Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 7 August 1936 — Page 15

on Program

lexander’s Ragtime Band’

Writer - Recalls His Early Days.

BY JOHN W. THOMPSON

Popular music is. a funny thing, ‘take it from one who knows, Irving Berlin. And also from one who knows how to direct it, Paul Ash, discoverer of stars, who starts a ‘stage appearance at the Lyric today. | Yesterday afternoon in the Lyric ‘basement, Mr. Ash, with a rickety step-ladder ‘for a music stand, a ‘wobbly table for a rostrum, ‘“conucted” thé Lyric band in a rehearsal of 20 Irying Berlin tunes. They are contain®@i in a medley hich Mr. Ash will feature in this week's stage show. It’s all in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Berlin's ‘“‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” tained in a medley which Mr. Ash will feature in this week's stage show. .It’s all in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Berlin's “Alexander's Ragtime Band.” = Yes, sir, according to Mr. Ash and Mr. Berlin, popular music is a funny thing. There is hardly any way to predict what songs will stick in the public fancy, and what ones will fade from the public mind almost as soon as the sound dies away. That is, there is only one ~ way to know a preordained song success—by seeing Irving Berlin listed as the composer. Mr. Ash's medley starts. with the 1925 hit and ends with the 1936 Berlin contribution, songs from “Follow the Fleet.”

Spent Little Time at Piano

In a recent interview with Mr. Berlin, Marian Young, NEA service writer, plied the veteran composer with questions about how he felt after a quarter of a century at the + piano. Mr. Berlin said he had spent little time actually at the piano, but had lots to. say about how modern tunes are written. The popular song, it’ seems, that Issues all day long from yours -and your neighbor's radio in tones now tenor, now soprano, or again bass, probably was not written, as you - may have been told by the roman-

3 ting ready to

in n Sad took

| Think of the Poor Woman's

Tragic Fate in Some ‘of Her Pictures.

‘BY PAUL HARRISON HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 7.—(NEA)— Short takes: The ineffable sadness and general air of futility hovering over Greta Garbo is enhanced by recollection of the poor: n's fate in some of her pictures, She has been murdered by a lunatic, killed in an automobile wreck, shot by a fring squad, and thrown under at

And now, in “Camille,” ‘she’s getherself to death. The other day, though, Miss Garbo

‘I perked up enough io stage a little

joke. Scores of actresses have been

“| tested lately for last-minute roles 7: |in “The Good Earth,” especially for

By | the role of Lotus

‘| sian,

One of the most outstanding of the new crop of leading ladies making their debuts upon the screen is blond Frances Farmer, who plays heroine to Bing Crosby’s role in “Rhythm on the Range,” which starts its second week at the Circle today. Bob Burns and Martha

Raye are also starred.

Aged Actor, Lincoln Shoofing Witness, Lectures on Murder

cers, in any cy attic during the| Too Qld for Movies, Veteran. Gains Consolation and Livelihood Discussing Assassination.

small hours of the morning when . resistance ‘is practically nil. It was almost certainly not done to a one-finger accompaniment on an’'untuned piano. ~ Nor was it likely inspired by moonlight or a beautiful woman or even a flower garden at dusk. According to Mr. Berlin, 10 chances to one the piece was done to catalogue specifications in an upJaine minute skyscraper office, and finished with one eye on the

_, tlack,

Wrote First Hit in 1911

For song « writing, the old song master himself admits, is big busi-

ness these days.

. “Although there are exceptions,” admits Berlin, who has had more . than 600 songs published, most of |. them hits. : Mr. Berlin holds. the radio chiefly responsible for the mechanization | of talent and the killing of individuality_in his beloved profession. Also, he Insists, it’s not true now, as ‘he once said in a lyric, that when the song is ended the melody lingers on.

‘Radio Killed Individuality’

“Real love of singing and knowl- . edge of songs went out of date . when the radio took the place of family sings with the entire household grouped around mother at the organ,” he declares. “People hum / but nobody really knows . words any more.” : Berlin-has seen a lot of changes . since the days when he, a thin Rus-

By United Press

HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 7.—An 83- year-old “washed up” says he is the only living eye-witness to: Abraham Lincoln's

actor who assassina-

tion lives quietly here, finding consolation and a livelihood by lecturing on the murder of the famous President.

