The Washington times., 1928-12-28
CLEAN INGS
SCREENINGS
By ANDREW r. KELLEY

should be beneficial to her pop
ularity. The roles assigned to
her in recent months are not
of a kind to increase her fan
public.
What A Night" her latest
Paramount, now at the Earle
Theater, is typical. 1t is one
of those ''stop-the-presses"
newspaper yarns, one moment
farcical, another serious, and
never in the ren1otest degree
convincing. AS though the
powers that be were in . guam
dary about making straight
comedy or a. rip-roaring farce.
So we have a feature that is a
little of everything and just
mediocre in entertainment
value.
Only in pictures, and some
times in plays, are mere re-
porters concerned with this
business of stopping the presses;
or, for that matter, starting
them. Most of them never enter
the magic realm of sn1udged
shirts and ink smells. And it
is surprising the little interest
these brawny sons of toll who
operate the modern printers
take in scoops or exclusive
stories. Once in lifetime,
Lindbergh feat may stir a
curiosity which cannot wait the
printed page. More often 11he
interest is in "Who won the
fifth at New Orleans?" or
What's the score?" Press
men are usually more absorbed
in sports happenings thar in
reportorial enterprise.
There may have been good
newspaper stories written for
the movies but they have
escaped this reviewer, and /
have a weakness for them.
Such a story as Ben Ames
Williams novel, "Splendor,"
might make. 1t has few
dramatic highlights to be sure,
but its atmosphere and its
characters are so true to the
Fourth Estate and the prosaic
life of an average newspaper
man, it reeks of real journalism.
| had high hopes that Director
Monta Bell, former Washing
ton newspaper executive, would
make the real first edition
movie, but MAN, Woman and
Sin" his best effort, was a
weak attempt.
The answer of the play
wrights and the scenario authors
is no drama exists in the
everyday conduct of a. we'll
managed newspaper or the life
of the conventional scribe. Thus
such amusing but exaggerated
types as those in "The Front
Page" become stage symbols of
Journalism. Truer types of
police reporters were in Bart
lett Cormack's "The Racket"
but that was essentially a crime
play.
| doubt whether the stage or
the movies ever conceived a
more dramatic tale than the
crushing of Publisher Cardenio
+. King by the late Thomas w.
Lawson. At some time in the
flnancier's colorful career,
King, who was stock promoter.
crossed the path of the Lawson
market operations. A violent
enmity was created.
King started a newspaper. and
what paper. He paid the
highest prices for editorial tai
ent and turned out as well-ed;ted
a daily as ever craved circula-
ton. 1t got readers galore, but
no advertising. The Lawson in
fluence was met on every hand
as hlndrance to progress. With
ready cash, Publisher King man
aged to issue daily for MANY
weeks. He had an Al staff
hard working, loyal, we'll paid
and talented.
One day King was caught in
the market. His credit was ex-
hausted. His cash was gone.
The paper suspended on 12
hours notice. With $4,000 bor-
rowed from his business man
ager and advisor, King gave his
staff a farewell dinner and to
each member a check for two
weeks pay.
Tried for stock manipulation.
King was convicted and sent to
Jail. After he had served some
months. his health was shat
tered. On the plea that he could
not live long, the governor
granted a pardon. 1t arrived at
the prison hospital 20 minutes
before he died. Too late to re-
move him from the. prison, but
he passed on knowing he was a
free man.
The drama of it was that to
the present day no member of
the King staff ever believes the
publisher was other than the un-
fortunate victim of a financial
war. They retained a faith in
him to the finish. The tireless
work, day and night, of mar
shaling the influence which
brought pardon was done as
labor of love by a mere re-
porter, who felt King got
tough break.
Of course, there was no
woman even remotely connected
with this real life story. and !
can imagine some Hollywood