Evening star., 1936-07-19

Searcn OF instruction, the culture OF ltS
salons and the welcome. once-a-year
boom Of unadulterated urban sin. 1t
is Well-established Gotham phenom-
enon that from the starlight roof Of the
Waldorf to the back room at Leon and
Eddie's the fiickering vitality of New
York annually has cried "Resurgam!"
on August l, and that shows which
survive until then may look for con-
tinued patronage and longevity.
With the exception of the perennial
Tobacco Road" and "Mulatto." all
the Broadway offerings of the moment
are dedicated to the muse of comedy
or excitement. Sheer amusement
triumphs over edification and special
pleading as general hot-Weather
theme. and the best business is being
done by 'On Your Toes" Boy Meets
Girl" and Three Men on a Horse"
New Faces" continues TO function
just as its proprietor, Leonard Sillman,
deslgned-aS a comedy and not too
ambitious Summer revue depending
largely upon the youthful spontaneity
and gayety Of its cast TO carry it
through. Up at the American Music
Hall that provocative essay in down.
right dementia, Murder in the Old
Red Barn." attracts good midWeek
audiences who like to drink beer while
savagely kissing the melodramatic in
famies Of Richard Rauber, and at
Dead End" at the BelaSco. the most
QnflOllQfQd hI1t ht- ~.
alr-cooling system in any Times Square
play house has been turned on, to the
patent satisfaction Of grateful patrons.
The device dates from the early days
OF the 20s and was the contriving of
the master himself. A CARLOAD Of ice
is daily hoisted to a sort of sink box
concealed in the roof of the house,
where giant fans propel its geld ex-
halations down the necks Of the Gus
toners. It's primative, but works as
we'll as many of the more complex
products Of mechanical age.
ON Your Toes" is, of course. the
first show visitors want TO see, and the
reporter visited it again on one of the
hottest evenings of the recent Gehenna
week. The Imperial. which is a big
giSh house. was filled to the last three
rows and boasts an air. cooling system
of its own. So tolerable. indeed, was
the atmosphere that no suffering was
visible on the part of a number of
stiff-shirted customers. or if there
was any, it was quickly dissolved in
the pervading merriment of TOO
Good for the Average Man" and
Small Hotel"
X X *
THE scrambled side of the week was
reported to the credit of Gladys
Cooper at her recent opening, with
Philip Merivale. in White Christmas"
at the Red Barn Theater, Locust Valley,
Long Island. The first night was all
| little haraSSed and confusing, as the
carpenters were still hammering down
| the floor of the stage when the first
pewholderS arrived, and the audience
was fascinated to hear Miss Cooper,
standing right up to the lights, Snarl
at Mr.. Merivale You will accede to
my wishes in the matter or the law
courts will drag you through my hus-
band"
CHOP tolk: Jimmie Shelton of the
first edition of New Faces" fame
and author of "Putter in the Gutter"
and other scrammy ballads. has Just
finished a new batch of lyrics out in
Hollywood :. He figures that if the
Vendome crowd likes them they're
sure fire for New York Owen
Davis, jr., whisked through town last
week en- route from the Coast to
| Skowhegan, in Maine. where he will
MAKE two weeks stand before re-
turning to the films Richard
Watts. dr., is back in town, telling all
| the boys in Bleecks Artists and
| Writer'S Club about his experiences in
China Z. Pat approbatory mittS for