Evening star., 1935-03-07
STOCK. GROUP
PREPARES FOR
n BIG SEASON
National Players Open
With 'Three Men OF. a
Horse The Ne,U Films.
BY E. de S. MELCHER.

THE hounds of Spring having
stuck their noses halfway
around the corner yesterday,
L Mr.. s. E. Cochran, in man
ner of speaking, stuck his nose
around the corner, too In back OF
it appeared the glib and smiling fea-
lures of the National Players-sea-
soned troupers, who for the past
decade have filled Ye National Au-
ditorium with the theater's best. And
in back Of that there streamed the
happy shadow of many departed
thespian-the Minor Watsons, the
Edward Arnolds, the Leona Powers,
the Donald Woods, the Roger Pryors,
the Romaine Callenders and Raymond
Dramleys, the Nancy Sheridans and
the Ona Munsons and the Adelaide
Hibbards-all having romped in vary
ing garb behind these magic portals
and frequently bestowed upon this E
street aggregation the title of Amer
icas foremost stock troupe"
The National Players, as mentioned
before, will not only burst into life
on Easter Monday April %, with
"Three Men on Horse" (thiS has
not been mentioned before), and will
follow it up with such Broadway sue
cesses as Accent on Youth" and Post
Road" but the chances are that GUS
tom will be tossed out of the window
and that Mr.. Cochran will import
certain Broadway stars, with certain
new plays which are to be tried out
here before they make their mark on
Broadway Thus it is probable that
Tullio Carminati will be seen in a
new play by Caesar Dunn, entitled
Silhouette" which comes from, the
Office of Crosby Galge, and that other
stars will appear here in new plays
by Robert Milton. Rosemary Casey
and B. Iden Payne. etc.
The curtain thus seems destined
to rise On Easter Monday with more
of a bang than usual, and the Ma
tional Players should frolic not for
days, but for weeks and weeks and
weeks as they did last year, with some
thing called Sailor, Beware" Although
the names of the principals may not at
this time be mentioned, Mr.. Coch-
ran seemed most happy at thought OF
them yesterday-hiS face, as we'll as
his nose, lighting UP with something
that amounted to enthusiasm as he
thought of that salty crew which only
last week in New York he signed on
the dotted line.
CPEAKING of ex.National Players,
- Leona Powers is playing the Paul
inc Frederick role (and hence the
Helen Menken role-and hence the
role of Elizabeth) in the Theater
Guilds production of Mary of Scot
land" which is playing this week in
Cleveland. Miss Frederick is tenn
porarily under the weather.
TWO seasons ago it was Hepburn,
l last season it was Margaret Sui
ing feet. A preview of Roberta yes
terday revealed Mr.. Astaire once
again as the past master of foot
work-a demon on his pins. Mr..
Astaire is so swift that he makes some
of the rest of the film look SLOW
Ladies, however, quaked at sight OF
those clothes - them" gowns - the
wardrobe as exhibited by some of Hol-
lywood's niftier nymphs-dresses that
no man without Rockefeller income
should even dream of.
Roberta" is one Of the films open
ing tomorrow which should be an
ticipated with pleasure (R-K-O
Keith's is sponsoring it). Other new
films include:
"Baboona" at the Columbia, with
personal appearance of those never
stay-at-home Martin Johnsons. The
Columbia is all agog at having some
real flesh and blood on stage which
once boasted of Ruth Chatterton and
Helen Hayes.
The Whole Towns Talking" with
Edward G. Robinson, at the Earle
one of the seasons better bets-and
not to be missed. The Boswell sisters
are on the stage. which is another
reason for going.
The above applies to "The Gilded
Lily" at the Palace, picture which
puts Fred MacMurray in the place
occupied last season by Gable in ut
Happened One Night" Claudette
Colbert is, of course, the star.
"Vannessa" at Loew's Fox features
Helen Hayes and Robert Montgomery
in one of Hugh Walpole's most popu-
lar stories. Otto Kruger is the reason
for most of the trouble-of which
there is plenty. The Casino de Paris
revue, said to be knockout, is fea-
tured on the stage.
The Woman in Red" comes to the
Metropolitan with Barbara Stanwyck
and Gene Raymond heading the cast.
It's taken from the novel North
Shore" -
Other events include Gems of
Burlesque" at the Gayety, the Phila-
delphia Orchestra tonight (this should
have preceded the "gems"). the Drama
Guilds production of "Harbor Light"
tonight at the Wardman Park The
ater; and Chaliapin, singing away at
the National Sunday.
X r
NELSON EDDY, star of Naughty
~ Marietta: Hunt Stromberg, pro-
ducer of the film, and others will at
tend the premiere showing of this pic
ture on Friday night at midnight at
the Fox. The invitations. handsomely
finished off with formal" written on
the bottom of the card, come in the
name of Capt w. S. Van Dyke"