Joseph H. Hazleton -is the man who as a tow-headed lad of 12, says he saw: John Wilkes Booth, Shakespearian #ictor, shoot President Lin-

coln at Ford's Theater in Washington. “I was a program boy at Ford’s,” the little man recalls. “Lincoln was fond of comedies, and often attended the theater. “The President and his party did not arrive until the second act of ‘Our - American Cousin’ on that night of April 14, 1865. “Lincoln was my hero, and 1 made my way down the aisle to see him. During the third act I was standing directly opposite his box, awed at the sight of him, and proud of the fact that I knew him personally and had been admitted three times to the White House to chat with him. I noted with childish delight how he laughed at the play. “I happened to turn my head toward the main entrance and saw Wilkes-Booth enter, I knew. Booth well because only a few hours before he ‘had playfully pulled my cap over my eyes in- front of the theater and asked: if I.intended to

‘sian boy with wistful dark eyes, was |

& singing waiter on Fourteenth-st. After ‘“Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and a series of hot rag numbers, inspired by it, Berlin wrote Hawaiian numbers (“Bird of Paradise” was one), then began to do Jazz. A ballad period followed, and the. “What'll I Do” sort of thing. Now he writes music to order for . motion pictures. Did all the numbers Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire warbled in “Top Hat.”

Marriage Settled Problem

__ Oddly enough, one of his chief writing problems was settled, Berlin claims, by his marriage to the

become an actor when I grew up. ‘I don’t know, I. told: him, and he handed me a 10-cent token-—'shin plasters,’ they were ‘called. Little

did I dream that I would spend 50 years of my life in the theatrical profession. “Booth stopped a moment to speak to Mr. Buckingham, the doorkeeper, then started upstairs to the dress circle. As he passed along the side aisle toward the President’s box, I noticed the change in his dress. When he spoke to me in the afternoon, he wore velvet collar and cuffs. Now he was wearing heavy riding boots, spurs, : blue flannel shirt and a slouch at. 2 “Shortly afterward there was a flash, a report, and President Lincoln had been. shot. * An awful hush fell over the house. Laura Keene rushed down to.the footlights and cried ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the President has been shot’.” “Uncle Joe” disputes history concerning Booth. The assassin did not break his leg when he leaped; he only fractured his ankle, Hazleton contends.

25¢ to 6 Another Smash Hit for Loew’s! Screen’ s

Most Sensational New Love Team in a Blazing Love Drama of the # Tropiest

(fina Tilly Losch, the dancer). Miss Garbo went fo the make-up department: and einerged an ‘hour later not as: Camiile, but as a Chinese!

Back to Dialect Cast irony: Helen Wood, a beauty contest winner from down Dixie way, had beauty and talent, but her studio couldn’t pardon her southern accent. She was vcld she'd have to get rid of it—and she did, with a long, intensive course of training. So now they've put her in a picture called, “Can Thig Be Dixie?” and she has to lesrn to drawl and drop her r’s. . George Davis, a comedian, also is having dialect trouble. He's a Dutchman, Holland-born, but in’ 25 years of acting he never has had a Dutch role. Audiences have seen him, instead, as a Frenchman, RusItalian, Irishman, Swede, Scotsman, Turk, Chinese, Eskimo, and Indian.

He speaks several languages and’

is in demand for foreign versions of Hollywood films. But he guesses he has forgotten most of his Dutch. Minsky’s Goes Hoity-Toity You couldn’t guess the show commanding the highest premiere prices in town. N6t grand opera in the Hollywood Bowl, nor yet a theatrical classic fresh from Broadway. This is a presentation of Minsky burlesque—at a $10 top! My guess is that a lot of .censorial sparks will be flying hereabouts .before autumn. Directors of a dozen new musicals have crdered a scantiness of costuming never seen on any screen. Well, hardly ever. Merlene Dietrich’s next picture will be a musical under the slightly misleading title of “Angel.” ‘Several companies bidding fer it a year ago lost interest when the censors said it was too naughty for American manufacture. In London, incidentally, the censors made only oue deletion from “The Great Ziegfeld.” That was the term, “sex appeal.” Some. other verboten words: bag, bat, bum, bloody, Chink, Dago, Wop, vid, Frog, gigolo, Greaser, hot, Hun, joint, louse, lover, punk, skirt, tramp, and alley cat. Nuts is okay; nertz objectionable." Adolph Menjou the old reminiscer, recalls how a good many years ago he was making a movie in Chicago and was having ‘difficulty finding extras of sufficient toughness. And the ones who were found didn’t always show up for work. So a man named Al Brown was recommended and hired. Mr. Brown went around and spoke to the extras; after that they repnrted for work regularly and even ahead of time. : In case you don't immediately identify this benefactor of ‘the cinema, his name now is Al Capone.

