Critical Moments

Since last week no fewer than fifteen theatrical productions took a final bow and moved out of the Broadway range. Most of these attractions were short-lived and had hung on grimly in the hope of either attracting a bid from Hollywood or some of that alleged holiday business that never materialized.

Not all of the productions that closed were failures; “Dodsworth” opened in February, 1934. It probably made more money than any other play produced during the year. It will now go on the road and will be seen in the larger cities. When it first opened, the critics, with the exception of Brooks Atkinson of the Times, were for it unanimously.

“Within the Gates,” which commenced on October 22, called forth some very extravagant notices interspersed with a few carps. Although it did not play to capacity houses, it managed to survive. “The First Legion.” which first saw the public on October 1, was the pet of the Catholic clergy and the constant boosting in the parishes helped it to stay open. It will also go on a road tour.

‘SMALL MIRACLE’

“Small Miracle” confounded the critics. Opening on September 26 it was greeted with few and scattered cheers. Most of the reviewers passed it up as “unimportant.” However, they did pat it kindly. It never was a smash hit but it earned enough to make everyone happy. The musical comedy, “Say When,” which came in on November 8, had an uncertain career. The reviewers like it and for a time it did very well. But every few weeks the gross would take a noticeable dip. When the other musicales such as “Anything Goes,” “Thumbs Up,” arrived, the trend for “Say When” was downward.

The out and out failures, I mean the type that permitted reviewers to finish their nightly stint in ten minutes, were: “Piper Paid,” “The O’Flynn,” “Birthday,” “The Sky’s the Limit,” “Baby Pompadour,” “Portrait of Gilbert” and “Slightly Delirious.” The last named, which opened on New Year’s Eve, hit the low for the year. “So Many Paths” and “Fools Rush In” also went out quickly, but these two called for dissension among the critics.

THE NEW PLAYS

To take the place of all these removals “The Petrified Forest,” “The Old Maid,” A Lady Detained,” “Fly Away Home” and “Living Dangerously” were introduced with fitting ceremonies. About the first two named I have already written and there is not much to be said for “A Lady Detained” (Ambassador) the work of Samuel Shipman and John H. Hymer. It is a melodrama about a gang of ex-bootleggers who have graduated into kidnaping. The snatch, as we underworld folks say, is put on a sweet young thing and of course the top man in the kidnaping concern falls in love with the gal, double-crosses his pal and returns her to her father. The authors are old hands at this sort of thing as well as you would expect, but it is all exceedingly trivial. Oscar Shaw and Claudia Morgan play the leads. The other new plays I will write about during the week.

A QUALIFICATION

After seeing in print my review of “The Petrified Forest” in which Leslie Howard plays, I should like to make some qualifications. Robert Sherwood, the author of this strange melodrama, is an able playwright and he has written as fine a first act as I have seen in too many nights out. It is too bad that he lost himself in a barrage of romantic nonsense in his second and last acts. The scene when all the characters lie on the floor of the gas station while the bandits shot it out with the sheriff’s posse is dramatic enough, but when he makes these characters spout flowery sentiments about life and love amidst the bullets, he imposes upon our credulity. This play which starts out like something by Elmer Rice, sometimes almost descends to the level of a Harold Bell Wright novel. Leslie Howard deserves a better end than he receives at the hands of Mr. Sherwood. However, “The Petrified Forest” is still worth seeing.

THE CINEMA

“Lives of a Bengal Lancer” was an exciting, thrilling book and now Paramount has made it into a picture with Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone and Sir Guy Standing. It is playing at the Paramount. At the Capitol, Ramon Novarro and Evelyn Laye play the leads in the musical “The Night Is Young.” “The Unfinished Symphony,” a Gamount-British production, is at the Roxy. Another Gaumont-British film, “Evergreen,” is the attraction at the Music Hall. Jessie Matthews is the star in this film based on the play by Benn Levy. Larry Hart, Harry Woods and Richard Rodgers have supplied the lyrics and music, and at the Cameo, “Chapayev,” a Russian-made picture about the great Red commander, is the feature.

STAGE AND SCREEN NOTES

“Calling All Stars,” Lew Brown’s expensive musical, will not close. Last week it was thought that the public was not interested, but business has picked up…. “Revenge With Music” in which Libby Holman sings, has managed to survive the exodus of plays from Broadway but not without imposing a salary cut on the cast…. The question of reducing the price of admission to theatres is again becoming a burning one and I predict that again nothing will happen. Producers fortunate enough to have hits find that they lose nothing by holding to the prevailing scale of prices while the plays which have been doing little business do not benefit enough to make any difference. The answer to the question is one of economics.

Lottie Collins, Jewish actress, started the vogue of “ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay” when she first sang it at the Tivoli Music Hall in London in 1890.

WORLD CINEMA FESTIVAL IN MOSCOW NEXT MONTH

Soviet Russia will hold its first world cinema festival in Moscow during the week of February 20. The best of the new motion pictures produced in the Soviet Union and other European countries will be shown, according to V. Verlinsky, president of the Amkino Corporation. Awards will be made by a jury compromising Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Dovzhenko and other figures of international reputation.

LHEVINNE, QUEENA MARIO GUEST ARTISTS AT AFFAIR

Josef Lhevinne, world-renowned concert pianist, and Queena Mario, famous soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Company, will be the guests artists at the second annual concert and ball of Temple Rodeph Sholom, 7 West Eighty-third street near Central Park West, to be held Saturday evening, January 26. The concert will be followed by a formal dance, with music by Jack Berger’s orchestra.