The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 53

OCTOBER 23, 1927. PART III. 1 SUNDAY HORNING. os Sngelcg crimes. INGENUE CRITIC REVIEWS NEW TRENDS OLD-TIME MELODRAMA WOULD GO WELL' NOW, HE BELIEVES ROLES ARE.

i ftk. IT OF PAST (Continued from 15th Page) intelligentzia, and that is not a result to be depreciated of Itself. Mary Astor Has 'Grown VpC 'Two Arabian Nights A good -old-fashioned melodrama wherein the villain drags the heroine by her hair the kind of entertainment that thrilled audiences decades ago would be timely and make a hit nowadays, opines George Slegmann, character villain, now under contract to Universal, who has the featured character role in "The Cat and the Canary." now showing at the Criterion. Slegmann believes that entertainment, like fashions, goes in cycles, and since the public has had a great deal of the so-called "sophisticated" or modern drama for so long, it would be happy to greet some of the thrillers, which proved big box-office attractions to the older generation. "Some old drama with the moral the way of the transgressor is hard" or containing other antiquated platitudes would be a perfect scream nowadays." George declares.

"The public took this entertainment quite seriously once, but in my opinion It would be all the more dramatic and amusing nowadays, ranking with the most uproarious comedies in its effect upon the audience." George gets his present theory from no less a source than his own experiences on the screen, having the reputation of being one of the pioneer character heavies of cine-maland. He is perhaps the only thespian of this type who has never digressed from the portrayals that first brought him Into public proo Inencs and made him a box-office) attraction. Though he has been be-seeched many times by his many admirers via their fan mail to assume a sympathetic role now and then, he has never acceded to their wishes. Moreover, the popularity of "The Cat and the Canary" both as a stage vehicle and as a silent drama further impresses on Slegmann the truth of his assertion that the tbeater-golng. public is ready to welcome the revival of ome of the old-time "There are some of the 'old-timers' who would like to see some of the vehicles they witnessed In the more romantic days of their youth." says'" Slegmann.

"perhaps the kind tliatr will bring back memories of the. times when as lovers they held hands in the shadows of the theater and gasped at the antics of the villain or clapped hands when he fell lno the clutches of the hero. "The younger generation has heard a great deal about this entertain-. ment, too," George continues, "and-I believe it would take an interest In a revival of the old melodrama; at least for an occasional relief froek the strictly modern form of ctn? matic entertainment." "The Cat and the Canary" con" tains many of the melodramatic elements characteristic of the earlier thrillers, witn mystery as the minant motif. vv 1 'SAlJJEAN'KS IN Lucille La.rne in $rx Cod UlVocqvz VARCONI LIVES ROMANCE MORE THRILLING THAN ANY OF FILMS EAGLE." ttlLLSTRCET 4 Marks Change Comes a time In every girl's life hen That time has arrived In the screen fe of Mary Astor.

A time when the no of demarcation is encountered nd crossed. For Mary Astor came 'Two Arabian ights." a picture In which she plays le feminine lead opposite William oyd and Louis Wolheim, now In a mited engagement at the Million ollar Theater. It was this film hlch marked Mary's line of demar- itlon. in this she blazed forth with new Mary Astor a erown-up, eo- nisticated girl, rather than the de- ure lassie of other days. "It Just had to be," laughed Mary.

or years the directors made me ay away from, barber ehops. They ways wanted my long nalr to show. have worn gingham aprons and plg- as in dozens of pictures and, frank-, when they told me the type of le I was scheduled to enact in wo Arabian I was most ger to commence work as soon as sslble." Friends say Mary has lust made lother step up the rungs of film- ms ladder a step that will show scope in acting and her hlstrion- talents, many of which have been bmerged due to the plain and slm- characterizations she has been saying for the past few years. in "Two Arabian Knights," Miss tor appears in a semlvamplre role. 1 the vamplsh emotions and tricks, it without evil intent.

