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May 26, 1934 - Image 4

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The Michigan Daily, 1934-05-26

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THE MICHIGAN DAILY

RATTIUMV. * WA V On

T H MyH (A D TT - -.ra.+cv. _. ..:a.c. C9r--Stl -xdd 'f p& +
r1 T b'' 1#'

E MICHIGAN DAILY

the book-store and the rooming house, are based
upon a sincere desire to be of service.
We are convinced in general of the sincerity and
enthusiasm of the liberal students associated with
these organizations. Their efforts, if pursued with
proper judgment, may erase the memory of deeds
not so well advised, and may perform a real service
to the University by awakening their less alert
fellow students.

Screen Reflections
The rating of motion pictures in this column is on
the following basis: A, excellent; B, good; C, fair; D.
poor, E, very bad.

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r

AT THE MICHIGAN
"JOURNAL OF A CRIME"

D

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TI ki Ib 1E~

- 7
enanmea mecmn mar.,..
Puoushed every morning except Monday during the
University year and Summer Session by the Board in
Control of Student Publications.
Member of the Western Conference Editorial Association
wnd' the Big Ten News Service.
5zzociated dIolcgiate )reggz-
13no _caWR 1934
.aMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is enclusively entitled to the use
trr republication of all news dispathces credited to it or
not otherwise credited in thi3 paper and the local news
published herein. All rights of republication of special
diapatches are reserved.
Eatered at the PeostOffice at Ann Arbor, Michigan,';as
second class matter. Special rate of postage granted by
Third Aitstant Postmaster-General.
S1.bscrition during summer by carrier, $1.00; by mail,
$1.50. During regular school ;year by carrier, $3.75; by
mail, $4.25.
Oflices: Student Publicatcns Building, Maynard Street.
Ann A;bor, Michigan. Phone: 2-1214.
Representatives: College Publications Representatives,
Inc., 4 East Thirty-Fourth Street, New York City; 80
Boylson Street, Boston; 612 North Michigan Avenue.
Chicago.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Telephone 4925
MANGING EDITOR.............WILLIAM G. FERRIS
CITY.EDITOR....... ..............JOHN HEALEY
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR.......... .RALPH G. COULTER
SPORTS EDITOR...A..R.. ....ATHUR CARSTENS
WOMENS EDITOR....................ELEANOR BLUM
NIGHT EDITORS: Paul J. Elliott, John J. Flaherty, Thomas
A. Groehn, Thomas H. Kleene, David G. MacDonald, John
M. O'Connell, Robert S. Ruwitch, Arthur M. Taub.
SPORTS ASSISTANTS: Marjorie Western, Joel Newman,
Kenneth Parker, William Reed, Arthur Settle.
WOME'S ASISTANTS: Dorothy Ges, Florence Harper,
Elanor Johnson, Ruth Loebs, Josephine McLean, Rosalie
Resnick, Jane Schneider, Marie Murphy.
REPORTERS: Donald K. Anderson, John H. Batdorff,
Robert B. Brown, Clinton B. Conger, Robert E. Deisley,
Allan Dewey, John' A. Doele, Sheldon M. Ellis, Sidney