Hep =" OVIR,

finally won by"

a year old.

BY MAJ. EDW. BOWES , NEW YORK, Aus. 1. —~(NEA) — am taking the liberty of passa ar 1 iy counsel

to those of you whe have

ambitions to become entertainers. First let me say that I believe profoundly in the ability of genuine talent to win out against seems ingly insurmountable odds. 1f you have real talent and the courage

will receive you and inevitably find a place for you in its ranks. You may be fortunate enough to

|| “One Night at Brenda's,’

.| to achieve, the entertainment world |

be visited. with -the. rare. good luck

of achieving success overnight; on the other hand, and this is Rs

likely, it: may prove a tough, up+|

hill struggle, -But if you have ability, and if you believe in your ability and can

persist through adversity, nothing|

can stop you, believe me. Through the medium of my Amateur Hour broadcasts, I have been trying to provide people with an opportunity to find their niche. Since I believe in .the ‘inexorable law of the theater, that managers must select and employ the best talent available when producing an entertainment, I look for only one quality in the amateur artists who audition for me by the hundreds each week—talent. There are those who bave applied for a chance on my program and been rejected because of a lack of talent who have said I denied them that chance because of personal prejudice. Nothing could /be. further from the™ truth. One of the chief purposes of the Amateur Hour broadcasts is to bring before the public young people who are deserving, through their ability, of a chance to be heard. I try my utmost best to give every. one who comes to: me a fair trial. : The Amateur Hour is little over It is -apparent that great stars can not be developed in thas brief time. Yet I have reason to believe that many of those ambitious young people who have appeared on my Sunday evening broadcasts have great promise and

WHERE, WHAT, WHEN

- APOLLO “To Maly With . Love,” _starring Myr and -Warner Baxter, af 11:50, * a 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30.

. CIXCLE

*“Rhytim on the Range.” with Bing Crane’ Frances Farmer Bob Burns and Martha Raye, at 11, 1:50, 4:40, 7:20 and 10:10. Also “Bunker Bean.’ with Lo Latimer, at 12:45, 3:38,

LOEW'S “His Brother's Wife, featuring Robert Taylor. and Barbara StanYok. at 11, 1:15, 3:25, 5:40, V5 and

KEITH'S “Midsummer Pestival Revue,” production with and a dramatic “The. Valiant. » PS stain at 8: 13

LYRIO “Parade of the Stars,” with Paul . Ash and Slim Timblin, on stage af 1:05, 3:40. 6:36 and “Girl's ‘Dormitory. hd featuring Hei~ bert Marshall, Ruth Chatterton and Simone Simon, on neraen ab 11:44, 2:19, 5:15, 8:11 ‘and 10:8 :

vaudeville sketch,

ALAMO Pr “The Mine With the Tron Door’ with Cecelia Parker and Richard Are len. Also ‘Petticoat Fever” with Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy.

‘AMBASSADOR Robert

“Private Number” with Taylor and Loreita Young. tora.” Springs” with. Frances LangOHI0

CoA Message to Carols, 7 with Wal15ce Bry. Barb bara Stattwyck and es, th

Teal with Wiliam Tar.

—GRAHAM'S OLD =

End of Beech Grove Carline

: Dance to DENNY DUTTON’S BOYS , Friday & Saturday WE SERVE BRUCK’'S BEER on tap exclusive x

The shale i town's : "Empty Seddies” ond "I'm An Old , Cow, Hand!” i

R o a a

Major Bowes . , . “Alright, alright”

will eventually win fame and fortune in their own right. Hundreds of these successful youngsters have been engaged all season long in personal appearances with the units that I have sent ok across the country. These amateurs have been performing before paying audiences that demand a show for their prices of admission. In order for these amateurs to survive before those paying audiences, they had to make good on sheer ability. The proof of the pudding is thai audiences everywhere have applauded them and asked for more. Incidentally, there is plenty of room for others to follow, particularly the more seasoned - professional artists. An amateur unit can only play a town for a week at most. These units have gone into theaters that were formerly “dark” and give evidence that the “road” still wants “live” entertainment. - Playing with these traveling units, is giving these young people a genuine opportunity to gain practical experience in show business for the years to come. I can. point already, with par-

donable pride, to Clyde Barrie, bril-'

liant young Negro baritone, who made ‘ his public debut on one of my broadcasts in May of 1935. Prior to his appearance on my pro-' gram, he had been an elevator op-: erator, unable to obtain any other form of employment although he

J had a glorious voice.