The lack of is Is refreshing. So much so that ary has had ever so many offers to ntinue in this newly found and ccessful type of portraval. So. In so far as Miss Astor Is con-rned, the rublcon has been crossed it is likely that from now on she be seen In more "grown-up" les. Her natural ability to act, plus delight with the opportunities is now being given for these new rtrayais, should spell one thing, at st lor tne charming lady suc- and plenty of that.

i lot Evolves A round New Cast Member Dne of the recent additions to the iks of the Henry Duffy Players at El Capitan Theater is Florence berts, who essays the role of Mrs. rrlngton, mother of Patricia, und whom most of the plot Ives, In "The Patsy" the current ring at that theater. Roberts is much better known San Francisco an here. For the three years she has been a val-1 member of the Duffy forces in it city and by this time is an es- lished favorite. Roberts has the distinction of ying one part for twenty-five con-utive weeks in the northern city, it of the mother in "The Best iple" at the President Theater, is play still holds the long-run ord for San Francisco, was in the East, however, that Roberts first came into fame, enty years ago che was featured such plays as "Zaza," "Sapho" and imille." At the same time her nesake, another Florence Roberts, recently passed on, was appear-In the same attractions on the st Coast.

The two have been fre-ntly confused in the minds of il amusement lovers due to the illcation in names. Romance is not monopolized by the movies. Nor are heroes of the stiver-screen heroic only when before the cameras, for many a thrilling story in the lives of screen players equals In romance and excitement the plots in which they take part on the screen. Take Victor Varconf for an outstanding example. Varconi.

who plays the leading supporting role in Leatrtce Joy's starring picture, "The Angel of Broadway," at the HUIstreet this week, took an active part in a romance of real life before he left Austria and found fame and fortune with Cecil B. De Mille in America. Lieut. Varconi conducted himself with valor in the World War on the Russian front. Following the armistice, he returned to his native Budapest and resumed the stage career the war had Interrupted.

He found a pew name on the lips of Budapest), that of Nusl Avanyossl, a comic opera singer to whose loveliness toasts were pledged nightly. Varconi met this famous beauty and found that her beauty and charm had not been exaggerated. He wooed, and won. Just before the rumors of a Red uprising had become a fact, and Bolshevism threatened Austria. Lieut.

Varconi was recalled to service, and he rode forth an engaged man. By their numbers the Reds rapidly advanced toward Budapest. Varconi, fearful for the safety of Nusl Avanyossl, begged leave to ride back and marry her, which was granted. He was told he never could reach Budapest, as the road was under constant fire. That he finally reached the city was 'I I -V MILLE'S "The King of Kings" Is still an uncertain quantity in the extent of Us appeal.

Some opinions are that it will bring a much less financial return than his other Biblical spectacle, "The Ten Commandments." There Is also division of sentiment on the picture as an achievement. In spite of this, it would appear that the De Mille production has added something to his prestige as an Innovator, and as a pioneer of the unusual and daring in cinema accomplishment. Whether it will have the fullest and most far-reaching popular influence cannot be accurately told for some tune hence. The interesting angle on this picture will be Its longevity (sic!) and its effect during so-called popular engagements. Working in Cage With Leopards No Snap Here The life of a film player Isn't always what It's "cracked up to be," according to Jacqueline Logan, who Is now portraying the titlo role In "The Leopard Lady," which Rupert Julian Is directing for Pathe-De Mllle.

Miss Logan, as the leopard trainer of a continental circus troupe, each day since the picture started filming at the De Mllle studio, has been working in a large cage with six of the Jungle cats. She Is tremendously enthusiastic about her role, according to Julian, and her enthusiasm Is being reflected in a splendid performance; but nevertheless reminds Julian, "working with leopards is working with leopards." i "The Leopard Lady," which is from the pen of Beulah Marie Dix witnesses Julian Joining forces with Bertram Millhauser once more In the production of a picture. It was this "team" that was responsible for "Three Faces East," "Silence" and "The Country Doctor," three of the most successful pictures produced by the De Mille studio. Miss Logan heads a cast, which also includes Alan Hale as the leering "heavy," and Robert Armstrong, who only recently made his screen debut in "The Main Event." Edith Roberts Wins Acclaim in Antipodes If Edith Roberts should fail to return to Australia either as an actress in English films or as a voyager, she will have to decline what amounts to a standing Invitation from motion-picture fans in the antipodes. When the actress stepped on the gangplank leading to the steamship City of Honolulu, bound for America several weeks ago after spending four months in Australia and the interior of the FIJI Islands while costarrlng in a picture for the Australasian Film Company, one of the mementos she received was a banner bearing the inscription "Bon Voyage, Edith Roberts, Return Again." The actress has starred In Universal pictures for several years.