Finger, William H.Fleming, Robert J. Freehlng, Sherwin
Gaines, Ralph W. Hurd, Walter R. Krueger, John N.
Merchant, Fred W.,Neal, Kenneth Norman, Melvin C.
Oathout, John P. Otte, Lloyd S. Reich, Marshall Shulman,
Bernard Weissman, Joseph Yager, C. Bradford Carpenter,
Jacob C. Siedel, Bernard Levick, George Andros, Fred
Buesser, Robert Cummins, Fred DeLano,nRobert J. Fried-
man,, Raymond Goodman, Morton Mann.
Dorothy Briscoe, Maryana Chockly, Florence Davies, Helen
Diefendorf, Marian Donaldson, Saxon Finch, Elaine
Goldberg, Betty Goldstein, Olive Griffith, Harriet Hath-
away, Marion Holden, Beulah Kanter, Lois King, Selma
Levin, Elizabeth Miller, Melba Morrison, Mary Annabel
Neal, Ann Neracher, sle Pierce, Charlotte Rueger, Dor-
othy Shappell, Carolyn Sherman, Mly Solomon, Dor-
othy Vale, Betty Vinton, Laura Winograd, Jewel Wuerfel.i
BUSINESS STAFF
Telephone 2-1214
BUSINESS MANAGER..........W. GRAFTON SHARP
CREDIT MANAGER...........BERNARD E. SCHNACKE!
WOMEN'S BUSINESS MANAGER .....................
...... ..............CATHARINE MC HENRY1
DEPARTMENT MANAGERS: Local Advertising, Noel Tur-
ner; Classified Advertising, Russell Read; Advertisingt
Service, Robert Ward; Accounts, Allen Knuusi; Circula-
tion and Contracts, Jack Efroymson.
ASSISTANTS: Milton Kramer, John Ogden, Bernard Ros-
enthal, Joe Rothbard, George Atherton.
Jane Bassett, Virginia Bell, Mary Bursley, Peggy Cady,
Virginia Cluff, Patricia Daly, Genevieve Field, LouiseE
Florez, Doris Gimmy, Betty Greve, Billie Griffiths, Janet
Jackson, Louise Krause, Barbara Morgan, Margaret
Mustard Betty Simondb.-,
FRESHMAN T YOUTS: William Jackson, Louis Gold--
smith, David Schiffer, William Barndt, Jack Richardson,t
Charles Parker, Robert Owen, Ted Wohlgemuth, Jerome
Grossman, Avner, Kronenberger, Jim Horiskey, Tom
Clarke, Scott, Samuel Beckman, Homer Lathrop, Hal,1
Ross Levin, Willy Tomlinson, Dean Asselin, Lyman
Bittman, John Park, Don Hutton, Allen Ulpson, Richardc
Hardenbrook, Gordon Cohn
NIGHT EDITOR: JOHN J. FLAHERTY
Liberal Organizationst
Fulfill A Need . . t
ESPITE THE FACT that the uni-s
versities are supposed to be the in- I
tellectual centers of the country, and Mr. Irwin Ed- r
.man's recent "Portrait of an Undergraduate ofC
1934" in the New York Times notwithstanding, we t
cannot but admit that a survey of Michigan'sa
campus reveals the average undergraduate as a b
lethargic creature, indifferent to the very much e
alive issues of the day. .
We are living in an age when political and eco-c
nomic theories are not academic, but most per-e
tinent and personal problems. We must feel thata
none but the most insensible and unconscious of 1
individuals could remain oblivious to the epochal s
events of the past few years. And yet, it would bet
presumptious to believe that any but a very small s
percentage of the student body is alert to such
matters.
For this reason, we are inclined to commend thet
intentions of those who are allied with liberal or-
ganizations on the campus, Their enthusiasm ando
interest in current issues contrasts with the indif-

