Evening star., 1939-08-22

a pair of spirited merry-go-round he
ences hungry for drama in which
the props walk away with the show,
and what audience is not, will find
it at the Roadside for the next fort
night. One hastens to add that 1t
is not that the human actors are
dull and inadequate, but rather that
the props are passionately klepto-
maniac. Or some kind of maniac
so fascinating the customers &C
tually yelled with delight.
The situation that involves the
use of so many startling or Spectac-
ular items of equipment is the one
that Cramps called terrific. A dirty
villain cuts into the domain Of the
usual good people, bringing with
him some unspeakable notions OF
marrying the girl and getting her
pops gold. One of the good peo-
pie, the gals true love. however,
happens to be fire laddie, and Mr..
Arthur's idea of a fire laddie was
a combination of Tristram and
master of the fireside chat. He
wins.
Apart from bringing into use
those fiery steeds, that fire wagon
and an authentic fire gong, the
plays chief charm lies sometimes
sleeping) in its grandiloquence. AT
one time or another, every one has
his chance at heroic speech, the
hero naturally the biggest chance.
BY way of contrast, the villain is a
laconic dog, but vicious nonetheless.
Playing honors go to Larry Law
renee, the fame-shirted fireman;
Betty Brunstetter as the frail flower
of his devotion, Paul Messink as
the scoundrel and Anne Ives, Terry
Hayden and Ralph Patton for the
comedy touches. They put up a
brave, if losing battle against the
properties and Betty Grays spirited
score. Any one who said worse
about them ought to be sentenced
to play two weeks against merry
go-round team and an old dragon
type fire engine.
Peace it may be wonderful in
Harlem. but peace it's absent in
Hollywood these days.
Most interesting of the conflicts
to this department is that between
R-K-O and Carson Kanin. 1t is
interesting. in the first place, be-
cause R-K-O just last year finished
it's battle with Katharine Hepburn
which should have left it too ex-
hausted for any further hostilities
so soon. The second attractive
aspect of the controversy is that
Mr.. Kanin should be the party of
the second part. In two pictures,
he has shown the studios millions
of customers that he is the genius
for which every studio should be
looking. Every one thought he had
shown R-K-O the same thing, but
apparently the assumption was false.
At any rate, the usually amiable
Mr.. Kanin stands suspended by the
usually most amiable Hollywood
studio. He was asked to make a
picture, Ann of Green Cables"
with Ann Shirley in the starring
role. He said no. On its part, the
studio said all right then, Mr. Kanin
wouldn't make any pictures.
AS result, Mr.. Kanin is not
making any pictures, R-K-O is not
making any money on Kanin pic
lures and the great, big. hulking,
innocent public which liked his work
very much is getting its cut on
Kanin's punishment. Even in little
wars, every one loses, it seems.
Even the great Paul Mum, whose
gaze seems always fixed on some re-
mote cosmic mystery, pauses now to
be petulantly human, the Hollywood
war correspondents report. Mr.. Mum
is at work upon 1--WE Are Not Alone"
the James Hilton story which the
studio provided for him when he
asked for vacation from playing
Pasteurs, Zolas, Juarezes, etc. Com
pletely free from the temptation to
be temperamental when portraying
great man, NUM- has succumbed
to it now to the extent of opposing
Jane Bryan's selection as his lead
ing lady. Miss Bryan, whose best
friend could not call her petite with
straight face, is hardly the same
type as Dolly Haas, whom she re-
placed. Mr. NUM- thinks Miss Haas
was the right type.
X X X X
Ask any informed person between
Vine street and the old gambling
ship area off Santa Monica who is
moviedom's lamblike lady and the