davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1950-12-30
Museum
Piece
Dietrich's OIdie,
The Blue Angel
At the Trons-Lux
D. u kAA.4Lur
By Harry Macarthur

The Blue Angel must be one
of the four or five best-knoWn
motion pictures of all-time. Any
one who has ever heard of Marlene
Dietrich knows that this Ger
man-made film, directed by Josef
Won Sternberg. was the one Whic>.
launched her cinema career. The
picture had its deficiencies when
it was new and age 1.-TWO decades
of it, has done nothing to i'm
prove it but if you have a taste
! for relics this is an interesting
one. It is at the Trans-Lux.
Though Miss Dietrich and the
legs she has on display good
part of the time in The Blue
Angel" became famous to people
who never even heard of Emil
Jannings, this was designed as a
stellart vehicle for him. 1t was
his first talking picture and the
overtheatric silent technique was
still upon him. The broad melo-
dramatics of which he was guilty
later on several occasions are with
him throughout THE Blue An
gel"
Since more people know what
The Blue Angel" is than know
what it's about. it probably won't
do any harm to go into its con-
tent. It won't do any particular
good. either. but here goes. THE
Blue Angel" is a sort of combi-
nation saloon. circus and house
of i'll repute to which Jannings.
a high school professor. goes in
search of the woman who is poi
soning the minds of his pupils.
This doll is Miss Dietrich and
before long the professors mind
is poisoned, too, to such an ex-
tent that he marries her and
loses his job. He becomes a
clown in his wife's show troupe
and finally is so dissolved in shame
that he goes off his rocker and
attempts to throttle her while
Growing like a rooster.
There might have been satire
in the original Heinrich Mann
novel. but the film is slow-footed
and melodramatic One hour to
the minute after it starts jan
nings says to Miss Dietrich II
hope you realize the gravity Of
this hour" and if she doesn't she
is the only one around the place.
Gravity is the word. One of the
heaviest hours on record.
Still, The Blue Angel" is an
interesting exhibit. And if it had
nothing else, it still has Miss
Dietrich wrapping that throaty
sensuous voice around Failing in
Love Again" and that other one
about the 'blonden frau" a type
to beware of. The frau, not
Dietrich.
Evening star., 1950-12-30

ease of native life, it's swimming
parties. it's skill in the use of boats
and how much democratic fun
it has when someone filings q
really big soiree.
The energy which the native
Tahitians store UP in their long
periods of doing nothing manifests
itself IN the picture in a series OF
ballets which are we'll worth while
Wherever it found them, probably
in Tahiti, the producing studio
came up with some lively people
for this part of Pagan Love
Song"
One ballet called 'The Dance of
the Sirens" is just what you would
expect of the sophorific sylphs of
the warm Pacific, but you will be
impressed by the novelty of The
Coral Sea ballet. and even more
so by the Samoan knife dance.
The latter creates the sense that
the folklore of the area has an
occasional exciting flavor.
4 X u
The music of Pagan Love
Song" is not calculated TO tilt
your blood pressure but rather
merely to keep Keel pleasantly
occupied. House of the Singing
Bamboo is a folksy sort of tune
that sounds good, and there are
such others as Sea of the Moon" ;"
Tahiti" and why Is Love So
Crazy?"
A pair of Metro Goldwyn- May
er's most talented young people
head this weeks stage show at
the Capitol. They are Carleton
Carpenter and Debbie Reynolds,
who made a blithe bow to the
movie public as a team in "Th1ee
Little Words" and Two Weeks
With Love-" They are supported
by Cy Reeves, comedian; the Mar
tin Brothers and their puppets,
and the novelty act of the Mar
VelS.
Everything about the bill is
calculated to make your New
Years celebration as pleasant as
it can be for anyone who must
live elsewhere than in Tahiti.
Evening star., 1950-12-30
By SheiIoh Grohom