ferent attitude of the average student. Whether orp
not one agrees with the principles that such or-
ganizations favor, our reaction should be !basedn
upon an equally sincere consideration of the issuesb
t
involved'- not, as too often happens, a cursory,
and prejudiced viewpoint.t
Thus we believe that campus liberal organiza- t
tions are in a position to be of inestimable value t
to the student boty if they choose; for the intelli-
gent presentation of the arguments for the causes
in which they believe will go a long way toward i
bringing students to a consideration of these prob-
lems. Such activity should be the justification for
their existence.as
These organizations, such as the Vanguard Club r
and the National Student League, however, have f
in many cases conducted their campaign for the, e
spread of their doctrines with poor judgment. A s
general unfavorable reaction to the activities of
such organizations is prompted by occasional out- s
breaks of exhibitionism and poor taste of which t
they have been guilty. We are of the opinion that a
a rational and intellectual appeal to the intelli- c

JL. 1111% ;; LJL avOLIL ;
AT THE LYDIA MENDELSSOHN:
"MEET MY SISTER"- A Review
By JOHN W. PRITCHARD
FOR HORSEY COMEDY it's hard to beat thi
play. "Meet My Sister" has neither the cast-
iron plot nor the satire of "Once in a Lifetime,'
but it uses practically every gag that has ever been
conceived, including the one about stepping on a
box while descending from a ladder; the situations
start at A and don't .quite reach Zymotic, but at
least get to Izzard; and throughout it is packed
with fast-thrown lines utterly unscrupulous in their
significance and relevance, but each one is guar-
anteed to get a laugh. It is, in fine, musical comedy
with continental atniosphere and New York adap-
tation, rolling in mirth without reason; If I were
to analyze (as I probably will, to some extent)
from a standpoint of dramatic license, I should
have to rate it low, but its entertainment value
is so high that it would be criminal to cavil about a
little thing like good art.
The music in this comedy is consistently good
theatrically, and there are at least two tunes which
have plenty of go as popular dance numbers. These
are "Always in My Heart," a tango, and the chan-
son "My Ideal," a fox-trot. On top of these are such
novelties as "Five Thousand Francs," "Look and
Love Is Here," and "The Devil May Care," the
first of which may have popular potentialities, and
all of which are good theatre; and the song "Meet
My Sister," which, of course, is unlikely to have
any particular appeal outside of the show, but is
good in its application. There are two singers in the
show, Walter Slezak (whose voice is pleasant, al-
though hardly musical), and Dorothy Vernon; and
the remainder of the vocalists chant quite nicely
without trying to strain their larynges at something
they can't do. No objection, in fact, can be made
to the music, except for the orchestra, which will
be dealt with later when I can control myself.
The plot (if you want to name it such): Eric
Molinar, a young professor (Mr. Slezak) and his
wife, the Countess Sainte La Verne (Miss Vernon)
are seeking a divorce. The play is his account of the
history of the divorce action - which involves his
entire love affair with the countess. She chases
him; he runs away to the town of Nancy to escape
her, for he believes that their respective social
stati bar him from thinking of her. She follows him
to Nancy, and, taking a position as a shoe clerk,
presents herself to him as her own sister. Mixed
up in the tangle are the Marquis de Chatelard,
her fiance (Pierre Watkin), and Irma, a saleslady
with extensive ideas quite unrelated to bootery
(Olive Olsen).
"Meet My Sister" is, of course, farce of the broad-
est kind; in consequence, the plot does not matter,
save to provide situations. What happens, there-
fore, is quite nonsensical. Let us mark up a few
generalities as credits to the production, before
checking the characters, who really made the show.
The scenery is ingenious: the same set is varied a
bit for the two acts, and a single additional piece
of furniture inserted for the prologue and epilogue;
it is stylized throughout. Direction is flawless. A
perfect realization of the futility of the comedy as
art has resulted in whole disregard of realism, and
every effort has been made to exaggerate the ex-
travagance of the comedy's foolishness: yet there
are, here and there, subtle transitions to Alice Blue
that just set off the funny business correctly.
Mr. Slezak is tremendous. A word should be
said about the Slezak technique, which generally
has been rather vaguely applauded. The man com-
prehends the limitations and possibilities of his
own personality, which is -cherubic, with a decided
tendency toward rubicundity. He thus plays up
and caricatures a certain species of engaging em-
barrassment: his gestures are wide but stiff, wood-
en-soldierish; he does unexpected pieces of busi-
ness with his hands and legs, all in this stilted,
circumscribed fashion; not a gesture is wasted,
each is correctly placed to emphasize a point. It is
almost a conservatively grotesque dance that he
presents. Meanwhile he smiles in vapid joy, and
superimposes upon all his liquid (and quite na-
ural) Teutonic accent. In this fashion he puts the
how in his pocket - although in places it is tem-
porarily pilfered by Miss Olsen.
For Miss Olsen clowns without scruple, and rocks
the house for 10 or 15 minutes at the beginning
of the second act. It is a specialty number that
was written for her by Gordon and Revel, authors

of "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?" and it
presents a disconnected series of mouthings of cor-
rupted stage lines (e.g., "Hell hath no fury like
a woman's corn!") which Miss Olsen delivers in the
midst of a bow-legged, hare-brained, hair-pin-
bend dance that nobody but a misanthropic under-
taker could fail to enjoy This specialty is so funny
hat it damages the show itself, forcing the actors
to strain themselves to keep what follows from
being boring by contrast.
Miss Vernon's lovely personality and excellent
high contralto furnished love interest and musical
nterest with great finesse. The orchestra crossed
her up on one sequence: I am almost calm now, so I
will get to that in a minute. Francis Compton-
scored against as a jealous butler with a dry wit.
Pierre Watkin proved himself a trouper by doing
full justice to a role which is not what one would
expect of Mr. Watkin; Clifford Dunstan, as a shoe-
store dialectician, clowns vigorously and well.
There is no reason, really, why an orchestra of
;ome capability could not have been engaged for
his show. The musicians are not bad, but they
and syncopation blend like oil and water. The
conductor, a fiddler, is a menace to the art of

