The Washington times., 1930-01-06
CLEANINGS
AND
SCREEN lNGS
BY Andrew r. Kelley

lock Holmes" was given an u1i-
usual honor by the White
House today when President
Hoover had the actor as his
luncheon guest.
It was the first tribute paid
by the present Administration
to notables Of the stage. The
entire White House office force
win be guests at the premiere
tonight.
Trevelyn's Ghost" the
Dwight Taylor farce comedy
which played the National
Theater last wee'.. was packed
away In moth balls after the
Washington performances. It
may be revived after Play
wright Taylor has made some
revisionS. While it was pro-
duced under the banner Of
MeSSrS. Erlanger 81 Tyler,
there is more than a whisper
that Laurette Taylor'S bank
account was the one that suf.
fered most through the failure
Of the play.
Lawrence Gray is one of the
experienced film juveniles who
got a new lease Of screen life
through discovering he had
vocal talents adapted for the
singing ~and talking musicals.
He had been out Of a job for
some months when Metro Gold
wyn began casting for Broad
way Melody" Assured of the
lead male which eventu-
ally went to Charlie King-he
was turned down at the last
moment because higher-ups de.
cided his voice would not do.
This was a blow. Thereupon
Mr.. Gray took some vocal les
sons and bided his time.
When Marion Davies round
ed up her cast for Marianne"
the choice of leading men
rested between Lawrence Gray
and a better known musical
comedy player, Miss Davies
picked Gray because of his
greater camera experience. He
made a hit and after his work
with the Duncan sisters was
viewed in the play-backs, a long
term contract from Metro
Goldwyn was the reward You
may judge he sings pretty well.
incidentally the Duncan
sisters were catalogued as
"flops" in the silent films.
The verdict Is reversed through
their first talker for Metro
Goldwyn has exercised the
option which calls for a Sec
ond feature.
This Thing Called Love"
which comes to the Rialto
theater Saturday with Edmund
Lowe and Constance Bennett,
Is a Pathe picture which was
good enough to win weeks
booking at the Roxy theater.
Roxy must give first call to
the Fox product but occasion
ally when no Fox first run is
available an independent wins
the coveted place on the
screen of the worlds largest
theater. Roxy gets the pic
ture for nothing, the producer
being content with the pres
tige accruing through the Roxy
booking.
This Thing Called Love" as
Q play made considerable rep
utation for Minor Watson.
When it was released for stock
in 1929, it proved to b. No. / in
demand and made more in stock
royalties than it did as a tour
ing attraction. Roger Pryor and
Edith King opened the National
players stock season last year
with this comedy.
One of the New York critics
lists This Thing Called Love"
among the ten best pictures of
1929. Which means much or
little, as you prefer. Another, Of
the erudite New York critics,
Richard Watts, lists the ten
worst talkies of 1929 and has
"Cock-eyed World" prominent in
the race for the leather medal.
Laugh that off.
1t is Archie Onyun, browsing
through an ancient Songbook,
who discovers and reports Sing.
ing in the Rain" is the title of
q song written by the eminent
Joseph Hayden, long before the
talkies were thought of or
Hollywood Revue" was en-
balmed. in celluloid.
William Haines in a not so
hot feature. Navy Blues"
cracked the Palace box-office
record by a healthy $4,000 last
week. And even at that I don't
like him.
The news reel camera men
follow the fire engines and the
two alarm fires like the calliope
after the circus parede. On
Christmas Eve they were rushed
away from the holiday gayety
by the White Eouse blaze and
last Friday night Hearst Metro
tone and Movietone photog-
raphers landed at the Capitol
while the ladders were being
raised and smoke cilcled the
big dome. The result you may
see displayed on the F street
screens beginning today.
Over in Paris, two Washing
tonianS are preparing to- battle
for news Isel sound scoops.
Jack Connolly. European man