Talked with Shirley Temple
Thursday and she told me she is
divinely happy as Mrs. Charles
Black. She reiterated that she
will never, ever act again -
whether it's the screen, radio
television or the stage. I'm COM
pletely retired" said Shirley. The
only cloud on her horizon is
Charles Is in the reserve. He
was in Naval intelligence in the
last war as a lieutenant COM
mander. and who knows what is
going to happen?"
Ballet Stars Renee Jeanmarie
and Roland Petit have the studio
talent scouts really beating path
to the Biltmore stage door. They
are sure to land a contract.
Joan Leslie wrote on her Christ
mas card-"Dont you love our
wonderful expected twin news?"
The date, I believe, is next spring
The Merle Oberon mystery
Merle owes RKO two pictures. No
one has the slightest idea when,
if ever. she will make them. If
she doesn't do 'em within GER
tain time. I believe she gets paid
anyway-the price. I heard, is
10000 each. Nice money when
you can get it.
Lex Barker really burned when
some kids were allowed on the
set of ''Tarzan's Peril" during his
closeup fight with a lion on the
last day of shooting. "Of course
you can't use real lion for a
killing scene" Lex explains. land
Evening star., 1950-12-30

Whatever it fails to do in Ger.
tain respects, Pagan Love Song
is New Years picture with idea
geography. Its setting is Tahiti, {
land of balm and palms, blue
lagoons and natives who have
made a masterpiece of putting
everything off until tomorrow
Marching through this dreamy
paradise is Esther Williams, 6
sun-tanned work of art, and How.
ard Keel, an outsize baritone who
is undeniably the perfect screer
mate of such a water goddess.
AS any one can see, Pagan Love
Song" is pure idyll, SO pure thai
the screen writer's rather COM
pletely forgot to write a story or
which to base it all.
X u II
This remissness on the part o1
writer's Robert Nathan and Jerry
Davis could have been attended
by more serious results than is
the case in Pagan Love Song" II
is something that might happer
to any writer's dealing with the
subject of Tahiti life whose frs
tenet of happiness is that work i:
the silliest of mans accomplish
ments.
" Miss Williams, of course, is q
girl who really does not need q
story to act: who indeed might be
disconnected to find herself thrust
into one.
She is at her next-to- look
ing dangerous under a Tahitian
moon or lolling on a Tahitian
beach. And. of course. she is at
her absolute best when she is
turned loose in one of those
underwater ballets which are far
more fascinating to watch than
any thankful of tropical fish. Miss
Williams actually looks more at
home in this sort of thing than
even the fish.
X X *
What there is of a story run
ming through the dangerous charm
of Pagan Love Song" naturally
makes full use of the romantic
charms of Miss Williams and
Keel. 1t is never quite clear
whether she is a mainland girl
just blooming in the islands, or
whether she was born there. This
naturally could not make the
slightest difference to Keel. One
look at Miss Williams and he is
ready to spend the rest of the
picture singing to her in the bari
tone which movie audiences
learned to admire in annie Get
Your Gun"
Most of the songs he sings are
hardly paganish in flavor. They
have to do, instead, with more
conforming romantic impulses
with the single exception of the
, tune from which the picture takes
its title
LIE SIIlsle tTy LOT suspense IN
pagan Love Song" is so obvi-
ously futile that even Director
Robert Alton never bothers his
head about it. Instead, he concen-
trates on Just enough small and
vaguely related incidents to get
the film from this point to the
next one. These have to do with
illustrating the carefully cultivated
Evening star., 1950-12-30

it is disillusioning to children to
see phony."
Dorothy Lamour strained lig-
ament in her shoulder, hanging
by her teeth for a practice scene
in THE Greatest Show on Earth. y
Its feeling better now" Dotty
tells me when I bump into her
showing the Christmas decorations
in Beverly Hills to her children
1T isn't easy to hang by your
teeth" I should think not!
Dorothy Malone writes me she
has been having big time home
in Texas with her family and
friends for three months. But
after this, I'll leave the 5 am
dancse to the debs and relax in
Hollywood with some 7 am. make
up calls!"
Enrol Flynn. in case you care,
is now cruising with his bride
Pat, off the coast of Spain-near
the Canary Islands. And from
his silence you wouldn't know that
he was worried about his alimony
payments decision with Lili Da-
mita. or the problems of his
5000. Cooper picture contract with
Warmers. Or any of the other
lawsuits It must be a gift to
sail through problems like that.
y X
Peggy Lee plans to divorce Dave
Barbour after the first of the year,
when she goes to Chicago to re-
place Gertrude Niesen in Red,
White and Blue" That is when
she will make the announcement.
Judy Garland called on her
daughter, Liza, at Christmas,
flooded her with toys, then left for
Evening star., 1950-12-30
Hollywood Diary S3%s NsreF 1sPs o 2sae2 Aa} zgoH s'

a dinner date with Sid Luft. Poor
Judy. I hope this new romance
will give her the happiness she
seeks so desperately.
tReieased by North American
Newspaper Alliance)
Evening star., 1950-12-30

