Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • 49

Theaters Society PART FIVE Pages 1 to 8 HARTFORD. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1931. pBlf Cupid Descends on Hollywood And Finds the Hunting Good Not AH the Romance In Cinemaland Is Caught by the Camera This Gossipy Article Tells You All About Moviedom's Unfilmed Love Affairs of the Moment No Place Yet On Screen For Light Comedy Many Film Failures Are Attributed by George Cukor to Lack in Placing Subtle Laughs amaziifjgvail Ywas brought her. A nervous break By Mayme Ober Peak ROMANCE is on the rampage in reeldom. For every Hollywood divorce, you can count 10 romances and marriages, never saw Cupid so busy in the love marts! In the past few months wedding bells havl rung for: Virginia Valli and Charles rarren, rvay rraiiuu, uuj Kenneth MacKenna, Fay Webb and highest paid players.

Rudy Vallee, Irene Delroy and Wll-1 Waiting for Divorces, liam Austin, Mary Duncan and Lewis in the column of those Just wait-Wood, Mary Doran and Joe Sher-1 ing for final divorce decrees before mBmmmam ismd i Kmrnmmmpyr'1 mm Miriw Honeymoon grins light the faces of Lew Ayres and Lola Lane, two of Hollywood's most recent newlyweds. The jangling of their troubled romance has culminated in the melodious chime of wedding bells. Lenore Ulric In New Play At Parsons's 'The Social Register' Divides Coming Week With 'Elizabeth the Queen' 5K -L Bv Mollie Merricjt (Copyright, 1931, by Inc.) Hollywood, Calif, Oct. 24 "There is as yet no place on the screen for light comedy because this type of entertainment has not found its tine place in talking picture annals." George Cukor, a stage director who has become a brilliant figure in the motion picture world, attributes much of the screen's failures to this lack in placing subtle laughs. Nine out of ten other directors lay the mistakes of moviedom to "overmuch dialogue." When Maurice Cnevalier makes his next talkie, it will be a talking version of "The Marriage Circle" a famous silent made by Ernst Lubitsch with Monte Blue, Marie Prevost, Adolphe Menjou and Florence Vidor in the cast.

Ernst Lubitsch will supervise the story which did much to establish his fame in Hollywood but George Cukor will be the man directly responsible for the making of the picture. Before seeing the silent version of "Marriage Circle" you'd swear that here was the perfect movie that nothing ever topped it that for economy of gesture, swiftness of tempo-excellence of interpretation it could not have been surpassed. Often I think those not circumstanced to have access to such things are the ideally happy. They can write letters Hterallv bristling with fury over the sins of talkie producers. Bulkwarked by memory as they are.

they can invest their diatribes with that certainty which comes from retrospect. But, oh. the awful glimpse of the picture of 10 or 15 years ago! We fina the comedy which registered as something subtle and infinitely provocative in those days, to be frankly ham today. There was a good deal of exaggerated tip-toeing, mouthing, elaborate and outlandish gestures, and all the accompanying parsley of the old regime. It comes tc us with a shock that dialogue the much-opposed dialogue of the clav.

has red.iced our pantomimic plav to a mere nothing. And after dipping into the eye-rollings, coy finger-curlings and broadsides of wrath, we are nshamedlv grateful. So one understands something of George Cukor's contention that light comedy has not yet found itself on the talking screen! "The movie actors, for the mast part, have not learned to put comedy lines over," says Cukor. "Thev Ubor too much. Thev da.

not clve the line the correct emphasis. They have not yet come to understand that quiet play of line behind an almost, unrevealing countenance. They want to give the audience all and for such comedy the audience only requires half." "One Hour With You" will be the storv then, of the gay Viennese flirtation which was. in its day, a dartaijr and devuish thing; but which seems rather lame and quite a lot of ado over nothing today. But where music found its place in a pantomimic version of "Kiss Me Again" with the organist following as best he might to create an effect of realism, five sons numbers will brighten the talkie of "The Marriage Circle." "Since Human nature changes very little and life changes practically not at all save in its externals, the story of the piece Is as good today as says George Cukor.

"Whenever problems of a story hinge nixui humans sense of advenfnre and their effort to fulfill it within their scope of life ana through their instinct for variety and thrill, that storv i.s as easily made in 11131 es in 1891. There are only the externals-of living to alter. The basic theme goes on unchanged." Thp story will be dialocued with regard only to giving it the bet possible presentation and without that effort to shorten the speaking footage which has resulted in some sorry gelatine today. Both director George Cukor and upervlsor Ernst Lubitsch have made many successes where the percentage of dialogue ran very high and both believe that. In the mouths of artists correctly trained, the spoken line is as good on the screen as the stage "The only exception In treatment." says Cukor, "lies in the fact that there must be motion with screen dialogue where stage dialogue may take place with little or none if It lie sufficiently interesting and vital to the march of the story.

