The Washington times., 1929-04-12
IGLEANINGS
SCREENINGS
BIZ ANDREW r. KELLEY

0O kAAE Wv WV oYAAAC VI Nb~
naughty words in 'Congai' and
the French musical comedy COM
pany at Polls slides by just like
a prayer meeting" reports our
confidential agent after a visit
there. Makes me laugh, cause
l know the meaning. Of all the
words. Pretty tobaseo, some of
them, but who am / to suggest
that the police know less about
the French dictionary than La
Vie Parisienhe :"
You must hand it to Texas
Guinan, empress of the night
clubs, who testifies her financial
intake from the after-midnight
parlor was not less than 100000
last year. This is the same
little girl who played the Strand
Theater, on Ninth Street, only a
very few years ago, when four
a day was the rule. Also Tex
confesses Warner Bros. paid
her $500 a week for her talk
ing picture feature, considerable
of a raise from the 5000 she re-
ceived as the feminine w. s.
Hart of the cheaper wild west
ern celluloids. Texas was mar
ried to a Boston cartoonist who
still works with his pen. And
she has never taken a drink Of
intoxicants in her life.
Producer Jed Harris has noti-
fled Helen Hayes that Co
quette" will be sent out for a
third season. Helen is not en-
thusiastic; in fact, she is eager
for a. new play and every pro-
ducer on Broadway would like
the job of pleasing her.
Emil Jannings, great actor
that he is, appears to be the
first important victim of the
talkies. Possibly it is too early
to call him a victim, but there
are indications that when he
gets back to Germany he may
stay there. Herr Jannings
made pictures which inspired
critical raves but were not box
office sensations. "The Pa
triot," for example, can show
more favorable printed words
than any feature ever made by
Paramount but it will not rate
high as a financial winner.
There was talk of Jannings
making ''The Concert" as a talk
ing film. This once served Leo
Ditrichstein as a play. AS he
departs for the Fatherland the
announcements about 1.-The Con-
cert" have been forgotten.
What does Hollywood care
about the stage failures I? Moth
ing at all. John Gilbert's next
feature will be Ferenc Molnar's
play Olympia" The adapta-
tion will be made by Laurence
Stallings. Olympia" which
debuted here at the Belasco
Theater last fall, was one of
Producer Gilbert Miller's dismal
failures.
A Spanish shawl and tuxedo
opening is planned by Universal
Pictures for the premiere OF
Show Boat" which relights the
Rialto Theater, on the night 0f
April %. Florenz Ziegfeld and
Billie Burke, Carl Laemmle, and
a special Pullman train of mo-
tables are coming down from
Broadway and the invitation lisS
of Washington's distinguished
is long and imposing. The pre-
miere tariff will be 81 a seat,
but after the opening has be-
come history the Universal spe-
cial will play at the regulation
Rialto Theater prices.
Mr.. Ziegfeld and Mr.. LaemmIs
are now planning together on
the successful exploitation of
the Edna Ferber film which in
cludes many of Ziggy's high
priced stars in the prologue. A
year ago they were both con-
sulting lawyers over the talking
rights. Then occurred the most
expensive long distance tele-
phone exchange of conversation
on record. 1t was between Hol-
lywood and Palm Beach and
when it was over "Show Boat"
was given every assistance in
production by the Broadway
Glorifier. He cuts on the profits
Harry Riechenbach, the 81 900
a-week press agent for Uni
versal, is now engaged in pub
licizing the Broadway opening
at the Globe Theater next week,
while Corbin Shield mans the
publicity siege guns for Wash
ington.
Here's a knotty legal problem
that Washington barrister has
referred to Overload Will Hays
of the movies: 1t seems there
is a stage actor, not so we'll
known, who felt certain he could
make good in talking pictures.
On Pullman from Washington
to Chicago he had the good
fortune to engage a Hollywood
fillum magnate in conversation
and confided his ambition. The
flicker chief was not impressed,
so the actor made him a SPORT
inn T1rnnoS;R;on HVSII