The Washington times., 1929-07-27
SCREENINGS
.AND.
GLEANINGS
By JIM RING

Ia kl1 GGG8k &A4AAGAAGAM BAhAG0
on which we have started work,
the principal characters are Sam
Hardy, D theatrical producer
hard-pressed for funds; I'll. b.
Warner, an honest district at
torney; Davey Lee, who sings
Sonny Boy; AL Jolson, grieY-
ing comedian who also sings
Sonny Boy: Dolores Costello,
d proud beauty; Johnny Arthur,
! henpecked husband; Louise
Fazenda, q scream; Warner
Baxter, q caballero; Conrad
Nagel, . dashing young blade,
and Henry B. Walthall, q re-
tired Army colonel.
The play opens backstage Of
the Bigfield Theater, where
Hardy Is facing . crisis. H the
play doesn't 60 over tonight,
he says, it's back to small-time
vaudeville for him.
Just then, who should come In
but Bessie Love, who has never
had anything TO do but small
parts. She says that the play
must 20 on. Hardy agrees with
her, and hides to escape Is
4 creditors. Stepin Tetchit, the
doorman, agrees to stall the
creditors.
The scene suddenly switches
70 . courtroom, where AL Jol-
son is ON trial for his life. He
Is to be the nainstsy Of the
show, and unless acquitted by
The Jury, the show is D sure
flop. His sweetheart, Dolores
Costello, is in the office Of the
honest district attorney, begging
him to 90 easy on Al. As she
is pleading with the b. d e.,
Davey Lee comes in and sings
sonny Boy"
Warner rushes TO the lad and
looks at hie shoulder, and there
Is the strawberry mark which
proves Davey is the long-lost
son Of the h. d. q. Davey then
discloses that he Witnessed the
shooting for which AL is held,
and points out Henry Kolker,
the foreman of the jury, as the
guilty person.
They are leading Kicker from
the courtroom when the audience
Is startled by two shots, and
George Bancroft, q gang leader,
rescues the criminal, backing out
the door while he holds every
body at bay.
nc is soon learned that one Of
the two shots carried away Jol-
sons little finger. He is on his
way to q hospital when Sam
Hardy hops into the ambulance
and cries, 'aThe show must 60.
on!
The ambulance wheels around
and deposits Jolson and Hardy
at the stage door of the theater.
Jolson blacks up and dons his
customary white gloves. A lit
tie late for his entrance, smiling
through his anguish, he sings
Sonny Boy" to the audience
and the show Immediately be-
comes q hit. A color sequence
shows red drops falling from
the glove on the injured hand
as Jolson goes back to the
wings.
a physician takes off the
stained glove, and says: ellis
finger wasn't shot off at all,
He was holding it in his palm
all the time" This is the cue
for Jolson's next song, entitled
"April Fool" in which all the
cast joins.
Henry B. Walthall, a retired
Army colonel, then offers Hardy
$10O,0O0,000 for a fourth in
terest in the show, and the
heavy, Warner Baxter, who has
been tormenting Louise Fazenda,
the virtuous hat-check girl;
sneakS out into the night. Jol-
son and Dolores Costello em-
brace, and Bessie Love becomes
q star.
IL any Of our readers have
additional sequences in which
we can use Conrad Nagel,
Johnny Arthur or other per-
formers, this department will
welcome them.
We're trying to convince pro-
ducers that this talkie, entitled
ION With the Broadway Melody,
or Thunderbolt, the Singing Fool
in Old Arizona" contains all
the elements Of a sure-fire hit.