Page Fourteen;
THE REGISTER. GUARD, EUGENE, OREGON
Screen World
by Ridgely Cumraings
i ...visas!
i 'I'!
BURGESS MEREDITH and Belly Field, above, are shown In
icene from "Of Mice and Men," film made from John Steinbeck's
plar and novel which opens at the McDonald theater Wednesday.
r ?'7
9,ZJf lt.i ' Jim
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This Week
at the Theaters
CHARLES LAUGHTON. above,
plays tbe deformed Quasimodo In
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame,"
RKO's historical spectacle which
is now playing at the State theater.
Comic Hits Blackout
Trench Without Tears," Eng-Ushr-made
film version ot the
stags success, opening Wednesday
at the McDonald Theater, was the
first picture to "crack the black
out" with a lone run In London.
Starring Hay Millnnd and Ellen
Drew, its appeal to Lnndon audi
ences must have been great, for it
tells a gay story in which a fem
inine huntress. Ellen Drew is
' turned loose In a school where a
half dozen young men are sturiy-
' lng French to enter the diplomatic
service.
AMERICAN CONSUL
Charles Winnlnger, veteran
character actor, portrays an heroic
American consul in the action
drawn; "Barricade," now at the
Rex theater.
BENEFIT -
DANCE
For II. of O.
Scholarship Fund
Sponsored by
THE YOUTH LEAGUES
Wintergarden
Wed., May 1 Adm. 25o
IS Pc. Union Orchestra
Tickets on Sale at
Miller's May 2!), 30, Apr. 1
Mcdonald
Sunday Through Tuesday
Rebecca.
Free, Blonde and 21.
Wednesday Through Friday
Of Mice and Men.
French Without Tears.
HEILIG
Sunday through Wednesday
Trlmroso Path.
Thursday through Saturday
Zanzibar.
Legion of the Lawless
REX
Sunday Through Monday.
Eternally Yours.
Barricade.
Tuesday, Wednesday.
Wo Are Not Alone.
All Women Have Secrets.
Thursday Through Saturday
Gulliver's Travels.
Submarine D-l.
MAYFLOWER
Sunday through Wednesday.
H s a Date.
Thursday through Saturday.
Primrose Path.
STATE
Sunday through Tuesday.
Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The Day the Bookies Wept.
Wednesday, Thursday.
Bad Little Angel.
Heaven With a Barbed Wire
Fence.
Friday, Saturday.
Chip of the Flying U.
Fivo Little Peppers at Home,
Medieval Paris Life
In 'Hunchback'
A vivid picture of life in medie
val Taris is presented in "The
Hunchback ot Notre Dame," RKO
Radio's spectacular version nt Vic
tor Hugo's novel, starring Charles
Laughton, which is currently un
reeling at the State theater.
Dealing with a nobleman's per
secution of a gypsy girl and how
a deformed outcast, the bell-ringer
ot the cathedral of Notre Dame,
rescues her, the tale has long been
a favorite with readers all over
the world.
Maureen O'Hara enacts the role
ot the gypsy girl and Sir Cedric
Hardwickc thai of the villain.
Dramatic Nights
Nights of drama never twice the
same fill the lives ot the exciting
new lovelies at the hotel for wo
men in "Free, Blonde and 21," the
20th Century-Fox film now play
ing at the McDonald Theater.
Lynn Bad, Mary Belli Hughes,
Joan Davis, Henry Wilcoxen and
Robert Lowcry head the cast.
(I STARTS NEXT THURSDAY NIGHT
Thur., Fri Sat. & Sun.,
3 Matinees Last 3 Days
April 25, 26. 27, and 28
Nights: 8:15 Matinees: 2:15
EUGENE ARMORY
EUGENE SIIKINE CLUB'S FIRST ANNUAL
SHRINE INDOOR CIRCUS
OVER 1500
CHOICE SEATS
ONLY 40c
TOP" 1
1 C'm000-
ACTS 1
CIRCUS
ul.li Iiiviiff
ioo r
91, Hour
Z Show
41 GREAT DISPLAYS
QPTT THESE BIG
0ij FEATURE ACTS
rAPT. NOBLE HAMITF.R'S
PERFORMING LIONS
BILI.ETIi TROUP
I II hi H on tiis Himi-msE
FLYTN'O LF.CLAIRS
on inr. n.viNn mArrrt
CASTING'S
CHIMPANZEES
SENOR FELIX MORALES
ll rooi HEAD SLIDE
"MISS MONA"
BABV r.l.ll'HANr
r.LL TSOIT
rrr. jAMrs
nu,n pi ikxm and unriTT
IIOBM
AND MANY OTHERS
In Which Is Discussed Double-Level Technique,
Growing Old, Deanna Durbin, Men, Mice
When she grows too old to dream, Deanna Durbin will
have lots of nice things to remember, if we may paraphrase
an old song. One of the nicest should be "It's a Date," her
current offering under the New Universal's aegis at the May
flower theater. , .
