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About Eugene register-guard. (Eugene, Or.) 1930-1983 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1940)
Page Nine Screen World by Ridgely Cummings THE REGISTER-GUARD, EUGENE. OREGON A- . ...:-iV-v: --. - ; -, ' - i Vf if' ' ' s; i5 XI 1 1 f&jm D0,ars lo be teasing- the or Maestro In this tCttli BAfi PPTYoure Wron." which remains at the "llfater througn ni-uc- fcrtf 1 K -r - scene from "Geronlmo." described as "the roarlne ?.kl nnrlnr savage who dared the might of a young nation." starring Preston Foster, comes to the McDonald theater hsta- 'lie great mixed choir 4 tin decade!" THnHLING VOICES :-:CHAL-SYMPHONYI HEAR FT m AT Kittled by Famous Dr. Melius Christiansen E EVE., JAN. 30 COURT USERVATIOXS NOW Isend seats, $1.25, S1.00, wntral admission. 50c. tii or telephone orders to :uet Office, McArthur sn (3300); tickets will be i lobl concert time. (Portland Appearance Already Sold Out!) Tin Pan Alley Blushes Over Victor Herbert "It's like asking a painter to touch up the 'Mona Lisa'!" was the comment of Frank Loesser and Phil Boutelje, crack Holly. wood song writers, when Para mount recently asked them to compose lyrics for three melodies by Victor Herbert! The incident took place during the filming of the new musical ro' mance based on the experiences of the famed Irish-American com poser, "The Great Victor Herbert," now playing at the McDonald theater, featuring . Allan Jones, Mary Martin and Walter Connolly. Words for the songs were need ed, so that Jones, Miss Martin and company could sing them. Loesser and Boutelje were commissioned to perform the miracle. "And it was a miracle, if we could do ' It, Loesser explained "The music practically defies the use of words. If any lyrics were suitable, or good enough, they would have been written long ago. But we tackled the job on one stipulation. We've got it in black and white that none of those lyrics ever can be published. We wouldn't want to do that much harm to Herbert's music." Under the spell of the new ly rics, "Puchinello" has become "Happy Day," a birthday song "Al Fresco," written for the piano, becomes a solo for Miss Martin if r Kim During the late unpleasantness that is now referred to as the first world war, there was a song making the rounds that went something like this: "Don't bite the hand that's feeding you . . . etc." It was good sound economic advice diverted to patriotic use. We were never very good at taking good advice, however, and today we're going to take a few nips at the movies. All right, so we get past the box-office and take our seats in the theater. It is dark. The atmosphere is hushed, con centrated. We watch the screen. Soon we become engrossed in the tribulations of the characters. We live with them, vicariously. By Proxy The villain mistreats the pure and lovely heroine. "Hey! Stop that!" we shout mentally. We are angry. The villain gets his just deserts in the end, but we haven't done anything about it. Our adrenal glands have secreted stim jlating juices which had us all prepared to fight, and then the hero did our fighting for us. Also our love-making. Where does that leave us? Be hind the eight-ball, psychologically speaking. Human beings, according to the psychology books, and we've been reading one lately by Floyd L. Ruch, University of Oregon grad uate in the class of 1925 human beings have several basic emo tional reaction patterns. Alumnus Ruch lists them as excitement, anger, fear, and lust. Useful Men In the days when man's life was precarious because of wild ani mals, limited food supply, and a generally hostile environment, these passions functioned to keep him and his race alive. Chased by a sabre-toothed tiger, fear gave man that extra stimulus that enabled him to make a hund red yard dash to the nearest tree in something under 10 seconds flat. Lust kept him procreating in times of crisis when a more logic al person would have been occu pied trying to stop the leak in the roof of the cave. Nowadays man's enemies are semi-inanimate objects like rent collectors, propagandists, depres