The OREGON STATESMAN, Salem, Oregon, Sunday Morning, January 16, . IMS
Gay Miisical Comedies Are Offered at Theatres This Weekend
PAGE SIXTEEN
Astaire, Burns
Elsinore Stars
K
"A Damsel in Distress" Is
Lively; Comedy ; Dance r
Routines Unusual j
Sparkling from start to finish
with a merrily romantic story, a
group of spectacular dances and
captivating Gershwin tunes, Fred
Astaire's and Burns- and Allen's
.,,It,o. voblrlA for RKO
Radio, "A DamBel in Distress,"
opens today at the Elsinore. ,j
The story Is based on one 'of
P. G. Wodehouse's best-Known
humorous tales of English life,
with Astaire in the role of an
American dancer who seeks ;to
vaSrn a titled British ftirl from
her impending marriage with! a
man she detests. It is complicated
in uproarious fashion by the ac
tivities i of a h a 1 f doxen other
principals. - !
Much of the I tangle evolves
from the conflicting loyalties jot
the servants, of whom a stately
Antler and a romantic young
page-boy are the most active.
while Astaire's press agenis en
tMinr tr frM him from the af
fair and get him. off to Paris to
fill a dancing engagement, And
the result is a; continuous panic
for the audience' " :
Burns and Allen, as the busy
publicists, are at their hilarious
best, and Miss Fontaine is both
lovely and convincing as the dis
tressed damsel. Montague Love,
Constance Collier, , Ray Noble,
Reginald Gardiner, young Harry
Watson and Jack Carson help to
make the film a brilliant piece of
screen fare.
The catchy Gershwin songs,
Astaire's several spectacular danc
ing routines, and the picturesque
settings, including a huge repro
duction ot a Tudor castle, are big
features of the production. ..j
Jessie Matthews .;'
StarreHat State
"Gangway". Provides Best
Vehicle Ever; Dancer ! i
, Finds Adventure , .
Without question, Jessie Mat
ttiBwa - hu.' In "Gamcway. her
current musical, which opens to-
day at - the State weaire, me
w atnrr of her career. It's a
fanciful, romantic tale, well Off
the beaten track of. screen .mu
sical comedy, and whoever wrote
the dialogue Is positively "tops"
at ttta hnfnMUI- ; -'!' r'
TmIa i east as an .English
"sob-sister" who is mistaken for
the notorious jewel-thier, spawic.
Tfer dTntn rpa take her to Amer
ica, where she Is kidnapped by a
k mobster, played by Noel" Madi
son, who grants her to pull off a
Job on the famous Van Tuyl dia
monds. How that prince of senti
mental tonrh "mnes." rescues her
from the gangster clutches, how
Barry Mackay, as me cnuso
peer whi turned "flatfoot," falls
In love with her, thinking her a
thif "all the time. .how. Jessie
plays Cinderella for a night forms.
the burden of tne story, wnicn is
fast-moving, plentuuuy supplied
with brisk gag-lines, ana euwr
talnlnr from beginning to end.
NiriifR tn fl.v Jessie dances
divinely there Is no one Quite
like her In that line ana sings
and acts with her customary gay
ety. More than half .the scenes
have a New York background, and
Ilia nrpwnrA of Pendleton. Madi
son, and a half-score of other ca-
tahia Hollywood o layer give
these scenes the proper touch of
authenticity. The music, we re
peat, by the Hollywood song-hit
team of Goodhart, turner ana
Hoffman Is all that you would
vnoct from this trio, with the
title song. "Gangway," partic
ularly to be recommended, and .a
A
MATTHEWS
HI
GANGWAY
Not Pendleton Barry
Mackay Noi Mait
v ADDED
Continued Play with the
Daredevil Demon of the
' Skyway
Astaire Fun House Dance
n1
04.
X
A British amusement park Is tbe brilliant pew. setting for the fan
house dance in "A Damsel In Distress,'' performed by Fred As
taire, George Burns and Grade, Allen playing today at the Elsinore
theatre. .;;--., -.T..T.
Evelyn Brent and John Barrymore,
In the new mystery picture "Aight
day at the Capitol theatre.
Jessie Matthews and Barry .Mackay
tion "uangway," opening, touay
catchy number, "Lord and Lady
Whoozls," that everyone will be
singing and whistling.
Sturgis President
Of Berry Growers
LEBANON The Berry-Grow
ers, association of Lacotnb at the
annual election re-elected " presi
dent, Dan -Sturgis ; vice-president.