In the four years since 1936, when she made her debut in
"Three Smart Girls," the youthful miss with the million dol
lar pipes has made six musical hits, and it looks like "Date"
is the seventh.
The picture is a good example of the double-level or scat-ler-shot
technique. It is aimed at the customer in the balcony
who wants action and laughter and at the same time it pleases
the esthete in the orchestra who likes adult dialogue, artistic
settings, good photography, good music, thoughtful direc
torial touches. The balcony customer doesn't object to any
of these things either, provided he gets his quota of thrills
and laughs, so everybody is happy, including the exhibitor
who receives proof of public approval at the box office.
Growing Up
Miss Durbin has her most ma
ture role to date and does well
by it. Not beautiful, not even ex
actly pretty, she has a charm an
her own. - Part of It is no doubt
due to her exceptional voice, but
even if she didn't sing a note she
would still have something com
pounded of youth, freshness, naive
self-assurance, a sort of starry
eyed faith in the essential good
ness of the world that is very ap
pealing.
Deanna, If we may refer so
familiarly to one with whom we
have only a sol-distant and cel
luloid acquaintance, struck fame
at the awkward period of emerg
ing adolescence. She has grown
Into budding womanhood un
der the watchful. eyes of the 85
million V. S. citizens who go to
the movies each week. (The
figures -are from Will Hays' an
nual report.)
That she has gone through this
critical period with nary a fumble
nor false step is a tribute to the
careful nursing and shrewd pick
ing of stories for her by Universal,
William Seiter, her director, and
her various script writers.
If "Date is smooth entertain
ment, and it is, much of the credit
must go to Norman Krasna, of
whom more anon.
These Hasting Years
Kay Francis, Walter Pidgeon.
and Eugene Pallette head a strong
supporting cast. Miss Francis
plays Deanna's mother, who is also
rival for Pidgeon s a flections,
and we can just imagine her mis
givings over the Mammy role, al
lowing herself to be typed as be-
ng "of a certain age. We don t
think she made any mistake in
abandoning the ingeiiuo parts to
those better suited to them: hor
last few pictures have not been
howling successes and we doubt if
Kay Francis Is mBde of the same
stuff as Sarah Bernhardt, who
played Juliet at the age of sixty.
There is a big black-browed
lug named Lewis Howard in the
picture who turns in an excellent
performance as Deanna s fellow
drama studpnt and would-be
swain. In a misunderstanding
over the French pronunciation of
Dauphin and "dope fiend he
seizes the opportunity to do a bit
of comic mugging that had the
audience in stitches and kept this
corner smiling every time he re
appeared thereafter.
Samuel S. Hinds and S. Z. Sa-
kall also do nice characterizations
of a benevolent producer and a
harrassed playwright, respectively.
Deanna sings Shubert s beauti
ful "Ave Maria," the high spot
of the picture for us, and five
other songs.
Boy Wonder
To gel back to Norman Krasna,
who authored the script, which
blends so nicely with Miss Dur
bin s talents. The press sheets
modestly dub him a "boy won
der." At 21 he had been a drama
editor, magazine editor, and play
wright. On the verge of 30 now,
he is established as one of Hol
lywood's best scenarists and has
also been a producer. We don't
know if lie is a boy wonder, but
he gets our vote as an able writer.
Orcon Welles
Speaking of boy wonders and
enfants ternbles reminds us of
Orson Welles, an outstanding
member of the species. They are
pt to be very irritating at times,
these bov wonders.
Still and all. Mr. Welles must
have had a cocktail too many
before hla recent apeech In
LB" t
(raftili re
Kansas City in which he referred
to movie actors as "really the
same class of people that wait
on tables."
That was a very rash thing for
Mr. weues to do. If he had said
the movie elite were "just like
people who wait on tables" he
might not have made anyone an
gry except a few snooty Holly
wood notables who cherish a fond
belief in their superiority to the
rest of us.
