The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 57

1 THEATER GOSSIP a 1 PAGE 3 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1941 PART III 1 TOWN CALLED Ski'S fill HO NO RESENTFUL MAID Virginia Lynn's chin in "Tall, Dark and Gilmore dislikes Cesar Romero's act of tweaking Barbara Handsome" at Loew's State, Chinese theaters Wednesday. DOCTOR INTERVIEWS PATIENTS Basil Rathbone as the physician visits with his patients, Ellen Drew and Vera Vague, in "Mad Doctor" at the Paramount Theater Thursday. By Philip K. Scheuer Young Hartzell Spence suddenly finds himself the spokesman for 33,000,000 Protestants, and he's a little embarrassed by the honor. Anyway, he hopes he can justify the faith reposed in him.

Hartzell, a Methodist, wrote a book about his dad "One Foot in Heaven," subtitled "The Life of a Practical Parson" and Warners is about to make it into The astrologers will tell you that the period from Jan. 21 to Feb. 20 is the month of Aquarius. They hold that all folks born under the sign of Aquarius are inventive and tend toward eccentricity and that two modern "Aquariums" (I ought to be shot for such punning) are By Edwin Schallert Doubtless you've all heard plenty in the past year about depleted profits in films due to the European war. Well, while it's bad enough and all that, still there seems a spirit of optimism regarding the future.

I have these words in a New York dispatch, for instance, i HI to adduce as proof: "Despite a substantial loss in foreign business and the necessity of altering selling methods in order to comply with new government regulations, the motion-picture industry in general will experience considerably better earnings this year. "Profits on the whole were highly favorable last year, although taxes, as in the case of most corporations, cut heavily into net earnings. Only a few of the principal units are expected to report smaller profits than for 1939." Of course, It's some of these "principal units" which had built up such an extraordinary foreign business for their films, but even they have adjusted their programs to a large extent. Losers Pick Up Curiously enough companies which had been battling financial handicaps during the past several years have come out much better lately. Universal raised its net income for the fiscal year ending Nov.

30, last, to 772 more than double 1939. "Report of Paramount Pictures says the dispatch, "should be available shortly and this unit is expected to show one of the most favorable results In the in dustry." Further: "With a net profit of $1,276,316 reported for the three months ended Nov. 30, last, Warner Bros, also has started the new year auspiciously." The dis patch points to other instances of progress, where profits had been hard hit by war conditions. One hopes, Incidentally, that Walt Disney thrives as well financially as he does artistically with "Fantasia," for this is to be something of a problem child in the releasing arrangements. The Intention, of course, Is to keep It on FLYER Robert Taylor is an aviator in "Flight Command," current at United Artists and Fox Wilshire.

Shaw Play's Sale to Open Tickets go on sale tomorrow at the Biltmore Theater box office for Ruth Chatterton in George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion." The Shaw play will open here Monday evening, Feb. 10, for one week only. Miss Chatterton has been touring since last Oct. 23 In the comedy which tells the story of a cockney flower girl who became a grand lady. Recently the production completed its seventh and final week In Chicago.

Two featured members of Miss Chatterton's company are Barry Thomson, recently seen with the Lunts In "Idiot's Delight" and "Amphitryon," and Dennis Hoey, prominent English actor. "A MOVIE MUST!" LOS ANGELES CRITICS i a road-show basis as long as possible. It wijl be feasible also to alter the content of the program if the engagements are extensive, because Disney is preparing supplementary subjects to be sub stituted, in the event they have more chance of hitting the popular fancy. Equipment Needed The road-show system is almost a requisite for the picture. This is due to the enermous benefit derived from the new Fanta-sound, which had to be specially installed in the Carthay Circle Theater, as well as the eastern centers of movie entertainment where "Fantasia" was presented It will hardly be possible to place this equipment in the general run of theaters for engagements of the symphonic picture.