E, K. Raines; secretary-treasur
er, A. A. Ayers; directors, Ernest
Ede and L. N. Harrison. -
5Iy stic Oab Meets .: r
"Believe It or Not" was the top
ic led by .. Mrs, Blandena Wilson
at the Mystic club Friday at the
home of Mrs. Ruth Haek. One
guest, Floreine Calahan, was pres
ent at the luncheon at which every
member assembled.
Mrs. L. T. Ward, president, and
Continnons 2 to 11 P. IL
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screen favorites, who are featured!
Club Scandal," which opens to
' .
T
in the Gaumont musical produc
at tne state tneatre. i "
Mrs. A. F. Backberg, both of
whom are leaving Lebanon, re
ceived a gift. j
The committee on arangements
were Ruth Haek, Ruth Reeves,
Alvena Michelson, Blandena Wil
son, Olive, Mavia and Violet Gil
son. . ' .. . ."
Today and Monday
".' '. t "' 1 ' "- - - V ' : r
2 Big Features '
'Breath taking suspense
v . .,- mystery-drama llve
before yon!- - - '
t
a i i int rirtM JOHN -
BARRYMORE
ITHKE OVEIMAK CHARLES
BlCKFOtO.LOUSF. CAMPBEU
AND HIT XO. 2
mm
Simone Simon
Star at Grand
She Sings; B. Bernie and
Winchell Engage in
Battle of Wits
At least part of the news about
Love and Hisses" ought to be
on page one as an extra. Simone
Simon sings! And how the glori-
oous glamor girl sings!
Twentieth Century-Fox's new
Idea in musical show hits, which
opened, yesterday at the Grand
theatre, Is, to borrow a phrase
from one of its stars, a wowsah!
And with seven . hot-and-hissing
Gordon and Revel song hits.
Under the order xof new busi
ness, it brings np that old toss-
around between the Rajah of Rib,
Walter Winchell, and his "Old
Mousetrap," Ben Bernie.
i The story tells us that Ben
Bernie, -the "old maestro," dis
covers (Simone Simon) a great
singer. He asks "old pal" Win
chell, America's one-man news
paper, to build her np in his
column. Winchell turns the band
leader down, as should be expect
ed, so Bernie schemes a plot.
Adopting an exotic masquerade,
Simone lets Winchell "discover"
her.; himself, and the columnist
showers- reams of publicity upon
her.
, Just before Bernie's new club
is to open, with Simone as star,
she reveals the plot to Winchell.
Dismayed at having been taken
in, Winchell plans a four-star
vengeance .upon his favorite en
emy. Revenge by any other man
is sweet, but by Winchell it's
hilarious.
The climax brings the two feud
ists together at the opening of
Bernie's club, featuring their co
discovery, Simone singing for
them both. The ending is happy,
even though the truce may be
temporary.
"X Star Is Born9!
Is at Hollywood
Janet Gaynor and Fredric
. March Stars; Modern
" Story in Color
All theChfills of a trip to Holly
wood are provided local film fans
today at the' Hollywood theatre in
"A Star Is Born," David O. Selx
nick's ' glorious . technicolor pro
duction starring Janet Gaynor
and Fredric 5 March.
For this first really modern
story to come to the screen In
color is so vividly told, so con
vincingly played and so brilliant
ly directed by William A. Well-
man that you will leave the
theatre feeling as if you'd actual
ly paid a visit to filmland.
Janet Gaynor and Fredric
March have written-to-order roles
and have never turned in per
formances to match these.
Janet emerges a lovely, new so
phisticated personality with a
rare flair, for wearing clothes
as Esther Blodgett, the little
country girl who comes to Holly
wood in search of stardom, faces
100,000 at on odds as an extra,
and soars overnight to fame.
And March, as Norman Maine,
the hard-drinking screen idol of
the moment, who helps Janet get
her first break, falls in love with
her and marries her, has a grand
role which offers him plenty of
opportunities for the kind of com
edy at which he excels.
ANOTHER TRIPLE HIT SHOW!!
V
tr - Til
Added Attraction
Yearns Greatest Comedy
Yesterday they made you ?Wake Up
laughing as Walter winchell and uen isernie connnue tne mnniw
feud in "hiss-tory" in "Love and Hisses," featured today at the
Grand theatre.
