Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-24

man. Mr.. Wellman delivers hi
leadingly titled Lafayette Is
Metropolitan and Ambassador
Theaters.
He starts and finishes his
film with cameras on the
monument in France dedicated
to these Americans who new,
fought and died in French uni
forms. while q narrator pays
fitting tribute. Between these
two visits to the shrine. how
ever. Mr.. Wellman becomes so
enchanted with q drab romance
involving Tab Hunter and
Etchika Choureau that he
can't keep his mind on the
airplanes or the war.
This is unfortunate, because
the airplanes--historic Bleriots,
Neiuports. Spads and Fokkers
ARE the most interesting
things placed on display here.
Well. the airplanes and Miss
Choureau.
~ -
She fetchingly plays a French
lass who falls in love with the
American hot-head played by
Hunter. This emotion SO over
whelms her that she quits the
ornate establishment where
she has been employed to spend
her nights in the neither SO
old nor SO lucrative, profession
Of conductress on the Metro.
Meanwhile back at the flying
field. the fellow played. by
Hunter is having his troubles.
He gets slapped by an officer
for insolence and this reminds
him Of his father, who used to
do the same thing. He takes
q poke at the ofncer, winds
up behind bars, is sprung by
his cronieS and deserts. Ulti-
mately he gets q job with his
girl friends former boss as q
sort Of travelling salesman, en-
counters an American general
and tells his sad story. Before
you can rouse yourself from
your stupor, he is an Amer
lean flyer. strewing the French
countryside with the shattered
remains Of German planes and
pilots.
AS you can see, this is an
uplifting story of lofty moral
tone, a real high-class tribute
to q legendary fighting group.
Sure it is.
It must be admitted that all
Of this nonsense may enchant
the adolescentS Of the Tab
Hunter set. who apparently can
sit there and watch him with
out wishing they were some.
where else. And If Mr.. Wellman
wishes to seek the favor Of
the teen-agers with another
yarn about q young social
anarchist who couldn't stand
authority because his parents
used to try to apply some. that
is his privilege. But, as an
old World War I flyer himself,
he must know that he has not
unfolded the saga Of the Lafay-
cite Escadrille. All he has done,
in spite Of the good nostalgia
touches he gives in bits and
pieces, is waste a good title.
y = = 4
AFTER DARK-The Sazerac
Room at Nick Gaston's Old
New Orleans looked Saturday
night as If there had been an
election-either bringing back
those Democrats who used to
live it up at night, or repeating
the recession. Place was full.
There even were people sitting
around upstairs who looked re-
lieved when this old party left
making a table available down.
stairs. If you don't get around
much anymore this may not
startle you. but you can be as
sured it was q most unusual
sight. The reason for this rush
OF trade to the basement bistro
was. and still is. a girl named
Ruth Wallis. Miss Wallis, in
case you don't know about her,
is q record star. but not one of
the teen-agers' pets. Her au-
dience is post. some Of it con-
siderably post. teen-aee. COM
posed Of those who know her
from the albums of original
sophisticated lyrics she calls
party songs" They are not for
Cub Scout or Brownie parties.
you understand, but for those
parties who go in for this sort
of thing, they're fine. Miss
VIZ llte ennv.a@ - a.~.A AAAssSwnS