Evening star., 1936-08-14


anything quite like the OPEN
Il 4 ing Of the Tallulah Bankhead
play out here. If you were lucky you
could get seat behind a pillar for
IS. II you couldn't get in you stood
outside with four or five thousand
other persons and gaped at the lights,
the red carpet which stretched from
the curb to the door, the limousines
and the stars who swept out of their
cars in silks. ermines. sables and
small hunks of rabbit.
The play was incidental-George
Kelly's Reflected Glory" But the
craning of necks, the cars, the flowers,
the squeals of excitement as celeb
rity appeared were something beyond
belief. No broadway premiere has
ever attracted such wide-open hula
bal.oo When Freddie March walked
up the red carpet with Mrs. March
roar went up like thunder.
Hollywood never tires Of a premiere.
The cameras are always on parade,
the Kleig lights make day out OF
night, the policemen are out hum
dred strong and the coy young thing
who hopes she may be taken for Joan
Blondell looks sore as the dickens If
some one doesn't take a picture Of her
(Which some one Doesn't. This is
the night, too, when the handsome
extra puts on tails, top hat and
white tie and makes sure he has an
Anita Louise with him in order to
get photographed.
Crowd Gathers Early.
The play begins at s:45. BY 7:30
there isn't . square inch outside the
Belasco q. A. which humanity Isn't
holding as its own. Little Willie Is
thers, submerged by Wtllie's mother,
who has gulped down o hamburger
at the Brown Derby In order to see
what she can see before she goes
back to Peoria. Willie's father Is some
where down the street having q beer
and presumably doesn't see his family
until much, much later.
At 3 o'clock the first "star" ap-
bears-as o matter Of fact it isn't
much OF q star. cause no smart player
ever arrives so early in the game. 1t
Is, however, somebody that is known
rs q featured player"-somebody who
Is Immediately lined up against the
wall, photographed and marched into
the theater In time to get good view
of the flowers which have already
arrived for Miss Bankhead, and which
are stacked higher than a kite be-
meath a food of carefully arranged
lights in the foyer.
At s:l5 the crowd begins to get
hysterical. A long black town car
makes its appearance and out of 1t
steps-"Isn't he cute?" MY goodness,
Maggie, but he don't look over 16,"
lis that his wife? Umph," etc.-tall,
nice-looking Robert Young into the
blinking lights, with Mrs. Young, and
is put through the second or third
degree of photography.
They are followed by Ace Political
Writer Gould Lincoln's son.
Next come David Niven and Merle
Oberon and the mob goes gently crazy.
On his way into the theater Mr.. Niven
has time to ask after Washington's
Gertrude Webb and the British En-
Bingham-but the stay may not be
long, since fantastic fans are taking
hold of Miss Oberons dress, lingering
1t to see if it's made of the silk out
Of which they believe it should be
made. Miss Oberon, dark, beautiful,
smiling, becomes slightly agitated at
this and drags Mr.. Niven of into their
second-row seats.
"-- Police Kept Busy.
The crowd by this time is having
field day. The mutterings have turned
Into cheers-and as the cars become
longer and SIMMER and more eXpen-
sive, the police force has its hands
full keeping the lines from breaking.
Anita Louise, Hollywoods perfect
blond, has made her entrance with
Bob Abbott. Anita Loos, small, dark,
attractive, and Mrs. Eddie Duchin,
very elegant in a long black dress,
have been photographed with Escort
Francis Lederer. The Howard Bene-
diets have been spotted chatting with
the Schuberts' Claude Greneker, who
says that this play should come to
WHSI1lUSUUu IdOCA VII III Vic oCcscOAis
Francine Larrimore is there, although
scarcely recognized, in a large straw
hat dts about the only hat there);
the G. p. Huntley's stage small re-
eeption in the lobby for some of their
friends. Phil Holmes barges in and
asks how Jimmie (Auckincloss, Reid
and Parker Mitchell is doing back
in the home town; the blistering
blonds whom nobody knows are there
weighed down under pounds Of Or
chids; writer's Of great renown sit
blinking, unnoticed, in the back rows
and Rosalie Stewart, who used to pro-
duce George Kelley's plays for him
back In the East, bobs up and down
to say hello to her dozens of friends.
When Miss Bankhead appears on
the stage she is applauded for good
10 minutes. When any one goes OF
the stage dt doesn't matter who)
there is more applause. There is ap-
plause when somebody concludes
speech. There is applause all night
! long. The play somehow doesn't seem
! very good but the audience likes it.
Z and Miss Bankhead has role which
: fits her like glove.
Later the crowd pours into the Tro-
hcadero, where Tullulah Bankhead