Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-19
FLASHES
IRON all appearances. Wash
- ington is going talkie." The
Midsummer madness of the

N@NSANA s-AA e&kbN(SA oAAACSA w SaoAl
- ington Is going talkie." TIL
Midsummer madness of tn
movie magnateS has Sprea
at an alarming rate, and now tn
exhibitors. one by one or in chair
groups, are going in for noise
and more noise. Where it Wi
lead no one seems to know-leaS
of all, the exhibitors themselves
1t is an experiment which may b
costly one, or it may turn out t,
be the really big thing of the grea
photoplay industry
The Palace Theater has in
stalled equipment for the Sount
pictures. and this week it is pre-
@enting the Fox Movietone as tn,
inaugural feature. The theatel
does not intend to go in for The
sound pictures altogether, but ar
rangementS have been made fol
the production of musical scores
the sound news reels. etc.
Following along the same line
the Columbia will have sound pro-
auctions, beginning about The
middle Of September. With the
rage Tor elaborate stage preSenta-
tl2nS. this particular theater held
TO straight pictures" and appro-
PIRATE music, and the sound pic
lures will be a real innovation.
The Metropolitan was the first
Of the local theaterS to put in the
sound equipment, and this theater
during the Fall and Winter will be
one of the leaders in the exhibi-
ton Of such productions. And it
is quite probable that other Wash
ington theaterS will put in sound
equipment. although the suburban
houses will wait until a later
6ate-until the pictures and their
productions get beyond an expert
mental stage
*
WHILE in most cities the le-
Ultimate theaters are being
turned into movie houses. the
Washington managers are not
making such steps. Announce
ment is made that the Gayety is
moving to the Strand-the old
Academy of MuSic-where the
Columbia Mutual burleSque will
be produced. The opening attrac-
ton viii be Hello, Paree," the
curtain going up on the first per-
Torrance Saturday evening.
Through a consolidation of the
Columbia and Mutual burleSQue
wheels, arrangements have been
made to use Is Of the best shows
from each wheel, and these will
play one-week stands in the prin-
cipal cities. Hello, Paree." which
opens the Washington burleSque
season, is a new production, and
all the rehearSalS will be held here
this week.
AT the former location of the
Gayety, on Ninth street, stock bur-
leSque will be the attraction. A
chain organization is sending
capable company to Washington,
and a different show will be staged
each week.
THE producers Of stage attrac-
tons have been watching the
sound movie arrangements. and
now they throw a bombShell into
the Hollywood camp by annoumc-
ing that they may transfer their
stage plays into talking pictures
for Nation wide distribution on
their own account.
This certainly injectS a new and
difficult problem into photoplay
matters, which are already in a
tangled mass. The scheme is de-
vised by Al Woods, William A.
Brady and the Shubert organiza-
ton: and Woods, commenting
upon. the plan, is enthusiastic
about the future Of talking pic
lures. He says his Investigations
have led him to believe that the
public, as well as the owners of
motion picture theaters, want
plays with the spoken words more
than any other type Of screen en-
tertainment. He is impressed
with the practicability of Vocaf1lm
as medium for Synchronized
presentation.
The big feature of the plan of
the stage producers will be ito
stem the raid that Is now being
made by the prominent picture
companies upon the ranks of
actors and actresses Of the spoken
drama"
Members of the Actors Equity
Association have been warned not
70 act for talking pictures until
the Equity regulations are agreed
upon. Arthur Hammerstein, pres
ident Of the Protective Managers
Association, which holds 10-year
contract with Equity, holds that
the latter organization "Sets down
laws for the legitimate theater
the musical theater and the re-
views, and that when it comes to
making films, matters are out Of
the control Of Equity" However,
this matter will probably be set
tied by conference within the next
few weeks.
THE charge has been made that
politics took a hand in the
censorship of The Racket" in
some cities. The picture was pro-
duced by Caddo Productions, and
the president Of the organization,
Howard Hughes, announces that
he is planning campaign against
censorship. f'The Racket" took a
sharp thrust at corrupt political
systems and is said to have
aroused the hostility of several
city governments, where the CEN
sors used very sharp scissors in
cutting the film before it was ex-
posed TO the public gaze.
- -
4 MOTHER worry for tha f1lI
men is the bill seeking 70 Gre
ate a commission TO control thu
picture industry, sponsored b.
E1nnnYa EaGe1 reform Grmc 1ttrei