- ;t.:.:.::r'
4 ""W.-.--Xv:
The Academy Award Is won again
was in life in "A Star is Born,"
featured picture this week-end at
$y
Notable Pictures Coming Here Soon
Reflect Advancement Being Made m
Screen Entertainment, Says Porter
"Progress" is the watchword of the tnotiori picture in
dustry. Perhaps this industry, more than any other, realizes
the . importance of progress and advancement, as can be
seen by comparing all phases of this mighty present day
organization with that of a few years past. .
"The ensuing 11 months of 1938 will see great strides
in the making of popular enter-
tainment for the Bcreen, as well
as educational advances," stated
Carl A. Porter, manager of the
Elsinore and Capitol theatres in
Salem who recently attended a
trade conference in Portland. "I
have tried to bring the ultimate
in screen entertainment to our
Salem friends in the past few
years, and this year looks more
than ever like a banner year."
Mr. Porter recently returned
from Portland where he contract
ed for some of the finest pictures
of 1938 from the major studios
of the world, including such
great hits as "Nothing Sacred,"
starring Carole Lombard and
Fredric March; "Hollywood Ho
tel" with Dick Powell, Benny
Goodman and his band, Louella
Parsons, Hugh Herbert,' Glenda
Starts
Today
L ( V
Second Hit Feature
FAITH BALDWIN'S
PORTIA
ON
TRIAL
- . with
WALTER ABEL V
FRIEDA ' INESCORT,
h NE.IL HAMILTON
HEATHER ANGEL
RUTH- DONNELLY
ft
ra
and Live," and today yon'U die
by Janet Gaynor on screen as It
with Fredric March as co-star, the
the Hollywood theatre.
Farrell, and the entire cast of
the famed air program of the
same name; Wallace Beery in
The Bad Man of Brimstone":
"True Confessions" with Fred
MacMurray and Carole Lombard;
Walter Huston and James Stew
art in the famous $5000 contest
picture "Benefits Forgot"; "Wells
Fargo" with Joel McRae and Bob
Burns; Myrna Loy and Franchot
PJd
. mi
si -v.y
If &
If
jTaki; tl
riyoirX
: F.
- - - 4-
V i
Harrym
tore stars
In Capitol's
Strong Plot; Audience
Snares in ilystery
Add np John Barrymore in one
of the most, distinctive roles he
has ever, played,' a cast composed
entirely of front-rank screen fa
vorites, and an entirely new twist
to a myster ploti and your re
sult 4a Paramount new thriller.
Nights Club Scandal," which
opens today at tbe (Capitol theatre.
mis new mm is aisuntcive m
its way of treating the murder
which is - the f ouadation of the
story. Instead of aj hazy fumbling
through reels of flljm, ."Night Club
Scandal" shows the audience the
murder at the beginning of the
picture, : when Jofhfc.'' Barrymore
-murders ' hie" faithless 'wife- arid
plants clues to implicate her lover, i
Harvey-. Stephens. iFrom then on
the ; audience la an equal terms
with, if: hot ahead of, the police
and reporters ': who work on the
solution of. the crime. The. plots.
and cOunter-plots which are the
result' of the cluefplanting make
'a story which moves at top speed
until the final fade-out.
Barrymore's plot moves stead
ily as he had planned, much to
the grief of Stephens 'and his sis
ter (Louise. Campbell ) until Mtss
Campbell enlists jthe. aid of Re
porter Lynne Overman in proving
her brother's innojeenee. Overman
uses his influence with Detective
Charles Bickford ! and pries into
the past of Barrymore until an
other murder brings events to a
head, and Barrymore is arrested.
r With the eyes of a group of
policemen focused on him, the
murderer is able! to kill himself
by poison, thus j outwitting the
justice of the law; and another
"perfect crime" is a failure.
Brother Is Hired to
Fill Teaching Vacancy
HUBBARD Lester D. Cody
who taught, the seventh and
eighth grades in the Hubbard
school resigned his position re
cently to accept a similar posi
tion in the St. Helens school.
Robert E. Cody, a brother of
Lester, was hired to fill the posi
tion left vacant by his brother.
Robert comes to Hubbard from
Mager, Oregon.
Tone In "Man Proof"; and the
all-color sensation of the screen,
"Hurricane."
The latter part of February and
first ot March will bring further
great attractions including Hum
phry Bogart and the Weaver
Bros, in "Swing Your Lady";
"Gold Is Where You Find It"
with George Brent and Olivia de
Havilland; Bette Davis in "Jeze
bel"; Errol Flynn and Olivia de
Havilland in "The Adventures of
Robin Hood"; and a great cast
in "Gold Digeprs in Paris,!' Carole
Lombard and Ferdinand Gravet
in "Food for Scandal"; plus an
outstanding array of short sub
jects including the always pop
ular Edgar Bergen" 'and Charlie
McCarthy, Floyd Gibbons' true
adventures, the latest March of
Time, "Popeye" cartoons, the
Captain and the Kids cartoons,
and many more special short fea-
turettes and noveltys.
