The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-01-20
GODS OF GALLERY
BACK ON RiALTO,
MUSES. MINTYRE
Return to Legitimate
Theater After Long
Stay at Movies.
Bv o. O. M'INTYRE.

NEW YORK. Jan. 19.-Thoughts
while strolIins around New York: A
blizzardy day Somewhere big
driftwood fire is cracking. And l
stand dumhly with the herd walt
ing for a tiny traffi: light to blink.
Gagged in by sullen towers of steel.
John Drew wearing a checkered
black and white collar. An ancient
Jew humming ELI. ELL" The trip
ping racket of stone drillers.
The lighthouse where the blind
go to he entertained. theme for
an epic. The Racquet Club. Ca
daverous faces Dark oak panel
inGs. Lustral chandeliers. And
gloomy upper-class servants with
ears cupped for scandal. An Apollo
in tweeds. Flying a big, red mus
tache.
Too much snobbery around here.
Ill go few blocks east where the
boys shave the back of their necks.
And eat soup with an echo. Scared
Furnished Room" signs on every
door. Milk bottles and grocery
packages line the windows. And
the janitors have disarming smiles.
Gloomy notion stores with own
ers noddinS near the windows. I'll
buy button. And sew II on my
self to make my wife think I'm neg
lected. Trucr drivers with deep
barrelled chests mounting good
natured epithets while waiting for
pay checks.
Dancing academies and movies
with thrills. once aboard the lug
gar and the gal is mine!'-and all
that sort Of thing. Lolly-pop SUCK
ing children with smeared harpy
faces. The cellar coal and kindling
dealers always use their first names.
Such as Joe and Mike. Reminds me
the biggest coal dealer in New York
Is named Burns.
The shopping district of Thirty
fourth street. Limousines three
rows deep. Chauffeurs robed In
furs and stealing puffs at their
cigarettes. Women with nerves
rubbed raw barterinS for silks ana
satins. There's something novel. A
window flled with buggy whips.
Giddap Napoleon,
1t has been discovered that a ma
can live in Forest Hills, L. l., work
in the financial district. dine in the
Hotel Commodore. shop in Wanna
makers. dance at the Pennsylvania,
20 to any one of five banks and
transact all his town business with
out going outdoors. Sounds nice
but the trick in IL is having to live
at Forest Hills.
The gallery god reigns again
along the Rialto. He has come back
TO roost and roar in the top balcony
of the regular theaters. Since the
advent of the motion picture there
has been a steady falling off in
gallery gods" They are the life
of the theater's finance. Without n
top-heavy house n shw may sue
coed. 1t was easy to see why they
forsook the spoken drama for tn,
silent thrills-thcy got better seats
why they have returned to the
legitimate theater is not made plain.
Unless perhaps they have grown
Tired of the celluloid drama.
In one of those soulful poet moods
from eating onions or something, D
crashed through the Gordon of traf-
fic at the wrong time at Fifth ave-
iue and Forty-second street mirac-
ulously avoiding taxicabs and was
in the middle of the street when .
felt a tug at my collar and was
waited curbward. A glowering cop
stood over me. My impulse was to
call him big, hulking brute" but
he was smaller than l. So l asked
him for match.