The Washington times., 1929-04-09
'GLEANINGS
AND
SCREENINGS
By. ANDREW R, KELLEY

HiSJOIy vi ONA~SU 1851 "SSn'
When the count-up of the first
seven days receipts was COM
pleted it was found that the
high mark for prosperity reg
istered by the last Rudolph
Valentino film, "Son Of the
Sheik," had fallen. MELODY"
surpassed it by close to $1,000.
without the benefit of the extra
Friday midnight showing at the
Columbia Theater.
At Thirteenth and F Streets
William Haines in "The Duke
Steps Out" regsined the box
office championship of the Pal
ace Theater. Haines in "West
Point" for nearly a year, held
the Palace top hole for weekly
receipts until Greta Garbo re-
Gently came along with wild
Orchids" Both films had the
benefit of a holiday to assist in
rolling up record figures. The
latest feature showing young
Mr.. Haines as an unsalted col
legiate recaptured the title with
out a tilted scale of prices at
the box office.
At the Fox Theater "Hearts
in Dixie" jumped the previous
weeks receipts by $1,000, and
at the Metropolitan TheateT
Corinne Griffith, il "The Divine
Lady," surpassed the closing
week of Weary River" by
fat $4,000.
All of which merely means
that Washington moviegoers
turned out in record numbers
Easter week.
When it was announced by
Arthur Hammerstein that he
proposed to have his next musl-
cal comedy orchestrated like a
sound film and dispense with
the pinochle players in the pit,
| yentured to predict it sounded
highly impractical. Now Florenz
Ziegfeld says about the same
thing in a Western Union from
Palm Beach.
What contri BUTTON" asks
Ziggy. "does Hammerstein think
he is making to the theater by
such an absurd plan? No real
artist would think of singing
with a mechanical instrument.
"The real charm of a per-
formance lies in its variety,
and to individualize art in this
manner will be absolutely inn
possible with a mechanical or
chestra. But perhaps he in
tends selling this half-canned
form of entertainment for IS
cents admission"
That last sounds like a brogan
aimed right at the cinemas.
The Rialto Theater, on Ninth
Street, will be reopened soon,
according to rumor, if the Mu-
sicians Union makes some con-
cessions. Universal Pictures,
lessee of the house, is said to be
anxious to exhibit "Show Boat"
and broadway" it's two special
pictures, there. Union regula-
tions call for II musicians at
the Rialto, and this number is
deemed excessive with the pres
ent vogue for synchronized pic
lures.
The Navy is getting touchy
about men in uniform being
filmed acquiring brannigans and
flirting in the gay places with
painted hussies. The official
protest has been lodged with
Will Hays, head of the Motion
Picture Producers and Distribu-
tors Association, and he will
pass it along to the members of
the Hollywood organization.
1t is friendly warning for
if the Navy wanted to be real
harsh there is a law providing
for $500 fine and six months
imprisonment for using uni
forms in any manner to bring
discredit on the service.
OF course the reproducing
apparatus of the Rivoli theater
in New York had to pick out
Friday night to have a tempera-
mental tantrum. 1t ruined the
premiere of Mary Pickford's
"Coquette" and a select $11
audience from Park Avenue and
environs served as victim for
the projection catastrophe.
The critics all thought the
Pickfcrd voice superb and her
acting top notch, but not a kind
word can be discovered for the
changes made by the scenario
writers in adapting the stage
play. If the play had been fol-
lowed Miss Pickford would
have ended a suicide. Instead
her father is the self slayer of
the picture.
"Did you notice" postcards
]. F. c., "that Sonny Boy
goes to sleep in one pair of
paiamas and wakes up in an
other kind?" To tell the truth,
no, and if so. what of it?
The play, "Congai," in which
Helen Menken is giving a super
lative performance at the
Belasco Theater this week, has
been barred by the movies
through Will Hayes edict.
Ae cording to Louella Parsons,
efforts were made to purchase
the screen right for Dolores Del