The Washington times., 1929-01-12
GLEANINGS'
AND
SCREENINGS
8y ANDREW r. KELLEY

George Whites Scandals"
has corraled one of Washing
toms booking plums. His big
musical comes into Polls the
week before inauguration, to be
exact the week of February "a,
when the city will be crowded
with the vanguard of the
throngs coming for the March
4 ceremonies. Inauguration
week will find the Shuberts'
own attraction, Greenwich Viii
lage Follies, with DR.. Rock
we'll holding down the boards
at Fifteenth and the Avenue.
The President theater is oper-
ating under its cinema career,
without benefit of organized
labor. The management was
unable to reach an agreement
with President Hayden of the
Musicians Union as to the
number of men to be employed.
The union asked a crew of
seven. The theater desired but
four. Mechanical musical ac-
compartment for the pictures
was instituted when an i'm
passe developed in the nego-
tiations. A similar controversy
involved the stage hands union.
This is the first attempt in
Washington to operate a major
theater without the services of
organized labor. The unions
are picketing the house. but
there is no disposition on the
part Of the management to
yield.
John J. Raskob, chairman
of the Democratic national
committee, may become the head
of an organization designed
to cure the financial ills of the
legitimate theater. Accord
ing to Edward A. Collins. adj
vertising man, who is father
ing the project, several prom
iennt producers have sponsored
the idea and will ask Raskob
to head the amalgamation next
week.
It is proposed that a million
dollars in contributions be OBJ
tanned from wealthy citizens
for the establishment of CEN
tralized financial bureau. TAls
body would act as a bank for
producers and sell tickets to
the public on credit basis.
One of Washington's most
accomplished musicians, tenn
porarily jobless because of dark
theaters, dropped in to this
sanctum yesterday to predict a
silver lining on the cloud which
has been menacing the melody
makers in the orchestra pits.
"Six months ago we saw the
day coming when the orchestra
chairs of the musicians would be
empty. Today it appears that
the pendulum is swinging the
other way. The hysterla over
sound pictures has subsidized
somewhat and the industry is
scanning the future with a
calmer temperature. 1t looks
better for the musicians"
These were the opinions voiced.
They are founded upon a close
study of conditions in Wash
ington ard 1 set them down,
not as irrfaHible,. but as reflect
ing the views of one intelligent
worker who is vitality affected
bv the development of sound
and synehronization as applied
to the motion pictures.
To continue: "The phenome-
nal success of AL Jolson in The
Jazz Singer" and THE Singing
FOOL made everybody inside
and outside of the industry be-
gin to talk sound pictures.
The fact that they were listen
ing to the greatest popular
voice in the world and one OF
the finest actors living, was
submerged in the haste to at
tribute it all. to the new tech
nique. We must all make sound
pictures. They're the thing.
Certainly. But where are the
Jolsons coming from?"
Immediately sound was
tackled on to everything. Aae-
CARELESS of whether it bore any
semblance of realism. Every
picture must have a theme song.
Every feature an orchestral
experimentation
Dialogue pictures came along
and were a success. We must
all make dialogue films. Ger
tainly. But where are the ac-
tors with the good voices COM
ing from? Where are the
stage directors A new army
of artists took over the Holly
wood studios.
Snow, after the first year of
this chaos, confusion and dis
cussion, we find this:
/. "That sound and dialogue
pictures make an ideal vehicle
for such artists as Jolson, Fan
ME Brice, George Jessel and
other artists whose singing
voices record satisfactorily.
2. "All dialogue pictures have
proven popular. They are inn
proving constantly and will
probably survive.
3. "Where sound has been at
tache6 as an afterthought the
result has generally been an
undesirable addition.
4. "That where motion picture
patrons have had a chance to
express their choice of synchro-
nization or a working theater