Evening star., 1935-01-03

There are no surprises here except,
perhaps, Berkeley Square AS far
as we can remember, it did only an
average week when 1t played here at
the Fox--and two or three people
wrote in and asked if it please might
be explained to them what it was all
about. If they had seen the play
they should have known. They should
have known anyway
The above 10 are. on the whole,
however, extraordinarily satisfactory
Only we should have listed them this
way: "The House of Rothschild,"
1T Happened One Night" Little
Women" One Night of Love" "The
Barretts of Wimpole Street." Dinner
at Eight" Count of Monte Cristo,"
THE Thin Man" Viva Villa" and
Berkeley Square"
Dollars to doughnuts, however, that
If Little Women" had been produced
later in the season it would have won
first vote. Same way with "Roths-
child" Same way with 1T Hap
pened One Night" Reviewers have
a curious habit of thinking that the
last good picture they have seen is
the best.
X y
RUT In the added honor ROLL"
what an assorted tumble of
opinions Can there really be AZ
reviewers who believe that Cleo
patra" was one of the best films?
Can there be % who think likewise
about Affairs of Cellini"? Can there
be "a who said the same about Her
Sweetheart? And who and what
the dickens was Her Sweetheart"
anyway? Can IA right-minded
sleuths rightfully persuade themselves
that Operator 10" was one of the
''worser" than all are there really 10
solid citizens Of this U. s. A. who can
work themselves up to such a fever
pitch that they give one of their 10
blue ribbons to Caravan?
There obviously are The less said
about them the better. "Riptide."
which set certain censorship board
into frenzy, got II votes, too.
OF ALL the players the world over
~ the Abbey Players are probably
the most feted. When they open
their season here on Monday flor one
week only at the National with The
Plough and the Stars" this will be
the signal for positive barrage of
entertainments. Even before that,
Mrs. Robert Brennan of 3842 Cathe-
dral avenue will give tea in their
honor. The latest invitation comes
from President Lucia Hanna Hadley
OF the District of Columbia League
of American Pen Women. After a bit
OF juggling with the calendar this
worthy group will give a party Tues
day evening at 1880 o'clock at the
Burlington Hotel.
4 GOOD many people have asked
"a Why don't the Abbey Players
present Within the Gates instead
OF New York company?" The an
swer to that is that author Sean
O'Casey had bit of a tiff with the
Dubliners few seasons ago and has
gone his way since, avoiding any reg
ular production group.
Like Elmer Rice, he prefers now to
sponsor his own plays-which some
believe to be good idea-ar1d some
believe to be not so good.
WHILE the Abbey Players head the
list of entertainments for next
week, and the Belasco Art Theater
Society goes into its second week with
production of Mrs. Moonlight" the
screen features at local theaters start
ing tomorrow will include the follow
ing:
The Mighty Barnum" at the Fox.
This is the Wallace-Beery-P. T Bar
mum yarn which has been given a
handsome send-off since it made its
Hollywood bow. The cast includes
every one from Jenny Lind virginia
Bruce) to giants and is lavish with all
these phenomenal exhibits with which
Barnum dazzled a gullible world.
Adolphe Menjou, Janet Beecher and
Rochelle Hudson are also in the pic
ture. The stage show features the
Paradise Cafe revue with Jay Flippen.
Note: Guy Lombardo comes to the
theater Wednesday and Thursday.
Broadway Bill" at the Earle brings
Capra back before the public as the
director of another hit. Mr.. Capra
this time concerns himself with horses,
Myrna 10y and Warner Baxter, and
gives you such race as you haven't
seen even at Bowie. The stage show