The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1930-02-21
GLEANINGS
SCREENINGS
Rx ANDREW r. KELLEY

the first-night critics called 1t
q swell show, even though they
did not get the full effect of
the elaborate finale planned by
Glorifier Ziegfeld. A duck was
the cause of it all.
Mr.. Ziegfeld brought Gown
the duck from his Hastings-on-
he-Hudson menagerie to help
Comedian Wynn in his non
sense. The quack-quack bird
took a dislike to Ed, which was
expressed at the dress rehearsal
by engulfing a portion of the
Wynn anatomy in it's bill and
giving the funny man a sharp
bite in the stomach.
On the opening might; just
before the final curtain, Come
dian Wynn had the duck in
his arms when it suddenly
showed signs of biting again.
Mr.. Wynn promptly dropped
the angry bird and the stage
hands dropped the curtain.
Dropping the duck was the
regular cue for the plush to
descend and so the firSt-night
audience lost the value of the
pretentious finish which Mr..
ziegfeld had prepared.
Next day Ziggy'S duck went
back to its Hudson home and
was replaced by a webbed-foot
pacifist. '....
Likes and dislikes in the
amusement world are hard to
catalogue. Thus Thomas Mitch
ell in Little Accident" which
did just $3.50 business here in
Washington, goes into Boston
and is the most successful
play, comparatively speaking,
booked there this season. 1t is
in its fifth week.
Eddie Cantor in "Whoopee,"
which did runaway business
almost everywhere, was only a
moderate success in the Hub.
An opening night Cantor wise
crack that boomeranged is
partly to blame for the failure
to stand ''em up.
washington never took kindly
to the Chicago Opera Company.
Boston has just given the
Windy City: songbirdS a gross
of $207 900 for Is perform
ances. Fourteen of the Is
operas presented were Sell-outs.
Over in Baltimore they turned
a cold shoulder on Otis Skin
ner in Papa Juan" He didn't
make expenses and might have
called off his tour if Washing
ton hadn't given him close to
$4,000 for eight performances
the following week.
Philadelphia has been big
disappointment this season
while Pittsburgh has given royal
support to everything that has
come along. Strange Inter
Jude" and Ethel Barrymore are
two attractions which are play
ing to huge dividends every
where. Philadelphia reports a
100000 advance sale for the
fourweek engag ent OF
O'Neill's play.
George M. Cohan got such a
generous financial reception in
Pittsburgh and Chicago in
Gambling" he tore up his mo-
ton picture contract to con.
tinue on the road for the rest
of the season. In his own play
ground. Broadway, George M.
enjoyed only fair success. Incl
dentally the Cohan indifference
to pictures was manifest when
he played Washington. Seven
Keys to Baldpate." a show he
produced. was playing in pic
lures at the R-K-O Keith house
around the corner from the
Hotel Willard where Cohan was
stopping George M. had never
seen the play on the screen
and he didn't think enough of
it to drop in to Keith'S.
Robert L. believe 1t or Not)
Ripley has Warner Brothers
and R-K-O fighting for his
services. When Rip" went
into the big R-K-O theater in
Boston and cleaned up against
Amos n Andy opposition at a
rival theater long route was
offered the cartoonist but the
price was not right. Mean
time Warmers got into the argu-
ment and secured a few weeks
Of his open time, among them
the Earle seven days which be.
gin with the 1880 show to,
night. Meanwhile N.B.C. signed
the artist for one year on the
air. Is minutes a week, salary,
$1,000 weekly.
Charles j. Columbus an
nounces that the Washington
Advertising Club has set Tues
day. March Is, as the date for
the public testimonial to the
National Players to be held at
the National Press Club.
Producers have long been
complaining that Broa d W ay
first night critics-particularly
those on the morning papers
pack up and leave about Ills
p. m. The New York Theater
Guild recognizing the morn
ing dead line" will start the
opening night performance of
Shaw's The Apple Cart" at
8 p. m. sharp. Thereafter the
usual $3.50 to 8:45 opening cur
tain will prevail.