Evening star., 1932-08-28

ed, the usually backward
cinema, throwing s.Side its
customary shynesS, has plunged into
maelstrom of pre-Fan activities. AS
active as the theater is quiet and as
determined as its elder brother is hes
liant, the screen has decided that there
is no reason for postponing things and
is proceeding to set the pace for the
sluggard stage in the presentation of
Broadway entertainment. The result
is that most of the film houses are do
ing midseason business or better, and
are revealing lines of patrons at the
box Office that are both surprising and
gratifying, when you recall recent dire
predictions about the unhappy fate of
the motion picture. Perhaps the fact
that the recent cinema standard has
been definitely high in quality has
something to do with the upturn in
screen affairs.
At the same time Hollywood certain
ly cannot take all of the credit for the
radical increase in business at the
photoplay houses. The radio and the
press agents deserve some of it, too.
The arrangements of these vast the
aters. you see, have not been willing
to rely exclusively on the pictures for
success, and so they have presented
upon their stages succession OF radio
stars and publicized romantic figures
right out of the news columns. That
publicized romantic element consists
chiefly of George Jessel, George Brent
and Miss Norma Talmadge, but the
names of wireless celebrities sound like
the pay rolls at the broadcasting STU
dios-Ben Bernie, Burns and Allen, the
Boswell Sisters, the Street Singer, DON
aid Novis, Arthur Jarrett, Eddie Dowl-
ing, Harry Richman and several dozen
other favorites, who either clutter up
or enrich the air waves.
1T would be futile to deny that radio
success very definitely means box
Office success at the local picture
houses. Harry Richman was far from
q success as film actor and his per-
sonal appearance at the Paramount
Theater year or so ago was hardly an
individual triumph. Recently, however,
he became radio hero, whereupon he
returned to the Paramount and admir-
ing mobS stormed the doors. During
the interval he certainly hadn't i'm
proved as an entertainer-on the con-
trary, as a matter of fact. But then
this is the verdict of an observer, who,
when recently he saw sign in front of
the theater announcing that Mr.. Rich
man would be unable to appear at the
performance, felt that he was seeing
shrewd sales talk for the prospective
amusement seeker. The point is that 1t
was radio popularity which meant the
difference between Mr.. Richman as an
ordinary audience attraction and as a
box ONCE success.
These air-wave triumphs. even those
that have been successful in the thea
ter, are not always at their best when
they return from the broadcasting sta
tions. For example, it is my firm opin-
ion that Ben Bernie is the most satisfy
ing of all radio entertainers as well as
one of the ablest of band leaders. Yet
at the Capitol Theater last week he
performed with a certain surprising
lack of knowing expertness, in a way
most curious in the case of a veteran
performer. Then, too, that excellent
team of Burns and Allen-which means,
of course, chiefly the admirable Miss
Oracle Allen-Showed recently an un-
happy propensity for using feeble and
familiar gags. Perhaps tseir purpose
was not to outdiStance Miss Talmadge
and Mr.. JeSsel who were on the same
bill, too completely, but, anyway, the
result was slightly disappointing. Never
theless, the audiences in both cases were
delighted, and who are we to dispute
such an overwhelming majority?
The prevalence of radio acts upon
the cinema stage bills has one effect
which I am sure is deleterious. One
heartbreak, one song to dear old nom
and half a chorus about how you long
to be back in Shantytown, across the
tracks, seem to be worth several score
good, hearty, robust comedy antics,
until stage acts featuring whining
tenors or sentimental tributes to one
thing and another send the audiences
into such orgies of applause and riots
of tears that you sometimes cannot
blame Oracle Allen and Ben Bernie for
not bothering to be at their best. II
was, therefore, particularly consollng to
me last week to see, after the usual
heart ballads, the violent hilarities OF
that most strenuous of comic teams,
Mitchell and Durante, and then to find
that the assembled multitude preferred
them to all of the pleasant tenor notes
put together and pushed through a
microphone.
THE pictures, though, should not be
- forgotten as factors in the current
film house renaissance. After several
long, dreary months Of cinema debility,
there has suddenly been a rush Of first
rate photoplays. No doubt this is in
great part due to the fact that the
magnates. remembering the Midsum-
mer decline, have been holding of their
better works and concentrating them
for the early season drive. Neverthe-
less, the result has been that the pro-
portion OF good dramas and comedies
has been considerably higher than the
stage has been able to offer, even IN its
fairly recent periods of activity. The