The New Years eve show here
of radios Grand Old Opry" will
be at the National Guard Armory
tomorrow from 9 pm. to 2 am,
not at Uline. Arena. as was an
nounced. Red Foley and Minnie
Pearl will be the stars of the pro-
gram and there will be dancing.
Evening star., 1950-12-30
| Ultraviolet Aids Movies

Ultraviolet rays are used in a
new movie protector to provide
pictures in a lighted room on a
brightly glowing fiuorescent screen.
Evening star., 1950-12-30
Drama News and Reviews
There's an Idy|| Of Tahiti
Playing at the Capitol
By Joy Cormody

Here stuck in this wny transition from to
another NevertheeS it merciess
surface of this omber looking Saturday Watch that m Mr.
Prnter)
which atheed to speak, Pagan Love Song which opened
Evening star., 1950-11-24
BY Charles E. TroceweH

oles. which build nests requiring long
lengths of twine.
It is best, in putting out nesting ma
terials, to refrain from using long
lengths. No piece Of twine, cord or
wool, or what most Of us call just string,
should ever be longer than inches.
WISCONSIN AVE.
Dear Sir:
"Your stories are most interesting, I
read all of them.
II inclose an article, sent by my sister.
who lives at Church Stretton, England
Her husband trained a robin, which
came when he whistled for it.
Sincerely, H. L."
1.-THE article, from the Shrewsbury
Chronicle. follows:
Mrs S., relates a curious episode
concerning blackbird's nest. A pair
of blackbirds regularly nested in the
same creeper on her house. This spring
they came as usual, but instead of build
ing a new one, they renovated the one
from last year. Later pair of thruShes
took possession, and laid In it. Then
the blackbirds returned, and laid some
eggs. Eventually two birds were found
dead beneath the nest, one blackbird
and the other thrush"
England's robin is entirely different
from ours, smaller and even tanner
bird, real robin "redbreast."
Evening star., 1950-11-24

he might be excused If he flew straight
into the side of house.
Actually, this happens sometimes, but
is usually the simple result of taking q
corner too closely.
Lights manage to endanger some birds
Every year warblers are killed by flying
into lighthouses, even into the Wash
ington monument.
Occasionally, bands of migrating
birds dash themselves to death against
some of the New York skyscrapers.
These are only occasional. In the
main, the birds have learned to
thread their way between buildings, no
matter how high or close together.
X
This relative freedom from such acci-
dents comes about because of their mar
velouS senses.
Another hazard is the long lengths
of twine and wool put out for them by
kindly persons at nesting time.
Here again the thing that sometimes
happens is not the usual thing.
Some ambitious nest builder seizes a
long piece of string, and flies to the
nest, but in doing so manages to draw
knot, in which it hangs itself.
This occurs more with robins, per-
haps, than with any other species.
In recent years there have been sew
eral instances of this mishap.
1t seldom happens to Baltimore orr
Evening star., 1950-11-24

torist is the 13 per 100 million mile
fatality rate to persons who are not oc-
cupantS of his car.
While the airlines have the edge over
private driving, it's still vastly safer. &C
cording to the statistics, to travel by
comparable with the train rate Of 0.08,
or the bus rate of 0.20 for each 100 mil
lion passenger miles.
The method of comparing passenger
fatalities is the standard index of the
CAB, Interstate Commerce Commission,
National Safety Council, International
Civil Aviation Organization, and many
foreign countries, including the United
Kingdom and France. +
Nevertheless, it has been challenged
by David L. Behncke, president of the
Air Line Pilots Association, in an effort
to restore the old independent Air Safety
Board and to demonstrate. air travel was
safer during the boards lifetime in
1938-40.
The associations "Air Line Pilot" said
in a recent editorial that despite the
purposeful statistics frequently being
published respecting air safety. mass
fatalities and chain-like crashes on the
airlines continue unabated. Speaking
statistically, and in more realistic way,
during Ia recent period of 100 days
there (were) fatal accidents, resulting
in the death Of 1874 people and the in
jury of g."
Evening star., 1950-11-24
Another FBI Critic

