Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 February 1938 — Page 11
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TUESDAY, FEB. 8, 1688
Dave Apollon Picks Talent In Hollywood
Maestro Received Film y Baptism as Comic in
Officers’ Movie.
Dave Apollon, the musical muzhik who will make his annual visit to the Lyric stage next week, has a new show and a new story, and
both: of them are connected with the movies. First of all, the show. In former years the genial Russian has toured the United States and Europe in search of new talent for his unit shows, This year, however, he was on the West Coast for a part in “The Merry-Go-Round of 1938” and a series of short subjects for Warner Bros. And he found himself sitting like Mohammed, while the movies attracted a mountain of theatrical prospects from which he might take his pick. Mr. Apollon fouhd that Hollywood has replaced New York as the cross roads of the entertainment world. A variety of musical comedy pictures and the permanent housing of many commercial radio programs in the film capital has attracted the cream of “variety.” From the aggregation he has selected singers, dancers, a harp virtuoso, a juggler, a dog act and a “tropical swing band.” In Russian War Film
Now for the story. It seems that even before Hollywood had heard of Dave Apollon, that gentleman had had an extensive screen appearance —and all in one picture. His appearance before the camera would have totaled about 70 times the seven short subjects he has made for Warners, and with the “Merry-Go-Round” role thrown in for good measure, This initial picture was made in Russia, just following the World War. It came about much as did the plays which Mrs, Sycamore writes in “You Can't Take It With You” because someone brought her a typewriter by mistake. A group of Russian officers found themselves in possession of two battered newsreel cameras and a whole carload of film, a remnant of the army's intelligence department. Now, the officers saw no reason why this enticing consignment of raw material should go to waste. Mr. Apollon wasn’t one of the officers. In fact, he was little more than a boy. But he had amused his army superiors with comedy antics behind the front, so he found himself conscripted to provide “comedy relief.”
Have Casting Troubles
Right away the production struck a snag. Each officer had a favorite candidate for the feminine lead. Rather than cause any hurt feelings, a leading part was created for each of the young ladies. The officers took turns in playing the romantic hero, juvenile and “heavy,” and Mr. Apollcn injected comedy at the slightest provocation. According to the film's chief comedian, the shooting went on for months, while the corps of producers amplified their plot to take care of the large cast and the abundance of film. They shot exteriors up and down the country, and utilized «the late Tsar's castles, country homes and hunting lodges for interiors without benefit of special lighting. Finally the epic masterpiece ‘was completed. Of course no one connected with it knew anything about cutting or editing, either, so they just “let her ride.” The result was a gargantuan movie 77 reels long which required seven and a half hours for its performance. It's small wonder, then, that Mr. Apollon has shown a predilection for short features ever since.
WHAT, WHEN, WHERE
APOLLO
“Sh, The Octopus.” with Hugh Herbert and £8 "ena Jolin. at 11: 5 3 and
1:53, 4:21, rzan 9 with Glenn Morris A Eleanor “So at 12:18, 2:46, 5:14, 7:42 and 10:10.
CIRCLE
“Happy Landing,” with Sonja Henie, Dah, Amcehe and Cesar Ro5 at 11:48 2:19, 4:50. 7:21 and
“March of Time” Jeature, “Ins Nazi Sertially 1935." at 11:33, os 4:3¢. 7:05 and 9:°
INDIANA “The Buccareer,” with Mas ch and ancisin, Gaal. at 1:52, 4:28, 7:04 and 9:40. LOEW'S
‘The Bad Man of Brimstone,” with Wallace Beery, Dennis O'Keefe and Virginia Bruce, at 11. R. 4:30, 7:18 an
o Time to Marry.” with Richard Arlen and Mary Astor. at 12:35, 6:05 and 8:50. LYRIC
vaudeville ath The Three Stooges, at 1:08, 3:55. 6:53 and 9:40. “Change of Heart,” with Lyle Jal bot and > orn Stuart, at 11:27, 738
5:12, "KEFTH'S
“Call of the WiM,” with Clark og Also “Fit for a King,” with
Joe E. Brown OHIO
“It's Love I'm After,” with ieslie Howard. Also “Alcatraz Island, with John Litel,
AMBASSADOR “Navy Blue and La with Robert Young. Also “Trapped by GMen,” with Jack Holt. ALAMO
“Young Dynamite,” with Ken Maynard. Also “Night Club Seandal.”
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Here are two movie stars in a reflective mood. Spencer Tracy is addressing his ponderous remarks to Joan Crawford and she is listening attentively, as her image in the mirror at the right proves. If
you're not dizzy by this time you may have another glimpse of Mr. Tracy in the mirror at the back. This picture was taken on the set of “Mannequin,” which is to open at Loew's on Friday.
By JAMES THRASHER
After her appearance here last evening, one can only hope in retrospect that the art of Cornelia Otis Skinner may become a more familiar commodity here before many more seasons have passed. This for the ‘nourishment of our theatrical lives, for Miss Skinner has the abiding power to entertain, and sumptuously, long after one hes ceased to marvel at her novel means of doing $0.
