Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-18
Local Stage and Screen.

TIME clamor and raspings and
issue from talkie apparatus,
even at this late day, are NO
more welcome TO theater man
ayers than they are to patrons. TO
walk into O theatGr from an ordinarily
noisy street and be assailed by voices
drous roars Of Thor seem like whisper
Of love has offended many screen
devotee, wavering between champion
ship and condemnation of the audible
pictures. Whatever the studio tech
nicians may do to obtain perfection OF
recording, 4 great deal still depends
upon reproduction in the theater itself,
and q constant surveillance ID necessary
to insure . smooth volume OF SOUND
during the showing Of the picture.
Too much sound in the music or the
dialogue is as offensive as too little; TO
strike an average which shall approx
mate naturalness, to graduate the vol
ume to the normally sensitive ear. Is
the combined duty OF the sound
Waterman" In the auditorium and the
projectionist in the machine booth TO
whom the Waterman signals his az
vices. The projectionist, beSet by the
noises of the apparatus itself, cannot
make an accurate gauge Of the SOUND
In the auditorium, but must depend
upon his co-operator, who takes his po-
sition in various parts OF the mouse
during the show and indicates the need
of regulation in volume when regula-
ton is necessary.
At most of the Washington theaters
the house manager Is the Waterman
and he Is responsible Tor the proper
the disk method of sound recording and
reproduction, the disk needle becomes
LODGED in one groove (as in phono-
graph causing the same speech to be
repeated until the needle Is dislodged.
Occasionally, too, In the "sound-on-
film" apparatus the fllm breaks, break
ing the sound as well as the pnotog-
raphy. A hurried patching.up Is the
only solution here. At one OF the inca
tiers last week there was q hai1-nour
stretch of silence in n dialogue MIN,
while seven reasearch electricians work
ed frantically to locate the trouble. IL
eventually proved to be the blowing
out of q minor fuse, causing complete
interruption of the players speech ana
q number Of new gray hairs Tor the
manager.
All OF the major picture houses in
washington are equipped for both the
disk and sound-on-film methoos OF
reproduction. At the Fox an "auoltlon
schedule" Is fixed by the chief pro-
jectionist at the beginning OF the pic
lures run, the requisite volume OF tone
in various sequences being noted on a
gauge in the booth. For the Crandail
Theaters, the Earle, the Metropolitan
and the neighborhood houses, Daniel
Breeskin, conductor Of the Earle Or
chestra, Is q sort Of consulting regu-
lator." In all of these houses, as well
as in the Loew Theaters, the Palace
and the Columbia, the manager or as
sistant manager, or even the ushers,
are constantly on the watch for i'm
perfections of reproduction. So when
next your eardrums cringe and moan
at the stentorian riot coming from the
screen remember that that was orlgl-
nally o dulcet voice and that the pro-
| iectionist. with q deft turn OF his dial,
| will bring things into focus AGAIN
sooner or later.
AS of this writing, one Al Evans, late
| OF Detroit is announced as Herbert
| Rawlinson's successor at the Palace.
| Mr.. Rawlinson's plans are lnoennIe
| He returned Friday to the company
| New York ONCE, there to await develop
| nnents. In the event that he does not
| 90 on to another theater as master
| of ceremonies. it is possible that Mr.
! Rawlinson will take a turn at vaude-
/ willie or make talkies on the West coast:
| In tnlS business you CoIlLIOI OC ouAc'
he said: things happen suddenly and
!, when they happen-you move" How
| Mr.. Rawlinson managed to pack and
get gone, what with the visits Of friends
! and well wishers in those last few days.
| still remains wonder, even to himself.
Helen Hayes of Washington, whose
most recent dramatic success was
"Coauette," is reported to be considering
a taikie vehicle this Fall. Both M-G-M
| and Famous Players are understood to
be in the bidding.
| When 1.-The Cock-E World" is
| shown here at the Fox during the week
| Of August 81 the original Roxy pro-
| logue form will be used in conjunction
| with the picture. The fllm itself runs
for an hour and 81 minutes: the g.
minute prologue will be the only stage
presentation that week.
THE Cock.Eyed World" broke al
manner Of records at the Roxy, keep
ing all the staff awake for nidnigh
shows, and totaling in excess OF $173,'
900 for its first weeks run. according
to the trade journal Variety. Unless
every one who saw the McLaglen-Lowe'
Damita film in its preview here Is mis-.
taken the picture is headed for 9
Washington triumph, too, unless thi!
town likes its blood less red and it
life less salty than New York.
Other August and early September