As one of the victims Of the World
War II Mass Sedition Case, may I have
the privilege Of making a few remarks
relative to Max Lowenthals book on the
FBI, entitled "The Federal Bureau of In
vestigation"?
Nowhere in this rabble-rousing rag
can We find anything pertaining to the
injustices imposed upon patriotic Ameri-
cans by the Communists in this Gov
ernment when they used the FBI to
hound and persecute patriotic men and
women, who were simply exercising their
constitutional rights to keep this coun-
try out of the last war. These men and
women. none of whom belong to any
Na1 or Fascist organization, were jailed,
and many dragged across the country in
handouts and leg irons, because they
dared exercise God-given rights to speak
out against war.
This book is inspired by the fact that
1t has at long last become known that
the FBI has its agents planted in all
Communist organizations, and their
more dangerous fronts. What is sauce
for the goose is likewise sauce for the
gander. Jail all known Communists and
their more dangerous fellow travellers
forthwith!
Edward James Smythe.
Evening star., 1950-11-24

eve. Investigators will want to know why the
train behind did not. or was unable to- stop in
time to avert the tragedy. It will not be easy
to get the answers, because the engineer who
might have given clue is dead. In previous
fatal crash the engineer of the second train
said he "blacked OUT just before the collision.
Why the brakes of the second train in the latest
crash were not applied in time, or why they
failed to work if they were properly applied,
may never be known. But, the grim facts in
dicate the need on the heavily travelled Long
Island road of an automatic brake tripping
system along its entire length, instead of just
in tunnels as at present. If it is necessary to
run trains as close together and as fast as
those on the Long Island line, safety of the
public should not be intrusted entirely to the
ref1exes of the man at the throttle.
Evening star., 1950-11-24
This and That

Recently this column told of a Caro-
lima wren taking up quarters in hang
ing flower basket on local front porch.
The bird, largest of the wrens, often
seeks shelter in this way from our in
clement winters
just why it does not fly farther south
is not known.
This wren is large, beautiful, and pos
sesses marvellous voice
Any home is fortunate to have one
around.
This family was very proud of its front
porch wren.
The bird came every evening to Sleep
Then, one night, the porch light was
left on.
That was the last ever seen of the
Carolina wren.
Although no one has dared to put on
that light again, the bird is taking no
chances. He stays away.
He likes sleeping in the dark
No modern inventions, for him.
X
When one stops to consider the mat
ter, it is amazing that birds manage to
get along as we'll as they do in world
full of man-made things and gadgets.
Even our homes, dotting the land
Scape, stand up everywhere, to give an
honest bird a pain in his feathers.
When chasing his mate, for instance,
Evening star., 1950-11-24
TeIevision Ad-Lost Word

Undoubtedly you have received many
letters protesting the recent television
ad, but in our opinion you should con-
tinue to print the protests in order that
the public Indignation can be registered.
Our reaction to that foul, cruel, and
insidious advertisement is that we will
probably never purchase a television
set-and we definitely never will read
Angelo Patri again. We can understand
an individual yahoo advertising man
pulling such a stunt, but for a national
organization of the industry to be it's
sponsor is beyond our comprehension.
Z. *'sa Frederick L. Smith.
ts < Eunice E. Smith.
Editors Note: The Star, which
already has printed substantial group
of protest letters and voiced its regret
that the ad In questionswas published,
plans to Cab halt at this point. The
American Television Dealers and
Manufacturers have had the entire
series Of ads rewritten in response to
the public outcry which greeted the
first one.)
Evening star., 1950-11-24
Long Island Tragedy

The shocking railroad catastrophe on Long
Island does not fall into the category of usual
railway accidents The Long Island line is
unique In more ways than the fact that 1t
carries more passengers daily than any other
railroad in the country. This is strictly COM
muter line, serving vast numbers of New Yorkers
who demand frequent and quick transportation
between their homes on Long Island and mid
town Manhattan The question arises as to
whether elementary safety precautions have
been sacrificed to the cause of rapid transit.
It is not satisfactory explanation to say
that mechanical failure-the locking of brakes
on the stalled train that was hit-caused the
death OF more than IS persons on Thanksgiving
Evening star., 1950-11-24
Inactive Reservists
Edward James Smythe.

