The Washington times., 1929-02-25
GLEA NlNGS
AND
SCREENINGS
By ANDREW K. AEl LEY


National Theater on Saturday,
witnessing the presentation of
''This Thing Called Love-" Ed
win Burke's comedy, by he
National Theater Players. 1t
was the official stamp Of the
White House on the new season
of repertoire.
Mrs. Coolidge remained not
only to see the final moment of
the play, but to hear Addison
Pitt, director of the players, in
troduce old and new members OF
the company to an enthusiastic
clientele.
During the four years the
National Theater Players have
been in Washington, Ms. Cool
idge has been a constant patron
Of, the plays and players pre-
sehted by S. E. Cochran in the
historic National Theater.
Mrs. Katie Wilson Greene
jingles the phone to announce
officially that Washington will
have its season of Metropolitan
opera. The GATH Casazza ling
ing stars will be heard at Polls
in evening performances on
April II and 18 with & Saturday
matinee on April 20.
The coming of the Metropoli-
tan song birds to Washington
for 1929 is tribute to Mrs.
Greene's enterprise, who worked
night and day to arouse he
civic spirit necessary to pro-
vide the financial guarantees.
With her C cJmmittee she visited
Edward Ziegler, tour manager of
the Metropolitan, on Friday in
New York and came away with
contracts assuring the three per-
fcrmances. The names of the
operas and the singers will be
announced within a few days.
1t is no secret that one of the
difficulties which had to be over
come was the Baltimore desire
to hog the best dates and the
most popular singers. The Met
ropolitan week is divided be-
tween the two cities. Under the
agreement as signed, Washing
ton gets it's full quota of the
Nets greatest stars.
Roxy comes to town next Sum
day and Monday to serve as
master of ceremonies for the
special shows which the inau-
gural committee will put on at
the Rialto Theater.
And chap / envy is the piano
player for George White, who
runs through the entire score
of Scandals" without any music.
And the first fiddle doesn't need
any.
Charles Emerson Cook will be
the busiest man in Washington
this week. The producer, hav.
ing decided to move his musical
comedy company to Keith's
opening next Sunday afternoon,
must restaff the house, back and
front. This means hiring a
stage crew, orchestra, box
office men, ushers and other en-
ployes, in addition to rehears-
ing and making his company
ready for the opening curtain.
The Inauguration crowds are
expected to provide good busi-
ness for the musical players
and the drop-in trade on FIT
teenth Street is another factor
counted upon to make the en-
gagement profitable.
Hal skelly drops touring in
the Arthur Hopkins production
of "Burlesque" to take a train
to Hollywood, where he will
portray "Skid" for Paramount
in a talking version Of the play.
Nancy Carroll will be the ''Bon-
ME-" A salary double his stage
earnings won over Actor Skelly
to the films. Singularly enough,
James Barton, who was origin
ally named for the star role in
the talker, will take up the
Skelly role in the play and COM
plete the road engagements.
Sam Rubin, whose task for
some months has been publiciz-
ing the Loew Washington thea
ters, has had the Baltimore
houses added to his press agent
duties. He will spend two days
of each week in our neighboring
city.
1t was the oft-expressed wish
of the late Walter Kingsley
J that his ashes be strewn on
Broadway. In accordance with
these wishes, the widow of the
ZiegfelG publicity chief has ar
ranged for an airplane to fly
over the white light sector next
Thursday afternoon and Nils T.
Grandlund, radio announcer and
old friend Of Walter, will fling
the ashes to the breeze.
killing the Killer" that short
film which created no end of
talk when exhibited two months
ago at the Palace, is being
screened again, this time at
the redecorated Little Theater
on Ninth Street. The reel
shows a battle to the death
between a cobra and a mon
goose and has some genuine
thrills. It's endorsers include
Lillian Gish, who pronounced
it the greatest short picture
ever made and Charlie Chaplin,
=.