The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 13

ID) ress Society Featmres Section Index Pattern 6 Radio 3 Resorts 10, 11 Society and Clubs 4, 5, 6, 7 Theaters. Hollywood 2, 2 Section Index Books Engagements Gibson Letters Music 6 6 9 8 PITTSBURGH, SUNDAY, JULY 28, 1940 SECOND SECTION PAGE 1 V.Jw -sr. 1 i fi wliA x-f. i- 1 1 LDii IZ-j, A also presenting "Scatter "Three Faces West" brings Sigrid Gurie to the brain" with Judy Canova. Randolph Scott and Kay Francis in "When the Daltons Rode" at the Fulton Theater.

Olivia de Havilland who appears with Jeffrey Lynn in "My Stanley feature. 3SK tfc: ass5' fttw I I DARE SAY The Barn Theater Takes Possession of the Night as Broadway Snoozes SHOW SHOPS Mars, Unpopular Now, Is Writing the Screen Dramas of the Future By KASPAR By FLORENCE FISHER PARRY There are only 11 theaters open in the city of Manhattan this summer. In surprising contrast to this dearth of New York entertainment, the Barn Theaters in the surrounding states hereabout number 98 theaters; and in them most of our most popular theater and screen stars are holding forth in new try-out plays and revivals of old successes. These days the "war film" is what the trade would call boxoffice poison, but there'll come a time when Hollywood, now sorely smitten by the European conflict, will be enabled to reverse its stand and cash in on the very situation that is currently hitting the film industry below the belt. "Av't' Wfimtiiwiniin in rr ii.iirtiingrr iiitlrfiWi(iiiinhiii i i mir.r him.

ni it.c"-? The movie takes the Hardy Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) and Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) engage in a quarrel in "Andy Hardy Meets Debutante," now in its second week at Loew's Penn. jaunt to New York City. Judy Garland and Lewis Stone have important roles in the film. Love Came Back," current MONAHAN There was no news-reel cameraman, for obvious reasons, on hand when the English and French were trapped in Northern France and fought savagely out of the German net; nor to record the amazing "drama of the channel" when every sort of boat was used in the mass escape of the entrapped half a mill men. Plainly such scc.es as these challenge all the DcMilles and Zukors and Zanucks in Hollywood; and some day you'll see them re-enacted thrillingly on the screen.

The new technique of the dive-bombers, the whirling, crazy antics of the tanks, the descent of the 'chutists and their murderous activities when behind the lines, the flight of millions of refugees and, above all, if it comes to pass, the "total attack on England, all this and more will appall and thrill movie-goera in the years to come. Mars is writing the screen dramas of the future. All is needed is a flrst-class adaptor. At present, of course, the studios are wisely throttling the temptation to jump the gun. Not until the welter of confusion has subsided over there and we can take the long-range, levelheaded view from the vantage point of elapsed time, after passions have cooled and motives, now hidden, are revealed in the clear light of calm scrutiny then will be the proper time to dramatize the war for the movie-goers.

And the movie-goers when that time comes, it is reasonable to believe, will be as responsive as were the film customers of the late twenties and thirties when the scenario writers were grinding out stories of the Flanders Field of 1914-18. Only this time there will ba more material and more significant material than came out of the first World War. For this one with its almost unbelievable horrors, its incredibly swift invasions, destructive forces and its sinister undercurrents of strange doctrines is a veritable volcano of surging, clashing drama. Have no doubt about it the drama of the future, particularly the drama of the screen, will find this war a well-nigh inexhaustible source of supply. But for the time being I can fervidly agree with you when you say "to heck with it," and feel grateful for such a nice, heartwarming lively little comedy such as "My Love Came Back." For taking your minds off things as they are, this neat and highly amusing confection is tops entertainment for the dog days, a brief respite from the blood, terror and confusion of a world gone berserk.