Will some one who is supposed to
know please tell the confused and heart
broken wives and mothers. also children
Of many inactive reservists just why
they were called in the service before
the active reservists and National Guard
were called-those active reservists who
did so much training throughout the
summer at great cost to our Govern
ment?
They tell us that 1t requires good
morale to build fighting force. Do they
expect good morale in men who are
snatched away from their loved ones,
trained a few weeks and shipped out
without furlough or any time to
straighten their business or make pro-
visions for their families?
Many Of the men called have had to
give up homes they were buying, many
with long service in World War II. Do
they think it will be easy getting
reservists the next time? Ask the men,
Mother.
Evening star., 1950-11-24
low Safe Are You in an AirpIone?
By w. H. Shippen

DEOPLE who read the headlines after
l. an air crash, and skip the safety sta
tisticS teven as you and ID, would be sur
prised If they paused to figure the odds
in favor of the average airline passenger.
In fact little figuring might be
soothing pastime for the traveller, or
his family for that matter, now that
winter is at hand, and the propellers
begin to churn through sleet, snow or
freezing fog along the upper half OF
Uncle Sans airways. Statistics, based on
exhaustive and exact Federal records,
would appear to strip the modern airline
passenger of the glamour once associated
with the danger of defying gravity to
travel fast and high in flying machines.
For instance, the average passenger on
scheduled domestic airline can fly some
$4,000 times from coast to coast before
his number comes up on fatality chart.
This mythical character, in other terms,
can expect to survive more than 70 mil
lion miles aloft in all kinds of weather.
If he is flying overseas on schedule, or
to Alaska, or on regular feeder airlines,
he can figure his life expectancy as an
air traveller at 100 million miles and
more.
These figures do not include the non
scheduled carriers. Mileage statistics on
the latter are incomplete and, therefore,
less conclusive, with the bad records of
comparative few adversely affecting
the whole group. This includes some op-
orators yet to experience a fatal acci-
dent. In a general sense it is true, how
ever, that the overall safety average
favors the lines which operate regularly
over the same routes.
A Well-eStabiShed insurance associa-
ton, whose slot machines issue policies
at leading airports is making money by
betting passengers 10000 to /. or S., 900
to quarter, that they will arrive safely
at their destinations.
This companys business picks up after
bad accident mounts further when
several fatal crashes occur in a series,
and then levels off again as the situation
returns to normal.
An air passenger can comfort himself
with the thought that he is much safer
than he would be covering the same
mileage in his own automobile on the
highways Notwithstanding he is the
average American driver. The compare
tive rate, as figured by the Civil Aero
nautics Board and the National Safety
Council, is 13 fatalities per 100 million
passenger miles in scheduled airplanes
as against 20 in passenger cars and
taxicabs.
An added hazard for the. average mo-
Evening star., 1950-11-24
Acheson on 'Re-exominist'

Secretary of State Acheson's remarks
of last Friday, obviously directed at
Senator Taft, were so inept that one is
tempted to call them criminally inept.
There is one very fundamental point
which concerns all citizens and which
Mr.. AcheSon apparently fails to grasp.
I refer to the inherent right of the
citizens of democracy to "re-examine"
any OF their governments policies at any
time and to debate, criticize, and change
them at their pleasure. Our foreign
policy today provides the classic ex-
ample of this fact: We are now spending
billions of dollars yearly and, more
important, thousands of American lives
to support that policy. We demand the
right to subject that policy to continuous
re-examination, and without being
patronizingly referred to as isolation
ists," ETC., for exercising that right.
To return to Mr.. Achesons relations
with Mr.. Taft and the Republicans
Mr.. Acheson is now faced with a re-
surgent Republican Party in the Con-
gress which is determined to have
larger voice in the formation and
conduct of our foreign policy A great
deal will depend upon Mr.. Acheson's
personal relations with Mr.. Taft and his
colleagues, a great many of whom would
enjoy hanging Mr.. Acheson's scalp on
any convenient pole. One would have
thought that the Secretary of State
would have embraced Mr. Taft's recent
statement and tried to use it as the basis
for new and more harmonious relation
ship. But no. 49,
Mr.. Acheson's ineptitude becomes
almost criminal when one considers
that the reaction to it might well
Evening star., 1950-11-24
Equinox

Autun1nal 1Dind stueeps beach sand clsan
OF enblems OF long summer there:
Discarded letter. paper cup,
Tin shouel russfng tn salt afr.
Pale grape-eyed g1lls return to rocks
And sea grapes claim the dunes once
more;
Gray lotDered sky reflects the loud
Orchestral crash ot toaves on shore.
The summer color Grained from sea
And summer laughter from the pier,
Cold grass and bitter ,Dind tpiH keep
A riga for this end OF year.
No,D all that's left of summers song
And blue-green sungt magic spell,
A child has carried nlilss from here
And safely locked In singing shell.
FREDERICK EBRIGHT.