Evening star., 1937-09-07

InlS year the ROADSIDE lads and
three critics who also did some ballot
stufflng last year, in an honest
attempt, however, to combat the
methods used by the opponents of
Murder in the Red Barn" So this
year we again get Murder" which is
as it should be.
This lusty gem is the number one
classic of the Roadside Theater's melo-
dramatic repertoire. It's filled with
gusto, f1owery language, noble heroes,
the most nefarious of all villains, and
the loud Glamour of the hand-to-h hand
clash between the forces of right and
wrong Murder" is a rare bit of
entertainment and joy to the hearts
of the melodrama fans who love to
hiss and boo and cheer until the owls
fall out Of the rafters, just as it was
il 1884 when it first was done, in 1885
when it was repeated, and as it would
have been in 1886. (You can readily
see that Murders" partisans never
will forgive the Roadside for skipping
1t last year,
1t is made more of an event this
year by the fact that three members
of the original 1884 cast are back in
their old roles-three people who know
Murder in the Red Barn" and its
subtleties as Katherine Cornell knows
'The Barretts of Wimpole Street"
Eugene Kressin is back to snarl and
glover about and show how whole
hearted and enthusiastic downright
villainy can be. And Fred Haskin
and Janet Coon have returned to the
fold to shed the light of good hearty
laughter on the dark doings.
There are newcomers to Murder"
too-John Sikken, Betty Gray, Betty
Rice, Karl Gay, Harold Miner and
some others-who acquit themselves
in the true Murder" tradition. And
there's also Margaret Osterwald to
Join the three veterans named above
in a soulful rendition of the most
hilarious item of all the Roadside's
teasons-that tender quartet. "She Is
More to Be Pitied Than Censured."
And you, too, are more to be pitied
than censured if you pass this one up.
X
ME- HEARD of fellow once who
Nv was dabbling with an invention
that would turn of the radio auto
matically when the entertainment
stopped and the announcer started
selling something, automatically turn
1t on again when the sales talk stopped.
Don't know whether he ever achieved
success or not but at any rate there
now is new field open for him, new
evil for him to attempt to eradicate.
At the Capitol Theater this week
you will find color cartoon. 1t Is
rather pleasant cartoon, telling of
poor little Cinderella, who can't go to
the party because she has neither
clothes nor transportation. So little
elf goes out in the woods, puts his
friends to work, has a party gown
made, makes chariot of a pumpkin,
and after a few mysterious doings,
there before Cinderella is a brand
new -. You can't miss what make
the car is. The only thing it lacks is
the price tag.
Theater admission prices rose with
movie production costs, but evidently
they didn't rise enough. The boys
are resorting to taking in q few ads
on the side to meet the bills. There's
nothing to force you to read the ad-
vertisements alongside a story in q
magazine. but there are not many
directions to look except toward the
screen in a motion picture theater. So
that's our inventive friends problem
. device to turn off our eyes and ears
and let us relax when the ads start To
roll across the screen and turn them
on again when the entertainment
1--WE hope) begins.
OF course, it is beside the point, but
there is another thing about this car
toon that bothers us. If we were
making automobiles we'd hardly want
to instill the thought in prospective
customers minds that their sedans
would turn to pumpkin shells promptly
ut the stroke Of midnight.
X
hEANNA DURBINS fans, who
found the cookies of their hearts
warmed and tears yelling into their
eyes at the quality and emotion of the
14-year-old stars voice in her first
film, are hereby advised that the
same pleasant experience, only more
30, is in store for them in a few days.
Deanna's new film, 100 Men and a
Girl" comes to Keith's Friday. 1t
will not be violating the law against
reviews IN advance to tell you now
that Deanna is glorious, that her
voice Is thrilling to hear that anv ono