Evening star., 1933-02-13

terday, and realize that foreign f1lms
of merit can be as cordially re-
ceived here as local SagaS from
Hollywood and Broadway. Certain
ly Yesterdays expressions OF en-
thusiasm indicate that the city Is full
of those who would willingly see
what our continental cousins are
doing. and who appreciate the view
ing of the better films from foreign
provinces.
While Elm Waller vom Strauss"
GA Waltz by StrausS"O Is not one
of the major films, 1t Is refresh
ingly different, and picture whose
acting and music are so natural as
to seem scarcely the screen at all.
You could not help being stirred
yesterday when the young Strauss
(played superbly by Gustav Froelich)
sat down at his piano and strummed
the opening bars of his until then
not created "Blue Danube Waltz" AS
the much-loved one-two-three beats
of this popular melody burst onto
the scene, you could see most OF the
audiences shoulders swaying IN time
with it-and many less formal mem
bers singing it in low but dstin-
guishable tones.
Then. too, the way In which these
films are handled makes them un-
derstandable to those whose Ger
man never got beyond the "Du bist
vie cine blume" stage. Every now
and then a caption appears at the
bottom of the film to help you along
the way-although for the most part
these are unnecessary, since the ac-
tions Of the players are so distinct
as to make the story extraordinarily
clear.
It Is the way, however, in which
music is introduced into these for
eign films which makes them so
different from our jazZ-infested
chronicles. In this film, for in
stance, which is the history Of the
popular composer, Johann Strauss.
the younger, as well as the older
(not a particularly commendable
character), the waltzes are intro
duced with a clear grace and with
absolute fidelity to the original.
And. while this music Is being played
in the beer gardens, and in the par
lors, and the palaces, you are not
tortured by close-ups OF the heroine
making faces or the hero tying HIM
self into knots over his fiddle.
Everything flows along smoothly and
intelligently, although the knack OF
a fade-out has not as yet been mas
tered by the German impresarios
with the ease Of Hollywood.
German film frauleins are, too, not
as luscious as some Of the Holly
wood nymphs. Fraulein or Frau
Maria Paudler, however, was dim
pied yesterday and nice when she
smiled, and Julia Serda was an
effective Mutter Strauss Particular
credit goes to Gustave Froelich for
his playing Of the main role. Young,
boyish and extraordinarily Prince-of-
Wales looking, he yet spoke with
bass profundo, and was able to play
the violin without giving away the
fact that he probably can't play 1t
all.
1t is hoped that more films OF this
nature will be shown at Pierce Hall.
They are, after all, not only pleasant
to the eye and to the ear, but they
are educational and make you want
to delve back into your text books
to get past the "ein beer, bite" class.
"The Green Pastures
Opens at National Tonight.
F." A DAM" Eve" Moses" "Cain,"
"A Abraham" Gabriel" and de
Lawd" arrived in town yesterday
morning and spent the day sight
seeing. Tonight the 100 dusky
players Of THE Green Pastures" will
play their 1,200th performance at
the National Theater. This famed
play will be here for two weeks.
Announcement has been made from
the Loew New York office that Lew
Brown, well-known press mogul, at
present affiliated with the Loew
forces in Baltimore, has been appoint
ed press man in chief in this city.
He replaces one-time local Eddie Gil
more, who writes from Atlanta, Ga,
where he Is now second In impor-
tance to the mayor Gas manager of
the biggest theater): I'VE have a
marvellous theater here"
Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey
reversed the current Hollywood rage
of women wearing mems trousers
by tripping down Hollywood's main
street the other day wearing skirts.
Said Wheeler: Skirts were good
enough for mother and they're good
enough for me-"