Evening star., 1933-07-21
Reviewers Of the Ann
Harding Picture, "Dou-
bic Harness." Disagree.
ONE DISLIKES FILM;
ANOTHER FAVORSIT
But /. Meets With Washing
ton Approval and Will Be
Held Over for Another Week
BY E. de S. MELCHER.

viewer for New YOrks Herald
II Tribune, says Of Miss Ann
i Harding that she is noble,
grave and spinsterish" in "Dou-
Bile Harness" the film at R-K-O Kelth's,
which has been held in such popular
esteem bv Washington's public that it
will be held over for a second week:
Mr.. Watts further objects to the fllm
as suffering from its grim determina-
ton to be smart and witty ana so.
phisticated when really 1t Is none OF
these things"
All of this frankly disturbs us. We
may be wrong, but 1t struck us tnat
while Double Harness" is no bomb
shell, it is nice, light entertainment,
which suffers not from overstrlving put
from understandings very unusual ana
welcome fault in this medium.
Then, again, if you think Miss Hard
ing grave and spinsterish," you belong
to that anti-Hardirg school, which Is
one of those things we do not care two
fiddlesticks about. While Miss Hard
ing has suffered this season from
series of chilly and stupid roles and for
wearing that hat all the way through
when Ladies Meet" in Double Har-
ness" she seems to us so definitely IN
her element, her best element, that II
YOU do not like her now, you never Will
She NAV be grave and she may be
noble-but never spinsterish. The latter
is due perhaps to the fact that she
holds herself extremely we'll, that she
walks like lady and talks like lady.
No spinster, however, would ever give
in SO nicely to Mr.. Powells embraces
as she does, and no spinster would
bounce around in pajamas with the
silken efficacy that is unquestlonaoly
hers.
We should like to go to the bat for
Miss Harding in this film. inasmuch as,
other than that excellent few minutes
she had with Myrna 10y In "When
Ladies Meet" we haven't been able to
get even to first base in her behalf Tor
most of the year. Even away back IN
HOLIDAY" we found her overgrave and
too f.umbuggish. And in one or two
subsequent pictures the persistent and
monotonous hum of her voice has al
most reduced us to pulp.
In Double Harness" however. she Is
sincere, simple and believabie Al
though YOU can rage at her for being
Is nice as she is to her impossible sister,
although you are frankly surprised at
her for playing such trick on William
Powell. although you may think she Is
a trif1e too good to be true, she is every
thing that nobody else is on the screen
being virtuous without being objec-
tionable-and combining all her gifts
with that slight weave of humor whlch
Is such a relief to any audience.
If you think Miss Harding spins
terish, then no doubt you have gone
overheard completely for the Mae West
school which at the moment Is engulf-
ing the country After the fiery gyra-
tions of Miss West, the rest OF woman
hood seems, of course, quite tame. After
the east-and-west shiftings OF this
noble SOUL you are probably surprised
when such a one as Miss Harding walks
upright and downright" and neither
ogles nor cajoles.
We are believer In both OF these
schools. But, temporarily. we rise to
the defense of the gentler Of the two.
since Miss Harding seems to have come
out of the woods, and in spite OF her
nobility and her spinsterishness, to be
one of Hollywood's most capable leading
ladies, and one you can safely take the
whole family to see.
T OCAL excitement over "Oh Kay,
- Washington" the revue which
Manager Carter Barron is sponsoring
the week of August 18 at Loews Fox, Is
"something." Streams of potential stars
have already bubbled in and out to
ask the why's and wherefore's OF it.
Homes. which had plotted on quiet and
some meditation during the Summer,
suddenly find themselves ripped VIDE
hpart by Hedging adagio teams and
5unior Kate Smiths who are practiclng
their all In anticipation Of getting a
part fp this revue. Nobody knows yet
dlyk What It is all about-but that 1t Is
e;mething different and that it should
tickle the public fancy seems obvious.
With Mr. Lampkin's music, and Gene
Fords lyrics. and a row of is Wash
angton high steppers. the indications OF
success are all on the up and up.
"A CTIVITIES In Hollywood at the
~ M-G-M studios include the fol-
lowing:
Fred Astaire, recent star of 1.-The
Cav Divorce" and more recently mar
ried to Manhattan socialite. has
started work in the Joan Crawford
film, Dancing Lady" Mr.. Astaire. TO
our way of thinking, is Broadways most
agile "hoofer."
Joan Crawford's next film will be
@Always Tomorrow"
Una Merkel, slightly overweight In
her last picture, will have featured
role in the Jean, Harlow-Lee Tracy pic
ture. "Bombshell."
Charles Butterworth will have a lead
ing role in What Liar" Ted Healy
and his "stooges" also will be in the
The cast of Beauty for Sale" will
include Otto Kruger, Madge Evans,
Alice Brady, Phillips Holmes, May
Robson and Henry Travers.
Wallace Beery's new starring picture
following "Tugboat Annie" with Ma
RE Dressler-will be "Viva Villa"
Robert Montgomery has completed
Another Language" with Helen Hayes
and Might Flight" and has gone 10
New. York for his first vacation in sew
eral years.
MARY PICKFORD has written an
1FI article for Forum, the second in
a series entitled What Religion Means
to Me" Mrs. Roosevelt authored the
first
Watch for film called wild Boys Of
the Road" which Warner Bros. are
filming, and which will include that
amazing young actor, Johnnie Darrow
who did so well with Cagney IN The
Mayor of He'll"
A card for ex-National Player DON
aid Woods, who writes from the IA
NOUS Glitch Gardens Theater in Den
yer to say that they are playing to
hacked houses there. Season much,
much better than Washington" says
Mr.. Woods. We can easily believe that
Woods, incidentally, goes to Hollywood
in September to try his hand at break
irc into the films