Evening star., 1938-06-05
Rome Entertained
By American Music

ROME, Italy Especially Rome Is said
to be quiet city at night. And so it
Is as compared with many large cities.
1t Is not so very large-some 800 900 peo-
ple-and cannot be expected to offer the
nocturnal diversion of New York or Chi
cago.
Still, shouts of laughter and snatches OF
song-popular tunes from America prom
inent among them-are familiar night
sounds OF the streets-and surely the aver
age cabaret at home or in Paris affords
no less noise than we found when we
descended into famous wine cellar of
the Eternal City.
1t was very large. full of ancient rafters,
permeated with the smell of oil vintage.
Broad stone steps led us down to 1t. Be-
side the steps in little niche, half hidden
by wooden beams stood statue Of the
Virgin, three candles before it.
The place was full, its stone walls re-
sounding with hilarious music from an
orchestra Of amazing enthusiasm, and from
most Of the men and girls at the tables,
no less enthusiastic than the orchestra.
The majority sat before bottles of wine, a
few with beer
We found rough old table in one of
numerous sections partially divided from
the rest of the hall by beams of wood Be-
hind and above our heads pagans frolicked
in stained glass windows depicting bac-
chanals. On high, broad beams horizontal
to the floor rested great wooden wine casks
and TASKS of pottery feet high. Odors of
cheese and spaghetti competed with that
from wine.
The orchestra, hidden from us, never
theleSS convinced us that it must include
the most jealous accordionist and drummer
in Rome. The pianist and violinist were
not far behind
Entertainment was eating, drinking,
singing, laughing. No dancing. While the
orchestra played almost all the guests sang
Practically all in the hall save ourselves
were Italian, two-thirds of them men. One
OF the airs with which they quite literally
made the rafters ring was a sentimental
tune about the little black girl down in
Abyssinia, portrayed as being liberated by
gallant Italians. This, we are told, has
been sung somewhat less frequently than in
weeks past due to q movement for race
purity" However that may be- it still was
surely favorite in the wine cellar.
When the orchestra fell silent for a few
minutes some one was sure to start an
independent concert at one of the tables
Shortly half dozen would join in snatches.
Pagliacci brought many voices to aid the
prime movers and ringing laughter from
dozens of others.
Such is one glimpse of the night life Of
Rome. Operas in season, concerts, the
aters, fetes, innumerable sidewalk cafes,
strolls, love-making, Irritation, with finesse
and without, all have their place after the
sun goes down. There are few places to
dance. The movies also are popular. Big
pictures of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire
now dominate the front of one movie pal
ace, where the two American dancers are
drawing Italian crowds. The customers
hear from the sound machines not the
voices of Ginger and Fred, but those Of
Italians speaking Italian translations of
the Astaire and Rogers words, synchronized
as well as may be with the movements Of
their lips.
Fortunately for Americans In the audi
ence, however, they let Ginger and Fred
sing their songs themselves in ENGLISH
and what contrast was the husky voice Of
Ginger in Some Romance" to the high
and flowing Italian personification of her
voice in the spoken lines!
italian movies, too, are presented. I saw
an amusing one the other night, 1.-THE Last
Days Of Pompeo." It was complicated
comedy about a poor lover, Pompeo, a
drummer in an orchestra, who won his girl
at last despite the villainous efforts of his
rival and the latters female accomplices to
show the girl and the authorities that
Pompeo already had several wives.
Copyright, 1e37)