The cost would undoubtedly prove far too great for that. So for the present at least "Fan-tasla" will be exhibited as exclusively as was "Gone With the Wind," possibly even more so, and simply on account of the mechanical requirements. The feeling in the Disney organization itself is that the cost of the picture may be returned, and perhaps something besides, as a result of protracted runs In the key cities. If such is the case Turn to Tage 4, Column 3 'PHILADELPHIA LIVE WITH ME' HUNTER UASDAIC 0uM MEEK IIMM K.lfl tMtmjt rtw TJ mini mitin wt mill I I AND OF r4 SumHEDNESDAYI TALL DARK Willi CISAR ROMERO Vlrfluli OILMORI Milton RIRLI ORIINWOOO mh mm imuttM iiEEPinc tompnnv M-O-M HI wHN Nl M0ICAN Ann RUTHIlfOlO MilHtlTON RICH Cm tOCKNART Vlrinl WIlDtll HANDSOM A the late Thomas A. Edison.

there's no sustained acting and you can't even tell whether Orson Welles is a fine picture actor or not. There are some sensational shots, yes; but I don't think it took any great imagination to write the story. And if the picture is released, I think the pay ing customers will go out of curiosity to see something which has caused such great controversy, rather than because it's a great film. Natural or Beery Only those of you who remember the sparkling days of the legitimate theater will recall the name of a famous star called Holbrook Blinn. He was catapulted to sensational heights by a play called "The Bad Man," story of a swashbuckling modern Robin Hood who rides and shoots his way around the country, trying to straighten out the lives of others by his own bandit philosophy.

It was inevitable that Wally Beery would do the story some day. He did, and this month you'll see it. They found new locations for background shots in New Mexico, when you see those hordes of stampeding cat tie you can be sure they aren a few tired old rented cows be ing-goaded up the gentle slopes of our Hollywood hills, but the real thing. Sentimental American drama, the kind that makes you love to cry, is what you'll see in "Back Street." And when you behold Charles Boyer and Margaret Sul lavan in the tenderest, weep- iest love story Fannie Hurst ever wrote, you'll probably need a rowboat to get out of your favorite theater. It comes under the heading of drama, but there's plenty of comedy In "Come Live With Me," with Jimmy Stewart and Hedy Lamarr.

Hedy wears some of Adrian's special crea tions that will set style trends, and turns in her best acting Job to date. It's a honey. Guy, Kibbee Scores It's pretty well known that studios depend on their routine program pictures to pour that steady stream of gold into the movie coffers. Very often the series pictures make up for the huge deficits run up by super-colossals. The "Hardys" the "Dr.

Kll- dares' the "Nick Carters" never miss. And R.K.O. thinks it has one of these in the "Scattergood Baines" series, which brings Guy Kibbee back in the homey type of role he does so beautifully. If "Virginia" doesnt Impress you as the greatest love story ever written, Its because the aristocratic south got so scram bled In the telling that the point of the story was lost But Direc tor E. H.

Griffith brought back from location down there some pretty beautiful scenes In Tech nicolor, especially the hunting scene that was really done by the natives of Virginia and how they can rldet Ruth Understands Ruth Hussey, who did such good job as Jimmy Stewart's girl friend in "Philadelphia Story," takes another step toward stardonvJn "Free and Easy." It's annfhr.r ViinHril9nHtni U'nman" Franklin Delano Roosevelt and I don't know what sign Orson Welles was born under but he has the cleverest stargazers stymied when it comes to predicting what's going to happen to his picture "Citizen Kane." Here It is, listed among the releases you can expect to see in en- ruary, if everything happens as the studios have planned: Drama: "Citizen Kane," Orson Welles, Orson Welles, Orson Welles; "The Bad Man," Wal- lace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day, Ronald Reagan; "Back Street," Charles Boyer, Margaret Sullavan; "Come Live With Me," James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr, Ian Hunter; "Scatter-good Baines," Guy Kibbee, Dink Trout, John Archer, Carol Hughes; "Virginia," Madeleine Carroll, Fred MacMurray, burling Hayden, Carolyn Lee. Comedy: "Free and Easy," Robert Cummlngs, Ruth Hussey, Nigel Bruce; "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," Robert Montgomery, Carole Lombard, Gene Ray mond; "She Stayed Kissed." Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyatt, Shirley Ross; "That Uncertain Feeling," Merle Oberon, Melvyn Douglas, Burgess Meredith. Musical: "Nice Girl," Deanna Durbin, Franchot Tone, Walter Brennan, Robert Stack, Bob Benchley, Helen Broderick.

