The Washington times., 1929-05-01
IGLEANINGS
-= AND :;'-
SCREENINGS
By ANDREW r. KELLEY

Now that the White House is
being. wired for the talkies
everybody seems to concede the
crying out loud movies are here
to stay except a few die hards,
such as Charlie Chaplin (bur-
dened with an English accent),
Wilford G. Beaton, of the Film
Spectator and, Of course, those
Hollywood actors and actresses
without pleasant screen voices.
Exhibitors in wired houses de-
mand the takers for box office
business is better right now
with fair chattering celklloid
feature than that which can be
attracted with a high-class silent
film.
Roxy this week had his pick
of a dozen good silent features
and turned them all down to
play an independent all talker
("The Donovan Affair"). Roxy
pays $500 a week for q feature
from an independent producer
but requires the lucky movie
magnate to spend the amount he
receives in rental for extra ad-
vertising. This compensates for
the prestige Of playing the
worlds largest theater. Our
own Fox Theater gets this cur
rent Roxy feature beginning
Saturday.
A business bulletin from
Ninth Street reports that the
Rialto Theater is enjoying rec
ord breaking receipts with
"Show Boat" and the Universal
Ziegfeld feature will be held
for a third week.
It bears out an observation
made in this department months
ago that given a first-class pro-
gram of the Hollywood product,
the Rialto can keep pace with
the leaders in the scramble for
Washington's movie business.
It is a roomy and comfortable
theater, thoroughly modern, well
managed and needs only good
entertainment to retain a profit
able patronage.
The Rialto will follow "Show
Boat" with Radio Pictures most
pretentious feature, "Syncopa-
ton" had the pleasure Of
viewing this special on a re-
cent Sabbath and can give it an
"a" rating. Besides exploiting
the famous Warnings Jazz Band,
it has Morton Downey, Barbara
Bennett and others to act out
its footlight story told with a
pleasing amount of singing
and dancing.
From the number of between
the act theater-goers l saw
scanning "Green R o m
Glimpses" at the National Thea
ter on Monday night, it is a fair
prediction that the innovation in
theatsr programs is a success.
Measured by the high quality of
reading matter which Editor
Phillips contrived to place within
its covers for the initial issue
the little booklet is worthy a
place on the library table.
Editor Phillips advises press
agents such as Sam Rubin, Leo
Pinkus and the Ginsburgs to
call themselves Flaherty and say
they come from Boston when
paying US a call. Then watch
the space they receive. Why
give away ira 1e secrets, Harold?
Still / can't be mad this rainy
May day. I carried the weak
ness to Pimlico yesterday and
bet $40 on Mrs. Hits Irish
Morn at $43.50. What a colleen
Which reminds me that Sam
Rubin jingled the phone to invite
this editor to a pre-view of
Gentlemen of the Press" given
for Washington newspaper men
at the Palace last night. "This,"
said Mr.. Rubin, "is really a
knockout of a picture. ! don't
mean a fight picture, just a
real good newspaper feature.
Worth sitting up to see."
Well, Mr.. Rubin is generally a
truthful man, so I viii disregard
the still photo which Head
Usher George Pearson deposited
on this desk yesterday. It
showed a worried reporter talk
ing, presumably to his city edi-
tor and the caption read: "Stop
the presses while / phone this
story" Sam says this is really
a libel on a great film, coming
to the Palace Saturday.
"Blossom Time" which is cur
rently on view at Polls Thea
ter, has made more money for
the Messrs. Shubert than any
production they have ever made.
Manager Bonneville goes further
and says it has made greater
profits than any musical
comedy or operetta ever pro-
duced. 1t fails to surpass
"Abie's Irish Rose" only be-
cause that drama cost less to
produce and operate than a
musical.
Blossom Time has been put
for eight seasons and will TOUR
again, beginning in September.
The Shuberts have been offered
a small fortune for the talking
rights to the Franz Schubert
operetta but the gossip of