Saves Shoes HOLLYWOOD Muriel Angelus, who was a ballet dancer before she became a motion picture actress, believes in luck. Miss Angelus has pr1 served the ballet shoes she waa wearing when she got her first screen oSer. Alvin screen, listeners; and platform people a quorum. Not so actors. Give them a barn, footlights, any old rag of a curtain, a costume or two, and a few sticks of grease paint, and that Ls all they ask of the bountiful gods! Incidentally, of course, this growing institution offers ideal encouragement to the timid playwright whose wares, however dubious, are sure to find a market in some remote Barn Theaer.

The hospitality offered playwrights and their new productions is one of the most valid secondary excuses for the Barn Theater. Too, they give enormous exercise to the talents of undiscovered young directors, electricians, set-designers, costumers, and so forth, who, without the Barn Theater would never have been afforded a chance to develop their bent. Let us look at a list of the actors now lending their professional talents to the summer rural theater hereabouts: 1 Walter Hampden is now at Brighton Beach In "A Successful Calamity." Edward Everett Kor-ton continues rolling up lucre in "Springtime for Henry." at Cedar-hurst, Long Island. Allison Sicip-worth is at Saratoga Springs in "Criminal at Large," Cornelia Otis Skinner is playing Ina Clare's role in "Biography" in Schenectady. Ethel Barrymore can be seen in White Plains in "The School for Scandal." Sinclair Lewis is gathering up more material for another Bethel Merriday, at Clinton, Connecticut, in "Ah.

Wilderness." Donald Brian and Gloria Stuart are in "Accent on Youth" at Guilford. The energetic little Teddy Hart can be seen at Irvington in "See My Lawyer." Ruth Chatterton engages In "Private Lives" in Westboro. It would be worth going all the way to Stockbridge to see Effie Shannon play in the delectable "Morning's at Seven." Libby Holman is going on with "The Greeks Had a Word For It," at Marblehead. Pauline Lord returns to her performance in "The Late Christopher Bean." at Gloucester. Even Joe E.

Brown is holding forth in "Elmer the Great" at Dennis, Mass. And Laurette Taylor can be seen in "Outward Bound" in Cohasset. Ina Claire plays "Biography" at Amherst; James Renney, "The Spider." Betty Field can be seen in "Green Grow the Lilacs" at Princeton. Miriam Hopkins plays "The Guardsman" at Maplewood. Julie Hayden is in "Glamour" at Cape May.

Grace George goes back into her fine role of "Kind Lady" in Harrison. Maine. Madge Evans is playing in 'The Greeks Had a Word for It" at Ogunquit, Maine. Talullah Bankhead is gracing the Barn Theaters, and is now at Maturick, Rhode Island in the "Second Mrs. Tanquerary." Doris Dal ton plays "At Mrs.

Beams' at Newport. Nancy Carroll is at Spring Lake in "Lot's Wife." At Suflern, Zita Johann can be seen in the play "Salute If in to Movie Stars Planning Shows To Help the Red Cross Drive Project Calls for Barnstorming Troupes Giving Huge Vaudeville Programs Wonderful' So Says Mature of Gl Gals amor Special to The Pittsburgh Press HOLLYWOOD, July 27 Hollywood women have a staunch supporter in Victor Mature, handsome young actor who is appearing in; his first starring role in the picture "Captain Caution They're wonderful," he said to- 1 Playing the Barn Theater is the rage, and one can but speculate wanly upon the box-office success cf these many summer productions. Even assuming that every potential playgoer in and around New York owns a car, the mere physical feat of petting to Bnd from those Barn Theaters paralyzes the i a ination. Perhaps to an ardent a n-hattanite, the maze of park-u- a with there burden nf summer traffic, pre- Mrs. Parry sents no problem: but personally, I can think of no Barn Theater offering, headed by whatever stellar luminaries, that could tempt me deliberately to seek it out on a hot July night, with the thermometer standing in the 90's and the roads a Chinese puzzle to confound Confucius.

