Evening star., 1941-12-07
NanedAneW.
It's the Same
Rowdy Show
Olsen and johnson
Call Their Latest
Sons O. Fun
Bv Ira WOIferf.
By Ira WOiferf.
NEW YORK.

which Ole Olsen and Chic johnson
have been making a living for the
last 25 years is called Sons O. Fun"
1t might just as we'll have gone by
the title which is both their trade
and k-"Hellzapoppin' for it
turns out to be that same old rose
by another name. meaning that 1t
Is another dose of likewise.
We are not arguing, just stating
the facts. The only difference be-
tween Sons O. Fun" and the
various editions of "Hellzappopin' ="
is that currently the odd bits,
smidgeons and ships that go on
while our favorite middle-aged boys
are resting or changing clothes have
more Broadway style to them-or
"production," as it is called.
The tailored beauty and trim
talents which go to make up Broad
way style seemed q little uneasy to
us at having to rub shoulders with
the bumptious humors of Olsen
and johnson and their accustomed
company. But that is matter
largely of whether you think re-
vue should be a harmonious en-
semble or a grabbag with some
thing in it to please every taste.
A Little Rattling.
SONS O. Fun" is certainly on the
erab-bag side. Your ears are hardly
clear of the violent sounds, for
example, of a skit called Hellza-
poppin' Night in Buckeye, Arizona"
in which the blaokout is provided
by Mr.. Johnson ogling the audi
ence from bed he shares with 10
or II chorus girls, when your eyes
become filled with Carmen Miranda
and Rosario and Antonio.
There is nothing wrong with
either side of the business. But we
found 1t a little rattling to be swung
constantly back and forth from
hearty. blasting gags to the in
tense, rather dissolute emotions OF
Portuguese and Spanish gypsy arts
at least at the speed with which
the show travels. No. we preferred
less production with our Olsen
and johnson and steadier diet OF
nervousness.
Worse for Wear.
incidentally. Miss Miranda has
returned from Hollywood some
what the worse for wear. It's her
appearance and. since Miss Mlran-
da hasn't the voice to sing songs,
but has instead the rare talent OF
making you see them rather than
hear them, that's important.
Miss Miranda used to have an
oily, quite yellow skin. 1t went very
well with the wild tossed-up ap-
pearance of her songs. The movie
people seem to have denatured and
polished the skin of her face so
that now it looks like celluloid. Not
good, we call it. Celluloid Is pretty,
but too brittle and fashionable to
convey a sense of strut. In addi-
ton, the movies have taken away
Miss Miranda's habit of seeming to
belong in her outlandish clothes and
have taught her to wear them IN
the depressing way of a Fifty-sev-
enth street mannikin. The fact is,
the girl has come back from that
there place looking like barbered
savage, which is no way for a saw
age to look.
Rosario and Antonio are some
thing else again. They are the most
exciting new dancers we have seen
since Betty Bruce-a matter of sew
eral years. They are small and
child-like and have marvelously
sulky faces and dance in angry
rhythms. No doubt, Hollywood will
grab them off and denature them,
too.
Not for the Stylish.
The Olsen and Johnson show does
not attract a regular theater-go-
ing audience. Stylish people do not
care for it, nor do stylish minds.
But whatever convention happens
to be in session in town adjourns
business quickly to go over to the
show and tear the house down.
There are more big, thick-necked,
red-faced. meaty men in normal
Olsen and Johnson audience than
at a brewery beefSteak. It's de-
light to hear them laugh and hear
their women join them. When the
women of those big men throw their
heads back and laugh, they make
the stylish squealing and fashion,
able flute notes of regulation female
theatergoing laughter seem like
something dripping unhappily from
leaking faucet.
Yes, indeed, an Olsen and johnson
show is middle class. whisky drink
ing. back-slapping, radio-listening.
horn footing America. 1t isn't about
middle-class America. 1t is it, and,
as such, has as much art as Sinclair
Lewis ever produced The whole
thing is in the rhythm of men let
ting themselves go. If you have
never understood why European
men never refer to themselves as
"boys" and American men almost
invariably do, then. my highbrow
pal, this show ought to be your
next stop.
Not the Plays Fault.
The Chekov Theater Players. a
group Of ardent young actors, many
of them talented, who have been
batting around the country by auto,
taking the theater with them. have
brought a production of Twelfth
Night" into New York
The chances are they will begin
motoring again soon. For Twelfth
Night" is play that requires more
than Helen Hayes, Maurice Evans
and Margaret Webster seemed able
to bring to it. and so, ipso facto,
more than these skillful amateurs
can.
There have been so many bad pro-
ductions of this Shakespeare comedy
an impression is gaining ground
that it is dull 1t isn't, folks, as
you would discover if you took the
trouble to read it and it wouldn t
be If actors took the trouble to play
it in the manner to which it once
was accustomed.
(Released by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)