The New York herald., 1921-10-30
ll|laYs.
DID YOUHEAR-!
That Mr.. Shubert Wants to
Get Theatre Prices Down and
About Hollywood Etiquette?
BY LUcIEN cLEvEs.

10 toward tf6 LueaITeS IHlS 6edSOus
and indeed toward all forms of amuse-
ments.
''It is my conviction" he said to the
reporter Of THE NEW York HERALD.
that the price Of diversion must be
lowered as much as possible In ac-
cordance with the high standards that
prevail everywhere In the American
theatre. There is an entirely obvious
unwillingness on the part Of the pub
lie this year to spend money on the
| theatres, or indeed on any OF its pleas
ures. There are, of course, many pos
sible explanations for this state of
mind.
But It does exist. So it is the busi-
ness of the theatre managers to make
allowances for 1t. have decided
therefore to keep down prices as low
as we can and yet maintain the Shu-
bert criterion. 1 am seeking in every
way to make the price scale adapted
to the needs, or at all events. the dis
position OF the public. think that
| olly in such way may the people be
once more brought back into the habit
| OF going to theatres as they have been
| during recent seasons. Luckily we
| have our chain Of vaudeville theatres,
| which Is able to meet this new mood
! Of the public on one side. But l am
not content with only this kind of
| diversion and am extending my efforts
to every branch Of our enterprises"
Tho Buffers Views.
The nephew Of the bishop. who had
gone out West to elevSte the movies for
a consideration, was at once regarded as
| an authority on social usage. He was
called upon to settle many knotty prob
| lens which vexed the directors None
was more complicated for them than the
| arrangement Of the guests at the modlsh
| dinner party Whom did the host take
| in? On whose arm should the hostess
enter the dining room? How were the
| guests OF honor disposed about the board
Of the millionaire? The fashionable re-
cruit rose valiantly to the occasion He
told them from all the wealth OF his
experience In the great world Just how
and when and whom. The director, ap-
| parently tanned at last. listened and
| took notes.
At last the rebellious movies had de-
| ferred to something else than the SOW
ereign rule of one of it's own little manda-
rine. Society had given it's cooperation
to art or science or whatever the cinema
happens to be- Something was going to
| be done right at last. Social usage was
not to be as grotesque as 1t usually a
on the screen.
| Tho next morning the arbiter OF
manner arrived at the studio. There
| was none of the respect which had at
tended thickly his departure the night
before. Indeed the director barely
nodded at him. and he had settled all
the difficult questions for them
| You know. you was all wrong about
that dinner party stuff" said the director
when he finally conscended to speak
| IT'S good thing we didn't shoot any
pictures on that bull. We got the real
dope. however. Now we know how a
dinner party really ought to look.
What was" started gasp the aston
ished nephew OF the bishop. What"
"oh." continued tho director, I'VE
Just found man that knew. That was
all. Last night talked with Douglas
Fairbanks's butler, and he put ue wise
But you. boy: why you was all wrong I"
Music Had Its Charms.
While the managers are complaining
| that there Is something lacking Of per-
fecton In the public support SO far this
season the impresarios of musical
events are. on the other hand, looking
upon them as rather fortunate men.
| They consider that the beginning OF the
musical year has been much more dis
| couraging. Indeed, the reports from, the
cities outside New York are enough to
prove disquieting to the metropolitan
! agents who send their artists over the
| country.
In New York the majority of concert
givers expect nothing more than the on
portunity OF appearing before the pub
lie OF the largest city OF the country.
| They make their money outside the
| city. When audiences In these PAGES
fail to turn up, why the outlook is. TO
, say the least. dlscouraging. Such has
been the attitude OF the public outside
New York this season. Nothing has I'M
pressed the coyness of the public in the
matter OF music so strongly on the New;
YORK managers as the frequent cancel
iations Of concerts already booked A
considerable percentage of concerts AL
ready arranged for have been given IN
as the date approached merely because
the paying public failed to indicate any
interest In them.
Mr.. Davenport's Way.
Harry Davenport has q perfectly well
thought out plan for improving the
standard OF dramatic performances
which he has so far been unable to I'M
| p'SSS oi tHo tnchIEe managers. Even
John Golden, who gave him the leading
role In Thank YOU" has not vet IN.
stalled this sure fire method of making
performances Just as good AZ thew
might be. although Mr.. Davenport has
talked so much about his scheme that
tho actors are expecting to be called
| any day to the Longacre Theatre
| Il think a moving picture made OF
every scene In q play would be of In
estinable advantage in improving the
representation" he said the other day.
| and the cost TO n manager would be
trivial by having every scene photo
| graphed and thrown on the screen the
players could In this way tell every
point In which their acting failed TO
come UP TO the standard of their ambi-
tlons. They could see every gesture and
every expression that was wrong, SO re-
lcntless is tho camera In revealing tho
actors minuteiy.
by showing this picture at intervals
TO the company IL would be possible TO
! tone UP the performance. Little tricks
or omissions that had crept In during
the run could readily be observed and
| corrected. The second companies could
be trained from this picture. In other
words Il would be cheap method OF
keeping UP the standard to the highest
mark. But somehow / have never been
| able TO make a manager see the advan-
tnge OF the idea"
"DEAR ME" In THE BRONX.