Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19

peared at the NatlOnal las
\ week in his own play
Gambling" waved the
American flag on the American
stage, executed some fancy steps
and ended his shows with smash
ing finales of patriotic songs
Then, when the vogue for this
sort of entertainment waned, Mr.
Cohan turned to straight drama
in most instances writing his own
plays and appearing in them
Gambling" his newest play
with a good run of Broadway be-
hind it, joined the successes OF
his career, but it probably will be
the last of his stage efforts. He
is travelling in the direction OF
Hollywood, where he intends to
take up, just as seriously as Mr.
Cohan ever takes up anything,
the movie game. For several
years, and especially since the
advent of the sound pictures
the author-actor has heard the
call from the Pacific Coast, faint
at first, but growing louder as the
talkieS gained prominence in the
financial and amusement world,
So Washington audiences may
have had their last view OF
George M. Cohan as stage actor.
It is possible that we may see him
in the fiickers, but this is only a
chance, for he is to become a di-
rector-one of the Hollywood off,
Gals whose names alone are ia
miliar to the theatergoerS. Mr..
Cohan plans to turn Gambling"
into a photo-drama and then he
has signed to direct the next Al
Jolson picture.
The addition of sound to the
photoplay has done more than
ANYTHING else to cause a desertion
in the stage ranks. At first the
stage players gradually turned to
Hollywood. Then they started
leaving Broadway in groups,
whole companies from certain
stage successes being turned into
movie groups, until now there
are few stars who do not have
a string or two leading to the
studios. Many of the Broadway
theaters have been turned into
photoplay houses, and the old
familiar faces are seen in the
famed sunshine of California.
And who can blame the
PLAYERS? John Barrymore, not
long ago wrote of his photoplay
work and how it was so much
more satisfactory than stage ap-
pearances. He states that he is
relieved of the burden of nightly
appearances; he is paid as much
or more than for the old time
stage work; he does not make
one-night stands, suffer the dis
comforts of travel; rehearsalS are
cut to minimum; the play is
produced once and then it can
be forgotten. In these few words,
we have the players side OF the
movie game, and his best work
can be given a permanence in the
photoplay which it does not re-
ceive on the stage. There Is no
getting away from the fact that
this is the day of the movie. The
future may bring many changes,
but it is quite safe to predict that
big events of the movie world are
looming ahead-bigger pictures,
better synchronization, finer act
ing.
THE mute newsreel may stay
with us. Film Daily, devoted
to the interests of producers and
exhibitors, recently made can
vass to determine its popularity,
and it was found to stand far
above the noisy variety Looking
at the matter from this stand
point, we have never been in
favor of the talking, Squeaking,
whistling newsreel. It does not
cover enough ground pictorially;
the talking parts are usually
small-talk parts, and the other
noises are so familiar that one
seeks to get away from them. To
a person who is familiar with the
squeaky taxi horns of Paris. there
is no novelty in a sound reel made
in the French capitals streets.
There is enough small talk on the
average radio program to make
us search for a silent-very silent
-newsreel.
THROUGH her work in the Paul
Whiteman picture, King of
jazz" jeanette Loft, product of
Denmark and Norway via Idaho
and Canada, is to become a star
with the Universal organization.
She has been in the movies since
1926, appearing atmospherically
in 1.-The Collegians" and Uncle
Toms Cabin" but the Whiteman
picture gave her the big oppor
tunity. She has been placed I'M
der a long term contract, and
her producers consider her one
of the finds" of the present sea-
son.
X \ \
A CCORDING to the motion pic
ture committee of the General
Federation of Women'S Clubs, at