The Washington times., 1930-01-14
GLEANINCS
AND,
SCREENINGS
By Andrew r. Kelley


her fellow hummer, George
M. Cohan, by occupying a box
at the National Theater matt
nee tomorrow. Mr.. Cohan will
return the compliment on
Thursday by being the honored
guest at the Poll matinee. Al
though both have been playing
IN New York for months it is
their first chance to witness
each others play.
For those who like to look
ahead and plan their theater
nights: Journeys End" a Gill
bert Miller production of the
much discussed war play comes
to Polls theater the week Of
March 2.
One reason why playgoerS
cock one eye at the announce
ment that the Broadway man.
ayers plan to do away with
gouging spectators and sell
tickets at the 9ox office is
because the proposal has been
made 100 times and somebody
always gums the machinery.
For instance Brock Pemberton,
one of the producers who signed
the agreement ending specula-
ton on March has the biggest
hit play Strictly DiShonorable."
1t is in an Erlanger house and
since that magnate has refused
to recognize the agreement a
new buy" has just been made
guaranteeing Spectators tickets
for the next two months. Mr..
Pemberton refers to himself as
IAN almost innocent bystander."
Charles Bracket, formerly
dramatic editor of the New
Yorker and an author whose
stories appear regularly in the
better known weeklies wrote
Pointed Heels" and John v. A.
Weaver, poet and playwright
furnished the dialogue for the
Earle feature. And consider
ing previous reputation and
training you will be surprised
at the punk story they managed
to turn out.
From now on Gilbert Roland
will be explaining that he is
a much better actor than New
York Nights" makes him out
to be. The second edition Of
John Gilbert offers a sorry
spectacle in the first Norma
Talmadge talkie at the Palace
and the inside gossip is that
somebody in Hollywood was
eager to see his movie reputa-
ton take a high dive. John
Wray steals the picture, which
is a screen version of the play
Tin Pan Alley" and the actor
Is playing the same role he
had in the footlight drama. .
Phantom Of the Opera" one
of the greatest pictures ever
turned out on the Universal
lot, is being reisSued. The new
version has dialogue, some
songs and a Synchronized score
and went over like a million
dollars in Detroit and Dallas,
Texas, points picked out by
Universal for a quiet pre-VieW.
Lon CLANCY is the star of the
feature and Carl Laemmle had
j. no success in his efforts to
induce the peer of character
actors to remake some scenes
as a talking shadow. So the
$4,000 reserved for the star
went to Technicolor scenes.
Phantom of the Opera"
broke the Rialto's box office
record when first shown on
Ninth Street, SURPRISING the
amazing business enjoyed by
"Hunchback of Notre Dame"
Managing director Sharick is
hopeful that it will repeat as
y a crowd puller when it appears
in modern form the week of
January Is.
Among the couple of hundred
songs tuned out by George NJ.
Cohan in his career as tune
smith, playwright, actor. man
ager-producer and Broadway
playboy, is one called IF Bll
Gillette Could Only See Me
Now" It was a humorous lyric
written when. William Gillette
i was at the heighth of his foot
light glory. It was just coinci-
dence that George M. last night
began an engagement on the
same stage where Gillette'S
farewell D. c. appearance last
week drew $4,000.
DeWolf Hopper would have
mourned last night had he seen
Mr.. Cohan pass up chance
for q speech after eight cur
tains and a four-minute finale
ovation.
To q man addicted to a black
derby the value Of the bea'lti-
full marquise in front of the
Fox Theater was impressed on
Saturday afternoon when The
starlings took up their perch in
the recesseS and ornamention
just over the entrance portals
of the r Street cathedral. Thse
little feathered visitors who love
to make war on shiny new auto
enamel left E Street without
any farewell address by Ste
> phen Erlanger Cochran of the
National Theater. He even
gets a laugh from the felloW