I have long held to the opinion that the Barn Theater is an institution which was created, not for the theater audience at all, but exclusively for the participants themselves. Actors love to act. I have never known an actor or an actress who wouldn't rather play a fat part lor nothing than a little part for "three figures." Give an actor a summer contract calling for stellar or leading juvenile roles, end you can be the one to name the salary. In short, the Barn Theater is an answer to an actor's dream. For 40 weeks he may go through the motions of one role In a legitimate play in the legitimate Broadway theaters, at a handsome salary and feel himself a martyr.

But he counts himself favored of the gods if he may be allowed to kick up his heels in the Green Pastures of the rural theaters, and play each week a fat part six nights a week with rehearsals called at 9 a. m. each morning! In my lifetime, I have seen many such rural performances, in barns phoney and authentic, before audiences so little and fragmentary that they could not compare even to the dress-rehearsal audience of a Manhattan production. And I have always had the feeling that it mattered not at all to the actors up on the stage whether or not they were playing to an audience. If the audience was there, so much the better, of course; but if.

as usually was the case, it was almost entirely absent, the performance went merrily on in the spirit of highest glee, and a good time was had by all, down to the last useless usher. It is too bad that artists in other creative fields cannot organize themselves, and indulge their talents as successfully. Writers have first to find a publisher; artists a dealer; musicians. fX rS Itll take a few years at least before World War II and its tragic offshoots will become prof itable material for the movie makers. After the lict ends, the ensuing period of readjustment, spiritually and a 1 1 undoubtedly will witness a universal repugnance toward anything to rem ind humanity of the ordeal.

Such was the Mr. Monahan public's mood immediately following the first World War; but in time this wore off and all the studios, were busily manufacturing replicas of the battles by land and sea and air. True only four movies of enduring value resulted "Big Parade," "What Price "All Quiet on the Western Front" and ''Journey's End," and a few passable aviation films. But these and many of the so-so war films made money, once the mood of the public was receptive. At present it isn't emphatically! So dead set against the war film is the movie public that producers rather futilely, I think strive to conceal a war film's content by title changes.

Even when the story has little concern with Europe's turmoil, such as "Three Faces at the Alvin, the studio is wary. That film originally was called "The Refugee," a title that naturally conjures up visions of thousands of civilians fleeing before the Nazi hordes. However, the action takes place in America's "Dust Bowl." The title of the forthcoming "I Married a Nazi" has been changed to the vague caption, "The Man I Married." But to repeat the movie customers' present antipathy toward anything on the screen that focuses the mind on Europe when the individual ls seeking to escape from the horrid realities of the times is bound to disappear in time. Then will come a reawakened interest in the nightmarish events of today. Aside rrom political and moral phases of this most grisly and fantastic conflict of all time elements better suited for the stage dramas this war's peculiar mechanics, lightning-like operations, fire the imaginations of the creative minds of the movie business.

The screen and screen only, can, for instance, recreate with blood-freezing realism the as-yet but vaguely described raneuvers marking the invasions the Low Countries, the subjugation of Norwav, the evacuation of Dunkirk and the mystery surrounding warfare of submarines, destroyers and the like. day. "Why, they're as attractive for tneir contributions, Hollywood film folk have organized the girls in my home town. llarge committee to centralize au- Such a statement amounts to a thority over all Red Cross work and superlative because Mature is fromjto carry QUt pans fQr aiding the Trfiiiinvillo V- Tt. alcr nmnnnts tn I national cam-high treason since Southern men paign after a are fiercely chauvinistic, and South- local drive is era belles are considered (by South- i well on its way.

family on an adventurous ThoocyV George Brent Insists He Is No Hermit! Special to The Pittsburgh Press HOLLYWOOD, July 27 The "outside" world, and even Hollywood, may think that George Brent is a hermit, but Brent would be the first to say "Phooey!" The star says it's his own busi ness if he prefers reading and music to night clubs and parties. His attitude isn't dictated by sul-lenness but because he isn't as gregarious as most people. He's friendly but not easy to know, which is all right with him. He feels that people who are willing to stick around under such circumstances are probably tne best ones anyway. Hollywood hostesses consider him a real "catch" for dinner parties and social events, but they usually fail where the non-glamorous, behind-the-scenes people succeed.