Heat Generated "Citizen Kane," with Orson Welles as wrlter-producer-direc-tor-actor, is one of the "hot" films of the month, not because it's a screen masterpiece, but OFFICER Errol Flynn plays a daring soldier in r'Santa Fe Trail," at War-ners Wiltern end Beverly. because It's asserted to be based the life of Citizen Hearst. In our business wt have to be careful enough about doing the life story of anyone who has passed Into the beyond, and it's a much greater risk to go ahead and put on the screen the life of a man who's still with us. It seems Incredible that even a genius (and they say Orson Is one) could have been given $1,000,000 without any supervision, and with no one In the organization knowing what he was putting on the screen ex cept one man George Schaefer, head of R.K.O. However, this amusement Industry is like no other business In the world and perhaps they've got something which will clean UP for them, but I doubt It.

The picture's chopped up into short scenes, and flashes by ti most like a newsreel, so that a movie. Jtianzeu is nere 10 work on the adaptation. A shrewd but friendly chap, young Spence is, at 33, chief of the United Press' special fea tures, promotion and radio departments. An Iowan like, his father, he wrote the latter's biography because it seemed to him "the old man made Christian living fun." The picture from it will be a comedy, "but with the spirituality shining through like in Hartzell trusts it will also be box office. Rev.

Spence, Salesman The spokesman thing came about as soon as "One Foot in Heaven" was announced for Hol lywood production. Protestantism, Spence said, is not organ ized for any sort of united action like the Catholic Legion of Decency, but it has long desired a film which would do for its collective belief "what 'The Fighting 69th' and 'Knute Rock-ne did for Catholicism and 'The Jazz Singer' did for the Jews." Most Protestant ministers have been deDicted in bit roles, he added, or with their collars re versed (limiting them to the Episcopal Church) or, worse yet, like Rev. Davidson in "Rain." It didn't seem quite fair. So Spence has been favored with letters of advice and ap proval, as well as beaming editorials In the Christian Advocate and the Christian Herald. He himself Is anxious.

that the film show what the Protestant faith means "for, Ideally, it Is not be- lieved in the abstract, but lived." "We are proud of our Wednes day-night suppers, where the stranger is he sain, "and of those other acts which bear out the admonition that 'All men are It won't hurt people to be reminded of them!" Hartzell has a brother who he says 4s the image of the late Rev. William H. Spence, even to the habits of sartorial elegance and swinging a crossed leg. "Both good salesmen." he chuckled. "My brother sells chewing gum.

Father sold religion." Rev. Friedrich, Too Young Rev. James K. Friedrich, who has been mentioned in this column before, is another who is going ahead with visual religion. Fricdrich's Cathedral Films now has Us own studio, on Romaine and has completed three two-reelers: "A Certain Nobleman," "Child of Bethlehem" and "The Prodigal Son." A feature, "The Great which 20th Century-Fox bought out right to remake with Tyrone Power, was subsequently re leased "as Is." The two-reel series Is photo graphed on regular stock and then reduced to IB millimeters With more than 13,000 churches already lined up for screenings (at $10 per week rental) out of the nation's 200,000, Friedrich Is optimistic about establishing a 'RADIO FOLLIES' tDiii an mom tPftt ft IJOIt MNTOrt curr ujtzjLRno hfl! pun MWWIIIIH tiDMdirMcioiiiTm-ts HUD OVW kf rifthf fcanfl miMCItttriETTTFIELI ta UMlf HI hm fim BONNIE BAKER Tha "CM, JOHNNY" PTjL.

