The Washington times., 1937-02-18

Glancing back over ~ years
find a few things that stick IN
nv memory as milestones OF the
decade.
They said I would surely have
a row with the Shuberts. 1t never
developed. My relations with J. j.
and Lee have always been pleas
ant. even when I occasionally
knocked the shows.
I found the New York Theater
Guild was the TOUGHEST" about
sour notices. They once inquired
about this departments cultural
BACKGROUND" because 1 didn't like
Turgenev's Month in the Coun-
try" with Madame NazlmoVa.
Since that time Theresa Helburn
and company have learned to
take it, and amazed Broadway
once by reproducing set OF un-
kind opinions from New York
scribes.
The picture that stands out
with me after 10 years OF steaoy
film reviewing is "Cavalcade."
Let's hope 1887 turns out some
thing as good.
think the worst picture saw
in that time was a Fox feature
called Riley, the Cop" and the
most overrated and over sold
piece of celuloid trlpe was
"Esctasy."
The Belasco Theater under its
friendly-to-Stalin policy claimed
this department had no apprecla-
ton of the finer things of the
screen and yanked its ads from
these pages. 1 still think most
Russian films are sixth rate.
The play that stands out Is
Eugene O'Neill's "Strange Inter
lude" and the acting that I place
upon a pedestal is Walter Huston'S S
"DodSWorth."
The greatest dramatic tour de
force was George M. Cohan's
pigeons and People" with a
fragrant blossom for his AN
Wilderness"
The biggest play disappoint-
ment was Max Gordon'S produc,
ton of Gather Ye RoSebuds,'
with Walter Connolly and Ernest
Truck. 1t looked so bad that Max
Gordon wouldn't pay transfer
bill on $25,OO0 worth of scenery
He gave the production to Steve
Cochran at the end of the first
and only eight performances.
Mae West got the rawest deal
from the city censors. They closed
her Constant Sinner" after one
performance. No withStanding
the two much dirtier and franker
dramas, Young Love" and new
Poll production, And Then
What" had played here the same
season without having one line
blue penciled.
The picture I guessed wrong on
and so did every other critic and
the brain trust of LoeWs, Inc
was Mae Vests She Done Him
Wrong" The wrong guess permit
ted Warner Bros. to mop up al
the gravy in its neighborhood loca
tions.
Mae West also attracted the
greatest audience that ever turned
out for midnight show. They
opened I'm No Angel" at the
Palace Theater and filled the Fox
Theater with the overflow.
Greatest midnight attendance
tie ST. top-until the recent Birth
day Ball turnout for Harlow
Taylor etc.-Was the benefit fol
the unemployed which ran a
the Fox with the full cooperation
of every theater in town. Tht
show crossed S3,189. with. George
M Cohan, Will Mahoney, Ton
Patricola, Hal Leroy, Mitzi May
fair, Ruth Etting and IS othe
acts. Show lasted from ia
p. m. to $40 a. m. with $50 mu
slCianS contributing and two bu
loads of entertainers coming from
Baltimore after midnight.
The creme de-la-creme of pre-
views was Metrc-Goldwyn-Mayer'
cocktails to champagne, orchid
ano ermine screening for BAL
retts of Wimpole Street" Mex
best was for Grand Hotel" at tn
Shoreham.
Greatest free blow for editor
ana critics was Paramount's e.
cursion to the newly opened Wa
dorf Astoria in New York. The
took an entire floor Of the hot
for SO writer's and entertaine
them like kings and queens II
four days.
Nearest this department can
10 Hollywood was Johnny Pa