The Washington times., 1929-06-15
GLEANINGS'
SCREENINGS
AND
By ANDREW R. KELLEY

per cent OF their salary az
reserve fund for future emer-
gencies. Also they have been
advised by international Presi-
dent Joseph Weber to save a
certain percentage OF the
weekly wage for probable. rainy
days.
Weber is handling the fight
Of the musicians to retain every
available job against the opposi-
tion Of the synchronized
movies. The union has in
creased his annual stipend from
$4,000 to $4,000.
The Washington contracts
with the legitimate and motion
picture theaters run until Sep
tenber, 1880. When they come
up for renewal there will be
conferences galore, for the chat
terirg celluloids have changed
completely the music situation
since the last documents were
signed.
Which reminds that not all
pausicians wait for the union to
fight for their rights. Out in
Terre Haute, Ind, George VIII
son, a stage master of cere-
monies, joking about the or
chestra, said five were gentle
msn, one he had his doubts
about and the other was q
"nancy." Immediately an Of
Tended bull fiddle player leaped
over the footlights and chased
the frightened M. c. into the
wings. There he slipped the
jokester sundry violent blows
about the face and body. The
chastisement completed he led
the contrite comedian to the
stage and forced him to apollo
gize to the audience. After it
was all over the union refused
to punish the belligerent bass
viol player and the theater man
agement agreed the provocation
justified his anger and prize
ring tactics.
Ann Ford, one of the pretti
est and most energetic girl
theatrical agents, has been in
town again drumming up inter-
est in the subscription season
for the early fall engagement Of
the New York Theater Guild.
The same organization, through
its publicity department, has for
warded bound volumes Of the
Theater Guild Magazine to local
dramatic desks.
Washington has turned down
four movies listed as 81 spe-
cials within the past six weeks.
Turning down in this sense
means giving less than an aver
age weeks receipts to pictures
which played Broadway at top
prices and were exhibited here
at the regulation movie scale.
The Sidney Lust chain of
neighborhood houses are re-
ported as having found the talk
ing equipment and maintenance
too costly a venture for the
small exhibitor and have re-
verted to the silent program.
Staggering charges for addi-
tional labor were a factor in
the change Of policy.
William Hartman Rapley, Of
the National Theater, has been
. theatrical magnate so long
that only the old-timers know
he is a graduate Of West Point
Military Academy. He has just
returned from a reunion Of the
class of '79 held at the famous
military establishment and in
due time will see himself on the
screen for Fox Movietone,
filmed the commencement ex-
erciSes and the alumni frolics.
Although the new B. F. Keith
Memorial Theater in Boston
cost $5,000,0OO and is plastered
in retiring rooms, lobbies and
corridors with a million dollars
worth of art works, somebody
forgot to put in a cooling sys-
tenn. The theater has been
dropping $4,000 a week re-
Gently and a 100000 system
for arctic air is included in the
first remodeling.
Incidently only four legitimate
theaters in New York have
cooling systems, which is one
good reason for little or no
summer business. William A.
Brady, who has a hit show
("Street Scene") in the Play
house, is protecting his capacity
business by having his theaser
ice cooled.
Florenz Ziegfeld has allied
with Samuel Goldwyn to make
movies of his musicals for re-
lease on the United Artists
schedule. He follows the lead of
Metro Goldwyn, which is backing
Vincent Youmans as a musical
comedy producer and has sup.
piled the funds to stage "Great
Days." which the composer is
now trying out in Philadelphia
and will bring to the Cosmopoli-
tan Theater in New York.
Pathe has tied up with Jones
t& Green and will have a fl
nancial interest in the next
Eresuwich Village Follies, after
ward turning it into . musical
screen feature.