Evening star., 1955-03-03

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film brings with it rather hug,
in CinemaScope, and many a
sample of Australian acting.
Neither can save it from fate
worse than not having been pro-
duced at all.
AS its title implies, this is an
echo of uncounted dozens of
south seas adventures, an echo
that is as loud as it is dull de-
spite the dramatic sound of the
characters names. These include
not merely Long John. but Jim
Hawkins. Purity Pinker and Is
rael Hands, whose ghosts may
even now be haunting the nights
Of Martin Rackin. He. the lat
ter, wrote the screenscript.
1t is acted by a cast headed
by Robert Newton. a scathing
sort Of actor who leaves his
heart out of his work but gets
into it a lot of whitening con-
tempt. Knowing which side his
checks are signed on, Newton
fingers to collect the last of
these, but in the spirit of a man
who intends to spend it in the
nearest forgetful barroom.
Byron Haskin, who directed
"Long John Silver" is a man
motivated by two treacherous
ideas. One of these is that he
must collect a proper number of
human ruins to represent pirates,
the other that he had better
play the whole thing for comedy
as well as suspense. He manages
both only to find himself empty
handed with CinemaScope cam
eras grinding revealingly over
his shoulder.
Long John, played of course by
Newton, is presented here as a
blubbery. clustering. one-legged
rogue with a gift for double
crossing that can meet any sit
uation. When the story opens,
he is a shipless pirate berthed
in a hospitable saloon waiting
for fortunes next smile. It
comes in the form of an op-
portunity to rescue the British
governors daughter, and Long
Johns boy pal Jim Hawkins,
from the hands of rival pirate
Mendoza.
Thereafter, Long John is back
in business, tricking the gov
ernor. his pirate rivals. the fat
bar mistress who wants to marry
him, and a number of others.
His ultimate purpose. of course.
is to get back to Treasure Island,
which he does. Waiting to see
him make it is the height of
folly, especially in weather like
yesterdays.
The overblown demands of
Long John Silver" provide no
opportunity to speculate on how
well the Australian performers
in the cast might do in other
circumstances.
That they physically survive
these. one supposes, is some
thing.
DRAMA SPECIAL: Interna-
tional Theater Month will have
an international flavor at Catho-
lie University. It's March play,
opening a week from tomorrow,
will be Henri Gheon's 1.-THE
Comedian"
Whether the Gheon work was
chosen with the fact in mind
last summer, it would be difficult
to name a more appropriate
choice for the theater's festival
month. "The Comedian" if you
have forgotten, is the dramati-
cation of the life of st. Genesius,
the patron saint of actors and
musicians. Genesius' was not
an easy life. although he man
aged to keep rather steadily en-
ployed as an actor in the court
Of the decadent Emperor Dio-
cletian.
In the course of this employ
ment, it fell to the lot of Gene
sius to play the role of a Chris
tian hero. a performance so con-
vincing that Genesius himself
was converted to Christianity.
and subsequently executed for
his disdain for Diocletian's way
of life.
Philip Bosco who distinguished
himself earlier in the c. U. sea-
son with his performance in the
title role of Richard III" will
play the title role in the Gheon
play. Fort Gilbert v. Hartke will
direct the production as he did
10 years ago, in the university's
drama infancy, with English
star Robert Spaight as Genesius.
BULLETIN BOARD: Univer-
sity drama is breaking out all
over this week with George
Washington Players opening to-
morrow night in Detective
Story" Georgetown and
Maryland come up tomorrow
night with, respectively, Rob-
ert E. Sherwood's THE Petri-
fed Forest" and Ben JON
sons "Volpone." The
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