Evening star., 1937-11-04

should not have got out of bed at
all. Robert Montgomery, with whom
Benchley was working at the time, was
similarly unhappy. Their efforts at
gay bravado collapsed simultaneously
IT don't see why We have to keep
making this scene" said Montgomery
with a kind of spirited woe in his
tone.
"I don't either" Benchley agreed.
ut hasn't got chance of staying in
the picture"
With that thought to hearten them,
the two dispirited comedians went
back to the set to see if they could
keep from dying for Metro Goldwyn-
Mayer. Once more they went through
the scene, kind of jolting, jouncing
affair in which it was Montgomery's
duty sort of to bounce Benchley out
OF a palatial living room. 1t wasn't
Just right, so they went through it
again. 1t still wasn't just right, so
. third time it was repeated.
At this point, Director George Fitz-
maurice called a recess and Mont
gomery and Benchley came back to the
formers dressing room to discuss the
futility Of the whole thing.
1T hasn't got chance" said
Benchley diSmally.
You ought to know. You're a
critic" said Montgomery dejectedly.
Mr.. Benchley did know. The pic
ture, Live, Love and Learn" was
screened yesterday as an overture to
its showing Friday at Loew's Capitol
The scene is not in the drama But
what is in the picture, which is con-
siderable. Is in mood that would
never indicate that one day during its
making, the two leading males were
telling quite unhappy about the lot
OF men who have to be bright regard
less of their state of health.
WITH war raging nearly everywhere
but here and in Antarctica, and
with Armistice Day coming along next
week, it is perhaps inevitable that
stage and screen should rumble on
the subject. Well, they are going to
rumble even if it is not inevitable.
The rumbling will start Sunday at the
Little Theater where Dead March,
D quite different kind of motion pic
ture. carries one reminiscently back
to the awfulneSs of the World War
The film, which makes emphatic use
of shots from the archives, carries q
sardonically effective obbligato mar
rated by Boake Carter. 1t reminds one
once again not only that war is mans
most monstrous manifestation, but
that there is a rather complete and
telling camera record of what went
on between the years 1914 and 1918.
THE following week theatergoers
will have chance to look upon
Sidney Howard's estimate of war and
liberalism in the Theater Guilds
Ghost of Yankee Doodle" Mr.
Howard has been much in Hollywood
of late. But, busy as he has been, he
has managed to fashion play based
upon the, theory that the war to end
wars was not enough, that there must
be at least one more before men dis
cover the disadvantages of destruction.
Mr.. Howard, who is kind of machine
gun himself, probably is being very
temperate in calculating the number
of future wars at one. 1t is difficult to
conceive of Maxwell Anderson, for
instance, being so conservative. Unless,
of course, Mr.. Anderson fashioned his
conflict in terms of the complete de-
struction OF the species, as he might
easily do.
The Ghost Of Yankee Doodle" does
more than mark the return of Mr.
Howard to the theater which he has
served so well. 1t brings back to the
stage Miss Ethel Barrymore, who
voluntarily banished herself to the
sidelines two years ago. Mr.. Howard
wrote his play with Miss Barrymore
in mind as its chief interpreter In the
image of a woman who lost her hus-
band in the last war and, in conse-
quence, has the wisdom to voice