"The Menace" This afternoon and evening
KEITHS-"Symphony of Six Millions" This afternoon and
evening.
COLUMBIA Is the Night This afternoon evening
METROPOLITAN-"Heart of New York" afternoon and
evening
Evening star., 1932-04-24
Geo. NJ. Cohan of Russia.

X NOWN in Russia before the Soviet
~ regime, says Hardie Meakin, as "the
George M. Cohan of Russia Gregory
Ratoff of the Moscow Art Theater makes
his bow to the screen in Radio Pictures
Symphony Of Six Million" by Fanny
Hurst, now at Keith's Theater
Evening star., 1932-04-24

HAZEN SHEA,
Who has a leading role In "The Con-
trast," which the Cue and Curtain Club
of George Washington University will
stage April 20 and 80 at the Wardman
Park Theater.
The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-23
Stunts in Forefront

IKE millions Of other people
- you doubtless have wondered
why this depression should have
come upon us, or why, with all the
money spent for education, we
should have failed to produce the
intelligence necessary to cope with
it.
Like millions Of other people. you
have tried to figure out what par
ticular gadget went wrong in the
system, or what crook threw a
money wrench.
Well, there is another side to the
story, a side which reveals all of us
as somewhat at fault.
What have we been thinking
about during the last ten or fifteen
years, what has absorbed the bulk
of our attention, and what has
found us uninterested, or indiffer-
ent?
Stunts have played the leading
role in our entertainment, literature
and business. We have gazed at the
tallest skyscraper, read the vilest
book, watched the fastest speed d.
mon, and sid, this is progress"
We have not scrupled to vote for
the corrupt politician If he built
streets and provided parks. The
racket has not disturbed us, If 1t
kept money in circulation. We asked
no questions as to what doomed a
stock, as long as it kept on going up.
The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-23
infatuated With Motion

THE interest in such perform
\ ances as that Of Mrs. Putnam
is one great weakness OF the
present age. Humanity has become
infatuated with the idea OF motion.
We have ceased to care where we
go, or what we go for. as long as
we can go a little faster.
Vehicles, rather than the freight
they carry, have become the i'm
portant objective. We are beginning
to think of bliss as a four-lane
boulevard, with no traffic lights and
a radio in the car. What is at the
end, or who will pay for the gas
ohne, gives less and less concern.
Speed is regarded as much more
desirable than purpose, and we are
quite content to replace music with
jazz, provided the din keeps up. If
a congressman makes an eighteen
hour speech, we call it great, though
1t represents little more than a
waste Of time and public money.
Without realizing it, We are
settling down to an animal-like
competition in speed, endurance,
and quantity production. Records
are demanded above everything
else, and when we can't make them
in any other way, we are glad to go
in for tree-sitting tournament.
The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-23
When Good Times Return

When good times return investors are going to look
about with some bewlderment for a safe place to
put their money. Revelations Of the last few years
about the actual insecurity Of securities" have not
been reassuring.
It is none too soon to begin thinking about this
question in the opinion Of Professor William Ripley
of Harvard university He suggests that the utilities
The savings banks and the federal government in par
ticular. should devote serious study to it.
Certain utilities have endangered the investor by
oyerdevelopment of the holding company and undue
completely Of their financial set-ups even while they
have been trying to expand customer ownership Rip
ley charges.
Unless the more intelligent companies join in ef-
forts to stamp out unsound practices he feels that
public confidence In utilities will wane.
He made the charge in a recent address to the
National Association Of Mutual Savings banks and
suggested that savings banks as investors Of other
peoples money, have considerable stake in the
matter.
The key to the situation, Ripley believes lies in
federal regulation of the accounting Of public utility
companies and complete publicity as to their true
financial condition
It sounds like a simple solution.
But this is the thing the federal power commission
directed to do in regard to its licensees twelve
years ago. when the federal water power act was
passed. In the twelve years it has succeeded In
striking single Objectionable item from the accounts
Of licensed power companies
When 1t attempted to do so. the Clarion River
Power Company sought injunction to prevent it
even from holding hearing the matter. Appa-
lachian Electric Power Company, with its new river
project only contemplated, has gone into the courts
to try to prevent future regulation Of its accounts
Before the investing public can be sure just what
It is buying when it invests in utility securities we
must have not only federal law providing for reg
ulation Of utility accounts but executive depart
ment willing to enforce the law urged on by wary
and determined public
Perhaps the depression will supply this last factor
and II So the others should be easy to obtain
The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-23
We Serve Machinery

WE have built huge museums,
w bought European antiques
and called it art; have sat on the
bleachers, or in arenas and called it
athletics; have listened to a medley
Of confused sounds over the radio
and called it culture; have joined a
political club, repeated a few trite
phrases and called it statecraft.
People used to think Of their lives
as worth while only If devoted to
the accomplishment Of some pur-
pose, and Of their country as having
a destiny"
Politics used to turn on funda-
mental theories Of government, and
literature used to be guided by GER
tain well-defined standards.
Workmanship used to be judged
by quality, and business institutions
used to pride themselves on turnelg
out, not a different, but a superior,
article.
In other words, we used to believe
that mechanical power should serve
the mind, but now we are training
minds to serve and feed machinery
and are unmoved by the spectacle of
10000 people dying beneath the
wheels Of our autos and trucks each
year.
The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-23
Admiral Byrd

NHAPAIAN turns to Admiral
~ Byrd's Antarctic expedition to
illustrate his point.
In Commander Byrd's expedition
to the Antartic, there was assem-
bled such complete outfit OF the
apparatus of science as never be-
fore had been brought together into
so small a compass. The latest de-
vices for observing and recording
natural phenomena in all the SYM
bols which science has devised were
the important part of the venture.
Yet Commander Byrd had not
forgotten those fields of human en-
deavor which he had left behind in
the north. His taking a Boy Scout
to the south pole was a gesture or
reverence made by science to a
language which it can not speak.
In that case science bowed its
head quite naturally, sincerely, low
ingly, to that sound-heartedness in
the American people which Is our
best quality.
Our senses have become blunted
by the cruelty of mechanical repro
auctions, the starkness of photog-
raphy, the clatter of the phono-
graph, the crudity of diagrams.
THE 'lingos' of science have made
an appalling psychological chasm
between ourselves and the past.
we must not be beguiled and led
astray by these miracles OF me-
chanical reproduction, or they will
kill in us the creative inspiration
Of art"
The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-23
HEALTH SERVICE
Beauties Avoid Cancer of the Skin

Since women have taken up
smoking there is reason to believe
that they will suffer increasingly
with cancer Of the mouth. Up to
recent times, cancer Of the mouth
primarily was a disease Of man.
DR.. Bloodgood points out that the
modern woman is teaching man
how to smoke with the least risk
of cancer, because she keeps her
teeth clean and smooth, and when
properly informed seeks examina-
ton by a dentist or by her physi-
clan the moment she discovers a
sore spot.
A sore spot in the mouth may
be the beginning of any one of a
number of injections or Initiative
disorders and always should have
careful attention.
A good dentist not only protects
his patient against cancer Of the
mouth, but knows what to do when
there is pain, loose tooth, a gum
boil or a swelling Of the jaw.