Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25

Just as the swan song or the
legitimate theater is about
to reach its last sad strain
- comes the disturbing diapa-
son of Arch Selwyn, one of its
foster fathers, calling a halt to a
happy death. Mr.. Selwyn is quoted
as saying II have just returned
from six weeks comforting with
the largest movie powers, and I
have learned that Jesse LaSky, Joe
Schenck, Jack Warner, Winnie
Sheehan for Mr.. Fox, and from
Metro Goldwyn and other leading
picture executives that they would
come forward with their millions
for merger or whatever is nee
essary rather than see the legiti-
mate stage go under. They all be-
lieve a new day is breaking for
the spoken drama" Here, indeed,
is news. my masters. More. It
has been delicately limited in
other quarters that the thea
that was known before the thump-
ing piano first sounded the glorieS
of the nickeldoeon is to be really
acknowledged by the movie as a
sister and taught things she never
knew before. Think of it! Just
as the mortgage is foreclosed and
the poor old girl is about to be
turned out on the wide, wide
world her long-lost sister hobs up,
pays off the mortgage and starts
her on her. way rejoicing, bigger
and better than ever. And so it
goes in this uncertain world of
ours.
PUT there is another surprise.
You know you can get away
with a wicked deed once, maybe
twice-but some day the COLLINS
will get you, eff you don't watch
out. 1t has long been suspected
that the saXophone is more or less
responsible for the moo songs that
the modern hes and shes employ
to express their love death these
days. Even Al Jolson caught it's
wall before the BARN had first
opened it's eyes. And there is no
use contradicting the assertion
that the cow moan is vital to the
modern theme song. But the
theme song seems to be tottering
on it's last legs-perSonifying the
song for the sake of the smile,
for RKO, through it's executive,
William LIE Baron. is said to have
decreed that the theme song shall
go; it slows up action and besides,
to quote what he is said to have
declared, lit is a weary, fiat, stale
and improbable diversion" II
this discovery stretches itself
through the movie industry, the
plaintive AL will have to shift his
tack, the moo song will fade in the
cleaning, and, who can say, the
hated SaXophone may soon be
found among the missing, leaving
the male quartet that huns alone
in the wide world to sob out it's
life 'unnoticed. Then, gee, won't
we all have pleasure!
lust a word at this point abou.
make-believe. The illusions of
life as reflected upon both the
stage and the screen are many
and impressive. AS a matter of
fact, neither the stage nor the
screen would amount to a rush
candle without illusions. When
the poor, abused lassie from the
small town goes forth and wins
fame and fortune after a brief
grapple with the great city, it isn't
really true. Everybody knows it.
It is just one of those illuSory
dreams created first upon the
stage, to be later adapted to the
screen. And when the hero bravely
shoots the villain in the last act
that the heroine may be happy
ever afterward, it's only an illusion
all in the play. Perhaps, indeed,
some of these Hollywood mar
riages and divorces that ever and
anon keep the Pacific Coast in
termittently in the public eye are
only illusions. They must, at least,
grow out of illusions, If all that is
printed be true. Illusion Is the soul
of the drama. But for a long time
the folks in front of the footlights
have wanted to know what's what
behind the scenes. The movie has
been very tolerant. very frank in
the matter. But neither the stage.
nor the screen, should forget that
illusion and anticipation operate
from different angles, and there