Evening star., 1939-11-13

ing dishwashing, tea-table chats al
sorority afternoons and scores o1
other ways. The movies, too, with
their passion for the man In the
street, have invited him to SPEAK
on everything from neutrality tt
the ecstasy Of winning q sweep.
stakes.
The more judicial showmen, fol
all the depth of their irritation, re.
gard it as almost natural that the
audience should have come to the
conclusion that 1t is the whole show
that the erstwhile feature attraction
should now be merely incidental
That, however, does not keep them
from cudgeling their brains for an
answer to the question of how to
silence the audience and get on with
the show.
The legitimate theater has been
comparatively exempt from the fate
of the vaudeville houses, the movies,
the night clubs and other places. of
entertainment.
Even 1t, however, is not without a
twinge or two of misgivings. Its
patrons are not so impressionable,
but they are not entirely oblivious
to what is going on in other fields
of entertainment.
And it is not altogether in other
fields that audience participation is
being tolerated, If not actually in
vited. The currently most unusual
audience in New York is that which
is attending the 81 top perform
ances Of ABE Lincoln in Illinois" !"
Instead of the polite applause to
which the theater is accustomed,
the house rings nightly with cheers
for the heroes. boos and misses for
the villains. The novelty of it may
not have the whole town talking,
but 1t does have many doing so.
More passive patrons find the en-
thusiastic Lincoln audiences a show
in. themselves, an attitude akin to
that Of the regulars at Forest Hills
when the public took over tennis or
Meadowbrook when its enthusiastic
heart enveloped polo.
It Is altogether q situation de-
signed to set showmen to thinking
and thinking hard.
Biggest night of 1899 for Variety
Club members, whose biggest nights
are very dimensional affairs, will be
next Saturday. The occasion will be
the sixth annual dinner and dance,
the social pinnacle of the show
mans year. Most energetically
thumbing the dictionary for an ad-
jective larger than colossal or STU
pendous Is Hardie Meakin, general
chairman of the event, who has
promised party bigger and better
than any of its predecessors.
The music department of the
party has been turned over to Jim
mie Lunceford, the junior varsity
roles being played by Phil Lampkin
and his bandsmen. The Earle and
Capitol Theater stage shows will
provide scads of talent, with night
clubs and radio offering supplement
tai attractions.
The event, which will be held in
the top acreage of the Willard Ho-
tel, is not limited to club members
only. Friends of Variety will find
Sam Wheeler, ticket chairman, re-
ceptive to the slightest intimation
that they, too, would like to come.
+ X
A scroll honoring Sam Goldwyn
for his production of THE Real
Glory" presented by the Military
Order of the Carabao to Col. Angie
Ratio of the Palace, is on its way
to Mr.. Goldwyn today The
picture is based upon the liberation
of the Philippines, with which the
Order of the Carabao had much to
do . Babes in Arms" in which
Mickey Rooney is every one but
Andy Hardy, will be screened to-
morrow . It is the Palaces next
attraction After which, comes
"Ninotchka" swell Hotel" a
musical comedy based upon life in
what might be one of several of
Washington's swankier hostelries,
will be the Capitol's next stage at
traction Gene Ford Is direct
ing Eric Korngold's musical
score, close to the years best, is
another excellent reason for seeing
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and
Essex" If there has been
more striking piece of picture music
during 1899, it slips the mind.