The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1929-05-20
|GLEANINGS
SCREENINGS
AND
By ANDREW r. KELLEY

limericks still flourishes, On
Saturday these columns con-
tanned a four-line jingle with
the missing line to be supplied.
1t was a composition by the we'll
known poet, II. Wayne Phillips,
who, in odd moments, blows a
loud bugle for the National
Players.
Most of the answers disclose
that the George McManus car
toon character, Jiggs, was the
first aid to the limerick writer's.
The correspondence is being
scanned, and the winners will be
published tomorrow, unless the
late mail completely swamps Us.
"Thru Different Eyes," at
the Fox Theater, is a corking
example of how a murder trial
can be filmed to get away from
the conventional. It is simple
enough in method. You see:
a. How the prosecution claims
the crime happened; (2) How
the defense contends the tragedy
was brought about; 81 A con-
fession disclosing what actually
did happen.
The big disappointment for
one who expected much was the
film debut of Sylvia Sydney.
This child of Broadway has been
heralded far and wide as one of
future great actresses. She is a
graduate of the, Theater Guild
school and has revealed such
promise in her stage roles that
every producer has sought her
services. In "Thru Different
Eyes" she has an ingenue emo
tional part and does absolutely
nothing to indicate she is above
the average stock artist. Which
may explain why she is back on
Broadway.
1t seems to be my luck to
never hear the comedy of
Stephen Fetchit. The sound pro-
lection at the first Saturday
show was weak and ineffective
from a vantage point in the
second row, and the comedy of
the ebony comic was lost as
result.
The Hollywood branch of the
Actors Equity Association cites
an instance Of the studio routine
which stimulates the organizers
to round up the screen mines:
"Not that we pretend that the
following is typical, but we
carefully checked up one actors
day:
SO a. m.-Ready and made up.
$3.50 to 1870 a. .n.-In bath
ing costume on a cold January
day, in and out of a water tank
for two hours.
$3.50 to $50 p. MIN dress
clothes in a scene with many
extras, with a mass of mean
descent lights all around; the
heat terrific.
$3.50 p. m. to $3.50 a. MIN
dress clothes and overcoat, in
pouring rain (artificial, of
| corrrsel.
"a to $50 a. MN a scene
with extras.
"The hours total 21h. Not
the easy way to make money
it's cracked up to be.
"Some actors tell US that they
have worked night after night
until 8, 9 or 10 o'clock. including
Sundays"
Lee Somers postcards from
Napoli that Athens is the next
stop in the between seasons
European jaunt of q neighbor
editor
If the Fox Movietone Follies
is half as good as entertainment
as the writer of superlatives for
the screen trailer intimates,
what a picture it will be? And
if the writer of said trailer
never had a job as a circus
barker then where did he learn
to write like one?
In the adjoining column will
be found an appraisal of Mary
Pickford's effort in her first
grown-up, curlless and talking
picture. It was written by an
astute reviewer who did not see
"Coquette" as a play and conse-
quently brought to the Columbia
Theater an impartial and I'M
prejudiced faculty for observa-
ton and hearing unmarried by
memories of the Helen Hayes
Interpretation of Norma Besant.
With some Of the changes in
the play I am in violent dis
agreement-but more about that
at later date.
Eugene O'Neill was asked by
one of the more progressive
Hollywood producers to name his
own terms to write a dialogue
feature. From across the broad
Atlantic came this brief cable
gram: mo. no, no. Eugene
| O'Neill."
Eddie Cantor, who is prepar-
ing to retire after "Whoopee, +"
has rung down final curtain
which may not be for two more
seasons-is evidently irked at
Mr.. Ziegfeld's determination to
/ ..aoonnl;nn h;n talnxatn and 70