"If three people get together in a drawing-room and the talk is truly good, they move about but little. One almast hesitates to reach out for a match or a cigarette at times, lest the train of thought be snapped. But either In the theater or on the screen we may Indulge in no such realisms. We must give a certain semblance of motion to the group for the entire duration of the dialogue. We muft cut from one sieaker to another, altering angles and distance to vary monotony and kill the ever-present menace of mechanism which the screen presents." SECRETARY DESK Amazirjg: is the only word that amply doscritu's this offering; Design, quality and workmanship considered, 315 is the.

price yon would expect to pay. In line with our. policy of always presenting the superlative and more particularly for the purpose of opening new accounts, this secretary comes to you at a price that may never again be duplicated. Details of Construction down resulted, continuing so long as to alarm her family. Finally through a -friend, Lee Tracy, she, was persuaded to consult a specialist in whom he had great confidence, Dr.

Franklyn Thorpe. The Doctor was tremendously interested in the case. His professional Interest soon took personal turn which was reciprocated. In eight weeks, Mary As tor was back at work. ghe now one oi Radio Pictures re-marrying are: Gloria Swanson and Michael Farmer; Constance Bennett and Gloria's ex-marquis; Ona Mun-son and Ernst Lubitsch; Roscoe Ar-buckle and Addie McPhail; Lady June Inverclyde and Lothar Mendez; William Wellman, director, and MarJorie Crawford, aviatrix.

La Belle Swanson and international playboy Michael Farmer, who once broke the bank at Monte Carlo, are like kids together. Michael lives right across the street from Gloria at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They whistle across when they are ready for dates, go swimming and dancing together. Recently Miss Swanson was seen on the floor of a public dance hall at the beach, wearing blue pants and a blue and red bandana wound around her head. Imagine the excitement! As bad as when Greta Garbo attired in' blue beret, soft shirt and riding knickers, appeared at the Mission Inn for dinner one night last week and created a near-riot of the curious.

The management had to chain off a balcony, so the Swedish star and her two companions could eat in peace! Budding Romances. Let's see, where were we? Now for the budding romances. The most startling is the case of Pola Negri and Charles Morton. Remember the good looking youngster who played in "Four Sons?" I happen to remember him especially because the day of the opening I was in the "front office" at Fox Studio when Charles dashed in to obtain the official O. K.

on the girl he was to take to his premiere that night. How things have changed! To be seen at an opening with Pola Negri Well, nuf sed! Loretta Young, divorced from Grant Withers, is being seen constantly with Ricardo Cortez (the late Alma Reu-bens's ex-husband). Her best friends, however, declare that lovely Loretta is far more interested in Irving Asher, Warners's First National Director, now in Europe. Dorothy Lee sueing for divorce from press agent Jimmy Fidler, is frequently seen with Hollywood's lanky "great lover," Joel McCrea, but is really kraz-ze about Marshall U. C.

football star. Una Mer-kel and John Arledge are that way Ditto Philips Holmes and Mrs. ex-Eddie Sutherland; Merv3n LeRoy and Ginger Rogers; Fifi Dorsay and Terry Ray; Elsie Janis and Gilbert Wilson; Racquel Torres and Charles Feldman. an attorney; James Dunn and Molly O'Day. In fact, they do say James caught his current bad cold from hanging too late on Molly's gate! Mae Clarke who was reputed to be engaged to Colleen Moore's ex-husband.

John McCormick, is engaged to marry Henry Freulich, son of the head photographer at Universal, who sfrangely enough was Colleen's head cameraman. Apparently distance does not lend enchantment with cameramen. Looking through his lens at close-ups of Joan Blondell decided George Bernes, cameraman at United Artists, that the actress (loaned for one of the three blondes in "The Greeks Had a Word For was the most charming and desirable woman in the world. Their engagement was announced last week. Other Affairs.

Sylvia Sidney has been beaued around of late by David Manners. Mary Brian, the most popular girl among younger set, seems to have settled on Russell Gieason who has cut out Jack Oakle, Buddy Rogers and a number of other swains on Mary's list. An announcement of their engagement wouldn't surprise Hollywood any day. Sidney Fox is so popular, the line forms to the right, but recently she is seen mast frequently with a young painter by the interesting name of Gene Negulesco. Before Lupe Velez created a sensation by going to New York on the same train with Jack Gilbert, they had her playing around with Lawrence Tibbctt.

co-featured with her in "The Cuban Love Song." My heavens, wouldn't that be a match? I mean a prairie fire with those temperaments! Maureen O'Sullivan goes places with Billie Bakewell one night and Eddie Quillan the next. Anita Page seems to have won out with that shlek Carl Laemmle, Jr. Dorothy Jordan and Donald Dillo- $y) Delivers It man, Creighton Hale and Kathleen Bering, Clark Gable (remarried) Ria Langham, Margaret Livingston and Paul Whiteman, Nancy Carroll and Bolton Mallory, Carole Lombard and William Powell, Rita, Leroy and Ben Hershfield, June Collyer and Btuart Erwin, Arlene Judge and Director Wesley Ruggles, Mary Astor and Dr. Franklyn Thorpe, Lew Ayres and Lola Lane, James Kirkwood and Beatrice Powers. With the exception of Beau Brum-mel Junior Laemmle, Lew Ayers was the last of the bachelors on the Universal lot.

