The Washington times., 1932-06-20
fresh Every Night

! I 1t strange to me thaC Jim
ie Durante considered the pet of the high
brows The first time heard Of him, Robert Bench
ley was explaining that, with Jimmie Durante avail
entertainment might as we'll fold it's rayed tents and
depart. At persuasion, Mr. Benchley took me into
the club where Durante functioned-he knew the
show so we'll that he only dropped in to introduce
| to the headwater. That at in the morning,
and Mr. Benchiey was still there ere, when they began
like that; you couldn't get too much of Durante, and
no matter how we'll you knew the numbers there was
always freshness and delight in the way Durante put
| them
! Now Star
put that in the past tense because after few efforts
IN musical shows, where he shone with dimmed luster
Durante has gone to the talkies and made himself
of the most sought after comedians of Hollywood Hardly
scenario writer there does not dream of writing in
part for him and thereby giving himself assurance of
few good sequences. understand that Jimmie is
in The Wet Parade and doing nicey the last picture
of his which have The Passionate Plumber"
film dedicated Buster Keaton that Jimmie had to
be somewhat sheved; but he superb when they let
him let himself out. Before that, in Get-Rich-Quck
Walngford," he was the whole show. Now he is known
in Milwaukee and Memphis and Seattle and Brattleboro
and imagnes that only few tired intellectuas
could the fun in him. -
It never was subtle fun and never will be. Jimmie
Durantes mind is simple if cockeyed it is mad but not
deliberately mad His jokes full of surprises,
when they not the best jokes and his delivery is
based on one thing alone-heartness Whatever he does
he does with all his powers and the hustle and rushing
which went when he and Clayton and Jackson sormed
around night club floor were matchess.
= He looks like a New Engander and is the of
1alians-that is he from the greatest of i'm
provisers the world has known. I do not know
why it offends people to remnants of the past in
the present but for they object to being
told that modern musical comedy stems from Mozart
and modern vaudeville played, with differences in
old Athens farce in the plays of Aristophanes
To it adds distinct pleasure when think of Jimmie
Durante the descendant of the who played Har
lequn and Pantaloon in the old Italian comedy For
reason, suspect that old comedy of being of the
few supreme achievements of the theater.
Making 1t Up
In that comedy few lines written Stage direc-
tions told the actor that at such and such point in the
action the old falls in love with girl young (and
pretty enough to be his granddaughter and is beaten
UP by the clown With this to go each actor invented
! lines remembered what went we'll, used the
! again in other situations always adding new business,
always thinking up things to Precisely that is
what Jimmie Durante does He follows his great
into the and instantly something electric
adscharge of energy, violent eruption of human
and nonsense.
: There minor qualities. Some of Jimmie's move
ents the turn of his head the look of gross
burlesQue the most exquisite acting. The hokum is
perfect One of his consists of himself and jack
telling pretty old and bad jokes; and the whole
kept funny because everyone knows the jokes bad
and all through the telling of them Durane and Jackson
exchange walking sticks The purpose of the lies
with hats Or with overcoats; anything else that
makes "Jitnmie, the WelDressed Man"
1t can be only matter of time before he arrives
star in the pictures, and when that happens hope he
will have a lot to do with making his own play The
movies be fantastic and crazy and now they have
: the who will show them what fantasy and crazy
~humor really