Rag and Bull
, But when he dragged in the
word "class" Mr. Welles stepped
out of bounds and it is not to be
wondered at that he has been
thrown for numerous losses in
the public press ever since.
It was woefully undemocratic
of the "man from Mars" to men
tion "class." Like waving a
rumor before Paul Deutsch
mann, who immediately scents
a story and is restive till he
runs It down, this word "class"
Is a bloody rag to everyone
who maintains there ain't no
such animal.
Mayhap Mr. Welles believes in
some sort of intellectual aristo
cracy, as some of his other pub
lic utterances might lead one to
believe, but he is on soggy ground
when he confuses intelligence with
economic status.
In these United States the peo
ple who wait on tables like to be
lieve they are just as good as the
people they serve, as indeed they
are in every respect except the
size of their pay envelopes. Of
course this opens up a wide field
for discussion that would include
the relative strength of heredity
and environment, the question of
whether one needs money to get
culture, the availability of public
libraries, museums and so on and
so forth.
So we won't pursue il any furth
er, except to say that we liked
best Ihe reaction of Bette Davis,
who said there are an awful lot
of nice waiters and waitresses and
she hoped they wouldn't mind the
comparison.
Reminiscence
A couple years ago, along In
January or February of 1D38, a
Dollar line ship named the Presi
dent Pierce docked in Hoboken
after completing a round-the-world
cruise and the fellow who
is writing this column paid off
before the U. S. shipping commis
sioner, packed his belongings in a
pair of battered Shanghai bags,
and took to ferry to Manhatten.
That evening he went to a cut
rate theater ticket agency, I think
it's called Gray's, on the subway
level of Times Square, and looked
over the boards which hang be
hind the counter to see what the
atrical bargains were being of
fered. It was winter. Ihe season ol
shows, and there were any num
ber of flops, near flops, and plays
that had opened weak and were
hanging on hoping for belated
recognition. You could buy or
chestra seats to them for the price
of a balcony, and a balcony seat
for the price of a movie. Bucking
the critics and appealing over
their heads to prospective audi
ences, producers with faith use
this method to cover their empty
rows of plush cushions.
On another black board were
listed the more successful plays,
at regular prices. Our undecided
hero, who had not been exposed
to any sort of play publicity for
three months, wavered momen
tarily. Then he saw "Amphitryon
38," with Lunt and Fontaine, and
was about to remove the safety
Wmm
DEANNA DURBIN Is the center of a triangle that Involves Walter
Pidgeon and Kay Francis in this scene from "It's a Date," musical
drama now playing at the Mayflower theater.
A SCENE from "Gulliver's Travels," technicolor version of Jono
than Swift's classical satire on kings and commoners, is shown above.
Produced by Max Fleischer, the picture opens Thursday at the Rex
theater.
pins from his wallet when out ot
the corner of his eye ho read
"isteinbeck. '
Investigation showed that "Of
Mice and Men," with Wallace Ford
and Broderick Crawford, was on.
He knew of Wallace Ford only as
a minor movie comedian, and of
Broderick Crawford nothing. But
for some strange reason, possibly
a predilection for the realistic as
against the fanciful, he picked
that play to see.
Nor was he sorry. Steinbeck's
stuff plays itself. The lines are
so genuine, they ring so true,
that anybody who reads them
sincerely can put them over.
"Of Mice and Men" is coming to
town this week, Wednesday at the
Mac. and if Hal Roach, who pro
duced it. and Lewis Milestone,
ivho directed, have ttuck any
where near close to the script it
ought to be one of 1940's ten best.
Burgess Mereditn, who did such
good work in "Winterset." is cast
as George, the spunky little ranch
hand who might have "lived off
the fat of the land" if he hadn't
had big dumb Lennie to keep out
of trouble.
Lon Chaney Jr. plays Lennie,
strong with the strength of a
brainless Brobdingnag. "Guys like
us the loneliest guys in the
world," Steinbeck has George say.
and much of the story is devoted
to their efforts to win some land
of their own, a mite of economic
security.
4
This week offprs exceptional
screen fare all along the line.
Now playing at the McDonald
Is "Rebecca," starring Laurence
Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Al
fred Hitchcock, as famed for his
DANCE
Swimmers Delight
Sunday, Apr. 21
with
Tub Brown and His Ore.