To get on, then, with the business at hand, this solo-actress made her first Indianapolis appearance in nearly six years when she brought her production of “Edna His Wife” to English’s last night. This is Miss Skinner's own dramatization of the Margaret Ayer Barnes novel of the same title. It is her first attempt at boiling down an entire novel to the scope of a monolog, and it is as successful as it is brash.
The story itself is of the Fannie Hurst school of literature on which our monthly magazines and movies dote fondly. But it is rich in contemporary allusion to the various years of our young century as it bounces along from Blue Island, Ill, of 1900 to a New York penthouse of 1937. There are nostalgic chuckles aplenty at the bicycle era, the war years and the postwar flapper period.
Eight Characters Portrayed
So through these 37 years, clothed in authentic thought, speech and costume, Miss Skinner takes her eight characters. And in 11 scenes, she sketches the life of Edna Losser, who made her one great mistake in
Fay Wray Says Separation True
HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 8 (U. P.).— Fay Wray, film actress, and her husband, John Monk Saunders, writer, have separated because of incompatibility and there is no chance for reconciliation, the actress said today. She said the question of divorce had not yet been discussed. Miss Wray and Mr. Saunders were married almost 10 years ago. They have a 16-months-old daughter. Mr. Saunders said his wife's announcement was a “complete surprise.”
“Call ©
CLARK GABLE o.Wint- + kme-JOE E. BROWN
Miss Skinner's Audacious Artistry Acclaimed in Character Skits Here
marrying Paul Jones, the aspiring young attorney, rather than Al Reimer, who was a railroader as her father had been. For Edna was contentedly middleclass. And money nor penthouses could compensate for the bewildering mess of society and “culture” and things that robbed her of a simple house, filled with “kids” and revolving about a man who came home to supper at the same hour every night. In these 11 scenes we meet, besides Edna, her mother and sister Pearl, her daughter Jessica, and
Paul's mistress, Katharine Boyne, a |
sculptress, as well as some minor characters who are among the most enjoyable persons of the drama.
Dramatic Scenes
The charm of Miss 8kinner's performance is in its series of genre portraits. Yet there are moving moments as well, such as the scene where Edna meets Al as a conductor on “The Century” after 30 years, or in the final scene, following the death of Katharine Boyne.
And there is one scene that deserves a special mention. That is the one in which Miss Skinner, as the sister Pearl, convinces us of the sinking of the excursion steamer, “Eastland.” The actress’ only “prop” is a section of boat rail. Yet somehow she lets us see the overcrowded boat and the panic of its passengers as it keels over into the river. For Miss Skinner's “Edna His
Wife” is more than a display of protean virtuosity. She has the power to people her stage with the full dramatis personae, born of her imagination and our own. For it takes only a few moments to become accustomed to her unusual medium. After that it's drama, not a stunt.
Artistry Is Audacious
Miss Skinner does not stand ameng the great actresses as judged by our ordinary standards—at least not in last night's play. But she is highly gifted and charming, and, of course, versatile no end. In fact, the more one reflects upon the daring conception of her medium and the capital way in which she carries it off, the more admirable this audacious artistry becomes. It is stimulating to see a person who dares do something different, and yet succeeds through legitimate artistry. A word must be said about the excellent and simple settings by Donald Oenslager, which were authentic without being slavishly realistic, and which were scaled to a solo performance, Also about the incidental music by Elliot Jacoby, which was singularly inept.
’ "ALCATRAZ ISLAND"
Bette Davis “It's Love I Am After” Next Sun. —“The Road Gang”
INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
FABIEN SEVITZKY, Conductor
THIRD POPULAR CONGERT
INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY CHOIR (Elmer Steffen, Choral Conductor)
and MARJORIE CALL, Harpist, Soloist
Sunday Feb. 13, MURAT THEATER
Reservations Murat Box Office. RI-9597.
PRICES: 25¢, 35¢, 40c, 50¢, 75¢
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PAGE 11
Leader Back For l.U. Trip of
Symphony
Weber, Mozart, Wagner Included in Program At University.
Fabien Sevitsky has decided, with some reluctance, to use the conventional conductor’s baton when he leads the. Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra this evening in the first of three concerts at Indiana University. On his return to rehearsals in the Murat yesterday. following a twoweek trip to Philadelphia and New York, Mr. Sevitzky brought with him a miniature baseball bat which an admirer had given him as a “coming home” present. The fearful bludgeon inspired such remarkable results that the conductor was tempted to adopt it as a permanent time-beater. The program for the Bloomington ‘concert tonight will include the Overture to Weber's “Euryanthe”; Mozart's “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”; “The Lone Prairee” by Shepherd; three excerpts from Wagner's “Die Meistersinger”—the Prelude to Act III, Dance of the Apprentices and Procession of the Mastersingers, and the Symphony No. 4 by Tschaikowsky.
