Evening star., 1940-05-20
the admiration and the envy Of mere

AoAico AOV PATlOTS Oh the Hotel
Raleigh.
One of the ideas which evapo-
rates most instantly and completely
at such rehearsal is that one may
mount the insane looking device
and take a ride. Only two types
of people ride unicycles, Roxyettes,
who have the courage to do it, and
laymen who are dumb enough to
try.
Even with the sense of balance
which they have developed in avoid
ing broken ankles, neckS, etc., the
Roxyettes find the unicycles pretty
unmanageable. They have learned
how to mount the things-a feat
which involves higher mathematics,
astrophysics, superhuman courage
and muscular co-ordination-but
they are not perfect yet at staying
aboard. This departments spill
meter, a device made out Of an old
fiabby mind and a knowledge of
mathematics up to so, failed to
clock anything like the total. The
mind part of it became so fas-
cinated with wonder whether the
girls would make the next right
angle turn that it broke down COM
pletely from sheer admiration.
The routine which Beth Mitchell,
captain of the group and a grad
uate of the unicycle course, has
worked out is something almost as
intricate as the machine is dan
gerous and defiant. 1t embraces
circles. semi-circles, T formations,
S formations and star formations.
A person who could walk them
would deserve a passing grade in
geometry, but despite the spills
which they are taking at this point
in the routine's development, the
Roxyettes are confident they will
whip their unicycles through them.
1t is an infectious confidence
based upon several considerations.
One is that no matter how many
times or how hard they fell, the
Roxyettes to a girl scrambled up
and back aboard their half bicycles,
the back half, of course Another
is that about half of them spent
what was supposed to be their rest
periods practicing the involved fig-
ures, an attitude the more remark
able because any one Of them would
have been justified in throwing the
- things ou the window. (We
would had we been able)
Perfection really is one of the
troubles with Roxyettes. If they
could 60 through the thing all
blotched with hard-earned bruises
and brightly scutfed knees, the
audience might get the idea of what
they suffer for arts sake. How
ever, they know how to fall in such
q way as to get a minimum of marks
and when they finally do = number
they stage it with such skill and ef-
fortlessness that it looks easy.
For the unicycle routine, which is
due in next Fridays show, the
Earle is thinking Of some kind of
introduction which will make clear
what the girls suffered to make it
that good. AS substitute for mere
verbal eloquence this department
suggests roping OF the alley and
letting audiences 60 out and try
the machines right after the show!
That would teach them!
It won't be alone through the pic
ture "Irene," which was made partly
for that purpose, that Washington
learns Anna Neagle is not a little
old lady like Queen Victoria, nor
stately, dignified one like Edith
Cavell. Miss Neagle, twice WASH
ington visitor before and one of the
most charming it ever had, will
make a personal appearance here
In connection with the opening of
the picture at Keith's.
Washington, indeed, can take par
tial credit for Miss Neagle's appear
ance In Irene" in which she looks
her young and lovely self, and
dances and sings as well. It was
on one of her previous trips here
that her director, Herbert Wilcox,
heard just once too often the sur
prised remark of a Neagle follower,
Why, after seeing you as Queen
Victoria, felt sure you were much
older"
Instantly, Wilcox decided to put
his favorite actress land very nearly
ours into something in which she
could be her beautiful and musically
talented self. Irene" was his choice.
It's Friday, we remember, that
Hardie Meakin will be host to Miss
Neagle and Wilcox.
Part of Miss (or Mrs.) virginia
McDonalds reproof to us for not
becoming more ecstatic-we could
have been less-over "Typhoon" de-
plores our failure to mention the
films single song, Palms Of Para
disc"
Well do that right now.
The song, Miss Lamour says in
the picture, is one she learned from
her mother. a mother who must
have died when the character played
by the star was not more than 4
or 5. That would make the young
ster musically very precocious, espe-
cially with reference to torchy tunes.
Now that we have mentioned the
song, we insist upon credit from Miss
Cor Mrs9 Mcdonald for saying the
film was entertaining enough"
Fair enough?