State Dance Band!
Springfield Theatre
TODAY'S OlOAVTIO BILL
Andr PHn. EIIph Drw sn4
rrtftton Foslrr In
"OERONIMO"
An Evlo at Iht Wtil
plu
Charltl Ka(ll "Stny" Mftlle la
HIS EXCITINO NIGHT"
Snort Subjtrts Nw
Molt SraU IV (blldrfn IDe
17 stone bulk and gargantuan
appetite as for the subtle psy
chological touches in his direct
ing, wields the megaphone.
Robert Sherwood adapted the
story from the best-selling novel
by Daphne dif Maurier. inciden
tally, Eugene had a sample of
Sherwood's writing ability last
week in the University's produc
tion of "Idiot's Delight," in which
Gerry Smith, Parker McNeill, and
Jim Davidson walked away with
the orchids.
Yes, "Rebecca" looks like a good
bet, but it has competition.
Down the street at the Heilig
Ginger Rogers is now playing a
shantytown tomboy in "Primrose
Path." with Joe "IcC'rea opposite
her as the boy from the "right
side of town."
This one has received favorable
notice from Time magazine, and
a several page spread of pictures
THE DRAMATIC TALENTS of Ginger Rogers abnvTS
at the Heilig theater In "Primrose Path," romantic inl
the hit of the same name. " n
from Life, two publications which
seldom go overboard on derelicts,
to stretch a metaphor. RKO-Radio
produces, Gregory Le Cava di
rects, and Miss Rogers is said to
be given a wide field in which to
exercise her dramatic ability.
Then at the Rex this Tuesday
an old favorite returns. It is "We
Are Not Alone," from James Hil
ton's novel of the same name, with
Paul Muni and Jane Bryan in the
leads. We wrote at some length
about this one a few months back,
out it is worth repeating that it is
first class adult entertainment.
Muni gives a sensitive perform
ance, Miss Bryan is very good, and
the Edmund Goulding directing is
worthy of the James Hilton story,
which is saying a lot.
PENNER AT STATE
The plight of a pigeon-raising
taxi-driver who is compelled to
becomeahorse.trainer,J
Will makps f,. .. . tf5
lu, m(J
screaming .j.. . . "
the Bookies Wept" Joe pi,
test RKO Radio vehicle
at the- State Theater S,
Grable has the femi
'
Volcano Erupts
In Film Climax
An earthquake, volcano J
and desperate hain.. M
savage natives andlionj,g
" u'er wild beasts of tb i
Can ilinoln ora - 1 1
versnl's adventure film, -d
bar." wVilh -- m, "1
the Heilig Theater. UUfel
as uie woman o-J
Others in the cast ottbtS
nun are james Craij, W
iidrit?in. nam ia c
Fadden and Clarence Mia
ElEVENTH AT ALDER. H
LAST FEW DAYS I TO SEE TVPANNa Tvnmw
GREATEST AND MOST COLORFUL SCREEN TRIUMJt
All New Show Today!
Weird and Wondrous
Beyond Your Most
Paring
Dreams!
Mawm inn iiiiii fmn
- rEIVr.RS FROM HEAVEN
Tlirv Tfnvi
x tie i i n. i.iu
A M1UON LAVGHS!
WTMBOOKJHW&PT
Witt, BEIIT GR A8LE
He made a j j pFmi
business K fsf!gr ! ! pljl
of n Vjr 1 1 fmm
but the Cv . ! i !?
IU1IJIC III I '
love. ..was i
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fli: I a lil iCN 1 r - . - I I m
I Xlit h double heart ttoukli
I undet the ,peU ch
fc. 'Tr js Hawaiian moonl
CONTINUOUS SHOW FROM 12:45 TO 12:00 ON SUNDAYS
KPDLD(3
STARTS TODAY! FOR 4 BIG DAYS!
A ROMANCE AS THRILLING
AS HER FIRST STOLEN KISS!
She learned about flirt,
iog from her mother
. but found out about
love from the man who
thought he knew all
about it.
r
GERS
RO(
McCREA
PRIMROSE
PATH
MARJORIE RAMBEAU
HENRY TRAVERS
MILES M AN OER - '
Ginger in pigloili
piorl"9 tin rol thai ihokl
New York (., tll, p0y ,on
hr 20 tenwliongl wethlt
' ' MrtTri
Because of the darine theme, this picture
. recommended for children.
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