Evening star., 1934-07-28
.GANGSTER FILM
is A FEATURE
At THE EARLE
Richard BGrtheln,ess Is
Starred in Story by
Damon RunyOn.

Damon Runyon's rich ana some
times riotolIs hokum has been so sue
cessful in its translations to ths screen
that the powers Of Hollywood seem 70
have decided anything from his pen
will make a good picture. In Md
night Alibi" this theory Is stretched
somewhat out Of bounds. not because
the story is more improbable than
Lady for a Day" or Little Miss
Marker" but due to the fact the film
at Warner Bros. Earle has not been
cast as happily as its Run7on prede'
cessors
Richard Bathelmess has been given
the role Of a New York gangster,
fond of such unhealthy sports as
shooting dice under a hat and calling
his own numbers, come what may.
Judging from the personalities Of some
of our own late citizenry with predi-
lections for the same types OF amuse-
ment, the gentlemen who put the heat
on gambling houses usually are very
hard and uncouth inhabitants, IN
clined to be proud of their bravo ways.
Mr.. Barthelmess, on the contrary, ap-
pears 10 be about as vicious as a
collie puppy. what with those Dig
warm eyes and the boyish smile.
Nevertheless, he is for the purposes
Of this cinema. one Lance MCGOWAN,
a toughie Just returning from Europe
and somewhat excited about girl ne
has met on the boat. she tAnn
Dvorak), disappears without giving
him her name after they land, and
Lance takes look around the town
to see what he can do to improve
himself. He finds one Angie the OK
in charge of things, running gambling
Joints. Brave little Lance immed1-
ately storms the places with his blood
and-thunder tactics. He merely goes
in, takes the dice, rolls them for "a
point, makes his bet and thereafter
shoots under the hat. When ne is
ready, he announces the point is
made, and collects.
This type of playboy is well known
for his short span of life, and Lance
almost gets his medicine when he in
vades Angles smartest spot and dis
covers the gal of the boat was none
other than Angles sister. In escaping
a barrage from what the boys call the
owned by the multimillionaire spin
ster, Abigail Ardsley, and there he
sits while Miss Abigail Sweetheart, to
YOU'D, tells him all about her early life
and loves. The same are pictured in
a flash-back sequence phoney as the
day is long, despite the presence OF
Helen Chandler (for whom we have
been looking ever since she wore red
shoes so she could walk faster in
another Barthelmess movie) in the
role of the young Abigail.
When the camera gets back to the
twentieth century, it finds the affairs
Of Lance fraught with interest for
"the old doll" She urges him to
talk it over With Angie and marry
the sister, but when Lance attempts
to go into a huddle the effects are
notably bad. A friend of our heros
has to shoot Angie, and Lance is ac-
cused of the murder.
Just as things are looking a hand
some ebony at the trial, in strolls
Miss Abigail TO take the witness stand
and tell what to all intents and pur-
poses is lie. She says Lance was in
ACA uOuoC WuCu 1llS ClOSA odiO A1 OI1
the night of the murder. The State
witnesses have fixed that as the hour
OF the killing. so that ends that. You
know the rest.
The Earle stage show this week is
headlined by that super dancer Hal
Leroy and the other acts are Donald
Cummings, a rope artist; the -Four
Cards, acrobatS, and Hall and Denni-
son, with music and comedy. There
are also some short subjects and a
news reel. R. B. P, jr,