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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1927)
THE OREGON STATESMAN. SALEM. OREGON, iSTJNTD AX TOTJRNING, DECEMBER 11. 1927 WO DSB MQST I ""-OF WORK AT RIGHT "London After Midnight" Scheduled rr; Elsinore v Theater Today THE BEGGAR'S" OPERA COMING Good orthodox ghosts dcn't .work In the daytime it's against oihe principle of Ih United Spec JTS A!SOCUWUU-r jo mrusa mated Academy of Phantom? or whatever It is that govern t:vJ activities of visiters from the Great Beyond. . ... .. AH of which is respon.ible fcr the strangest working hours Lon Chaney, famous screen star, has ever observed,. during the filming of "London After. Midnight," bis new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer vehicle coming to the Elsinore today and tomorrow. The new play, in which Chaney was directed by Tod Browning, the director of "The Unholy Three" and other Chaney success es, is a modern ghost s.ory. Cha ney plays a detective who utilises hypnotism to solve '.a stranga mys tery in a. haunted English m-or house, with ghcsts.'and the "un flead" running rampant.' - Naturally, almost the whole ac tion of the play is at night, hence tn making the picture Chaney j worked four days In day sequences' and 15 nights for t the midnight episodes, with fantastic shadows' and uncanny settings. - The new picture is a, vivid mod ern story with Chaney as a scien tific detective whoi" pits hypnotism against ancient superstitions and atrange ghosts in can uncanny mystery. The old European be lief of the vampires,. or "un-dead" who leave their graves at night to prey upon the , Irving,-finds a strange use In the fantastic drama, - Tod Browning, the director, is also author of the jttrange new play, which Waldemaj- Young adapted to the' screen; and the cast Includes Marceline ' Day, Conrad Kagel, Henry B. Walthall. Polly Moran, Claude King, Andy Mc Clellan, Percy Williams,, Edna Tichenor and others '.of Bote. - Elaborate settings- depicting a haunted English castle, and trange 'illusions of spirit medi ums such as the materialization of ghosts and other supernatural manifestations are used in lend ing mystery to the strange plot. - ' rt - - y' .... - ... i." : V.- . . : . "SPOILERS OF THE IT" ii Tim McCoy and Marjorte Daw Appear In Splendid Western Picture 1 LATEST IDEA "OIL" F TD BE BIB EATURE , -Hi- . n...j-ii n -r to. t : 11 1 J j- . rii. aom ana Leaamg nuie In Fanchon and Mafco . A new star rises in the west! Patrons of the Elsinore theatre will, see one ot the cleverest per formers on the stage today when Jean Boydell comes to town in Fanchon & Marco s "UU" idea, to day and tomorrow. Surrounded by a- cast of beau tiful girls, and some excellent fea tured players. Miss Boydell puts across a show that sparkles with humor, and 'runs riot, with color and action.. -Ji3S boydell has ' been -"stop ping" ' the show everywhere that Fanchon & Marco Idea "Oil" has played. Her dancing mimicries never fail to arouse- the audience to a high pitch ot. enthusiasm. Some of her imitations are liter al r-ots of laughter. " Never has such a clever dancer ot her type been in Salem. "Oil" is built arouad a theme cf the oil fields. The'performerfi ' will be soon in overalls but ' mighty fancy one and even the v orchestra will be garbed in the mode. On the stage will be soon a high oil derrick, and from three succeeding platforms, performers sing and dance. It has been called by, experts one of the cleverest stage settings ever put on behind the footlights. Fanchon & Marco spent consid erable time in assembling- this show. They selected the large chorus of girls with care and when yon see them, the manage ment promises, you'll, agree, that "oil" well that ends well! Norman Williams as Peachum and Lena Maitland as Mrs. Peachum. The Beggjar's Opera," written by John Gay in the year 1727 and first produced at the Lincoln's (na Field theater, London, on January 29, '1728. was intended as a satire on the policies and criminal laws of the day. Graft was everywhere rampant, partic ularly, in the courts" of justice. Hanging was j an everyday punish ment for such trivial offenses as shoplifting, pocketpieking, etc. Women, too. suffered hanging and transportation for similar small crimes. . This tftate ; of things naturally !ed to many abuses, one of the worst being, the number ot bang-ars-on or back-stairs servants of the law known as "informers". These men were usually receivers f stolen goods, or "fences", who y their intimate knowledge wield ed almost absolute power over their criminal clients. Failure to 1 H GIVES PUBUGFiSE WORK Producer of First National Hits Finds Right Mixture ; of Laughs and Tears j A, producer of motion pictures these days must have his finger on the pulse of the amusement loving public; he must constantly be in touch with the audiences throughout the country and en deavor to give them the kind of entertainment they desire. Thus, Sam E. Rork, producer of Marjorie Daw Plays Lead In Western Production S Marjorie Daw, who recently ap peared with -the Duncan Sisters In "Topsy and Eva," plays the leading' feminine role In Spoilers of the West." Tim McCoy's most recent frontier melodrama which was filmed hy Metro-Ooldwyn-Mayer and will be showp at the Oregon today and tomorrow. Miss Daw plays the role of the owner of a fur trading post built on land allotted the Indians, while Mc Coy has ,the role of the cavtalry officer charged with evacuating the whites from the Indian pre- terves. - ' 4tvfl I i v I - - - lewis otone in ''Jhe'Prince cfXeadw alters Colorful Events of West Shown In Fine Picture One -of the most interesting and colorful events of the flays ot the last - American frontier has been made the basis of "Spoilers of the West," Tim McCoy's new Western film starring production, 'recently produced by Metro-Goldwyn-May- er, and to be shown at the Oregon today and tomorrow. The ' story la based on the Laramie treaty be tween the govern meat and Red stage and screen successes galore, sums the chief points of his busi ness of making photoplay for First National Pictures. "Audiences .are very ..much alike the world over," continued Mr. Rork. "They want to laugh and cry. and, of course, they would rather laugh than weep. The thing to do. It seems to me, is to give them laughs and pathos, too. ' " "In 'The Prince of Headwait- ers, now being released by First National Pictures, I believe I have the winning combination for mo tion picture audiences. There is genuine drama and comedy, not slapstick comedy or forced dram atic situations. It is a picture which should appeal to air classes and it is clean entertainment "Infatuation, love ot a father for his eon, the love of another father for his daughter, the selfish love of an adventuress for the gold of a youth, the unselfish love of a girl tor a youth- these form the dramatic background. The com edy comes In the dramatic situa tlons. particularly around the ac tivities ot the adventuress and ner gfgUO." j x The Prince of Head waiters' Is the screen version of Garrett Fort's Liberty Magazine story, and: Lewis Stone, : Priscllla Bon ner, Lilyan Tashman, Robert Ag new; Ann Rork and E. J. P Rat cllffe have the; principal" parts. John Francis Dillon, who directed "Faming Youth," made "The keep In the good graces of a "fence" was almost Invariably fol lowed by the arrest of the unfor tunate thief. In the same way a sentence could be considerably lightened by the good offices of the informer. From Jailer to judge all were flagrantly corrupt. The jailer "Lockit" In Act 2, Scene 2, . extorts money from Macheath by supplying him with a more comfortable set of chains. The character of "Peachum" was based on a notorious inform er, Jonathan Wild, afterwards hanged and instantly recognized by the audience in 1728.. Captain Macheath. the highwayman hero, was a fairly common type of the period as many gentlemen in the service of His Majesty had to re linquish their commissions owing to gambling, dicing and high play generally. Macheath is a man of many amours and it is with his love affairs with Polly Peachum and with Lucy Lockit that the play is chiefly concerned. Up to this time it had always been the custom for dramatists to draw their characters from high life, or at least to model them on the aristocracy. Gay reversed this and for the first time London saw a play in which every person was a character from in and about Newgate prison. The town was at first shocked, then amused. The outspoken political gibes, the rather broad humor, coupled with