The Washington times., 1929-01-24
GLEANINGS
SCREEN INGS
By ANDREW Il KELLEY

Carl Laemfl1le OF Universal
used up $4,000 for long dis
tance telephone calls between
Palm Beach and Universal City,
Calf. When the extended con-
versations were completed
Ziggy said, go ahead and put
your sounds in "Show Boat
Zeigfeld gets $125,O0O cash
at once and a percentage ar
rangement which all hope will
eventually amount to $1,000
OOO. Mr.. Laemmle reasons the
friendly agreement is cheaper
than hiring high-priced lawyers.
Besides he has an "Abie" suit
for $3,O00,0O0 still in the courts.
An understanding sealed, Uni
versal's sound and camera ex-
perts will record Jules Bledsoe
singing "Old Man River" Helen
Morgan's Cant Help Lovib
That Man. and Aunt Jemima
leading a colored contingent in
chorals and madigrals.
"Show Boat" as a Universal
special cannot be shown on
Broadway until one week after
the Ziegfeld musical has COM
pleted its New York run.
Neither will it be shown in any
city where the Ziegfeld special
is booked until the stage run
is. completed.
You never can tell. Colby
Harriman's billet doux about
theater decorum started all
kinds of discussion. 1t seemed
sound AMI ifrefutable as an
argument--this proposal that
disapproval Of the stage enter
tainment should never be trans
posed into annoyance for the
customers in the neighboring
seats.
Still several dropped into our
passionately decorated head
quarters to observe that some
audible means Of disapproval
should be permissible in the
theater. | cannot agree. The
accepted system of applause or
withholding approval by silence,
it seems to me, answers all
good purposes. At least, have
never heard satisfactory sub
stitute proposed.
1t was Earle Dorsey who first
facetiously suggested that the
stalls ought to be permitted to
yell "Take Him Out" when
some hammy actor was boring
the multitude. This was in the
days when Mr.. Dorsey was a
trenchant and severe dramatic
critic. But he never persevered
as a crusader.
Absence of APPLAUSE is not
direct action" observes Charlie
Belt, who. speaks for more
liberal new order. It is, my
dear Charles, direct enough for
the manager and too direct for
the performer. Applied often it
soon removes from the scene the
entertainer who inspires other
than consistent approval.
In my career as a vaudeville
tub thumper / watched many
an act standing in the wings
waiting for bows that didn't
come and observing, my God,
don't they understand English
in this town."
Or perhaps an act which went,
well. not so good, tossing off
to the next on the bill: "A
bunch of Byrd's Esquimaux out
there, sitting on their hands. =
Generally the acts which
flopped blamed it on the audi
ence. "a little too speedy for
'en, or what they want IS bed
time stories 2 was the tenor of
the alibis.
Back Of it all was resentment
! over lack Of applause. The op-
portunity lost for stealing
bow or two. And the terrible
fear that if this indifference
became chronic, lay off weeks
would be the rule rather than
the exception.
Roxy announces he took in
$4,000 on Sunday and Monday
with ssIn Old Arizona, . after
turning away 10000 customers.
Being set for q few weeks, he
hies to Florida for ten days Of
golf.
Irving Cummings. who di-
rected this feature, Is coming
along fast as q megaphone eS-
pert and probably likes to for
get about the days when he
was stage actor.
But | recall when Monta Bell
brought him down to the old
Garrick Theater on F Street to
revive = waning stock company.
His salary was $500 week.
Washington was cold to Mr.
Cummings as guest star and
Impresario Bell lost money. It
was the last stage engagement
he played. the contract to direct
pictures being signed while he
was in Washington.
Lionel Atwill's run of the
play contract with Earl Carroll
has probably cost him a chance
to be a star in the talking pic
lures. Metro-GoIdwyn wanted
AtwiIl to play the lead in
Suderman's story, Stephen
Trumholt's Wife," which Clar-
ence Brown will direct under
the Hollywood title, Wonder Of
Women" But Lionel is tied in
definitely to 'Fioretta" with n
chance of release from Pro-
ducer Carroll, Between engage
aients Mr.. AtwiIl made a short