TOMORROW NIGHT at the Henry Miller Theatre, the Theatre Guild will present another play by Eugene O’Neill called “Days Without End”. From advance reports, O’Neill has evidently left behind the simplicity that characterizes “Ah Wilderness” and once again gone in for his dual portrayal of characters. “Days Without End” is said to be a modern miracle play which deals with the conflict in one man’s mind between atheism and religious faith. How the disturbed gentleman comes out you can ascertain only by trying to get into the Henry Miller. I do know, however, that the leading role is played by not one but two actors, Earle Larmore and Stanley Ridges, one of whom plays the outer man and the other the inner. It sounds pretty intriguing. Others in the cast are Robert Loraine, Selena Royale, Ilka Chase, Richard Barbee and Caroline Newcombe. Settings are by Lee Simonson and Philip Moeller staged the production.
AMONG THE SHOWS
At press time three not too promising pieces already had their first curtain lifting and by the time this gets to you perhaps their last. “Big Hearted Herbert” at the {SPAN}#tmore,{/SPAN} “Halfway to Hell” at the Fulton and “The Wooden Slipper” at the Ritz.
“Big Hearted Herbert” is really verbal slapstick. A comedy of the inevitable self-made man who doesn’t realize how badly he has been made and his relations with his family, who in the end show him that he doesn’t know what he wants. “Halfway to Hell” is a page out of a nineteenth century ten-cent thriller. All the horrors are laid on thick and often with the result that no one is very horrified. “The Wooden Slipper” read much better in manuscript than it acted. It is just so-so, with a few laughs and only mildly entertaining.
ANOTHER HITLER PLAY
The Theatre Guild is not convinced that Herr Hitler as a theme for a play does not ipso facto spell boxoffice. The other day the Guild bought for itself a play called “Races” which deals with the Hitler regime in Germany. No production date has been announced.
The Forrest Theatre, which has been uncomfortably dark these past weeks, will turn on the lights on January 10 when “Re-Echo”, a play by I. J. Golden, author of “Precedent”, will open. The play is guaranteed to be a drama of modern life in an American city. Which, you must admit isn’t telling very much. Thurston Hall, Phyllis Povah, Carlotta Nillson, George Walcott and Harry Davenport are some of the players.
CANTOR IN BROOKLYN
Eddie Cantor, who has a wife and five daughters and sells coffee, will appear at the Brooklyn Paramount all this week. In addition, a picture called “Fog” is showing. Mr. Cantor is bringing with him his own show and he will act as master of ceremonies. Mr. Cantor’s picture, “Roman Scandals”, will continue at the Rivoli.
Warner Brothers are reissuing “Distraeli” with George Arliss. It will open at the Hollywood Theatre on January 16-and I might add that it is still one of the best talkies to come out of Hollywood.
“Design for Living” has again been held over at the Paramount. Garbo and her “Queen Christina” stay on at the Astor. “Dinner at Eight” continues at the Capitol and “If I Were Free” starts at the Music Hall.
THE GOLEM, OTHER SCREEN NEWS
After sifting through the sizeable batch of publicity sent to me by the unsuspecting cinema producers I found a number of items which seem to be of some interest to the readers of these columns. From Universal City comes the word that Carl Laemmle, Jr., whose father owns and runs Universal Pictures, will make a talkie out of that famous Yiddish stage success, “The Golem”. Although it was done into a film (silent) by a German company some years ago it was missed in the recent cycle of horror films produced to regale the more sadistic among us. Now it is to be made with the leering and bogey-faced Boris Karloff playing the part of the Golem. As the story has emerged from Universal’s inner sanctum the Golem has become an unpleasant gentleman twelve feet tall. This should give Karloff a nice chance to exercise his ingenuity with a “make-up” outfit.
Out at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Culver City, settings that reproduce an entire metropolitan hospital have been completed, a cast has been picked and a screen play by Waldemar Young finished. All in preparation for the screening of Sidney Kingsley’s play success, “Men in White.” Clark Gable will play the part of the young idealistic intern, Myrna Loy will be the heiress in love with the young doctor, and Dr. Hochberg, the great surgeon, will be played by Jean Hersholt. The picture will be directed by Richard Boleslavsky and is scheduled for release in the Spring.
Two best-selling novels are in the process of picturization, Somerset Maugham’s celebrated novel, “Of Human Bondage”, which R.K.O. will produce and in which Leslie Howard will star, and Hans Fallada’s “Little Man, What Now?”, which Universal will make. Margaret Sullavan and Lew Ayres will play the parts of Mr. and Mrs. Victim of the depression.
MARIONETTES RETURN
The following somewhat whimsical note comes from Gerald Goode, who has done such a fine job in inveigling people to see the Monte Carlo Ballet Russe. At this writing he is tapping the drum for “The Piccoli Company”.
“The eight hundred members of ‘The Piccoli’ company, one year older and wiser since their first apperance on Broadway last winter, will dangle from their racks again tomorrow night when Podrecca’s fa- mous marionette troupe begins a three weeks’ engagement at the Hudson Theatre.
“Several new variety numbers, and a condensed operatic version of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ are included on the bill. Among the new vaudeville sketches are ‘Betty Boop and the Big Bad Wolf’ (by arrangement with Mr. Fleischer and Mr. Disney); ‘Old Vienna’, set in a beer garden, and several highly improbable acrobatic acts.”
SOVIET DANCERS
The first Soviet ballet artists allowed by their government to visit America in a professional capacity will make their debut Friday night, January 12, at Carnegie Hall. Vecheslova, premier ballerina, and Chabukani, male star of the Marinsky Theatre of Leningrad, were the pair chosen to appear here. Their American tour is under the direction of the Columbia Concerts Corp and nicludes appearances in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, and Chicago. They will be here but four weeks, after which they open at the Opera in Paris.
On February 18, at the Guild Theatre, Martha Graham will make her first solo appearance in five years. On the follwing Sunday evening, February 25, she will give another recital but will be assisted by her dance group.
YIDDISH THEATRE NOTES
Admittedly disappointed by the reception accorded the English version of “Yoshe Kalb”, Maurice Schwartz has decided to revive the Yiddish edition again and will give it week nights. During the weekends Schwartz will do “Modern Children”…. At the Second Avenue Theatre, Julius Nathanson, musical comedy star, will appear in “The Organ Grinder”, a new Yiddish operetta.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
