Evening star., 1937-10-29

Cdll JIleI11. t1uldBlIle uEdIIld 6ulIOI
town that Carterion Barronion had a
good show this week Or that Mr.
Payettethenes had a drama that was
terriic.)
But to come. belatedly, to the point
when "Amphitryon" endures through
1887 AID. there are phones and drama
departments and great many persons
who do not know what the title means.
So the phones, the drama departments
and the curious citizens get together
and everything is Strengthened out with
the explanation that "Amphitryon"
Was the name of husband in one of
the first and most amusing of all tri-
angle plays.
But where does the blame fall upon
the drama department? In its neglect
to explain "Amphitryon" in advance.
But such experience is instructive. The
department knows better the next time
when play such as ''Tovarich" comes
along 1t anticipates, with the advice
and counsel of press representatives
who come in advance of the play, that
play with such title needs explana-
ton. Warner Brothers. who are max
ing a picture of it. obviously must feel
the same way since the title has been
switched back and forth from "Tovar-
ich" to "Tonight's Our Night" so many
times no one knows where it stands at
the moment.
"TNOvAR1CH" is a Russian word
meaning 'comrade." The play is
q comedy. one Of the most delightful
and artful comedies of several seasons.
a comedy with Marta Abba who is
the penultimate of condolences. Unless
something has happened to the play or
Miss Abba since this department saw it
In New York, both are among the years
major adventures in mirth.
If the film version carries the orig
inal title, it will be the first time Holly
wood has dared such thing. Its
titles may not be def1nitive, but they
represent good salesmanship always.
And most of the time despite some
memorable subterfuges. they have been
def1nitive. There is Live, Love and
Learn" as a case in point. 1t is about
living, loving and learning and all of
them are treated with proper lightness
by those masters of the light touch
Robert Montgomery, Robert Benchley
and Rosalind Russell.
Metro GoldUyn Mayer passed up its
chance to come out with one of the
most difficult to pronounce titles of the
year, however, in Greta Garbos next
picture. "Walewska" was what it
started out to be. but it is Conquest,
in its final form because the COM
pany thought too many persons would
be asking too many questions if it
retained the name of the lovely Polish
lady who thought, and went on think
ing, Napoleon was divine.
ONE of the more miraculous angles
of Helen Hayes performance in
"vlctoria Regina" which opened here
and probably will run as long as Queen
Victoria reigned. was the makeup
which carried her plausibly from
young girlhood through her diamond
Jubilee.
It is one of the more miraculous
angles, also. of Anne Neagle's per-
fornance in the picture Victoria the
Great" which opens at Keith's next
Tuesday. Miss Neagle travels the
same long road covered by Miss
Hayes. an even six decades, and every
lap of the Journey so far as her ap-
pearance is concerned is perfect in
its conviction of greater maturity.
incidentally, Miss Neagle mas no cause
for concern as to what the future
holds for her beauty if the makeup
artist is right in his estimate of what
nature and time hold for her. She
will be an extremely ornamental little !
old lady when the time comes for her
to be little old lady.
incidentally. Victoria the Great"
was screened yesterday afternoon for
an audience of never-fidgeting critics.
EVER since couriers from the North |
brought word of Charlotte Green
woods coming to Washington, the
realist in a lot of localities has been
telling them that she could not be as
funny as memory said; that it was
just an idealization built up through
those years when Miss Greenwood
was on the list of products exported |
TO England. The realist in us said
the same thing until We went last
night to the National to see her in |
Leaning on Lefty"
We'll, Miss Greenwood is as funny |
es ever. which may even be an under |
statement. She may even be the one
woman in the world who has done
what every woman has been told:
namely, to make the most of her fig
ure. Her dance following the end of
the play is the perfect illustration of
what Miss Greenwood really can do
with her figure. 1t is a large figure,
you know, and may have the added
feature of being double or triple Joint
ed. Miss Greenwood did not actually
roll them in the aisles-no one does
but she bounced them in their seats
as hard as theater customers have
been bounced all season 1t is not
esthetic, but it is fun.
On the same bill Romaine Calendar
turns out to be a much more villainous
villain than in the days when he
played Summer stock in Washington.
Watching the two of them Miss Green
wood and Mr.. Calendar, has quality