"TAX" Good Pictures to
YVii Folks Happy
and
Grand have th Pictures Comin . '-
latsa gotta lotta what it
a WINCHELL, BEN BERNIE IN
AND HISSES? WITH
b "REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK
WITH SHIRLEY TEMPLE "IN
iCAGO" WITH TYRONE
AYE AND DON AMECHE O "I'LL
OMANCE" WITH GRACE
CHAN AT MONTE
jam: iwithers AND STUART erwin
Ci i JECKERS" SONJA HENIE AND-
JiECHE IN "HAPPY
FA YE, FRED ALLEN,
1 1 4N T E ; IN ."SALLY, IRENE AND
l JOE E. BROWN
ACES' "THE BARONESS AND
ITLER" WITH WILLIAM POWELL
KNABELLA "JOSETTE'' WITH
i a
SIMONi DON AMECHE AND"
t YOUNG THE RITZ BROTHERS
NTUCKY 3IOONSHINE"
J DANGEROUS" WITH
R AND MYRNA LOY
S "ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME
a
WITH TYRONE POWER, DON
E AND ALICE FA YE
pTEVENSON'S "K I DNAPE D
FREDDIE BARTHOLOMEW
YOWSAH! YOWSAH!
v THEY'RE - WOWSAHS!
AND . HOWTSAH ! t , !
; ?'?. U"BenimlB Bernie
I (H don't polofiia to )
Tjic Call Board
" GRAND
Today Walter Winchell,
Ben Bernie and Simone
Simon in "Love and Hiss-
es."
Wednesday "Thank You,
Mr. Moto" with Peter
Lorre. -
SaturdayGrace, Moore, Mel
'vyn Douglas and Stuart Er
win in "I'll Take Ro
mance." v
EIJSIN'dRE
Today Double bill, Fred
Astaire and Burns arid Al
ien in "Damsel in Distress"
and William Hall in "The
Spy Ring" plus Ed Bergen
and Charlie McCarthy in
"Africa Speaks English."
Thursday Double bill, -all
color "Ebb Tide" with Ray
Milland and Lewis Stone in
' "-You're Only Youn$ Once"
' "and Floyd Gibbons adven-
' ture "Playing With - Dan-
:. ger." . -
CAPITOL
Today Double bill, "XMght
Club Scandal" with John
, Barrymore and Bob Baker
. in "Courage ot the West."
Tuesday Double bill, Marian
. -Davies and Robert Mont-
gomery in "Ever Since
Eve" and "Love on Toast"
. wtih an all star cast.
rThuisdayDouble bill. "The
- Patient in Room",J18" with.
v Patric Knowles and "The
Girl Said No" with Robert
Armstrong and Irene Her-
vey. '
STATE
Today Jessie Matthews,
Barry MacKay and Nat
. Pendleton in "Gangway"
and Captain Frank Hawks
In "The Mysterious Pilot."
Thursday Eastern circuit
vaudeville and Guy Kibbee
and Cora Witherspoon in
"The Big Shot."
Saturday midnight preview,
"Stella Dallas."
HOLLYWOOD
Today Janet Gaynor and
Frederick March in "Star
Is Born" in technicolor.
Wednesday Double bill,
"All Over Town" with Ole
Olsen and Chic Johnson
and "Racketeers in Exile"
with George Bancroft, Ev-
elyn Venable and Wynne
Gibson.
Friday Double bill, Johnny
Mack Brown in "A Law-
man if Born" and James
Gleason and Zasu Pitts in
"Forty Naughty Girls."
Polk Offices Get new
-
Machine Calculators
court this week ordered two new
machines which will be used ia
offices as part of the new assess
ment and collecting system which
the county budget committee rec
ommended ifcw,M:i.iai
Make
We at
Tax"
SIMONE
POWER,
MOORE
CARLO" .
IANDINCT
JIMMIE
IN "WIDE
4WOM-
WARNER
IRVING
ROBERT
G M
TOPS IN -
THEATRE ENTERTAINMENT ,:'
"AFRICA SPEAKS
ENGLISH"
; : . .. v . v
Ill UCIIIC919I