The Washington times., 1935-03-05

e underStdnQdDl
about acting than SO out Of a 100
in Hollywood-loaned out to Co
lumbia pictures because they have
a dual role that fits him. THE
Whole Towns Talking" will make
Eddie secure as a screen star for
sometime to come.
Long before Hollywood discov-
cred him he was 9 $50 a week
actor for George P. Marshall at
the old Garrick on F Street. Later
break in luck made him lead
ing man for Ethel Barrymore in
"a Royal Fandango" and for Mrs.
Leslie Carter in Stella Dallas"
Then the Theater Guild discovered
him and so did Hollywood.
His hardest Hollywood luck was
missing the chance to play Scarsi
in THE Racket" when Paramount
made that picture. I consider his
best screen portrait that of
Silver Dollar" but not many
agree with me.
Mistakes of Gloria
Gloria Swanson, to me, has
been the most mismanaged and
misdirected star in the business.
Somebody like Irving Thalberg of
M-G-M might have kept her in the
front of the parade for at least
a few more seasons. Instead La
Swanson must suffer because Fox
made a first rate botch of the
Jerome Kern-Hammerstein Music
In the Air"
think Gloria Swanson's fatal
mistake was trying to be a far.
ceur. She preferred ridiculous
comedy in Tonight Or Never" in
stead of following the late David
Belasco's technique of sparkling
musical romance. Perfect Under
standing" which Swanson made
in England was enough to wreck
the career Of any star.
Music In the Air" was ruined
by feeble story telling in the screen
adaptation, by silly farce Sc
quences injected in the tale and
by not permitting both Miss Swan
son and John Boles to sing more,
something which audiences ex.
pected. It is the luck of pictures
that Gloria Swanson trying for a
comeback had to pick this bloomer.
BerIe Is Good?
There seems to be an impress
sion that this department has
something personal against Mil
ton Berle. Which is not so since
I have never met this entertainer.
Such criticism as has been di-
rected at Emcee Berle from this
critical guide post was merely
over his choice of material. Night
club vulgarities and downright
smut seemed out of place in a
family theater and I said so. Dis
trict Attorney Rover evidently felt
the same way about it, for he sent
his emissary to delete and spray
the Berle footlight routine on his
last appearance as an F Street
headliner.
Neither am I piqued because
Mr.. Berle looks over the acts of
other comedians and openly brags
that he lifts what he likes. The
word comes that Mr.. Berle has
reformed and will bring none of
Broadway's soiled jokes to- the
Fox Theater on Friday. I am
ready to believe it, although not
so convinced are the bookers of
Shirley Temples THE Little
Colonel" (due March 15), who in
sisted some other stage show go
with the little stars prize picture.
Famous Mr.. Rogers
The most remarkable person.
ality in moving pictures today Is
Will Rogers. Nothing more is
needed to prove it than the fact
that he has endured as a star
from the silent screen era to be-
come tops as a box office attrac-
ton in 1885.
Hundreds of cuties and Romeos
have faded to obscurity since
Rogers began a steady ascent to
the pinnacle. He has stopped
long enough while climbing the
film mountain to be a star Of
the stage, to conquer radio and
to attain front page eminence as
a newspaper humoriSt.
If someone ventured to predict
that in 1885 he would be a sing
ing star with the Metropolitan
Opera 1 wouldn't dare to take the
other side of the question.
Dumb Directors
There are at least dozen direc-
tors in Hollywood, earning big
money suspect, who don't know
enough about acting, creating
mood or building to a climax, to
serve the average stock company.
If you doubt it add up all the
attempts made in the last Holly.
wood year to initiate the whimsi-
cal humor of 1T Happened One
Night" or the alcoholic wit of The
Thin Man" Instead Of being
smart their orod1IctiorS ara Si1Iv