Evening star., 1934-09-21

Perhaps this Runyon story, as in the
case Of Winchell's Broadway Through
a Keyhole" was only inspired" by Mr..
Runyon. Perhaps he only struck the
bold outline and then let writing
stooges come in and fill up the holes.
Perhaps he wouldn't know it as his
own if he saw it now. At any rate.
it isn't UP to the Runyon standard;
it doesn't make you laugh or cry, and
its acting is so conventional and Its
dialogue so matter f-fact that what
ever spark there may have been In
the original story has long since been
tossed out of the window.
You won't. however, be bored. The
film progresses swiftly enough, has the
usual smattering of big bold racket"
men who never sit anywhere other
than in night club Offices. and Illus
trates that there still are imitators OF
Helen Morgan walking out.
Wini Shaw's shameless carbon copy
of La Morgan in a night club is
frankly one Of the funniest things ex-
tant. Every time she lifts one of her
arms she seems to be hauling the
Panama Canal with it, and when she
wiggleS her under chin and places her
right hand next to her cheek, you will
see some of the ugliest gestures devised
so far by woman. Later in the film
she makes up for this by doing a neat
nose-dive on the floor in shameless
imitationof nobody But in the mean
time we should think that Miss Nor
gan would rise up from somewhere
and sock the lady cold.
Edward Arnold continues his worthy
gallery of bad men who really have
hearts of gold with only moderate
SucceSs-his other characterizationS
being 80 per cent better. Miss Car
Isle has thinned down since We last
saw her. but still needs thinning. and
Phillips Holmes still seems to speak
from the top of his head, his lips
moving but his face somehow main
tanning its unabandoned stolidity.
P. S. The picture isn't really half
as bad as you may have gathered from
the above.
YOU can't keep man, woman and
L four-footed creatures from turn
ing picture actor these days . look
at Hugh Walpole. called by some the
only John Galsworthy left in England,
who now is going to face the camera
Walpole will play the vicar in
David Copperfeld' along with Lionel
Barrymore and the rest Of the boys
who next? &. There are only
few left around town 80. Rumor has
it that Lou Goew'S Fox Brown would
manage Wife Shirley if she needed
the Novarro call and treked of TO
Hollywood that local editress of
fancy dishes is thinking of tickling
the cinema muse that genial
Eustis may sign on the dotted . d. and
that Julian BrylasWki, after viewing
himself in the Variety Flashes" is
contemplating journey to the stu
dos =. Others around town who may
or may not go Hollywood include
Arthur Godfrey, lad with talent who,
however, as yet doesn't fool himself
into thinking that he's Cantor
eddie; Carter Barron, whose Make
Baer profile and sunset-colored locks
have turned him into one of the most
popular of the local lRomeo-managers; ;
that blond gal Who sells tickets
behind that Earle wicket: the from
bone player in the Earle Orchestra,
and Phil Lampkin. whose left shoulder
blade has made him a candidate for
many leading role.
MEMBERS of the Variety Club
will stage a mammoth banquet
and ball on Saturday, November "a,
at the Willard Hotel.
X *
& NEW play by Robert E. Sherwood
called The Petrif1ed Forest is
the chief drama news of the day. 1t
will be presented not singly but triply
those concerned being Gilbert Miller,
Actor Leslie Howard and Arthur Hop
kins. AS soon as Mr.. Howard, who
will also play the leading role. gets
through with London cinema as