The Washington times., 1929-05-11
GLEANINGSI
GS KEEPING TEATERS
AND
SCREENINGS
By ANDREW r. KELLEY


scale of prices for the showing
of "The Desert Song" first
operetta to be brought to the.
screen. At that the singing spe-
cial is showing at a bargain
price, the New York scale at
the Warner Theater being So.
Carlotta King who sings the
leading role in desert Song"
has been loaned to Metro Gold
wyn to warble and play as the
star of "Rose Marie" the Ham
merstein operetta now being
made in the sound version.
John Mccormack insisted that
the Irish background for his
first moving picture be the
genuine Erin before he attached
his signature. Also the con-
tract makes him the sole judge
as to whether his singing voice
registers satisfactorily. It must
record 100 per cent before the
feature can be released.
The singer will not cancel
all of his concert engagements
as at first reported. For these
he receives $4,000 flat guarantee
for less than two hours of sing
ing. The contract with Fox as
sured him $500,000 whether the
picture is a success or q failure
but if it clicks as expected, there
is a clause providing for shar-
ing arrangement which will
bring his earnings close to
$1,000,000. In cold cash it is
the biggest contract ever made
for a single motion picture.
Two-a-day vaudeville expects
q great comeback and Washing
ton is one of the cities listed for
a revival of the variety pro-
grams next season. The new
B. F. Keith Memorial Theater
in Boston goes on q two-a-day
policy tomorrow with Jack
Donahue scheduled to be the
star of the opening big-time
bill.
Keith officials are counting
upon the passing Of the revue
units in the big movie houses,
the prediction being that the
Loew theaters and Publix
houses, except in a few stands,
will feature an all-screen pro-
gram with musical trimmings.
Loew officials deny they will re-
place the unit shows and insist
they will continue throughout
the summer.
At least two regular readers
Of this column ask a correction
that John Gilbert faced the par
son but once before his alliance
with Ina Claire. Checking up
on the facts it seems that Mr..
Gilbert married Miss Olivia Bur-
well in 1918 when he was 21
years of age. Sk2 divorced him
in 1928 and he married Leatrice
Joy, who is the mother Of his
four-year-old daughter. I re-
fuse to enter a controversy on
the Ina Claire birthday date,
standing on Who's Who informa-
tion which must be officially
o. KID by the object Of the
biography. That volume gives
her age as 81 October Is,
1922 despite the 80 of the
marriage license. Who wants to
pillory Ina for a mistake like
this, anyway?
Joseph Anthony Atchison, the
Washington sculptor, has been
commissioned by the Messrs.
Shubert to model bas relief
of the late Sam Shubert, which
will be hung in an appropriate
spot in the Belasco Theater.
When the Shubert enterprises
were in the bud, it was Sam who
was the financial wizard behind
J. ]. and Lee in the fight to
break what was then called the
Theatrical Trust. Sam died just
as the brothers turned the road
on the highway Of prosperity.
Polls will complete q season
of 80 weeks tonight and lowers
the curtain until the late sum-
mer. In a season which has
been variously described as any
thing from fair to terrible the
Pennsylvania Avenue playhouse
has managed to turn in a tidy
profit. Only three dark weeks
were listed-the seven days be-
fore Christmas, Holy Week and
an October eclipse. This record,
strange to say, is better thar
the 1929 season which was
set down in the theater books
as bigger and brighter every
where than the one which is
passing.
Unless Uncle Sam becomes a
ten seconds man Polls will be
operating next season as usual.
Eventually it must go to make
way for building operations but
there are no signs Eventually"
will arrive until another year of
operation has become history.
Neither is there any substance
to the rumor that the Messrs.
Shubert have completed arrange
ments for the leasing of the
darkened Keith's.
Those who prefer to keep
abreast of the many merger
rumors can take it from Variety
that within a fortnight the