Electricians, technicians and prop men who work with him count as a friend. They've had more social contact with him than many a Hollywood celebrity but no one ever hears about it. There's a strong indication of the new order of practical picture-making in a move by Warner Brothers which will be a local sen sation: The ftudio is going to fire Paul Muni and Director William Dieterle. This is not a mere re fusal to renew contracts. The stellar actor and director are being ousted before their contracts have expired and will be given settlements.

Both men were regarded as too doggoned arty and argumentative land temperamental. Muni always (raised Cain about his scripts and jhas insisted on changes which hurt ihis pictures at the box office. Cur- rently he has been making trouble to direct numerous stories, and in turn has fought for stories which Ithe studio didn't like. Special io The Pittsburgh Press jlxiiuj. Ks-rLJ.

Ul 4 I 1 lie a Hollywood's celebrated screen stars, technicians on a united campaign since the Victory Loan Drive of Samuel Gold- wyn, veteran producer, heads a i tee unifying the efforts of many studio grou ps trying to help the Red Cross bring relief to hundreds of thousands of homeless, starv- IW31 ing persons abroad. Mr. Goldwyn On this executive committee are 60 leaders in the film world. A names flash in lights from theaters the worW arQUnd Meeting several times each week im lull committees and smauer CP i the ern gentlemen) as the absolute tops femininity. Mature is firmly of the opinion that screen actresses are a much-maligned, misunderstood group, and so are the actors.

"The rest of the country has built up some pretty silly ideas about the way we live out here," he said. "Our night life is supposed to be one gay, mad orgy of pleasure. The girls are supposed to be an affected, flighty bevy. This is all a lot of slush. "Hollywood is a 9 o'clock town comnared to most of the cities I ui acu uviij iaa cii l-u writers, directors, producers and like of which has not been seen 1918.

Always generous but seldom a few weeks a barnstorming trip in which nearly 100 stars and many lesser lights will appear. Not even the highly successful efforts of Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in World War stamp and bond campaigns in 1917-18 begin to compare with what 1940 film leaders propose. There will be different companies for Eastern, Central and Western states to present massive vaudeville shows in the biggest theaters and auditorium and behind the players will be an executive staff the equal of which Hollywood has never known. Leading writers will create special sketches which the industry's foremost directors will direct, and among the casts will be many stars who will surrender remunerative picture work to serve the cause of humanity. Rivalry and petty jealousies have been completely forgotten in the desire of committee workers and artists to serve.

No project ever placed before film folk has won and enthusiastic the appeal of the Red Cross to its heart. The result will be known! before another month has passed. know, including my home village. I woman's co-ordinating committee of was impressed with that more thanj50 brings together wives of pro-ever when I visited Louisville WTiterS( directors and actors spring. I couldn't keep up to score of actresses whose i -n.

immediate friends back home Long before 1 midnight I'd start yawning and loosing a rouna ior a tuuuui place to snooze. "Tho fniw hart there don't seem 1 realize that we work darned hard this picture business. They for get that a young actress or actor who must get up about 6 in the mornine can't spend his or her. glUUJW tliC lillll i KJiA. AJC uaiiJ'ol out ambitious plans.

At the ig-jsuPPrt- of tne Screen Actors' Guild. I thte fortune of every screen Writers" Guild and the American to be on the giving side. screen Directors Guild, a series ofjIS an opinion often expressed Dy; about "High Sierra." slated for his 1 Ithe workers. Hollywood has taken jnext flicker. Dieterle has refused evenines makine the rounds ieaturmS nigger nieht soots and doing a lot of drink tng.

They're a serious-minded lot." show business will be sent to the key centers cf the nation within.