Her forthcoming film is entitled "An Adorable Outcast," from Beatrice Grlmshaw'B romantic novel "Conn of the Coral Seas." i I SI: KVKH. HI." I. AO B0ffr.AT8TH'VA4767 iy3y 6 pm-llM 3SsSO KIDDIES KXA1WAV5 mi 'A lilll mimmmmmv jUPERFILMXi'f uitu 1.1: I VICTOP If Vmlagleni St a of whh 1 OWN STYLE I I OF BEAUTY fei UL IS PUZZLE pt'" Ocatcrs amusementsi-Cntertafnments TS West Coast lSW(J THEATRES li--J combing the world picking and 1 w.t ha.f I ehooaing the best for you. Los II Count rU An0ele Greatest EntertalnmentlJ Srrlii 01 XT' f0 anything- so food j. Jf Wmi mhiim.

Hobart Boaworth Jarqnr lino 7 L. C.lsC" tl pugs- 'Ed DEVOE 91 nmn.iv Women Never Satisfied With Declares Star of Picture Women are never quite satisfied with their own style of beauty, according to Mary Astor, who flays opposite William Boyd in "Two Arabian Knights," post-war comedy-drama made by Caddo Productions for United Artists, and now showing at the Million Dollar Theater. "And that Is probably why girls, when looking- into a mirror, almost Invariably assume their most engaging poses because they want to keep confidence in themselves," continues Miss Astor. "For from Eve's time down to date beauty has been an important asset in feminine values. "When we study ourselves during the process of applying cosmetics and brushing our hair, we naturally try out our best expressions.

If our semiprofila happens to be the most flattering from an artistic standpoint Cbeaters amusements (Entertainment kf Mirn'l 11 "Ml-Mlt. little short of miraculous, although'1 he was slightly wounded. He was married in a little church scarcely an hour before the Bolsheviks en- -tered the city and escaped with bride a-la-Lochlnvar on horseback. He; rode through the rapidly retreating White army, to safety. He remained in the service of Austria until the menace of the Red up--.

rising had been dealt with, and theii returned to his dramatic work. Froai'L the stage he turned to pictures, a con-t- tract with U.F.A. in Berlin, and even tually arrived in America and Holly- wood. Varconi caught the eye. of Ce ell B.

De Mille, and now holds an vied position as a featured player un- der a long-term wmtract; 'j' Mr. and Ma. iTarconi live in quiet happiness ta Hollywood, where they are quite content to remain Having ten an actress at one time, Mrs. Varconi is keenly interested l-f her husband's work. She expresses th-.

opinion that in "The Angel of Broad' way." which Lois Weber directed from Lenore Coffee's original story, her tractive husband has given a perform- ance rivaled only by his work as Pon-, tius Pilate in "The King of TAKES LAST TREATMENT m- Alfred Hustwick. film editor and 't title writer, paid his last visit to th hospital yesterday where he has beeH'-t undergoing treatments. Hustwick was it supervising film editor and title. i writer for Famous Players-Lasky fori eight years. He resigned last Marcbnr upon advice of physicians.

Now that he has regained his. health, he ex pects to devote the next few month to freelance work. i i rk 1 1 wali-rt-during mlinitrn: milium: "-aij TiTla I I 1 it Hlta mmn Turkiah la vaara lamady! Lewi Jf FIMjJ dir. Ef JtvL tK lth Irene Kith it cnvDTiitn mm 1 1 A3 4 WIS Km. lire VAUDEVILLE STAGE TO LOSE DEAN Orpheum Performer This Week Plans Return to South Sea Home The vaudeville stage Is soon to lose Ray Dean.

The comedian is going back to the Island of Pari where he once ruled as king 'or a yer.r. "We'll probably leave immediately after this tour of the Orpheum Circuit is completed as Mrs. Dean is as anxious to see It as I am to get back," says Dean. Dean the first man since Jacl: London to visit 'his little islani of 1500 inhabitants in the southern seas. He went there to get away from civilization and he became so popular with the natives that they made him a sort of ruler.

