Theater & Cinema

YOUNG Mr. Sidney Kingsley, who surprised everyone, including himself, with the success of “Men in White”, is by his own admission hard at work on another play. He confesses that this new work will deal with the conflict between religion and science, in which God comes off very well. After witnessing Eugene O’Neill’s “Days Without End” (Henry Miller Theatre), I can do nothing but look askance at Mr. Kingsley’s efforts.

The subject of religion has had an almost fatal attraction for the artists and especially when the question of atheism or faith is the thesis. The playwright who tackles it invariably ends up in a morass both for himself and his audience. If Kingsley can hurdle the barrier he is a much greater playwright than I suspected. Mr. O’Neill didn’t. Although his “Days Without End” has its moments when the audience is appreciably moved, there are too many long stretches when this same audience wonders when the actors in front of them are going to stop ranting and get down to business.

The plot, an unusually simple one, recounts the struggles of a man with his spiritual beliefs. It shows a morose fellow, played by two actors, Earle Larimore, the “good”, and Stanley Ridges, representing the “evil” nature of us all, who can’t decide whether he should retain his disbelief in God. Finally faced with the illness of a wife whom he loves, he goes back to the Church and all ends well.

To the religious-minded, “Days Without End” will bring nodding of heads and comfort but to thoes who are inclined to treat religion as a matter of convenience the reaction will be one of indifference. The problem presented by Mr. O’Neill is as old as man himself and the author’s conclusions are convincing only to those already convinced; nevertheless the genius of O’Neill is not completely diluted in verbosity and the play should enjoy a run.

RE-ECHO NOT VERY REVERBERATIVE

The much-maligned members of the banking profession came in for another lambasting in I. J. Golden’s “Re-Echo”, which opened at the Forrest the other night. The same author was responisble for “Precedent”, a stirring play based on the Mooney-Billings case. That was a frank propaganda play in which the injustice of our laws and social system were given a thorough going over and because his theme fairly shouted drama, the play enjoyed some success. In “Re-Echo” Mr. Golden is not so fortunate. His tale of the greedy, merciless banker is done against a much narrower background. His banker is, just incidentally, a banker-he might be any man. The plot is none too credible and the incidents are often ludicrous when they should be serious. The only friends bankers have left are the people who hope to horrow money from them. As for getting a rise out of an audience, Mr. Golden might just as well have written about man-eating sharks.

DISRAELI ON BROADWAY AGAIN

The only Jewish Prime Minister of Great Britain returned to Broadway again after an absence of four years, in the person of George Arliss, who plays the title role in the reissued picture now at the Hollywood Theatre. Based on the stage play by Louis N. Parker and adapted for the screen by Julian Josephson, this old picture remains one of the major screen achievements of the talkie decade. I don’t know how many among you saw it when it was first relesed but those of you who did not should certainly not miss a great picture, a great actor, supported by a fine cast.

OTHER PICTURE NEWS

Joseph Schildkraut, whose Semitic face has not been seen on the screen for some time, will appear in a new Columbia picture to be called “Sonata.” From the title, I gather that it will be musical… The tall Lester Cohen who, if he could ever be divorced from Hollywood, would turn out a readable novel, has been handed the assignment of making a screen play out of George Bernard Shaw’s “The Devil’s Disciple”, which R.K.O. will produce with John Barrymore in the lead. Helen Westley, who deserted the Theatre Guild for pictures, will play the role of Gudula Rothschild in the 20th Century production, “The House of Rothschild.” George Arliss, rightly enough, will play the lead and the cast will consist of 80 principals… Samuel Goldwyn is in New York for the debut of Zola’s “Nana”, after which he will leave for Russia… Last year, when Eddie Cantor made a personal appearance at the Brooklyn Paramount, the police were called out to keep the crowds in check; this year the police were called in from the street to help fill the house.

…At the New York Paramount this week “Eight Girls in a Boat” will be the picture but the real reason for going is to hear Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, the best orchestra in the business… Over at the Radio City Music Hall, Francis Lederer is the featured player in “Man of Two Worlds”… The resignation from R.K.O. of Roxy will have no effect on the policy of that center of entertainment… “Laughing Boy”, Oliver La Farge’s Pulitzer Prize novel, has been made into a picture by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and will soon be ready for release… “Enemies of Progress”, a Russian-made picture, is playing at the Acme Theatre. It is not quite up to par. It shows the heroic Reds getting the better of the perpetually unpleasant Whites, but I must admit that there is more excitement in it than any three American pictures I have seen in some time… Paul Muni is due for a recess from pictures. He will come to New York and may be seen in a play produced by Harmon & Ullman…