Evening star., 1939-12-15

not fail to notice implications that
the Hays ONCE has relaxed some of
its restraints in the case of this
picture. For the sake of fidelity to
the original, Rhett is allowed to
insinuate things with reference to
the paternity of his offspring
which no other screen father has
been permitted heretofore. More
over, into Scarlett's vocabulary,
there creeps word or two which
has been on the taboo list until the
script of Gone With the Wind"
came before the voluntary censors
for approval.
Whether it is the exception which
proves the rule, or whether it repre-
sents revision of existing rules,
remains to be seen.
Subsequent pictures. of more
normal stature than one which runs
3 hours and 40 minutes will answer
that.
Presentation of original dramas,
musicals, or what have you, is the
ambition of every professional
theater group worthy of the in
spiration which created it. That it
well may be is the most profound
intimation of the excitement which
surrounds the production of
Yankee Doodle Boy" by the
Speech and Drama Department Of
Catholic University.
AS everyone should know by this
time, Yankee Doodle Boy" is the
musical biography of George M.
Cohan. first gentleman of the
American stage. Written by Walter
M. Kerr. Of the Catholic University
faculty, and Leo Brady, graduate
student, it traces the career Of
Cohan from its cradle in vaudeville
to the high place he now occupies in
the American theater. Easily the
most ambitious project every under
taken by local drama group, the
production has attracted such at
tention that it not only will have
Mr.. Cohan himself present for Sum-
day nights performance. but also
will have such significance that it
will be covered by the Photographic
staff Of Life magazine.
If the production measures up to
the success anticipated for 1t, the
company will take it on tour-as
sudden an emergence from the non
professional to professional status
as any college theatrical group ever
attained.
Mr.. Gilbert Haartke, director OF
the department, and responsible for
the quality OF the production is max
ing no predictions on that score
But, he's optimistic. And rightly.
One more Hollywood musical tai
ent goes a-touring now as result
Of no immediate opportunity in the
cinema 9. It Is Alan Jones, once OF
M-G-M, now Of Paramount, who
made such a hit on his last personal
appearance trip at Loew's Capitol i. . j..
Three months will Mr.. Jones, and
wife Irene Hervey. tour the country
while he sings -. After that, will
come another picture for Paramount
-. Before that, on q local screen
audiences will see Jones in "The
Life of Victor Herbert" Total
number Of players participating in
''The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
which opens at Keith's on Christmas
Day is something truly imposing
It is $500 according to a statistic
laid before this department by Har-
die Meakin The two main ones
are Charles Laughton and Maureen
O'Hara Another nice feature OF
animated pictures, according to
paramount which has just completed
"Gulliver's Travels" is that the ques
tion OF scene stealing never arises to
bewilder studio officials 1t is good
taste, not stop-watch, which de-
termines the length of a screen kiss
in the opinion of Ernest Lubitsch
whose "Lubitsch touch" so happily
marks many Of the sequences OF
''Ninotchka" which opens today at
loves Palace.