"There wasn't much to do. though," he says, "they followed their ancient 'Itlons very closely. They do verr little work as they live In a verltab raradlse of fruits and such. They impend most of their time enjoying themselves and It certainly Is a happy existence." Dean originally heade for Tahiti but the civilization there was too much for him. Then he started for the Island of Rapt but he found that the women there outnumbered 'ie men greatly and that frequently there were battles between he women over the men.

Finally the captain of the small boat he was on told him of Pari where no white men live because boats cannot land there. He went there and was rowed In from the boat by the natives. Dean, with Dot Dean, is one of the outstanding features on the new bill which headlines Adele Rowland at the Orpheum today. WHAT'S DOING IN NEW YORK (Continued from 13th Page) pert eye and ear, he seems to have done his part nimbly and with spirit. Some of the humor he left out as untranslatable and some, I sus-nect.

because he himself did not know what it was all about. He was evidently puzzled, for Instance, by the odd custom among "Les Produc ers New Yorkals" of calling everybody "Sweetheart." Then he struggled helplessly with the little Jokes about such venerable local institutions as the Evening Post and Louis Mann at which the first New York audience laughed so uproariously. He decided, for reasons best known to himself, to call the Evening Post "Le Bulletin De La Malson De Retralte Des VIeux Cabots" and In a burst of Inspiration he changed Louis Mann into Bc-lasco. But how he became so confused as to rename the battered old actress in the comedy I do not know. In the French script, her name, oddly enough, is Sylvia Field.

AND WHAT PLAY? M. Thomas; having been commissioned by "L'lllustration" to select an American play (I suppose with the notion that this would gratify the visiting Legionnaires,) was torn with indecision. He thought of Eugene O'Neill, but decided that O'Neills plays should be read as a whole. It Is not known why. He thought of Clare Kummer and decided to do one of hers later.

He thought of "What Price Glory," but felt that the French reader would need a profound knowledge of the United States and the American mind not to be disturbed by the conception of war and sol- dlers set forth in that masterpiece. It narrowed down to some piece by George 8. Kaufman, who Is described In the foreword as having been at one 1 time or another a law student, sur- veyor. reporter and "Marchand De Lacets." Today, says Thomas, "II est courlerlste theatral si l'on peut dire (pulsque rlen n'est parell la'bas) au New York Times." And re aaas, "Kaufman' has observed life in that tough school of American reporting which makes men of steel and rubber when It does not kill or empty them in a few years." STERN, TAXING WORK This last sentence arises from the common but profound misconception that anyone who works on a newspaper is a reporter. If Kaufman has been made into steel and rubber, it was In the forge of such stern and taxing reporting as is involved In telephoning George Tyler to find out whether Mr.

Belaaco bad or naa not swooned away at the last managers' meeting. Any pride Kaufman may feel In the selection of his work as the first American play to be published in France will be a little diminished If someone is unkind enough to tell him that In the aforesaid foreword M. Thomas admits he chose it only because Mica Nichols would not per mit his publishing "Abie's Irish Rose." Which reminds me mat Mr. ksui-man will noon owe me 110 for, with considerable misgivings, I hazarded that much on a bet that "Able" would not run forever, and it is scheduled to close its run tonight. That will be its 2318th performance In New Tort.

i I i ill I Ill that's the one we watch and develop otic Arabian beauty, with all the so-when we really ought to Improve phlstlcatlon of oriental charm. Rx atXTxta rovraled! na only (intrude Atlirrtnn ran! This top hrr "Black Own" ll I South America Is Locale CRYSTAL CUP mm I Dorothy MKaill -JackMulhall A Flrtl NatlMUl Plctura i I IV 1 Eg ik Hairy VotTHTfirlB With belli ht As Voo Hear II jf MaV Carli Elinor's Orchestra Play "Estreflta" and "Who'll Buy My Glorious Love Themes, and as You Feast Vour Eves On Jack Laughlin's Prologue Wawlfleetrt Scenery PIT SELECTION OF CAREER HIS WORRY Actor, Claiming This City as Home, -Finally Chose Stage and Screen Morris Ankrum, who enacts the brief role of "Scar" Edwards, bootlegger In "Broadway" at the Mason Theater, claims Los Angeles and California as "home." For though he was born In Danville, HI. Ankrum received his schooling here and began his career with a lurid cowboy production, In the vicinity of Mount Washington several years ago. This wild Initiation, on lowbrow plain, was later to be tempered by his appointment to the first directorship of the Students' Little Theater at Berkeley, by President Barrows. Here his dramatic talents had fuller development.

