The sun., 1916-11-12
BY JANE DIXON.

" THAT has become of the old
w fashioned first night when
the stage manager refused
to ring up until Diamond Jim" was
FIRMLY planted in a front row scat?
The old order passeth. So does the
old fashioned first night. II one may
Judge by some recent events. And Il,
may be admitted that the new order Of
frst night resembles the old In the
same degree as the debutante SLOUGH
resembles Grandmother's hustle.
The answer? The movies.
These same movies explain pretty
much everything in the way Of the.
atrical u%pheavals nowadays. II an
actor ome TO you and suggests the
price Of a ham sandwich he will con-
hde that he was brought to his pres
emit state OF financial wrcckage be-
cause he refused to lower his art to
h movies. II a playwright turned
out a fivver his friends will explain
he went stale grinding out ~po.boilcrs
for the movies. If a manager goes
broke he sank his money In the
movies. II an actress appears in a
new set of sables YOU can bet your
last thin dime she Is in tho moves.
Thus it is that we have n band new
type Of first night. the movies. Firing
on your bass drums, your sounding
bells and tinkling cymbals. Down
with the lights! Slow music! The
curtain is about to rise on the latest
billion dollar screen production Of our
latest billion dollar screen producer.
Operator. do your duty,
While the inside information. such
40 where the picture Will be shown a
year from next Friday and the cost
of the leading lady's wardrobe, : pre-"
ambling h play in letters OF fire on
a shadowy background. let us glance
about for echoes OF y%csternight. One
or two echoes. perhaps. and toat is
an.
II We were able TO see our hands
before our faces. we might find more.
but this is a movie. Everything must
be kept strictly mysterious. Not a
bad idea. either. rs YOU will discover
later. 1t preserves the atmosphere OF
the play. 1t does not compel the spec
tators to leap from a hail bedroom
where a dastardly murder has been
committed back into the glow AMI
glitter OF "A theatre with the orchestra
drumming the hit waltz from n re-
cen musical comedy. In the continued
n nAGl tho IIaaf Aro nap att han'r
and enjoy the murder in peace and
quiet.
But where, oh, where are those
blatant Bohcmians who used to sit in
the front row and show their Shout
ders to society IN the boxes? Whore
are the notables who swept down the
aisles at the psychological moment,
bowing to the right and to the left and
trying TO look as II the imitation in
their chest was natural? Where arc
the cleaning jewels, tho g~listening
silks, the glinting furs and furbelows?
Where Is the fearful death watch. sit
ting with stony stare and poised pen
ellis. waiting To write thumbs up or
thumbs down?
All there. no doubt. In the dark: but
~ uiitItht tldt 'lt iluSt tDII1TTnpu
flrst nightcr OF tho old school would
eve recognize them. Thus have the
mighty fallen.
Recently | was one OF several thou
sands who tried to crush into the OPEN
ing presentation of "a Daughter OF the
Gods" Miss Annette kcllermann, She
Of the perfect SO, was the daughter. 1t
had been noiscd about that Miss KEEL
lermann's wardrobe could he put in the
top tray of mcrmaid's steamer trunk.
Nor did this little item dampen the in
tcrest Of the regular first nighter In
the least.
On the evening in question 7 ~strolled
over to tho tncatr" expecting to seek a
~leisurely seat, Keeping "A sharp lookout
Tor celebrities the while. II was $50
o'clock, and Il mob was milling out In
front.
whats tho trouble? ! demanded
OF an excited citizen on the outer layer
OF the crowd. WHO'S been shot?
"Nobody's been shot" he hurled back
over his shoulder. MARY pickford jus,
went In, and they had to clear an aisle
for her through the crowd"
Now from IN" brilliantly lighted
lo'ly the raucous rolce OF uniformed