sparkling melodies, immediately assured the success of "The Beg- When "The Beggar's Opera" was revived in London, in 1920, everybody expected Its success. but none the overwhelming popu larity that kept it on the stage at the Lyric theater in Hammer smith, London, for a run of over four solid years. It Is this very same company that brought this old music play a renewed fame in London, that Concert Management Arthur Judson has booked for the two hundredth anniversary tour in America, and which wilLbe seen hero at the EJsinore theater com mencing December 27. What happened In London is prophetic of what may happen with opera in this country. It is a piece that bears repeated seeing and hearing. Nigel Playfair, the English producer, was interviewed towards the end of the first year of Its run, and said that he knew many people who had visited the theater to enjoy it more than fif ty times. One person. Indeed, held a record of sixty perform ances, but he was suroassed hv a i - - member of the Gallery First Nighters' club, who-admitted hav ing seen It no less than 78 times. A Beggar's Opera club was formed in London, no one being eligible for membership unless he had seen the opera at least eight times and promised to attend a few ad ditional performances ach month Ail tnese are tributes to its present and enduring popularity Mr. Playfair's own later verdict is tnis: "Tne principal reason is that It is a very fine work of art. with original English music of the simplest and best description. The real truth of the matter, too is that audiences like to bear melo dies which they understand, and are a part of the life of a coun try. Besides the music. The Beg gar's Opera' Is also a good play. People like its comedy and its sat ire." Again started on its career, the modern fame of 'The Beggar's Opera" seems destined to ; reach every nook of the English speak ing world during its present reviv al. Over one hundred of the prin cipal cities of the United States and Canada will be visited by this original London company on the tour celebrating the 1 two ; hun dredth anniversary of ; the . first performances: of The Beggar's Opera", a fitting tribute to the survival of the fittest of this first and best musical play. This show will be at the Elsin ore for one day, December 27. In the early seventies a horfe of white trappers invades the slopes of the Great tHvide trap; ping and slaughtering for the val ue of the fur, the game on which the Indians are dependent for food) and clothing. The Indians are decimated by famine and its atr tendant evils and the government takes action. Through General Sherman the chiefs are promised that white trappers will be driven oat of the Indian Reserve lands. In return the Indians are required to feign the treaty of Laramie. , Red Cloud refuses to sign until the whites have gone. He prom ises his braves that if any white trappers remain -on the reserva tion after 90 days, he will lead them to battle. Sherman charges Tim McCoy with the task of driv ing out the trappers. In the course of proceedings he ropes a flying trapper from his horse. The trap per sits on the ground with a big thud and McCoy steps up to him. He is aghast to find that the of fender is a pretty girl. She is very angry when he tells her she cannot return to the Benton Trad ing Post, which is her home. The Post has . to be cleared and the trappers dispersed. She. mounts her horse and tries to escape but he catches her on his swift steed. Pretending to drop her scarf by accident, the girl, as Tim stoops to pick It up. leaps to his horse and gallops away. Two days before the ex piratlon of the 90-day limit, Mc Coy has cleared out all the trap pers with the exception of those at the big Benton settlement. He arrives there with his Indian po lice and asks to see the owner. It turns out to be his runaway pris oner. Her brother, a big trapper, fights McCoy and is badly beaten. The next day McCoy presents himself at the post and bids the girl surrender. Her brother. In ambush on the hill, shoots him down. Word is taken to Red Cloud that the white man has failed and he prepares to deliver battle. Sherman has sent a troop of cavalry to McCoy In case of need. The wounded Tim learns from one of his Indian police that the cavalry