Evening star., 1935-09-24


move the whole business onto one Settil
get an idea of the rumpus stirred up
in Cecil B. DcMille's THE Crusades."
At a preview yesterday afternoon,
the local drama cricks had their first
glimpse of Mr.. De Miles latest home
made war. They gasped appreciative-
ly at the right times, and handsome
little controversy developed on the
spot Some held that Saladin the
Saracen was a more perSonable gent
than Richard Couer de Lion. Others
insisted the idea was plain heresy.
None disputed the power and sweep
Of the De Mile battle scenes.
Between the Crusades and our own
Revolution there were only one or
two organized wars in which the
fighters really burned with zeal and
righteous conviction. That kind of
scrap makes for more fun and far
better drama. Even the most spectac-
ular butchery can be poetically justi-
fed If the winning side has a Sympa-
thetic cause to fight for. Mr. De Mile
one of the shrewdest gentlemen in
show business, has practiced that
principle laviShly in his latest eX-
travaganZa. We now trust that he
will assemble Henry Wilcoxon, Loretta
Young and others who appear in THE
Crusades" and launch upon a talkie
dramatization of The Birth of Ma
ton" There was a war for you, with
everybody hot under the collar and
one side campaigning mostly on
fervor.
THE Crusades." bv the way. makes
a formal debut Sunday night at the
National.
SPEAKING of the private showings,
a film called "Preview" will soon
be released in Hollywood. 1t is a
murder mystery and the crime takes
place at an advance screening of a
picture. The advance publicity does
not state who gets done in, but prob
ably it will turn out to be the critic
who always came late and kept every
body waiting.
IN THE original version Of "The
Frisco Kid" the climax came
when Jimmy Cagney was about to be
hanged by the Vigilantes and Mar
garet Lindsay stepped in, made
big speech and saved him. The other
day the producers decided that was
too much even for the movie public,
trained to accept almost anything in
the way Of stories. They made re-
takes of the finish and now Cagney
gets shot to death in a courtroom
scene.
THE collapse of vaudeville continues
in New York, with the Palace,
once the goal Of every variety actor,
reverting to film policy. Locally
stage entertainment shows exactly the
opposite trend. Loew's Fox has
booked a $4,000 vaudeville unit for
next week, with Lou Holtz, Block and
Sully, Belle Baker and others in the
cast And both the presentation
houses have top shows under their
roofs during the current week.
E1THER William Randolph Hearst
is going to take his Cosmopolitan
producing units from Warmers and
join RKO. with Winfield Sheehan
cutting in on the deal, or some bright
boys in New York are promoting a
great stock scheme by circulating the
rumor. A certain ballyhoo service in
that city sends in another item to-
day anent Mr.. Sheehan's activities,
and claims the recent upswing of
RKO shares was due to the fact the
Hearst st-Sheehan-RKO reorganization
deal had reached the certainty stage.
No confirmation has been given from
the RKO Offices,
X X
JACK ALLOCATE, writing in the
Film Daily, says he recently talked
with some of the London censors, who
pride themselves on their strictness,
and was told they are really severe
only with English products.
IF the Americans want to make
fools Of themselves in films" said the
censor, I'VE seldom interfere with
them unless the process involves some
reflection on John Bull"
X X X X
CHIC SALE is being starred as Abra-
ham Lincoln in a new M-G-M
two-reeler entitled The Perfect Trib-
ute" Considering Mr. Sales past
associations, that may be put down
in the books as one Of the most re-
markable reversals of form ever seen
away from race track.
X X X
r AY DOOLEY has changed from
baby impersonator into a tumbler
with a troupe of Arabian acrobats
for the Eddie Dowling show Thumbs
up which comes to the National on
October T. Paul Draper, who ap-
peared at the Earle last Spring, is
the dancing star and Clark and Nc
Cullough the comedians.
THE Arthur Godfrey Arch McDon-
aid stage review plotted by Gene
Ford will open at Loew's Fox on