"He came to me through’ the rig

ular chiannels“of those who apply | || for an audition and scored not only

with’ me but the vast radio ‘au« dience as: well.

BS Lg

AEB

™e_ SCREEN!

Too: INNOCENT ‘10 TKNOW | THAT LOVE

| ok .

J [STATE

Hires

Comedy-Drama Written by SAYS] || Local Playwright Is Next Federal Players’ Offering

Described as ‘Strictly Modern’

Production, to Have Premiere Monday; Newspaper Man Is Author.

A new threp-act comedy drama,

“One Night at Brenda's,” written by

a new Indianapolis playwright, Miles Tiernan, assistant city editor of The Indianapolis Star, is to, be the Federal Players’ offering starting Mone

day.

New Musical Ready for Sept. 12 Release

Times Special HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 7. — “Stage Struck,” announced as First National’'s most elaborate musical to date, is ready for a general release date of Sept. 12, it was an-

nounced today. Work recently was finished at the company’s Burbank studios. A large cast is headed by Dick Powell, Joan Blondel, Warren William, Jeanne Madden, Frank MecHugh and Spring Byington. Songs are by B. F. Harburg and Harold Arlen. The production was directed by Busby Berkeley.

Rivoli Installs New ‘Theater Equipment

Arrangements for the installation of new “high fidelity” sound equipment in the Rivoli theater have been completed by Joe Cantor, new theater. manager. The - equipment: is said to make possible new -sound ranges in the recordings of talking pictures. The same type of system is employed at the Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Starts Today!

Described as strictly modern’ in every respect, the play is to have its premiere on the Keith's stage, The story has to do with a group of friends who meet at a certain

time each year as the result of a pledge made during high school days. As the years roll by (a habit years have) the friends go their various ways, some to business, some to pleasure, some to both. But they never fail to keep their reunion pledge. After 20 years they are again at Brenda's, originally a farm house which has been turned into a roadhouse. It is here that the action takes place. Crooks figure in the plot which gets pretty thick, we've heard. There is also a bit of a romance here and there during the play. The Federal Players’ cast, headed by Ned LeFevre, Betty Anne Brown, Alice old and Jack Duval, will include Several new members max= ing their debut on the local stage. This week’s production, “Midsumemer Festival Revue,” which employs the talents of several entertainment units of the Federal theater project in Indiana, is to be seen on Keith's stage tonight and tomorrow night.

Santley Now a Director Joseph Santley, currently directe ing “Walking on Air” with Ann Sothern, ‘was formerly one of Broadway's best ' known musical

-1 comedy stars.

BELMONT TW, Wish. & Belmont

Double Featurs “MURDER BY AN ARISTOCRAT “ROUSE

F A THOUSAND CANDLES”

DAISY

“BRIDES ARE LIKE THAT” | “ONE MAN LAW” + NORTH SIDE

llinois and Mth » ble: Fea

[ Irene Poaiare . . “SHOW DAT” ~WM. BOYD, “EAGI E

|ZARING .

- FOOD MANY TA

[IRVING

Those glorious sweethearts of “Broadway Bill” and “Penthouse” —together again in the season’s most thrilling love story!

TAN HUNTER GLAIRE: TREVOR

JEAN DIXON

A POLLO

C Exiral COLOR CARTOON |.

Exiral COLO Go’ To Meetin’ Time”

Movietone News “WHEN FISH FIGHT”

EAST i

IVOLI

“LITTLE MISS NOBODY" “PANIC ON THE AIR”

TUXEDO “Bg

“A MARRIED A Do. “LAW IN HER

"Be Tht simmis We SF FrmaveEMERSON ‘Bow Fistut" | Ei hdNron

HAMILTON hic Festars