When this 'girl-shy" youngster started rushing madcap Lola Lane, ex-show girl -from the New York stage (born Dorothy Mulligan in Iowa) Hollywood was surprised. Lola, pretty and lively, was frequently in the limelight. She was downtown shopping in red satin pajamas, or she was on the front page being sued by her manager and ex-beau for breach of contract and promise, with love letters published to prove the latter. From the start, Lew and Lola "took to each other." Lew blossomed out and Lola settled down to Lew. The studio sent him on location to do "Heaven on Earth," which proved anything but.

He got so lonesome for his dog. the studio shipped the mongrel up. Then Lew discovered it wasn't his dog he was lone! for. Hp notified his girl, who nun tea up a chaperone and went up to visit Mr. Ayres.

The Elopement, When he returned to Hollywood, Lew was put to work at once on "The Spirit of Notre Dame." The last retake and he obtained permission from the front office to go on a six weeks" hunting trip. He didn't have to hunt very far, however; Lola was all -packed when he drew up at her home. They eloped in Lew's roadster to Las Vegas, where they were married by a justice of the peace with Wll Leroy Sason. who owns a ranch out there, as best man. The newlyweds shoved off for a honeymoon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Lew got some good old ozone in his lungs prior to his prison sentence.

For on his return he was to be hanged in "Gallows" his next starring picture written especially for ihim by Ronald Brown who went to San Quentin to dig up local color. The Ayres live in Lew's bungalow on Hillside Drive. Next to Ronald Coleman, the last man in Hollywood you would expect to remarry was Bill Powell ladies man on the screen but off Just a fine tennis player, who spent his evenings with the Richard Barthelmesses and his chum "Ronnie" Coleman. Miss Right came along in the shape of Carole Lombard, and all Bill's bachelor vows went a-glimmering. Today his intimates say there isn't a happier man in Hollywood than Benedict Bill Powell.

He looks like another person, and Carole says she is so happy she can't talk about it. The Powell's are living in their Beverly Hills home the wedding gift of the bride's mother. While they were in Honolulu she had it redecorated and everything in readiness, even to flower-filled rooms and delicious luncheon. To make it more homey, "Junior" Powell's six-years-old son by his first marriage who has been with his father's parents since the divorce, was there visiting! The Blissful Erwins. June Collyer and Stu Erwin are blissful.

June gave up her big house in Beverly Hills and went to live in 6tu's small duplex apartment, for which she shopped several weeks before tiheir elopement. Bought new drapes and new coverings for the furniture and that sort of thing. Stu gave her rock.crystal for her table as his g. o. g.

and ever -thing Is Just lovely and simple. One servant, June doing the marketing. Mary Astor's June wedding in Yuma under her real name of Lucille Langhanke was not discovered in Hollywood until October. The marriage was another romance between doctor and patient, latter a beautiful and lonely widow. When Howard Hawks was killed in an airplane crash while directing a sequence from the Fox picture "Such Men Are Dangerous," his bride of six months was appearing on the stage in a play iron- i ically entitled "Among the Married." Mary Astor Hawks collapsed completely when news of his tragic death One play new to Broadway and another that enjoyed great success last season will be seen at Parsons's Theater during this week.

On Monday night, Erlanger Productions, will present Miss Lenore Ulric in "The Social Register," a new play by John Emerson and Anita Loos prior to its New York opening. On Thursday, HaitfoiU playgoers will be given an opportunity to see "Elizabeth the Queen," which was successfully produced by the Theater Guild last season and which has the distinguish actress, Miss Elizabeth Risden, in the leading part. Appearing with Miss Ulrich in "The Social Register" will -be her husband. Sidney Blackmer, who has been seen on both the stage and screen. Others in the cast will be Rex O'Malley, Wilfred Clarke.

Betty Garde, Andree Villards, George Henry Trader and many others whose names are familiar to Broadway playgoers. Tlie play gives promise to great entertainment, having been written by John Emerson and his wife. Anita Loos, whose "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' has gone down in the history of American humor. Anderson-Stalling Team. Maxwell Anderson, co-author with Laurence Stallings of "What P'-tce Glory," has chosen one of the most intriguing ladles in English history n.s the heroine of his play "Elizabeth' the Queen." The play deals with wliat historians have styled the mysterious infatuation of the Virgin Queen of England for the audacious, handsome young Earl of Essex.

