Evening star., 1934-09-07

managers I'LL local empOrla VIII
ballyhoo artists have told Taurl
He roundly berates this delay. wish
ing to peek at the latest film fare
at least a week before his brothers
in other cities, and perhaps thereafter
to rush of and bell them what he has
seen. Instead. Taurus complains he
must wait for weeks while fans OF
other cities, yea, hamlets, roll over
on their film palates the latest NOR
sells of Garbo, Chaplin, Lloyd. Diana
Wynyard and the Marx brothers.
Take Philadelphia, for instance"
he says, knowing full we'll that we
could not even have taken Richmond
If we had been Grant, where DANES,
Cats Paw Cleopatra and other good
pictures, along with excellent vaude-
vile, are playing the theaters to
capacity"
When will these be seen on F street
or Thirteenth or Fifteenth? Well, it
so happens all three are on the COM
ing-up docket. for the publicity boys
have been around waving pretty Still"
shots of cats mittenS, Cleopatras and
other danes under our noses. These
glossy prints are the harbingers of def
mite booking dates, so we may advise
Taurus that it will not be necessary to
60 las miles or 220 miles, as he says he
sometimes is wont to do in his hour of
disgust, to see the three films afore-
mentioned.
The point we are bounden to raise,
however, is as follows: What possible
IrA xTykHn
picture, particularly good one, gets
to town In September or on New Year
eve? If it is good show it will still
be a good one when it arrives here.
If it is mediocre, and many are, who
cares whether it comes at all? OF
course, pictures are turned out by the
bagful, like peanuts, in this era, and
it is understandable that some fans
should be accustomed to devouring
them in the same fashion. Yet, with
all the borrowing Of the ancient clas-
sizes for the current cinema, it would
seem wise to plot little delays and al
low people to reread their Dickens and
what not before the flickers get to
town.
This, needless to say, is not the at
struggle to get the newest and best
year in and year out, knowing that
even on Broadway there is an inclina-
tion to regard show like news
paper, to be caught in its first edition.
Certain obstacles and restraints stand
in the way Of the managers. They
cannot always get the particular films
they want at given times, and often
the latest product does not fit in with
q scheme of balanced programs.
That is to say, the mentors of our
picture houses often try to alternate
comedy, tragedy, melodrama and all
that in order to protect their patrons
from safety. No manager of a big
house in his right mind is going to
run ''The Maltese Falcon" The Thin
Man" and THE Dragon Murder Case"
in his theater on successive weeks
just because all happen to be cracker
jack detective pictures. With the
three on his list he might space them
no less than three or four weeks apart,
neceSsitating wait of several months
for the last of tn trio.
We cannot debate with our Mr.
Taurus his claims about local prices,
for that is question of business and
not amusement, but his protests
against the towns theater managers
we believe to be unfair. These fellows
give the appearance of earnest work.
ers in the entertainment racket, keen
to catch the popular fancy, willing
occasionally to educate it and never
far behind their more metropolitan
contemporaries, who, of course, have
every advantage over them from
budget to buildings. Yet in the ma
tional organizations Of the companies
they represent the Washington bally-
hoo dealers and directors of our fun
seem to be exceedingly well liked,
which on this hard-boiled earth means
they are producing the goods.
X X X
IF TAURUS will drop down this
week to glance at Miss Francis and
Mr.. Howard of British Agent" and
the stage show billed with them; OBJ
serve Miss Carroll and Mr.. Tone at
their business in THE World Moves
On" or note the new screen magic
applied by Ben Hecht, Charles Nc
Arthur and Lee Garmes to Crime
Without Passion" he surely will be in
better humor with the gentlemen who
booked these bits for his diversion.
X X X X
A PROGRAM such as Rodney Col
lier plans for his Rialto, to be re-
opened next Thursday, likewise should
softer the words Taurus proposes to
fling forth in criticism. Mr.. Collier
tells us he is to bring to town ere
long, THE Great ziegfeld." in which
William Powell will be starred; "The
Mystery of Edr-in Drood," a story
Charles Dickens wrote, but never fin
ished, unknowingly leaving that task
to the master minds of Hollywood;
''Show Boat" that American classic of
Kern music and Hammerstein-F Ferber
invention; THE Raven" one of Mr..
Poe's spookiest, with the eerie Mr..