The Washington times., 1936-03-09

screen is, as the industry says, "the
Mccoy" In other words, does she
mean it?
For Prima Donna Moore, who
has all abundance of temperament,
clashed with Director Joseph Won
Sternberg at Columbia, a mega
phone boss also full of artistic fire.
Sternberg asked Miss Moore to
sing while milking a COW.
But I can't sing while doing
such thing" said the famous So
prano. Nevertheless Sternoerg in
sisted and the pinwheels and sky
rockets burst all over the Columbia
lot. In the end the costly soprano
notes will be heard in this sequence
in THE King Steps Out" but some
body else's hands will be caressing
the bovine into giving.
Shortly after this studio ex-
ploSion Grace Moore announced
she was through with pictures. If
THE King Steps Out" is as good as
"One Night of Love-" Grace Moore
is expected to change her mind.
The Moore concert yesterday
sold 235 platform seats at So
after regular pasteboards were
exhausted. Leaving only room on
the stage for the piano.
Lunt HOOfs and Sings
Quite a New York delegation
is coming down for the opening
of Idiots Delight" at the Ma
tional Theater tonight. To see
Alfred Lunt tap dance assisted by
six blondes, sing some new verses
for "Swanee River" written by
Irving Berlin, besides Putin On
the Ritz" and Pardon My South
ern Accent" bathtub style. OF
course, Lynn Fontanne, in an
equally prominent role as Rus
sian in the new Robert E. Sher-
wood play. All of the Theater
Guilds directorate will attend the
premiere.
idiots Delight" so cleaned
the ticket racks an extra matinee
has been tossed in for Friday.
Sees Himself as Boy
Two weeks ago in New York
city, a 59-year-old Frenchman saw
himself as boy on the screen
of a moving picture theater. He
was not in a newsreel, however,
nor is he an actor.
Joseph Meister-for that is the
mans name-iS a French citizen,
working in the famed Pasteur In
stitute of France. The person he
saw on the screen was himself, as
a 9-year-old boy! Dickie Moore,
well-known young Hollywood
player. portrayed Joseph, and the
film was Paul Muni's masterpiece,
THE Story of Louis Pasteur."
The scenes in which MeiSter ap-
pears are among the most impor-
tant in this great film, for 9-year-
old Joseph was the first human
being on whom Louis PaSteur used
his rabies serum. This dramatic
moment-an experiment which
cut the death rate of the disease
to less than l per cent-waS care
fully reenacted for the Cosmopoli-
tan production now showing at
the Earle Theater.
Kid Steals the Show
Being a Sunday morning late
sleeper 1 was not among those
present for the trade previeW of
These Three" a Sam Goldwyn
picture, that is Hollywood's well
scrubbed version Of THE Chill
dren's Hour" a play which the
producer insisted in buying al
though the Will Hays office
frowned.
Anyway, last night my phone
jingled and a faithful scout re-
ports: mo matter what you hear
an 11-year-old kid commits whole
sale larceny in '"These Three"
She Swipes the picture from right
under the noses CT Miriam Hop
kins, Merle Oberon and Joel
McCrea. You will hear more
about Bonita Granville, for this
juvenile imp gives a characterize
tion as irritating as sand fleas and
as hard to get away from"
From this suspect the tiny,
Munchausen must play the role
encompassed so beautifully in
the stage version by Florence
MCGEE. The little movie actress
was plucked right off the Broad
way stage by Director William
Wyler. who directed the picture.
'"These Three" abandoned en-
tirely the original verboten idea
Of the play, and Notwithstanding
the deodorizing process emerged,
1 am told, as a powerful story,
we'll acted.
My last bulletin from the
diligent Dick Nancy insisted
that "The Children's Hour"
would undoubtedly play Wash
ington before the season passed
into history. With the picture
version on Washington's doorstep
and clamoring for early showing
this now seems doubtful.
Anyway Herman Shumlin plans
to keep "The Children's Hour"
running in New York and hang
the celluloid. He will test the
theory that a play cannot sur
vive once it confrontS the opposi-
ton Of a picture inspired by the
same script.