The Washington times., 1929-04-22
GLEANINGS
SCREENINGS
By ANDREw r. KELLEY

years ago, the tlckeC speculator
was a problem in New York.
The files of the New York Dra-
matte News Of that year re-
ported that:
"The majority of our theat-
rical managers receive no in
considerable part Of their rev.
enue from the system Of letting
the privilege of ticket specula-
tion at the doors of their
theaters. At some theaters as
high as two or three thousand
year is paid for this right,
which has been numerically be-
rated by press and public"
'"The majority of our man.
ayers deny that there is any
collusion between the theaters
and its spectators; others
frankly admit that they are
obliged for protective and con-
venient reasons to employ per-
sons to sell tickets on the curb
in front of their houses; one
goes so far as to say that ne
receives a premium for the
privilege. On this Loint all
agree: it is beyond their power
to put an end to the business"
The council of the Actors
Equity Association, which has
bee. delving into the evil, has
been surprised to find that
ticket speculation has been
bone sof contention in New York
since just after the Civil War
and yet no effective method OF
suppressing the practice has
been devised or instituted. The
council announces it is prepar-
ing to make a radical move to
give force to it's protest.
The "Say 1t With Flowers"
presentation unit at the Palace
Theater this week dresses the
Gould girls in silk stockings.
Does this herald the end of bare
legged economy? / hope so.
Nora Bayes left $43,5S6. But
after her debts and administra-
ton expenses were paid the
estate was about $4,000 insol-
vent. Her jewels and clothes
were the most valuable items In
the appraisal.
"The Three Demons" a SEN
sational adagio team providing
thrills for Fox Theater patrons
this week are right out of Earl
Carrolps "Fioretta." The dancers
were released for other bookings
in the process of cutting down
expenses so that "Fioretta" can
paw dividends. Dorothy Knapp,
s'most beautiful girl in the
world" was also separated from
q salary envelope.
When "Well, Well, Well''
played Polls as a musical
comedy, Jack Perl was its fea-
tured comedian star. Then the
Shuberts turned it into a revue
and renamed it Pleasure
Bound" The remodeled enter
tainment is one of Broadway's
hits and everybody is happy
except Mr.. Perl. He claims
that Phil Baker, the piano ac-
Gordon comic, gets equal billing,
which violates the terms of the
Perl contract The controversy
has become bitter enough to ask
the Actors Equity Association
toAappoint arbitrators and decide
who is right. Mr.. Perl, Incl
dentally, is rated among the
plutocrats of the stage. His
fortune has been estimated as
close to a million.
Margaret Anglin's play "Se-
curity," which had its debut at
the Belasco six weeks ago, has
been closed by the Shuberts.
1t ran just long enough on
Broadway to assure the motion
picture rights for the producers.
The Actors Equity Associa-
tion is making tremendous
effort to organize the motion
picture actors and place this
branch of the amusement busi-
ness under it's protective wing.
Previous attempts to enroll the
Hollywood mines have not met
with startling success, although
the effort was never abandoned.
With the influx of actors
from the speaking stage already
allied with Equity, the task of
winning over the celluloid stars
gets much constructive help
from the Broadway folks.
Will Hays, representing the
organized producers, has shown
little sympathy for the move
ment to secure standard con-
tract and better conditions, and
the Academy Of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences turns a frosty
shoulder to the Equity propa-
ganda.
The estimable Leonard Hall
now a magazine writer with
a cane-stopped off in Wash
ington Saturday for last view
of F Street before continuing
to Hollywood for specific Photo
play assignments. Whether Con-
rad Nagel is wearing a fedora
higher than the Washington
Monument and how that new
magazine threatened by Doug
las Fairbanks to tell the. whole
truth about the Gold Coast
playboys expects to get a Sec
ond class mailing privilege, are
some of the subjects of the