is halted on a nearby hill while below the crest of an opposing hill the Indians are massing in overwhelming force. Tim tells the girl bitterly that she is likely to cause fighting that will end by drenching the West in blood. Then he rides furiously in search of Red Cloud. The girl re alizes the truth of McCoy's words and, followed by all the trappers of the Post rides out to surrender to him. McCoy's arrival halts the redskins' charge. He asks Red Cloud to grant him another day. The chief replies that the trappers should be on the move now. Tim's eyes fall on! the girl and her followers riding fnwflrH him Tho, n ra msva now, he tells the chief. Red Cloud j promises to retire in peace. "Spoilers of the West" will be at the Oregon today and tomorrow. -- - . . : i . Ti the big houses from coast, to coast. It is impossible to estimate the .hundreds of thousands of persons he has entertained and made a blf happier; by his entertainment: His fun is clean and wholesome! His situations in hid own Revur sical Comedy are; new and bright And he is not j the kind of star who. hogs the spotlight. For, he .has surrounded j himself in this show with a cast of mighty cap able performers who alone could carry many a bill. . The girls were literally "handr pjeked." There are more than the usual number for such revues. They are as pretty as it is possible to get. They are experienced showgirls, and most of them have individual ability. Hf . King captured Los Angeles and San Francisco. Long lines waited before Loew's State and Loew's Warfield for hours to get In. ; "FIGURES DON'T LIE" Dr. Spaeth Wrote Song For " Magic ! Flame" Show The importance ot music in moH tion pictures has its most recehitl illustration in "The Magic Flame in which Ronald Colmaa and VII ma Banky are co-starred at the; 51sinore theater December 17-18-1 ',-9. j - ; The plot of the picture concerns the fortunes of a circus clown and liis sweetheart, a trapeze performs er. The clown sings a serenade. accompanying himself on the ban jo. (Mr. Colman, incidentally.) Plays the banjo.) It is thi3 same song which eventually leads to the reunion of the lovers and the ell max of the story. , j This melody, which provides! a the key-note to the entire musical score, was arranged with a new lyric by Dr. Sigmund Spaeth, whini employed the famous Tcyelli ser enade as a foundation for the song. The music was played con stantly on the Samuel Goldwyn lot during the production of the pic4 ture. GHOST MATERIALIZES I ft ; ' f V If - v , - f V jiff Esther piston and FordSterlm in the Eiwari Si-thsrkr.i IWicUn ' FiitaDoirtLlc A TaxasxwA Picture At -last the American working Blanche Payson is his Materialization of a ghost, practiced by spirit mediums. staged and photographed as one of the uncanny thrills in "London After Midnight' Lon Chanel's new Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer vehicle coming to the Elsinore today and tomorrow. Tod Browning is auth-r or and director of this strange new drama, in : which Marceline Day, Conrad Kagel, Henry B. Wal- thall and a notable cast appearj Democratic women don't like the donkey as a symbol and a re advocating the adoption of the! eagle. Why not use the automr bile? Both the donkey and the eagle seem to be traveling toward! extinction. girl gets fair treatment! She has been caricatured, ridiculed and unmercifully criticized. Now she comes into her own in Para mount's new picture "Figures Don't Lie." which reaches the El sinore, Tuesday and Wednesday. In this picture adapted for the screen by Grover Jones, Louise Long and Ethel Doherty from an original story by B. F. Zeidman, a glimpse behind the scenes in bus iness life is given. The part the working girl takes in keeping the wheels I of "industry running smoothly is - brought out in con vincing as well as amusing fash ion through the able direction of Edward Sutherland. The story deals with the expe riences a private secretary, who happens to be efficient as well as beautiful, haa In' trying to conduct the affairs ot her employer' with out being shot by his jealous wife. Another complication arlsesx when a young "go getter' type ot sales manager falls In love with her. - Esther Ralston plays the part of the secretary and Richard Ar len that of the sales . manager. Ford