sions. Fear or anger aren't very useful in combatting these things. In other words, these emotions are fine and dandy provided they are useful. Not used, they are dis turbing, dangerous. Our point is that going on a "movie jag" is apt to become a dangerous habit. . For too many people movies be come an escape from reality, an antidote for the frustrations seemingly inherent to a machine age. But we hope nobody takes these random thoughts too seriously. If nobodv went to the movies then nobody would want to read about them, and then where would this column be? Amusement is a worthwhile function, and one that the movies perform will. Then there are a lot of experiences that arc broad ening and educational when they come second-hand, but which are out of our reach actually. What we're probably "agin" is horror pictures and super-thrillers for kids. The old folks are us ually sophisticated enough to watch them detachedly, but the kids live them, and come out emotionally limp. G W the Wind opened In Fortland at road show prices DADDY'S "HEART" it ia the MOVIES N0WII ANewSlar.. A Provocative Star .Comei to th Screen! NARY MARTIN I I j im hut itwiMTOiiimiJ J i y I ISP last week and is scheduled to stay there a month or so. It's an M-G-M production and will come to the Mac when it comes. Jimmy Wutkins, assistant man ager, tells us It Is due here In March, also at road show prices. This has the earmarks of being a musical week on the screen. First on our list comes Violinist Jascha Heifetz in "They Shall Have Music, at the Rex today in conjunction with Bette Davis in "The Old Maid." Andrea Leeds is playing opposite Heifetz in the musical number, and this looks like the best fifteen cents worth of entertainment in town. Then at the McDonald today there is Allan Jones singing op posite Mary Martin in "The Great Victor Herbert," Miss Martin is the Texas song bird who sang "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" on Broadway last sea son. She made headlines when her daddy died and the producer didn't tell her until after the show, although half the audience knew about the tragedy. One of the outstanding cul tural events of the week Is, of course, the VLT's three night stand of "Pride and Prejudice," which takes place out at the fairgrounds starting Tuesday night. Much has already been writ ten about the production, but It will do no harm to reiterate that this department's favorite local actress, Virginia Mikulak, Is playing the lead. It is a case of Miss Mlkulak's pride against Bill Nash's prejudice. Mr. Nash, instructor In drama at the uni versity, plays the male lead op posite La Mikulak, and the plot concerns itself with resolving the antagonism between the two, Topping the State theater's pro gram is "Lady of the Tropics." This is the one in which Robert Taylor is a sort of gigolo on a cruising yacht. The yacht stops at Saigon in French Indo-China and Taylor meets Hedy Lamarr-velous. Their eyes meet and one of those phenomena which happens more frequently on celluloid than in Eugene takes place. They are in LOVE. Taylor jumps ship, woos and wins the beautiful Eurasian, Miss Lamarr. But there is a fly in the ointment, or rather two flies. One is the barrier of race, for Hedy is half French and half some other unmentioned race, probably Ma laysian. The other is a rich and powerful native admirer of Hedy's played by a menacing Joseph Schildkraut. We won't tell you any more except that it is a moderately en grossing tale. If you are an ad mirer of Miss Lamarr, and this department is, if for no other reason than that we are fascinated by the problem of trying to figure out if there is a real brain under that marvelous exterior, then the picture is worth a couple hours of your time. One of our Hollywood spies, or if that sounds too imposing one of the studio press agents who mail the Guard the latest chit chat from the land of "never never," tells us that blonde Ann Sothern has recently acquired the most beautiful appendectomy scar ever carved on the human abdo THEY FINALLY got married. Wedding bells ring for Priscilla Lane and Jeffrey Lynn, above, In "Four Wives." which makes Its local debut at the Heilig theater today. The rest of the family get married too In this sequel to the popular "Four Daughters." Theatre program Mcdonald Now Through Tuesday The Great Victor Herbert. City of Chance. ' Wednesday Through Friday Geronimo. All Women Have Secrets. Saturday Swanee River. 