The Washington times., 1922-10-23
Greatest Throng
Storms Columbia
For Admittance
,y CALDWELL PARKER.

vvyHATEvER part Of Washing
W. ton Is represented by ttfty
" times the capacity z OF
Loew's Columbia theater, yester.
day fought. pushed and swirled
In solid mass for the chance to
see when Knighthood Was In
Flower" II was q crowd that
drew the attention-possibly. the
ire--of the police and Manager
Mark Gates had no other alter.
native than open the doors OF
the theater a half hour earlier
than scheduled.
The doors opened at 3 o'clock
SundAdy afternoon for the Wash.
inston premier of the wonder
film. The performance did not
begin until 8 o'clock but fifteen
minutes after the stampede be.
gan there wasn't a seat left in
the house. Nearly an hour 10
wait but few were unprepared.
something happened that IL un.
usual In motion picture history
and not so very usual In great AZ.
fractions on the speaking sra re
newspapers, magazines and books
were. produced from sundry re-
cesses and the audience settled
nack with Its Sunday supplements
ana defiSd the long walt ahead.
me reward was ample. t.';I .
-FOUR distinct times yesterday.
ihe long lines outside the theater
lnterfered with traffic. As early
as sunday noon the crowds bags n
20 gather. One man who came
from out of town stormed into
manager Gates office.
was told by your office this
morning the doors would mot hs
opened until 2:30, and on return.
Jing at 2 o'clock I find the house
sold out" he protested. He was
pacltied only by being smuggled
through the side entrance, throueh
the orchestra pit and given an az.
ira chair in a box
managers ano producers of
spoken drama saw in the sureine
crowds at the theater doors a
s.8nificance that set them think
ing the motion picture was no
longer In Its infancy, but had risen
suddenly to towering height.
great In Its inherent strength and
beauty, greater In the power II
was welding over the public mind.
Elsewhere you may read OF
When Knighthood Was In Flow
err from a critical viewpoint. Let
1t be said here that II the specta.
tors came to criticize, they re-
mained to cheer. From the gor-
geous opening scene in which
Marion Davies. the Princess Mary
Tudor, is rowed in a garlanded
barge to the field OF her birth.
day party, through the thrilling
tournament, through the meet
ing with Charles Brandon, through
the court of Henry VIII. and all
the vibrantly romantic scenes
that follow. the picture was ad-
judged beyond comparison.
There We're outbursts of ap-
proval often. but there were pc
RODS of silence even more eloquent
as the spectators watched with
awe the beauty of the production
unfold. and the finely developed
story OF life and love everlasting
plumbed their hearts. Unstinted
approval was accorded the match.
less work Of Miss Davies. as the
madcap princess, who tossed away
a crown to marry the soldier who
had won her heart in the tourna.
ment. The splendid support given
by the cast. In which virtually
every member was a star, came in
for commendation. But over and
above all bestowal Of glory among
Northumberland there was plenty
to go round-was the outspoken
declaration heard hundreds of
times that When Knighthood
Was in Flower" represents the
supreme achievement Of the mo-
tion-picture art.