Elizabeth and Essex are revealed in the play as madly in love with each other yet their relations are governed by curious honesty which compels each of them to tell the other the truth. This leads always to violent quarrels, followed bv tender reconciliations. The lust for power which is the dominant trait in each of their characters and their unwillingness to yield the smallest concession to each other, bring them eventually to a tremendous climax where love has to be sacrificed to public policy. The opulent background of thorc golden days of good "Queen Bess" is well sustained by Lee Simonson, the famous art director, who designed the stage settings, costumes, properties and lighting effects which will all be brought here to be used Just as the New York Theater Guild used them on Broadway. Miss Elizabeth Risden, distinguished English actress last seen here In "Strange Interlude" heads the cast of Broadway players.

There will be a matinee of "Elizabeth the Queen" on Saturday and of "The Social Register" on Wednesdny. 33 .75 12 Feet Fringed Velvet Rug Genuine mahogany veneered front, 7(1 inches high, Attractively designed glass doors over book shelf, large writing surtace, convenient pigeon holes. Three deep drawer base, mahogany finished seasoned birch. 9 by MONTHLY Pay $2.00 in i Mi. 9 by 12 Feet Felted Hug Pad way constantly are seen together.

Howard Hughes has been paying attention to "Dottle" too. Wouldn't a match in that quarter make Hollywood sit up and take notice? Multimillionaire, 25-year-old Howard Hughes, with all his yachts and planes and things! But little Miss Jordan from Tennessee has her mind on her career and doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve, so nobody knows what's what. Anyhow, Howard Hughes, since his attentions to Billie Dove have ceased, (who, by the way, is going around with a rancher by the name of Robert Kennester) is nothing like so shy as he used to be. He is quite a ladies' man. You see him out with Dorothy Jordan one night and the next with Frances Dee or Lillian Bond.

The 'Rumor Lois Moran is being seen about with Gene Markey, the 'rumor Romeo' of-Hollywood. They've had this attractive writing man engaged more often than they used to have Richard Dix. Markey danced with Jean Harlowat the Ambassador one balmy eve and Immediately he was said to be mad about the platinum blonde. "But then who hasn't?" penned the weary reporter. Elissa Landi lunched with Gene Markey, and although the Fox actress has a husband in London, there were hushed twitters of romance.

The "rumor Romeo" sat on Mrs. Ed Doheny's right at dinner one night, was invited on her yachting party soon after and ergo, he was payir.g court to the wealthy Grace Moore was announced engaged to Gene, so were Irene Delroy, Hedda Hope and Virginia Cherrill also Mary Brian, to whose girlishly devastating charms he succumbed. Still Hollywood's arch heart-slayer remains in the single column along with Buddy Rogers. William Haines and Ramon Navarro. Elizabeth Risdon, English actress who will play the title role in "Elizabeth the Queen," at Parsons's Theater, Oct.

29, 30 and 31. ANDRIENNE MORRISON Presents The Children Players In Racketty, Packetty, House Rushnell Memorial Hall Saturday, Oct 31, 2:30 I M. Ticket 1, 50c, 25c. on tale lit McCoy's and the bo office. $.95 PAY $1.00 One of the cushions under your nigs will add years to their life.

Moth and vermin proof, soft and resilient. By far the best rug value that we have been permitted to offer. Choice patterns, rich colorings. Close woven and hard wearing. Pi na Bergman Electric Washer '( 59 Six sheet capacity.

Full standard size; Chamberlain wringer; new Westlnghou.se oil-less motor. Endorsed by 'Good 3.00 Monthly LI Light-Warm Comforts GRAND OPERA NOTICE All Reservations For "La Traviata" and "Mignon" Become Due for Payment Tuesday, October 27 Circulator Heater Just as pictured, generously large size, mahogany enamel finished fast front. A real fuel saver. 1.00 Monthly 100 r'v carded cotton, covered In fine quality sateen, artistic design, quilted. Choice of four colors deep borders.

J1.00 Monthly "HARTFORD'S BALL ROOM DE LUXE" PALAIS ROYAL DANCING TONIGHT FEATURE EXTRAORDINARY Owing to the heavy demand from the ait-ing List, reservations cannot be held beyond that date. HORACE BUSHNELL MEMORIAL HALL PHIL EMERTON'S Original Diamonds. Most Sensational and Entertaining Dance Band in America Today. First Hartford Appearance, Direct from Pennsylvania. DANCING 7:30 to 11 ADMISSION 50o COMING HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE SAT, OCT.

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