Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-17

fatty missed the point.
In the film at the Rialto this week
much time and attention is paid a
dance called the carranga. No doub,
1t Is meant to be cousin of the
Carioca. The music is vived, lively
and intriguing until the same melody
has pounded on and on for an aeon
or two. Where the camera is used for
detail shots the dance likewise has
yigor and a mild degree of enchant-
ment En- masse, the number is a
total loss because it fails to utilize
contrast to bring out the choral pat
terms.
Against a background of silver
sheen, chorus CARRIED in black may
be led effectively through any rumbeI
of intricate maneuvers Cor could have
been two years ago, before the game
was run into the grounO. When the
dancers in "Brewster's Millions wear
Spanish costumes to contrast with a
setting both sandy and dull, however
they produce merely an effect Of
elaborate confusion.
So much for the elements of spec
tacle AS comedy. "Brewster's Mil
lions" relies upon such startling nov
elites as a scene wherein Jack Blu
chanan hides in the rear END of q
papier mache dragon and discovers d
cut-throat who has been trying t.
kidnap him is occupying the front
end The dragon then chases its tail
from pillar to post. Later some fire.
works explode inside the beast and
Mr.. Buchanan's smalls burst into
flames. The director, no doubt, rolled
in the aiSle-alone.
A N AMIABLE, dapper comic who re-
ceived more than his share Of
teeth from the world, Jack Buchanan
sings, works hard for laughs anc
skips through one brief dance routine
in this affair. For background he
has a story that has become more OF
less a classic in the annals OF farce
the tale of the young man who in
heritS fortune of 100000 pounds
sterling and is commanded to spend
it all in six months in order to OBJ
tain another legacy dozen times as
large.
For five months and 90 days every
thing he buys goes up, every gamble
wins and every gift is returned two
fold. On the last day he achieves
the necessary losses.
Lii Damita also is member of the
"Brewster's Millions" cast. In later
years, when she reviews her perform
ance, she probably will be tempted to
deny that she was there at all.
x
THE Rialtos auxiliary program this
week also suffers from poor stag
Ing. Creatore is himself Snowman
of no small repute, but the conditions
under which he was reintroduced Co
Washington yesterday would have
killed Ted Lewis version Of st. Louis
Blues The orchestra filed in in plain
view of every one after the feature
ended. The house lights were on dur
ing THE Dance of the Hours from
La Giaconda" and Boccherlnls
"Minuet," and Creatore was not IA
vored with a spotlight Of sufficient
strength to distinguish him from his
own music stand. When Kathleen
Lawlor came out to sing "TouJour
L'Amour" and only Rose" she was
required to climb over the footlights
onto a platform so small that she
seemed to be in a strategic position tc
bite the microphone. Consequently
her voice did not come through
properly.
Despite these handicaps both the
principal figures in the musical enter
tainment were well liked by the
audience. Creatore received an ova-
ton both at the beginning and the
conclusion of his numbers. With m
proved presentation the program
doubtless would be entirely successful
DURING the last Summer every
~ drama desk in town was flooded
with letters pleading for revivals Of
the better films of the past two sea-
sons. With local picture menus fal
from delectable during the theater'
dog days, the quality products of an
other year seemed infinitely desirable
! Last night the answer to those
prayers materialized with the opening
of a downtown house which will be
devoted entirely to REVEALS. The
Little Theater on Ninth street made
Its debut before an invited audience
with Bing Crosby and w. c. Fields
mississippi" a pleasing burlesque
cherished by the Fields cult because
it allows the great comic to stay be-
fore the camera for long stretches OF
time.
Smartly renovated after the mod
ernistic fashion, the new show shop
. Is an intimate but comfortable house,
the perfect place to get a second look
at an old favorite or catch the much
discussed show you missed when it
was in town. The second reel sched-
uled here, for example, probably will
be THE Barretts of Wimpole Street. u
So long as the Little Theater sticks
to a program of that quality, it will
I'LL a definite need in Washington.
A tip to the management: Dim the
side house lights. From the rear and
side, they hamper visibility.
ON THIS page Sunday ruminative
" article concerning the New York
theaters bore the by-line of Luciu'
Beebe. A slight error, as Mr.! Beebe
was manufacturing other fables ir