Evening star., 1937-11-01

Gl1Ck, DuI Snc ulu lC) QlZIyss CHASE
from Rome to ptomaine poisoning.
with stopovers in London. New York,
Vienna and few way stations.
When she was Italy's greatest
actress, Duse II. Miss Abba played
one Of Pirandello's six characters in
search of an author. but she really
needs an author as little any stage
personality we ever have seen. Being
Latin on the one hand and an actress
on both, Miss Abba is a kind of ami
able tornado, ready to spring into ac-
ton upon the mere hint of an inter-
viewers question. Her words, pleas
antly accented. fairly pour, her eyes
roll, her hands flutter gracefully, and
the whole subjec, takes on q quality
Of excitement that Is very fine in
deed.
Miss Abba isn't pretty. But she is
completely fascinating. An actress of
her stature (artistic, We mean, be-
cause she is only average size), should
be, Of course.
The theme to which the interview
always seemed to return was Miss
Abba's endurance. "In this play" she
says, II already have had six hus-
bands" She gets the comic implica-
ton that she is a kind Of Mrs. Blue
beard into the statement. But even
II she were, that would make no diff
ference.
While the husbands have dropped
out, one by one, Miss Abba never has
missed performance. She admits
that understanding her probably is
the most discouraging job any actress
ever undertook. 1t is at this point
that the ptomaine poisoning subject
comes up. A restaurant one night al
lowed some pork to understudy the
expected veal in an Italian dish Miss
Abba ordered. The substitution was
terrible for her digestion and she felt
for the first time that she might not
Be able to finish her performance.
She started in tremendous pain, with
her own understudy standing by. She
finished without the pain and the
understudy was still standing by, Just
~ uceNeS as Sf1e ever was.
THE only other time Miss Abba came
close to missing q performance in
q play was in Italy. A fever laid its
hot hands on her, very hot hands,
but Miss Abba got herself bottle of
champagne and an ice bag, used them
both judiciously, and was entirely fit
by the second-act curtain.
Two things Miss Abba does not
know about are husbands and Holly
wood. She is not married, never has
been. and Is content for the time be-
ing to Be an actress. Despite the fact
that she has played one of the most
remarkable stage wives through six
husbands, she does not know whether
she would make q good wife or not.
AZ for the movies, she likes to play
before q camera. She fells she does
II very well, but says 30 with an
anhection that makes clear she might
turn out to be her own worst critic
II her terrornance called for it. She
Is not thinking Of going to Hollywood.
She taes hot think she photographs
aluringrys but does not seem to care
greatly that she doesn't.
Playing In America, in New York
Tor. year, now on the road for an
other season, has been q marvellous
experience. She is accustomed to the
road. In Rome even the best plays
cannot be supported for more than
two months, so out the company goes
to the smaller cities, playing reper-
toire when the size of the CITY die
tates 1t.
Her intense concentration on her
art, and that's what it is, is reflected
In the fact that she learned English
tn six weeks so she could play ITO
varich" in London before coming here
She took eight lesson, then fired the
instructor and took the matter into her
own hands. She finally learned the
language by reading aloud as she
stalked up and down a hotel room
In London. Today she has a grand
vocabulary, an attractive accent, a
miraculous way Of using wrong prepo-
eitions and an. obvious bafflement
ut the method Of forming the COM
pArative. But it is nice to hear her
say more hard" instead of harder"
In fact, 1t Is nice to hear her say
anythingl
THOUGHTS while strolling over the
keys Of this typewriter: Maybe
Hollywood is making fewer love stores
because that Is the only type of story
which Greta Carlo interprets
and does it so well that is must be
terribly. terribly discouraging to 9TH
ers who would like to wear the man
ties Of Isolt. Heloise, Mellisande,
Camille 8. Yet Herbert Wilcox, pro-
ducer-director Of Victoria the Great"
gave the love story of victoria's life
right Of way over everything else
And, a. interpreted by Anna Neagle
and Anton Walbrook, it Is an idyllic
romance, an affair of the heart fit
Tor q queen -. Watching it unfold
On the screen does something to the
heart and makes queens and
princes seem extraordinarily and hap
ply human =. But. to return to
MISS GArbo In her eyes, hands,
gestures and voice love is the special
Kind OF miracle of which poets have
sung and over which even Noel Coward
becomes a sentimentalist.
On the stage the Lunts are mar
Velous In the same field Whether
1t is love a la Noel Coward as in
Design for Living" or in the mood
OF the ancient Greeks as in "Amphi-
tryon." 1t comes out star-dusty and
full of sweet overtones.
X X X
PERHAPS because they have the
writing, editing. Photographic and
other talent 1t takes, the movie studios
do turn out handsome and interesting
house organs .. And, of course, they
always have the best Photographic SUBJ
1ects. say Patsy Kelly or Robert Tay-
lor Latest Of the studio magazines
on the drama desks of the country is
Shorts, published by M-G-M, edited