Sterling is the business -man.f wife. Doris Hill has an impor tant role as Miss Ralston's girl friend and Natalie Kingston takes a vampire part. ' ous and both succeed in making themselves" thoroughly mioerabi'" The girl 'goes for a swim and be comes entangled In seaweed. The sales manager rescues her and everyhting seems set for a happy ending wihen the vampire steps in. It takes a thrilling closing scene in the boss's house where the sec retary goes innocently, to smooth away the misunderstanding. B. P. Schulberg is the associate producer and Louis D. Lighton the editor-in-chief of the fast mov ing, amusing ., picture. Al Gflks of "Old Ironsides" and "Ten Mod ern commandments tame naa charge of the photography. , The picturewas m-'le M the Paramount studio in Holly Wud. The picnic scenes were taken at a Southern California beach. A large number of business men, office workers" and picnick ers were uced in the production. TJia picture Opens with a "Jlow anis" club banquet and then the scene sbi!U to a business office aiat is 1.li ruing with activity. The beach picnic eccue is said to be one of the moat beautiful and ani- Jealous jmalea 1,1 BM picture. Entertainment is tne primary object of "Figures Don't Lie." We understand that it meets that ob jective In every way and at. the same time tve3 a new and with- ness ThA atona eHlftca f rrtm thft Kite:!-! ioiit doubt fairer anale to the ever ouice, wnere ine ear.y u- lntereatln- . workIng girl prob- tne uanons are ponrayeo o lue':em. beach where the annual picnic of the Jones organization is in full swing. The ambitious sales man ager has been denied the pleasure of taking the secretary to the pic nic, because she! believes him im pertinent. To get his revenge he .akes Dolores, a pretty, empty headed stenographer. ' ; i . At the picnic the secretary and sales manager play the age old game of making each other jeal- HOMK. 8WKKT HOME! The following was found pinned on the dor of a deserted shanty in North Dakota: , "Fore miles from - a nabur; . twenty-five miles from - a post offls; twenty-five miles from a r. r.; 180 miles frum timber; have a mile from water; God bless our heme. We're going East to get a fresh start." Will King's Revusical Comedy Here For Show In securing the ever-popular Will King's Revusical Comedy for December 18-19, with Will King himself in the starring role, the Elsinore fills a long-felt want in the hearts of Salem theater goers. Will King needs no introduc tion to you. He needs no intro duction to many patrons of thea trical comedy. As a comedian Will Wing is in a class by himself. He isn't the type of star who tries to force comedy on the public. Being funny is natural for him. He has been identified with the stage for many years. For a long time he produced his own plays in Oakland. For years before that he played all few w -I IAJU K L DO NT Lid COMES TUESDAY -Elsinore THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING Elsinore Oregon Script $5.00 BOOK $4.50 THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING ''The Magic Flame with . Ronald Colman and Vilmy Banky 77 PLAYS OPPOSITE CHANEY Iam J . TnVf a saw a 'vrkAVAhv th red men obtained thousands' " ll61" lPZ!. of square miles of rleh' hunting National. It will sow at the Or rround. - . egoa Tuesday, Wednesday. - v. Marcellne Day, pretty heroine of "Rookies,''. "Romance ", , and oth ers, plays opposite Lon Chaney In "London After Midnight," Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer'a 'new thriller, coming to the Elsinore today and tomorrow. And this is a strange coincidence, because they were both born at Colorado - Springs, Colorado " " . - . - 1PPDL OF ViA JSBSf ""Dead OREGON 12 1. .. .v: I- ESiw it captured the er of the Out-; laws and it: D A was SHE. COMING TUESDAY 4THE PRINCE OF HEADWAITERS ; ELSINORE Next Saturday, December 17 th SUN. and MON. FANCHON and MARCO'S "Oil Idea,, A Brilliant Presentation Gorgeously Staged by Artists JEAN BOYDELL Whose dancing mimicries are the sensation of the coast this year SHE "STOPS THE SHOW" EVERYWHERE ! WALTER & RUSSELL with; Inn a. Dot and Amy Loa ' j ' : -and - A full dozen pretty "OH Diggers" in overalls such as you never saw before . . . ; ' ; on the screen plays a new role in "Uoridon After Midniglit"