Evening star., 1953-01-15


1881, with the late Wallace Beery
and Jackie Coogan. An obviously
earnest effort has been made to
avoid the sentimental pitfalls of
the script. This is a concession
to the difference in taste between
this period and that one but in
the opinion Of at least one spec
tator. it falls short.
Whatever melancholia may be
generated by the Capitol's pic
ture. however, is destined to be
no longer-lived than the stage
shows headline act. This is the
responsibility of Denise Darcel,
of France and Metro-G -Goldwyn-
Mayer. Whatever emotions Miss
Darcel may inspire, sadness is
not one Of them. Pairing her off
with "The Clown" then, is a
thoughtful act on the part of
the Capitol's management.
A spot of artfulness will have
to be credited to Director Robert
z. Leonard and his several
writer's on "The Clown" In re-
vising "The Champ" to fit Skel-
ton, they leave him enough of a
funny man that he does not have
to completely change his spots
in the strange character.
AS the screenscript goes, he is
a great laugh-maker who has
drunk himself from the top to
pretty close to the gutter of en-
tertainment. The world has dis
missed him as a lush, but he
still has the love and loyalty of
one fellow human. This is his
son, played promisingly by young
Tim Considine.
These two are not only father
and son, they are pals. It is a
relationship that is cruelty rough
on the child. He is not only
responsible for keeping his sire
out of the nearest saloon but
of keeping him in enough blowsy
jobs to provide them at least
q squalid living.
+ y \ y
Skeletons go at pathetic
alcoholic after all his years in
the GuzzlerS' Gin routine is an
interesting performance to
watch. It is to his credit that
he manages a number of the
films poignant scenes so well.
In one of these, he loses an
amusement park job when his
practical jokes inspire a GUS
toner to sock him, and in an
other he is tossed into the clink
in a raid on one of those men,
only dive performances. The
pathos of these is nicely realized
in Skeletons acting, which is at
its best when he plays receiver"
or straight man to the worlds
worst comedian in another Sc
quence.
The big miss, and most costly
one, in 1.-The Clown" is in the
scene in which Shelton drives
his loyal small son away from
him into the luxurious home Of
his mother (Jane Greer). It is
probable that no actor alive
could make this scene real the
way it is written and the truth
is that Loring Smith, another
competent player, looks as if he
wishes he were anywhere else.
Like Beery in the story's orig
inal day, Shelton gets quite an
assist from his youthful partner
in 1.-The Clown" Young Consi-
dine gives the boy part a nicely
subdued quality. clearly the ef-
feet of his own intelligence and
his careful listening when Direc-
tor Leonard explained the roles
treacheries.
He is a partner that Shelton
could profitably keep in mind
should another. less sentiment
tally favored script come his
way.
MGM has cast "The Clown"
with evident confidence in it's
popularity. Routine roles which
require little more than walk
throughs are assigned to Miss
Greer, Philip Ober, Loring Smith
and Lou Lubin.
X y X +
Miss Darcel in a brief, clinging,
strapleSs evening gown of black
appears as the stage headliner
In an act as carefully tailored
for her as the frock she wears.
This is essentially a singing
travelogue whose subject is
France and whose theme is.
logically enough, France is a
woman" If there are entertain
ers more qualified to defend this
thesis, they have not been
notably visible of late. When
Miss Darcel is not singing throat
lily about Frances merits, not
necessarily her virtues, as a
woman, she is recalling her ex-
periences there in the days of
World War II.
These, it seems, were rather
lively with meetings of airpline
"peelots," ZI's from Tex-ahsss,
Dallahsss, etc. They also in
volved rides in zheeeps into the
Bois de Boulogne, etc. Miss
Darcel's memories of them are
animated.
Comedian Jack Durant, who
has not been freshening his ma
terial much lately, the Tom Par
ris trio, which has a neat
trampoline novelty, and Xylo-
phonist George Guest. provide
the supplemental acts on Miss
Darcel's part of the show.