20,000 Men a Year. REX Sunday Through Tuesday The Old Maid. They Shall Have Music. Wednesday Through Saturday Disputed Passage. Crashing Through. HEILIG Sunday through Wednesday Four Wives. Sabotage. Thursday through Saturday Invisible Stripes. Kansas Terrors. MAYFLOWER Now through Wednesday That's Right You're Wrong. Thursday through Saturday Four Wives. Money to Burn. STATE Sunday through Tuesday Good Girls Go To Paris. Lady of the Tropics. Wednesday, Thursday Bridal Suite. SOS Tidal Wave. Friday, Saturday Stranger From Texas. 'Indianapolic Speedway. Deems Taylor Reminisces on Jascha Heifetz Deems Taylor, the noted com poser and music critic, journeyed 3000 miles across country to see Pascha Hcifcti. The two men were chatting be tween scenes of "They Shall Have Music," now at the Rex theater, when Taylor interrupted to say that his favorite story concerned Heifetz's first American appear ance in 1917 at Carnegie hall. "I was sitting in a box at that debut recital along with a world famous pianist and an equally famous violinist. The violinist be gan to show signs of distress. "The longer you played the .V 0 V1 t t V iK is' k .. .... - . r IblttfcMMJW ROBERT TAYLOR, above, looks happy. But you would look that way too If you were playing next to Hetv Lamarr In an exotlo romance of the far east titled "Lady of the Tropics," at the State theater from today through Tuesday. ESCORTS Two Kansas cowpunchers, chap eroning a shipment of Kansas horses to a peaceful looking Car ibbean island that turns out to be a seething volcano of revolution, nrovide excitement in Republic's "The Kansas Terrors," coming to the Heilig screen Thursday. The three make up Republic's new Three Mesquiteer trio Bob Liv ingston, Raymond Hatton, and Duncan Renaldo. men. At least that's what she hopes. It seems that Miss Sothern, having decided that no self respecting cinemactress can be caught these days lugging around an appendix, went on a shopping tour for aesthetic incisions. She learned that they came In all shapes and sizes square, long, round, half-moon, V-shaped, and jagged. The crescent-shaped incision took Miss Sothern's fan cy and that's what she ordered. She won't know what she got until the bandages arc removed. If the publicity men should let us down, we'll have to wait for her next picture. SPRINGFIELD Theatre TODAY'S Sl'PEB BILL 8onJ llrnt Tyrnn Powr In SECOND FIDDLE" A SperUI by Irrlnf Berlin Alio BonlU Grtnvllle In 4,Nnrjf Drw nd Ih Hidden HUlrrftii" Short SubJrrU Nrwt Millnoo Sundir Moil Broil lo Chlldron to move uncomfortable he became. Finally, running his handkerchief around his collar, he turned and whispered: "It's awfully hot in here, Isn't It?' "And at this the pianist remark ed dryly: 'For violinists, maybe, but not for pianists'." Ml New Show Today Also WALT DISNEY CARTOON ELEVENTH AT ALDER. ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TO SEE THfe OLD PROFESSOR with iD tbi prize pupils of Uw Tnllaeta fit Vucleil trnnwloHro " and a hand-picked bunch of screen favorites in the laugh-swing-story HiiHiign gi ins season! ALSO "Gun Play" "Monroe Doctrine" CONTINUOUS SHOW ON SUNDAY MAYROBSON-LUCILLE BALL DENNIS 0'KEEFE EDWARD EVERETT HORTOH R0SC0E KARNS MORONI 0LSEN FROM 12:45 UNTIL 12:00 m' rpnn FT! 1 Starts Today BETTER PK1URES-PiRFKT S0UllpX Priscilla LanevjAS 'S,,f'- Lola Lane VfjR m' Gale Page; The Ions owafted sequel lo "Four Daughters" with the same cast, featuring Claude Rains Jeffrey Lynn Eddie Albert MAY ROBSON FRANK McHUGH DICK FORAN HENRY O'NEILL A WARNER BROS. Firt National Picture I t i mm Till Ckantttr f "Mickty Bordn," at Hi Apptand In "Four Damektm" H Pottrajid hy JOHN GARFIELD ALSO Aril Rt.au' onrl ITio Clmh. TnlAr rilrtnnn - CONTINUOUS SHOW DAILY FROM 12:45 'TIL 12:00 w
