The Washington times., 1929-05-17

EHlIauGlpUlA nOuSGSs IulS WG~hs
as an example, the city across
the bridge from New York has
on its Fox stage Roxy's gang.
Tom Manahan and Company,
the Charles Ahearn Hobo Band,
Moss and Frye, Art Landry's
Band and Jean La Marr.
Bills like the above would GER
tainly hop up business around
the National Press Club corner.
Washington confirmation of the
above dispatch is not available
at the moment, although it is
admitted the plan is one that
has been under consideration by
Fox executives.
Jackie Coogan. playing Keith's
Palace, New York, this week is
the worst vaudeville flop since
Babe Ruth.
Davy (Sonny Boy Lee, just
four years old, and engaged for
"The Singing Fool" at $5
day walks out on Warner
Brothers to play the B. & K.
theaters in Chicago at $4,000 a
week. The Warner contract
calls for $3.50 q week and con-
tinuous work but Sonny Boys
ma says, through a legal tech
nicality it's only q scrap OF
paper. So the lawyers are lick
ing their chops for. the Warmers
propose to fight for their baby
star.
Master Coogan with his for
tune salted away can watch the
battle for q kid supposed to be
as smart as he was when he
celebrated his fifth birthday.
Leonard Bergman, the general
manager for A. L. Erlanger as
veil as nephew to the producer,
has resigned and has been sue
ceedcd by Marcus Heiman, for
mer head of the Orpheum cir
cult and a millionaire. The
item is of interest only because
Mr.. Heiman, among other
duties will have charge OF keep
ing the National Theater stage
occupied during the regular
season. One of Mr.. Bergman,s
last official acts was to 0. K:
the new electric sign which will
brighten E Street come next
September. For this touch OF
Broadway we must ever be
grateful.
There are rumblings of labor
troubles confronting Hollywood
ard even whispers that before
the first summer sun has risen
the celluloid pictures industry
may be shaken to the roots by
an actors strike.
The Actors Equity Association
is determined to organize the
industry much as the Broadway
players are now united for the
glory and welfare Of pay en-
velopes and the business OF
amusing the multitude. Most OF
the producers are against Equity.
For many years Equity has
been up against stone-wall OPP
position on the Gold Coast. The
big stars of the silent film
were against the expansion of
the actors organization to in
clude the apostles, disciples and
"yes men" of De Mile, Zukor,
Lasky, Fox, Laemmle, Mayer,
Goldwyn and Company. The
producers were against an
Equity branch in Hollywood, and
Will Hays was Indifferent to the
proposal.
The Broadway invasion of the
West has completely changed
the employment mp g X ion.
Equity has found its stage actors
in demand to meet the vogue
for talking pictures, and paid-up
members of the association
under contract to the film pro-
ducers are assisting Frank Gill
more in his struggle for official
recognition.
As a potential war cores
pondent far back from the firing
line and neutral in the contro-
versy, hope it does not develop
as much twaddle as the last
actors strike. Then we were
solemnly told if the actors won
there would be no more Belasco
productions, George M. Cohan
would hang up his mittens, and
Mr.. Erlanger would retire to
cut coupons. Ziegfeld would
never forgive Eddie Cantor for
walking out on him (now he's
paying him $4,000 a week in
"Whoopee"), and Ed Wynn would
be barred forever from the
stage for his perfidy. On the
other hand, the actors solemnly
assured a gullible public they
were going to take over the
theater and dominate back and
front of the footlights. The
actors won. And things have
long since going back to nor
malcy after minor adjustments.
I'm too busy generating envy
for mediocre acting talent draw
ing a bank presidents salary
to worry much about whether
the actors succeed with their
union. Neither will the news
that some of the great pro-
ducers threaten to leave Holly
, wood. bag and baggage. if the
actors win, inspire any fear that
the F Street box offices will
not be open, rain or shine.
There's too much money to be
made for both producer and