The Washington times., 1935-11-18


Arliss or a John Barrymore to
show 'em how.
Jumbo" Is a Hit
Jumbo" which Billy Rose
opened Saturday night at the New
York Hippodrome is immense,
says the New York critics. Jimmy
"Schnozzle" Durante whips back
into favor and A. Robins (the
musical clown who has appeared
often at the Earle) takes the
next honor notices. All the New
York critics praise it so it appears
the circus musical, with elephants
n everything will win back the
5000, ,000-odd which Jock Whitney
invested in Billy Roses latest idea
Paul, Whiteman rides a white
horse and leads his band and. if
this isn't enough, there's a base
ment side show and menagerie.
Elsie Is ultra"
Elsie Ferguson is one of my IA
vorite actresses. but not when she
is as terribly affected as she was
last night taking a bow on the
Major Bowes hour I like the
thoughtfulness of Mrs. Arthur
Sears Henning, one of the top
boosters for Ballet Russo which
she first saw in London. Knowing
she would have to leave the Ma
tional last night to hear her hus-
band broadcast at 10 p. m, she
arranged to give her ticket stubs
to one of the less fortunate turned
away from S. r. o. house and
permit them to enjoy the last
portion of the program Carol
Frink's alienation Of affections
suit against Helen Hayes is cal
endared for trial in Chicago on
December 16, same night she is
supposed to open here in her
new play for Gilbert Miller,
Victoria Regina" Why pic
lures cost so much to produce:
Gladys Swarthout of the Met in
Rose of the Rancho" has to sing
a song seated on the back Of a
horse. But the horse didn't like
music when they started to re.
hearse. So three days before they
shot the sequence they engaged
an orchestra to play for the ami
NAL and get him accustomed to
the sweet notes. Therefore Gladys
was able to do her yodeling with
out the risk of having her neck
broken. Don't blame me for this.
1t comes from a Paramount press
agent.
About "Peter"
''Peter Ibbetson," one Of the
greatest love stories ever written,
and now in pictures at the Earle,
with Ann Harding and Gary
Cooper, was peddled around for
20 years before any stage pro-
ducer would take it. George Du
Maurier wrote the novel in 1891,
but it was not until 1915 that
Constance Collier accepted the
John Raphael adaptation of the
book. An immediate stage sue
ces in London, Miss Collier
brought it to New York in 1917
and presented the play with her
self as Mary, Duchess of Towers,
and John Barrymore as Peter. It
ran for two years. Elsie Fergu-
son and Wallace Reid played in
the silent version. Then Deems
Taylor turned it into grand opera.
Struck Out Three Times
One of the trials of show busi-
ness is rehearsing hard for new
plays only to have tn e m with
drawn before the opening night
or quickly fold up.
Consider the case of Horace
MacMahon who will be acting in
Swing Your Lady" when that
comedy opens at the National
Theater tonight. He strived this
season for II weeks in three diff
ferent shows without once reach
ing a Broadway first night. First
was Hell Freezes Over" which
went through all the prelimin-
aries and was closed after a one
week try-out. After that two weeks
in a play about which the pro-
ducerS changed their mind when
they saw how it looked. Then in
Dear Mr.. President" which the
producers pulled the night before
the premiere.
In Swing Your Lady," the Ken
yon Nicholson Charles K. Robin
son farce, he has a good role and
is pretty sure to reach Broadway
this time after the Washington
tuning-up.
The Nutty Marxes
This personal from Motion Pic
ture Daily sounds typically Marx
Bros. Alexander Woollcott during
his stay in Los Angeles will be the
house guest Of Harpo Marx. Harpo,
however, is now in New York and
does not expect to return during
the stay of his guest. Or there
is Groucho's sly poke at the Gold
en- Horseshoe: These are the best
seats at the opera. You can hardly
hanY t1HiVa0