Francoise .............. Ruth Chatterton
Paul .................Adolphe Menjou
This is an aftermath of silent movie trash. "Jour-
nal of a Crime" leaves a bad taste in the mouth
and produces the wish that nobody had ever in-
vented moving pictures. It even creates a feeling of
sympathy for Miss Chatterton and Mr. Menjou
for having had to lend what talents they have to
such an utterly rank melodrama. The crime that
the story deals with takes place during a rehearsal
of a musical comedy in Paris, the author of which
is the hero, Paul. His wife, Fancoise, has discov-
ered that he is devoting his attention to the leading
lady of the play, and rather than face the breaking
up of her home, she kills the lady. By coincidence
(the story overflows with coincidences), a bank
robber who has just murdered a teller, is in the vi-
cinity, and he takes the punishment for both
crimes. But Francoise cannot clear herself in her
own mind, especially since Paul happened upon
her revolver, which she had disposed of in a bucket
of water. Having been very much infatuated with
the other woman, he decides to let her wither
away until something happens - what, nobody
knows. Finally Francoise meets with another coin-
cidence. She is in an accident which erases her
memory entirely, solving all the difficulties, and
then the reconciled pair go to what seems to be
Italy to live happily ever after. What could anybody
do with a story like this? Ruth Chatterton's best
(and she does give her all) does not lift it out of
the gutter, nor does Adolphe Menjou's suavity,
although he does create a few much needed oases.
There are some fair photographic shots, although
most of the action seems to take place in the
dark. And some of the dresses worn by various
members of the cast are pleasing to the eye. But,
as a whole, "Journal of a Crime" offers nothing in
the way of entertainment that is worth walking
to the theatre to see.
If you do see it, however, don't let its bad ef-
fects keep you from seeing "The House of Roths-
child," which comes to the Michigan Sunday. Ac-
claimed as one of the best pictures of the year,
it will undoubtedly appeal not only to movie fans,
but to those who see only the exceptional pictures
with which Hollywood redeems herself every so
often. -C.B.C.
Collegiate Observer
By BUD BERNARD
One of the male students at the University of
Oregon, this last week, contemplated with deep
understanding the meaning of the phrase "Was
my face red!" A number of his prankish friends
had him elected the Junior Jamboree Queen. He
abdicated,in favor of the leading co-ed candidate.
He just couldn't take it.
* * * *
The interfraternity council at the University of
Wisconsin has adopted a plan with which the fra-
ternities must comply if they wish to be placed on
the accredited list.
The three main provisions of the plan are:
1. No house parties above the main floor.
2. No Hell Week.
3. The selection of a house counsellor for each
chapter, whose duties will include the enforcement
of the two preceding regulations and the supervi-
sion of the general academic and financial standing
of the fraternity.
A professor in a small Indiana college once
tested an English class, which insisted that
Edgar Guest was America's greatest poet, by
writing a poem similar to Guest's ayI asking
the glass to choose the best of the two. The
class chose the professor's work.
* * * *
A student at the University of California keeps a
collection of snakes and gila monsters in his room.
Many people on this campus have had similar col-
lections but they seemed to have vanished after a
few glasses of tomato juice.
* * * *
A portrait of Mae West was posted in a hall of
Columbia University as an advertisement for the
varsity show and the portrait attracted much at-
tention. However, the glass-paned bulletin board
got much more attention after some undergraduate
jimmied the lock, extracted the beautiful (?) pic-

ture, and tacked in its place a faded mezzotint of
the dean of women. Under the photograph a cap-
tion read, "With much love to the boys from
deanie."
Deliciously fantastic, and yet abounding in that
refreshingly human satire so characteristic of the
world's greatest poet, it provides a definite problem
of presentation.
Ann Arbor High School's Senior. Class is to be
commended, both for the depth of their interpreta-
tion, and the convincing zest with which they went
about it. There was the feeling that a great deal
of time and energy had been expended in the mas-
tering of diction so necessarily imperative in an
outdoor scene. There was a consistent smoothness
in the performance itself that belied any- minor
defects.
In his direction, Frederick O. Crandall displayed
a superior taste in the ensemble scenes. The whole
seemed a closely knit unit that functioned with
remarkable ease and fluidity. The effective use of a
long-rolling lawn with its tall graceful trees in the
background facilitated waits for scene shifts. The
foreground in one instance, was used during one
scene and then with no break in the action, the
next scene took place in the background. The use
of this natural double-stage effect, not only aided

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Hail and Farewell
Issue of the Gargoyle
On.Sale Monday
Designed to Please!
ReligiousActivities

First Methodist
Episcopal Church
A COMMUNITY CATHEDRAL
State and Washington
Ministers
Frederick B. Fisher
Peter F. Stair.
10:45 A.M. -- Morning Worship.
Sermon subject,
"Freud Analyzes Christ"
sermon by
DR. FISHER
s'JAI.KER JIAIJ
For University Students
6:00 - Serior Meeting at "The Mead-
ows." (meet at Stalker Hall at
5:30). Prof. Howard McClusky,
speaker, and Francis Ecnnett rep-
resenting the Seniors.

YOUR CHURCH
DIRECTORY
for your
CONVENIENCE

Zion Lutheran
Church
Washington St. at Fifth Ave.
E. C. Stellhorn, Pastor
9:00 A.M.-Bible School-- Topic:
"The Last Judgment"
10:30 A.M. -- Sermon:
"THE TRIUNE GOD
AND SAVING TRUTHS'"
11:30 A.M. - Holy Communion.
5:30 P.M. - Senior night with comp-
limentary supper by the Ladies
Aid Society of Zion Lutheran
church.

St. Paul's Lutheran
(Missouri Synod)
West Liberty and Third Sts,
9:30 A.M.--Sunday School and
Bible Class.
9:30 A.M. - Service in German.

DO NOT
N EGLECT
YOUR

The Fellowship of
Liberal Religion
(Unitarian)
State and Huron Streets

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