Evening star., 1940-03-13

SoI dlouIlu W WIltlIlR UIlc play, CQe>
picture rights to the novel were sold
to Metro (Goldwyn- Mayer, of course,
Is the rest Of it-Ed0. Metro still
holds these rights, but has done
nothing colossal with them. Metro
also holds rights to the novels title.
"The guy out of luck is Brock
Pemberton. Even If the play is
hit, he has no hopes of any reward
from picture sales.
"It's blank of a note, if you ask
me, which you didn't"
That is not the only blank of a
note about the way the world is
going for Mr.. Pemberton, who is
producer of Lady in Waiting" the
Nationals next offering, which stars
Gladys George. The play will have
to open in Washington without the
presence of Pemberton, who has just
scored victory over pneumonia, but
not such sufficient one that he will
be in Washington for the premiere
performance of his play. The husky
Mr.. Pemberton's physicians have
half promised him that he may be
fit for the New York opening on
March q if he does what they tell
him in the meantime.
Xxx *
Although he probably will not ex-
plain it, which no one else ever has
done, Blackstone the magician will
produce a version of the famous
Hindu rope trick for audiences at
the Capitol Theater, starting Friday.
The perennially favorite magic man
of Washington audiences has real
rope and real Hindu for this new
feature of his act which seems to
have missed the local stage for the
past pair of years. What else he
has for the trick, our information
does not disclose. In the interest
of pure science, and certainly not
to check up on what is reported to
be at the top of that rope, this de-
partment offers to substitute for
the Hindu any time Blackstone has
the notion.
Another bit of revision reported
in connection with the Blackstone
act is new trick in which he makes
a horse disappear.
Neither Warner Bros, nor any
one else perhaps, ever will hear the
end of that story of the studios
having killed Mickey Borden John
Garfield, the most interesting
character in the -Four Daughters"
series. Latest development to bring
an echo of that mistake is the ap-
pearance of Garfield and Burgess
Meredith in Castle on the Hudson" j"
Reminder in this case is that Gar
field became Mickey Borden, not
particularly because he wanted to
but because Meredith did not.
Awareness of the roles importance
but not enough awareness to keep
from shunting him out OF future
chapters of the serial-inspired
Warmers to seek Meredith for the
role. Hollywood was not for him
at the time. When he became
adamant on the point, negotiations
were opened with Garfield. The role
made him the outstanding young
player of his year, 1888, in Holly
wood and brought him immediate
and lasting screen fame.
The flow of their careers brings
Meredith and Garfield, rated Amer
ica's best young actors by all save
Orson Welles fans, together for the
first time in Castle on the Hudson" :"
That killer part which
he plays so we'll in key Largo" is
a great relief to Frederic Tozere,
whatever unrelieved moments it may
bring to audiences whose spines
chill when they see it. The differ
ence in reactions to the part is that
Mr.. Tozere's is based upon his hav-
ing played courtly and elegant gen.
tlemen for a long stretch. A good,
rich gangster characterization, one
with all kinds of sanguinary impli-
cations, is just the antedote for
professional career of elegance, and
Mr.. Tozere is making the most of it.
Incidentally, one of this depart