Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-13

Inc theme OF the him ]!
defenders of Dienbienphu. but
1t is much more a mockery Of
than a memorial to. the men
who fought and died there. A
duller, more trivial. cliche-ridden
script professedly based upon
heroic defeat is inconceivable
And, unless someone has a cata-
strophic inspiration in Califor-
mia, Jump Into He'll" will end
up the most tasteless screen ef-
fort of the year.
In a negative way. it is not
impossible that Irving Wallace
shall prove to have immortal
lied himself in writing the
script of the picture directed by
David Butler.
If there is any justice. he
should be remembered as the
author of a screenscript so ap-
palling that it makes the most
YEARLY written news story of
Dienbienphu read like a dra-
matte masterpiece. This is
something but it is better not
to think what.
What the French garrison's
last stand SINNERS down to here
is a traversy of martyrdom. 1t
Is summed up in the case his
tories of five officers, one OF
whom is systematically called
1.-The General"
For all the production these
1--WE are given to stand on, they
might have thought they were
doing community theater or To-
cal television show. There is a
kind of malevolent justice IN
this, however, in that the heroics
are an outrageous mockery OF
the story everyone was read
ing in the spring and summer
of 1854.
A few fairish iourneymen OF
the acting trade are among
those who find themselves
trapped in Jump Into He'll"
Kurt Kaznar is one of these and
some of the others include Jack
Sernas, Arnold Moss. Peter Van
Eyck and Marcel Dallo.
Sometimes, of course. actors
haven't the slightest idea what
they are getting into.
4 X X y
TRADE SECRET: Most Of
Washington's film exhibitors
are enlightened types who reg
ularly screen all. or most, OF
their pictures for the critics.
There are a few die-hards,
however, who cling to the ira
dition that movies should be
seen with an audience. 1t is
based upon some theory that
a critic will react, to some extent
at least, to the audiences reac-
ton.
Well. that's the way it worked
out in the case of one movie this
week. The patron in front of us
was an extremely diverting type.
Regularly every 80 seconds, he
would slap the back of his head
and dart a quick glance behind
him. Between slaps and darts,
he spent his time mumbling
aloud, but not clearly, in re-
spouse to the dialogue on the
screen.
1t took all a mans will power
to dodge the conclusion that
sometimes you have to be neu-
rotic to go to the movies.
X
CALCULATED LULL: There
will be no Saturday matinee per-
Torrance of Rain" at Arena
Stage. It's cancellation, unusual
in Arenas program. is designed
to give the company additional
time to polish its next produc-
ton.
This will be Agatha Christie's
mystery drama. The Mouse
trap" which will open on Tues
day night.
Rain" will be presented in its
regular Saturday night per-
Torrance for the last time, end
ing a four-weeks' run.
y \
GALLAUDET "MACBETH"-
The Dramatics Club of Gallaudet
College. only college for the deaf
will present the first of two
performances of Macbeth" to.
night in Chapel Hall on the
campus.
The performance. directed BY
Douglas Burke, senior. will be
given entirely in the Languages
of signs. 1t will be augmented
however, for persons of norma,
hearing by a reader who will sill
back stage. speaking the lines
While members of the cast have
some speech. sign language i:
deemed the more effective TO,
the deaf.
The public is invited to to.
nights and tomorrow nights
performances.