The Washington times., 1936-03-03

emy gold award for 1895. I mean
just that. For my March can
didate is certainly Paul MUM.
Nothing can make me take back
all that said yesterday about
Follow the Fleet" Since, as mu-
steals go, the Astaire- Rogers pic
ture rates with the best. A cham
pion.
have been thinking though.
that Follow the Fleet" with 10
minutes without a breathing spell,
is a marathon feature.
EXTRA LENGTH FILM
Did you ever stop to. think
that the playwright who wrote a
first act that didn't provide a
moment to stretch after IS min
utes was a curiousity? It's a fact.
George Bernard Shaw in The
Apple Cart" set down a first
act that took over one solid
hour to play. 1 was among those
who loved it, for l would rather
sit and hear second rate Shaw
than top-notch from a playwrit-
ing scrub.
Hollywood, more and more, has
been disregarding rules and regu-
lations that playwrights regard as
inflexible. For instance, I could
name you half a dozen bang-up
pictures that take more than two
hours to screen. And, if you want
to check up on me. take Cap
tain Blood" and "Mutiny on the
Bounty" to start. Or 1 might
lose with Tale of Two Cities"
Another point that Hollywood
diSregards is giving them too
much of a good thing. Now,
am talking about the Astaire- -Rog-
ers dancing. 1t seems to me that
Follow -'the Fleet" offers an
extra helping Of grand terpsi-
chore.
A little less Astaire- Rogers
dancing would make Follow the
Fleet" shorter and sweeter. It
would. in other words, leave them
wanting a little bit more. Which
is always a good thing for the
next picture. Any vaudeville act
that knows its stuff will testify
this is good recipe.
II I must prove my point fur
ther. then turn back to John Nc
Cormack's Song O. My Heart"
This was the first and only puc-
ture made by the greatest of Irish
tenors. Do you know why it
failed? For the simple reason
that John Mccormack gave them
IL songs, whereas if he only given
them five. they might have been
after another feature. AS it was
Mccormack got $500 .O00-highest
price ever paid for one picture
but Winnie Sheehan didn't ask
him to make another.
Astaire and Rogers. Simply
miles out in front as the screens
greatest dancing couple. But to
keep red-hot they ought to be
taken in moderate doses. not
more than three times a year.
Right now I realize that Hardie
Meakin is going to tell me that
any 110-minute feature will never
be shown on a double program
bill. Hence the reason for the
marathon picture. But in killing
off the double-header exhibitors
you may weaken the greatest Of
box office stars.
All for which means, reduced
to one sentence: Follow the
Fleet" is 1ong-winded.
GOLD MEDAL WINNERS?
The grapevine from California
says that Victor MacLaglen and
'"The Informer" will get the
Academy gold medal on Thurs
day night and the actress to win
honors will be Bette Davis for
Dangerous.
In the case of 1.-THE Informer"
there will be no surprise for Mrs.
Louise Noonan Miller, who oper-
ateS the Little Theater on Ninth
Street, guessed this result weeks
ago and picked 1O35's prize movie
for a third repeat engagement,
now in full swing. Director John
Ford will, of course. be decorated
for his expert bossing Of this
feature.
For Bette Davis, If the rumors
are true, the award Of merit
comes long after many Of her
friends felt she should have re-
ceiVed it for "Of Human Bond
age" I am not among those who
think Mildred, the cockney wait
resS, deserved anything other
than such reward as goes to
flashy and artificial pretending.
Neither did 1 like Dangerous" I"
AS a matter Of fact Bette Davis
did better work with Leslie How
ard in "The Petrified Forest" than
in either of the aforementioned
| features.
The worst picture in town is
showing on the screen which
usually carries the worst picture
in town. Except that this week
it happens to be more so.
CORNELL is ILL
Katharine Cornell's New York
opening, est. Joan," has been post
poned from tonight until next
Monday. The star is still suffer
ing from the larynitis, which
compelled her to cancel two
Pittsburgh performances.