Evening star., 1940-07-16

Walton Green magazine story, zone
Of the Boston Bullertons." It really
is about three Bullertons; fierce old
self-righteous grandpappy, the black
sheep son he had to disown for hav-
ing the family wilfulness, and the
latter's pretty daughter, who ID
headstrong In her own third-gen-
Grafton way. After quite 4 tussle
the allied forces OF father and
daughter rout the old man by dem
onstrating that the family honor is
rs safe In their hands as his, Al
though they handle 1t In more up
tO-date ways.
The outstanding feature Of the
film Is that derived from the rela-
ti0nship between the Black Sheep
BullertOn and the taxi driver, played
by Herbert. The two get together
when the latter picks up the pa
trician, drunk and broke, then
drives him for days hoping to coll
lect q bill which is driving constant
ly toward more fabulous proportions.
1t is q good gag, but one good gag
never was enough to make . full
length picture continuously enter
tanning.
That's just the trouble with "Pri-
vate Affairs"
4 4AA
It Is one thing TO make an mex
pensive picture, low budget" Is Hol-
lywood's term for 1t, and have the
thing develop into such . meritori-
Gus affair that it becomes known
as = sleeper" 1t Is quite another
10 assemble . high priced cast for
\ hieh-priced picture and have 1t
turn out better than expected.
That seems to be the case In the
production Of Boom Town." For
that one Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer
reached up on Its star shelves for
such people rs Clark Gable, Clau-
dette Colbert. Spencer Tracy and
Hedy Lamar. It took its largest
sound stages and built As lavishly
as only M-G-M would dare OF Just
the right sets. 1t assigned Jack
Conway to direct and assembled q
supply Of extras big enough TO swing
= gO0d-sized municipal election.
Boom Town was to be big pic
ture, and the studio knew 1t.
What it did not know was that
1t was such q screen drama that
It Is now under consideration for
showing At road show" prices-in
other words premium affair.
Release date has been set back
while the company big shots de-
liberate what's to be what.
In connection with the world
premiere Of '"rhe Ramparts We
Watch" however. Hardie Meakin
and the March Of Time people al
ready have decided what is TO be
what. The opening date, with cere-
monies Of 4 gala nature being de-
vised, has been set for July %, $50
pm. 1t Is TO be = revelation of the
lumber Of white dinner jackets IN
Washington, not to mention = reve.
lation OF how well officialdom ha.
survived the current perspirationless
summer.
Keith's. incidentally, will be closed
all day Tuesday, that 1t may be
properly conditioned rs the house
10 shelter the worlds first glimpse
Of this unusual Aim. Unusual" pre-
or con, no one will know until q
week from tonight.
AS nice as she looked In that
bathing suit scene In The Philadel.
phia Story when 1t played the Ma.
tional. Katharine Hepburn has put
on II pounds to make sure OF the
sequence in the movie. A case ol
milk for arts sake. Jackie Hell
Ter, who ought to be recognizable a
little" without the word being add
ed after all these years, will act a.
master Of ceremonies as well ~
headline vocalist. IN the Capitol's
stage show which starts Friday.
Biggest novelty Bette Davis found
in playing "All This and Heaven
Too" was watching two other men,
bers Of the cast play sudden and
violent Insanity. That's usually
Miss Davis function In any picture
which features both her and in
sanity. Gave her funny feel
ing. She says Famous Older
brothers are all right in their way
but 1t denies Bob Crosby his due
recognition in q memo to this de-
partment which starts: "Bing Crosby
and his Dixieland Band, etc."
We probably would have made the
same mistake ourselves. And SO