Evening star., 1933-07-17

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A I today at the Columbia, Wash
wv ington will be able to settle
back once more to occasional
unrestrained laughter. Just
as important possibly, too, will be the
opening on Friday at the Palace OF an
other laugh provoker, Mamma Loves
Papa" with large. caustic and clever
Mary Boland, and small, humble, but
always gratifying Charles Ruggles In
the cast
With these two slap-stick recreations
at hand, or in the offlng. Washington
should not complain that its cinema
diet is good with everything except fun
While we have had shouts Of indigna-
ton at the sitting of the comic muse.
there are plenty of indications that 1t
is bouncing back to life, and what with
Eddie Cantor slaving over his new pro-
duction, Roman Scandals" and Marie
Dressler and Wallace Beery roaring
about in their 'Tugboat Annie" and
with other humorous concoctions brew
ing in Hollywood, the veil Of gloom Is
on the verge of being torn assunder.
This is as well. We have cried long
enough. It Is time for a minutes re-
spite from the Jennie Gerhardt's and
other lachrymose fables, which ladies
love and which gentlemen cannot see
for dust. It is time that Dame Humor
bounced around the corner.
It seems plain, however, that in the
absence Of our ace comedians OF the
old school, the new comic gentlemen
and ladies are sophisticated souls, given
less to custard-pie jugglings than they
are to merry manipulations OF the
mind. A treasured exponent Of this is
the able team Of Ruggles and Boland,
which is featured in the imminent,
MAMA Loves Papa" Two talented
stage recruits, whose absurdities are
dear to Broadway, and whose laughs
have rocked Manhattan from the
BoWery to the Bronx, Miss Boland and
Mr.. Ruggles are fine specimens Of the
tricks before the camera with loud
acclaim.
Paramount has done we'll to present
these two as one. The combination IS
almost as satisfying as Nine. Dressler
and Herr Beery When Boland "clonks"
Ruggles. or Ruggles biffs Boland, you
are certain of unlimited pleasure. The
fact that their billings and their
clonckings are more restrained and
sophisticated than they were in the
giddy Harold Lloyd hey-day need not
worry you. Miss Boland is large and
round and full Of vigor, and Mr.. Rug
Between them they can carve out q
merry comedy.
Therefore we look to Mama Loves
Papa" with considerable Joy. If it
isn't funny, we shall slice large chunks
out Of both Of them. Having gone to
the bat so long, 1t would be q sad, sad
thing to go home weeping after one OF
their films. We don't expect them to
be Charlie Chaplins, but we do count
on their scattering some Of this recent
cinema gloom to the winds.
T oCAL managers are getting brave!
- Saturday we were hailed by indus
trious Hardie Meakin, who was clocking
sidewalk. Said he: See here, Ill give
you $40 If, after seeing Double Harness
you don't like it,"
We agreed. It would have been easy
not to like it. But try as We will we had
to admit that we did. We saw that
expensive green piece Of paper vanish
before our eyes. Gone were all the new
this s-and-thats we had anticipated.
We like Double Harness" because 1t
has a swell ending-because it's last
''act" (and you can see that this part
of the play must have been extremely
diverting Is better than the others
because, while it's theme is light, it Is
told in such a way by both Miss Hard
ing and Mr.. Powell, that they could
probably cut their throats In two and
still make themselves agreeable while
doing it,
Chief complaint against the fllm is
that sister Sue, or whoever she Is, Is so
overdrawn as to be utterly impossible.
When she screams for $1,000 she does
IL with an inhuman quality that you
have to admit is plain theater-not real
life. No sister, brought up in such cir
cumstances, would ever act like such
complete cad-and no sister (this Miss
Harding) would ever be willing to toler-
ate her for so long. Sister Sue 1--WE
have forgotten her right name) Is one
Of the meanesr, silliest characters OF
the year. She almost upsets this ap-
plecart. But-in the long run, with
Miss Harding running true and smooth
and speaking her lines with a genteel
stage training-all Is better than well.
We are sorry, Mr.. Meakin, but you
will have to keep your change!
THE latest entertainment idea includes
l. presenting aerialists and circus per-
formers at beach resorts. If, for In
stance, you plan to 60 to Seaside Park
beginning Saturday. July %. you will
find there THE Great De Rizkie" and
his company troupe Of aerial per
formers who as they say. see the
world upside down." These trapeze
artists will remain there for one week
only. Rumor has it, however, that other
great circus acts are on their way.
Have you heard, for instance. that
Clyde Beatty. the great lion trainer
remember THE Big Cage"O, Is due
here shortly?
THIS weeks local attractions have
L given vent to the following state
ments:
That the Pickens Sisters are better
than the Boswells.
That Joe Penner is funnier than ever:
That the best thing on the Palace
program is Mickey Mouse (be sure to
note Garbo in this);
That 'Whoopee" at the Columbia will
do a landslide business;
That Johnnie Darrow steals "The
Mayor Of He'll from Jimmie Cagney;
That Madge Evans is one of the best
looking ladies in Hollywood:
That Carl Shaw is a swell dancer
but can cut out great chunks Of the
rest of his act: and
That the butler in Double Harness"
Reginald Owen) has been seen here
frequently on the stage Of the Ma
tional-possibly last in Through the