New Britain herald., 1928-03-05
J. 5. ACTRESS NOT
 ALLOWED IN LONDON
But British Stars Do Their
 Stuff Here

New York. Mar. 5.-Broadway,
 which has let millions of its star spangled dollars drop indiscrimi-
 nately into the pockets of visiting
 performers from other lands, has begun to wonder about the possi- biIity of getting along without im- portations.
 This train of thought was set Eo- ing when the British Ministry of Labor decided that while the whole ! world might be a stage, it's actors had to be home talent The ministry refused recently to allow Alden Gay, an American actress, to appear in a London production. On the following Sunday morning. the London Week. ly Dispatch expressed the apparent attitude of the ministry when it said: Art may be interna tional, but l unemployment is peculiarly British" The article carried headline: Too Many Aliens on Our Stage" and while no nationalities were specified, the remark obviously was address, cd 10 Americans, The article com plained that last year. 1s49 foreign artists were considered capable of work which no Britisher could do," adding this would be funny if it 1 were not so serious.
 Here's the Trouble, Maybe
 A check on Broadway figures in dlcates that if Lcndon suffers from a scarcity of good British perform CTS. the trouble may be that they're all Ill America. Data gathered by | he Actors Equity Association. which now is attempting 3 peaceful solu- ton of 3 ,lellcate problem, indicate that not many months ago all of goo English performers were in our n1idst--not including lecturers, The wisecrackers of the ''dizzy highway long since created the line that any Enslishman who could speak above d whisper was on an American lecture tour, Many of them. incidentally, knock America when they get back home.
 Insofar as Brca dway is concern el 2. large percentage of the most popular leading men and women are, and have been. British While London spurns 3. more or-less ob- scure lass from Broadway, some of the highest salaries and leading reputa tlons are enjoyed by such per formers S Beatrice Lillie, otherwise Lady Peele, and Gertrude Lawrence and Haldee Wright, all London ocmediennes; George Arliss, who has been an American fayor1te for years on end; Leslie Howard and Bruce NcRse, Sir Guy Standing. Noel Coward, and great list Of others
 Coward arrived ln America a, few years ago with couple nf plays and left a couple of seasons later With a gorgeous car and 8 sufficient fortune to live in ease Michael Ar len came over with green hat and left nltl, 2. gold plated chareau,
 Good spnrtsmansh;p Slipe
 4 study of international theater conditions shows that, within the past two years the American brand of entertainment has sirdled the world. Europe. depressed and des- pcndent after the war, found the hy-rroducts of la1. 2 needed tonic, While the native sons went into de- cl1ne, the American harvesters left their crop on the doersters Of the world
 Seemingly the traditional English good srortsn' 7nshlr took little slip when thus challenged Al any rate Miss Alden Gay, whose name ras but little known 70 the bright lights, finds herself in the international spotlight And the Actors Enu,ty has sent 3 very comprehensive question na1re to the American Consulate st London concerning the status cf American actors trying to get Lon don cngag"m ants.
 As vet the Equity has not eonsld- cred what steps might be taken tn reprisal. but wore English players to be banned here there would be voids in half the Broadway produc:ions--and equally gaping voids in a lot of British purses.