Evening star., 1933-06-23

his best molar to have Noel Coward
write play for him (as who wouldnt?)
it is still not easy to forget him as
Scareface, or as the tortured hero OF
I'm a Fugitive From the Chain Gang >"
We can do without George Raft
posing as Mike the Kike. But we can
not do without MUM. His cheek is
particularly adapted to the long, lean
scars which have been etched on them.
His mouth can be twisted down to seem
particularly dour. His smile can be
construed into the bitterest kind Of a
meaning. And he can fight and snarl
and roughhouse with Johnny the Bar
ber. or any of the tougher hombres,
with proper vehemence and no care Tor
his grease paint
Edward G. Robinson is another
gentleman who fares better with
cinema rogues and rascals. While 1t
has been proved that he can do COMEDY
if he wants to. the public prefers him
most as a glowering menace, whose
deeds of wrath plunge him into nasty
death at the end of the film.
If these gentlemen are to calm down
and Mr.. Warner says that out Of
the 60 to 80 films to be done by War
ner Bros. during the coming season
not a single one will have the gangster
for a hero-what will they calm
down to?
Well. Mr.. Robinson is to play Ma
poleon, and MUM is to do something
called Massacre. which oddly enough.
doesn't sound like much of Gin
derella story If it isn't a gangster
warn it has, at least. the promise OF
some fancy fury and some of the trick
anger which Muni conjures up so
nicely. And with Robinson playing
A1 ir|1n rrit1 l10f
Muni's next step may be Marc Antony
or Julius Caesar or one of those clas-
sical boys far removed from East Side
cutters.
At least these men are not to go soft
on us. Although the Warner bad men
are out of fashion (the Warmers first
raised them up to fame) they will have
at least some salty cronies as their off,
spring, and while the latter may not
be out and out villainous. they will at
least have a touch of evil about them
and keep up that old. old tradition,
that all is not fair weather, even in the
land Of make believe.
Metro-GoldwynM Mayer has bought
"Forsaking All Others" We hope they
will not boast about it. This, as
first presented to Washington
audience (in spite of the efficient
INNINGS of Tallulah Bankhead and
better than average Fred Keating),
seemed at least the runner-up for the
worlds worst play. Minus that Bank
head cartwheel, one or two witty lines
could 60 "bye-bye" without a qualm.
Proof of this was evidenced during the
opening night performance, when
noted drama writer from New York
was observed to be sleeping soundly
somewhere to the left of our left
shoulder during acts I, II and III.
Yesterdays mail brought a letter
shipped from the Santa Fe train going
west. Out Of it tumbled check. On
it was written e. Melcher-ten dollars
for atmosphere" After cudgelling
our brain to think why we should re-
ceive gift for atmosphere" We noticed
brief note which had come with the
check-and which, signed Glendon All
bine (production manager for the An
chors AWeigh" company, informed us
that this sum was not really for us, but
for local beauties, Christine Eekengren
and Margaretta Wright, who had
danced at Annapolis in the dance scene
of this film from in the afternoon
until 10 that night. Yes-you still
get SIS for being an extra. Nice going
ladies'
You can't get away from the Mae
West spell these days Even local
film companies are trying to outWit
each other in bringing this lady before
the eye Of the public You will note
for instance. that yesterday the War
ner Bros. were telling their readers
that If you liked Mae West in She
Done Him Wrong youll 60 wild over
Barbara Stanwyck in Baby Face
with l3 men, including George Brent,
and at the same time the Loew Fox
people were saying that Mae West
says: I'm giving my Endorsement
TO The Girl in 4l9' because she's got
what it takes if you get what
mean" Now all we need is for Miss
Mat q al.nr.