Choir to Appear
Next Sunday afternoon the orchestra will be heard in the third of its series of popular-priced concerts at 3 p. m. in the Murat. Miss Marjorie Call, harpist, will be soloist, and the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir also will take part in the performance, The concert is to open with the Overture to Rossini’s opera, “William Tell.” This will be followed by the Scherzo and Finale from Tschaikowsky's Fourth Symphony; Ravel's Rondo and Allegro for harp and orchestra; excerpts from Bizet's music to “L’Arlesienne,” and an Adagio by MecCollin. The choir will join the orchestra in the program's final number, the Polovetzian Dances from Borodin's opera, “Price Igor.” Elmer A. Steffen is choir conductor.
FILM DEBUT IS FETED
The screen debut of Leatrice Joy Gilbert in “Benefits Forgot” was celebrated when her mother, Leatrice Joy, gave a skating party for the youngster and her fellow students at the Berkeley Hall school.
FRIDAY
IN NEW YORK —s GEORGE ROSS
It's Not Yet Time to Sing Requiem for
‘Poor Old
By GEORGE ROSS
NEW YORK, Feb. 8—According to a certain ex-Broadway columnist now tramping the Hollywood beat, we who record the tumult of Times Square are apt to do a dervish dance at a wake. The corpse is ready for burial says he, but not in the coffin; for our friend, the ex-Broadway columnist, says that Broadway is more dead than alive and that the demise is yet to be discovered. After a quick gander around the “old” street, he finds the “old” glamour gone. And gone, too: the “old” spirit, the “old” dignity, the “old” enthusiasm, the “old” gaiety, not to speak of the “old” soaks. He'd rather be on Sunset Blvd. than 42d St.— And so, pardon me while I sew on the mourning band—for the “dead” Broadway where cabaret life is flourishing as it never has in the past decade; where 30 legitimate theaters are open with an aggregate investment of more than a million dollars; where the brightest and costliest electrical display in the world is concentrated; where there is more pedestrian life than on any other promenade around the globe. An Active Corpse My friend, fear, is a better columnist than a coroner. Or else his watch had stopped as he last took Broadway's pulse. For, in poking around the Main Stem that he pronounces dead, this scribe overlooked a number of signs of life. For example, the flesh and blood presence of Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Paul Lukas, Dennis King, Ed Wynn, George M. Cohan, Evelyn Laye, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Lillian Gish, Burgess Meredith, Gertrude Lawrence, Wallace Ford— to name only a few great names— on the New York stage. And in sauntering along the
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“ghostiy” Broadway he knew “when,” a parcel of sights, must have eluded him. Like the International Casino, admitted to be the most - gargantuan cafe on earth, which is accustomed to $65,000 worth of business each week. Or Billy Rose’s Casa Manana, another giant cafe which is getting used to $65,000 worth of weekly trade. Or the Cotton Club, where Bill Robinson presides, which is happy with $40,000 in weekly receipts. And the Paradise, as well as innumerable small places that are on the block our friend derides, which are as solvent now as then.
A couple of hundred more instances could be rendered, without much trouble, to indicate that our ex-Broadwayite is muttering through a sorely tried hat. He has mourned over the liveliest corpse ever to be. pronounced deceased. Broadway has a casualty, now and then, as a play gives up or a cafe quits, but what rialto doesn’t? The critics and public both agree that the Stage has been of higher quality this year than in years past. The aforementioned cabarets give lavish floorshows and know no ‘“recession.” True, much of the night life activity has moved eastward, but Broadway is not a literal spot on the Manhattan map, as far as its denizens are concerned. To the playgoer, the reveler and those who toil in the entertainment world, Broadway embraces the lane designated by that name, the side streets
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William Powell Asks Tax Refund
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (U. P) = William Powell, motion picture actor, petitioned the Board of Tax Appeals today for redetermination of an alleged deficiency of $14,585 in 1934 income tax. The Government asserted the dee ficiency after disallowing a deduce tion of $22,732 for demolition of a residence, and other deductions for wardrobe, laundry and makeup. The ‘Government alleged Mr. Powe ell's salary for the vear was $105,« 000 instead of the $180,000 he ree ported. The screen star contended the demolition of a residence was a lee gitimate loss inh the course of a business transaction. The warde robe expenses were legitimate, he said, since his contract stipulated he must furnish such apparel at his own expense,
that lead into Shubert and Tin Pan Alleys, the cross streets that lead to the Stork Club, El Morocco, La Conga, the Kit-Kat and other meccas of nocturnal amusement, They're all thriving; they all deny, by the tinkle at the cash register, that they have recently died. Our erstwhile Broadwayite also complains that in his hasty excur= sions to the places he used to know, he saw the same old faces and the same coteries sitting there. Strange, this, from one who now prowls about the Brown Derby and the Trocadero in Hollywood wheres ennui is the popular disease.
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