In the staging of fourteen plays in all, at the college theater In Hearst Hall, when the op portunity to go to Broadway was offered by George Arliss, In "The Green Goddess." Young Ankrum played the fanatical priest, an3 passed naturally to Ames' next production "In the Next Room," a thriller by Mrs. August Belmont, which ran forty weeks in New York. Other Interesting engagements, of unusual character, followed thereafter. Ankrum was not always determined upon the stage as a career. He studied law, at the University of Southern California law school and served on the staff of The Times in a minor capacity in the editorial department.

Also, he conducted the sporting department of his high-school paper. But in and out of these ventures ran the threads of stage and screen departures, which eventually triumphed. (t Not Tonight" is New Show at Burbank The whims and frivolities of habitues of the "Great White Way" are the subject of the gamboling revue and burlesque at the Burbank Theater this week. The new show Is entitled "Not Tonight." Music Is featured In various forms, with the well-known male quartet headed by the melodious voiced Kenneth Kemper, held over, and many new tunes included in the specialties offerings of members of the cast, which Includes Lee (Bud) Harrison, George Clark. MacMahon, Ruby Darby, Laura Martin, Gene Darby and the thirty girls.

Lou Traveller and his orchestra syncopate. Action Decides Pictures' Fate "Big Pictures," interprets Wesley Ruggles, director, "are often bigger In action than In size." He explains this to mean that often a single "big" actor can do more to make a picture popular than a "big" scene with thousands of unimportant actors. Ruggles, reports at Universal reveal, has made many productions which were "big" 'in popularity, but which were small In the matter of mammoth sets and expensive mobs. "Beware of Widows" and "Silk 8tockings" are two of the biggest money-makers produced by any Universal directors during the last KtHamaond And John Iitel those features which are not so satisfactory." Miss Astor, who as her outstanding characteristics has finely chiseled features, a fresh complexion and an air of girlish simplicity, takes the subject of beauty but impersonally. Following her conviction that the mirror is not a true guide, Miss Astor once or twice a year has a facial mask cast by a Hollywood expert, similar to those cast by sculptors.

She finds this a preventive measure of great value, she says, permitting her to correct any threatening defect. In "Two Arabian Knights," Miss Astor is said to have a chance to prove that the tmsophistlcated roles for which she is noted are not the only sort to which her type of beauty is suited. For in the current Mil lion Dollar film she becomes an ex 3 "vae 3 iowev i YA Whirlwind Dancinf v' I vCw (nsplrcdSinsinal If I mmv ji mm wa wm no en last IIoiim of Inm airmail rrlarn daliahta ama EE- IIUMsffi mm 1U iw PRIfKS! MATS. Kfc-. 75c.

Thin, at Boxofflce, l'hnn OK. 1 104 downtown at Wiley B. Alien, 720 8, I md 50 tkt. acrniir in ho. CaJ.

ano jellow imnire dimwh or c. cars direct 1 Pkti aaaSilA AnAHS'akli. I VH KSCflpiHff KJ FROM CECILB.DE MILLE STUDIO 11 iif i i 1 Loula Wnllirlm It auiestaa WBAhlnffton at ermont Orvhmtra VT-a -inn KyociPH El HE IN MWU4tfj i I III! r.nffliirurrre WoinwiiiaaaSaai fo-rda to lm raniaua M'Hnrfiilia fa fmh! THE DROP KICK Swashbuckler of Tropics Douglas Fairbanks is so termed In his new picture. "The Gaucho," which is to open at Grauman's Chinese Theater on November 4. The picture is said to be an adventurous tale of love in the South American tropics with a newcomer to Hollywood, Miss Lupe Valez.

as the lovely lady of Doug's fancy. Above are sketches of both Doug Fairbanks and Miss Valez by Salvador Baguez, Times staff i i i 4.