The Washington times., 1928-11-10
ANINGS
SCREENINGS
And
BY ANDREW KELLEY

and the closing of Kelth's The
ater, with the performance today
serves to emphasize how the mo-
tion picture has revolutionized
the busines of amusing the
American public.
The type of entertainment
originated and developed by
Benjamin F. Keith had a phe-
norlenal growth, prospered amaz-
ingly in its own field, engaged
in q number of costly but vic
torious wars with envious
Broadway rivals who sought to
encroach on vaudeville terri
tory and then was gradually
pushed into the background by
the steady and persistent prog
ress of the motion picture and
the erection of the modern film
cathedrals with huge capacities.
William Morris, Percy Will
liams and the Shuberts were
showmen with tremendous re-
sources and years of experience
who tried unsuccessfully to
break the Keith dominance of
vaudeville and lost huge for
tunes in the effort. The big
picture houses, with seating
capacities enabling them to OUT
bid the entrehched two-a-day
agents, produced check books
and contracts and performers
believed bound inseparately to
the Keith organization hoped
over to the cinema opposition,
The late Nora Bayes listened to
the Shubert agents when that
organization challenged the rule
Of Keith. Miss Bayes was won
by a $4,000 a week contract
to sing twice day. 1t was al
most double what she had been
receiving for vaudeville and
musical comedy appearances.
Marcus Loew offered her $1,000
a week to sing four times a
day in his theaters. She ac-
cepted. Clark & Mccullough,
Eddie Cantor, AL Jolson, Van &
Schenck, Gilda Gray, the Dun
can Sisters, Jack Dempsey,
Paul Whiteman's Band, Vincent
Lopez orchestra, the Four Marx
Brothers, Ruth Elder, Pat
Rooney & Marion Bent-the list
of headliners could be strung
out for pages--all overcame an
tipathy to appearing four times
q day when the financial in
ducements were made sufficiently
alluring.
Under the conditions which
ruled for a generation the only
field for these entertainers apart
from musical comedies had been
the two-a-day route. The pic
ture house contracts with their
fat figures opened new source
of revenue to the performer.
With edifices seating $500 up
to 5000 or more, the film man.
ayers were able to meet and
raise any opposition in the bat
tie for a headline signature.
Roxy propositione6 Col. Lind
bergh, Galli-C Curci, John McCor-
mack and Fritz Kreisler to ap-
pear in his theater at various
times. Of course, for obvious
reasons, he didn't get any of
these notables. But the cold
facts are that he could have
paid a kingly wage for their
services and made money on
the engagements.
Against the new opposition
the Keith organization fought
vaIiantly but the vaudeville
books were stripped of name
after name. Standard two-a day
acts which had played only
Keith time for season after
season were found headlining in
four-a-Gay movie houses. Vita
phone and Movietone came into
the field and began bidding for
comedy acts to make sound pic
lures. Metro-Goldwyn and Uni
versal Joined the ranks of those
seeking high-class stage enter
tainers. And there was always
present Florenz Ziegfeld. the
Shuberts, Dillingham;, George
White, Earl Carroll and a horde
of musical comedy and revue
producers ready to snap up any
exceptional talent developed or
discovered in the vaudeville
houses. Harrassed by such a
vigorous and financially forti-
fled opposition, vaudeville has
been compelled to yield ground.
The new Radio Corporation
of American-Keith-F. B. 0. alli-
ance may restore the two-a-day
to its former brilliancy. New
blood, unlimited capital, finan-
cial geniuses and expert show
men are aligned with the hold
ing corporation which controls
hundreds of theaters, two mo-
tion picture companies and the
greatest radio business in the
world. When these forces are
finally mobilized for action look
for something interesting to
happen.
Many will lament the passing
of Keith's as vaudeville
house. / think it has enter
tanned more of the nations
great than any theater on the
Keith circuit. Presidents, Dip
lomats, statesmen and world dig
nitaries have found diversion at
Fifteenth and G Streets. But
lie tho fopoouS poctnu Koifh