ft orrin mmltSM mottem'omJl KIYCM.MMtr.lf.llbtTM I MtHftHMl MM I Jl complete program service organ ization in time. "If travel subjects like 'Poly nesia and 'A Pack Trip Prom Yosemite to Mt. shown here recently, can attract single audiences of 1800 and 2000 per- sons, ne said, "there must be a public for them. We would han dle these as well as the others." The biblical shorts tell a straight scriptural story and ex pound no doctrine, Protestant or Catholic. They are "shot" silent narration and music are added later on a standing set, a corner of the Holy Land out in San Fernando Valley.

They are slower in tempo than commercial movies but that, said Friedrich, is for the younger minds. Materi al for Sunday-school class dis cussion is furnished with the films. Levari on Levant Oscar Levant, the bad boy of "Information, Please" on the air, is back In town, acting for Paramount. I caught up with him on the recording stage, playing "Dixie" on a harpsichord. "Monot onous instrument," sighed Le vant, giving it a final tinkling slap.

The special policemain guarding the harpsichord glowered; it was insured for $10,000. Oscar was a hit in "Rhythm on the River," so Director Victor Schertzinger and the studio got him back for "Kiss the Boys Goodbye." "But I won't be any good in this one," he gloomed. "I haven't anyone to attack with words, of course. My lines in 'Rhythm' sort of wrote them selves." Levant likes Hollywood, at least for a change. "All the good composers are out here now," he said, "and each one admits that Bela Bartok is the second greatest composer in the world!" He grinned.

Cities are "too in sulated," he added, seriously; Los Angeles hears little of what New York is playing (outside of the Philharmonic Symphony) and vice versa. His own music writ-ing has suffered because of his diverse activities, he declared, although the Philadelphia and New lork orchestras will Intro duce new works of his this year. "They'll be lighter than usual," he said, "which should please my teacher, Arnold Schoenberg. He once advised me to do more Joking in my music and less of It out loud." Oscar says he's lost all Interest in movie scores "I don't know why. They're good enough, but all too lush.

I sit in a theater now and don't even hear them to my own astonishment." 2dTtofl-tetdinni lUPINO'lOOART Eneijtoij's MEASUOED FOI. Before Thy to 'santa fe rain: TLICHT FROM 0ISTIMY ID COULDNTvlf jiM Jw Vj sit wop TflCaf ON STAGE Bert Wheeler and two members of "Earl Carroll's Vanities," now on stage at Orpheum Theater. role. Ruth understands Bob Cummings in this' one. "Mr.

and Mrs. Smith," with Bob Montgomery, Carole Lombard and Gene Raymond, could have been a howling success if Carole's role hadn't been the kind of woman who irritates rather than amuses you. I thought a screwball such as Carole played in "My Man Godfrey" was very funny until they made 50 pic tures of the same kind, only not as good. Amnesia Again Whenever a plot complication arises In a story that seems too tough, a geed way out is always to make the hero a victim of amnesia. So, in "She Stayed Kissed" when Dennis Morgan marries Shirley Ross, gets amnesia, then marries Jane Wyatt, they're in for plenty of trouble and you're in for lots of fun.

I hear Ernst Lubitsch was so exacting about Merle 01eron's facial expressions during the shooting of Uncertain Feeling" that there was a blowup between the two. But the tension on the set must have put them on their toes, for the master of light comedy got what he wanted from Merle and Burgess Meredith and Melvyn Douglas in this story of a young married woman who Is happy as a lark until she meets a psychiatrist. Incidentally, It's the first Lu bitsch picture with an American locale New York, Deanna Durbin brings all the talent and charm you've come to expect from her in "N'ice Girl." Helen Broderick had the time of her life playing a gypsy fortune teller In this, and Bob Stack gets to tinker with a specially built roadster. But don't let It fool you It's Just an old Ford. If Bob Benchley has his way, this movie, in which he plays Dean na's poppa, will be his last act Ing Job but he probably won't have his way.

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