The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-02-22
HEARING UPON
ALIEN ACTORS
BILL ST IS.
To Decide if America Can
Can Struggle Along
Sans Carlo, ct al
BY HARRY FERGUSON
United Press Staff Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Feb. %. (UP)
That distinguished group of
drama students, the House COM
mittee on immigration and natur-
alization. has been called upon to
decide whether the U. S. A. could
struggle along without Greta Gar
DO. Marie Dressler, ELISA Landi
and Leslie Howard.
The committee opened hearings
on the Dickstein bill which would
keep alien actors out Of the Uni
ted States unless they obtained
permission from the department of
labor. The overwhelming opinion
of the committee seemed to be
that America should be reserved
for American actors, and that
George M. Cohan was the greatest
thespian who ever hired press
agent.
Lawrence Langner Of the Thea
ter Guild; Marc Connolly, author
of "Green Pastures; Arthur Hop
kins, New York theatrical pro-
Queer; and Brooks Atkinson, the
dramatic critic Of the New York
Times. argued against the bill.
Proponents of the measure were
led by Rep. Everett M. Dirksen,
DEM, Ill.,, who complained that
no good shows ever came to Pc
oria anyway. and Rep. Martin
Dies, DEM, Tex, who offered to
put ON spats, a monocle and a
frock coat to prove that an Ameri-
can could act a British role sue
cessfully. No one had any money
to rent a frock coat.
"Why not let foreign shoe
makers come into this country"
shouted Dies, biting off a chew of
tobacco. eff a shoemaker does
neat job, he is just as much an
artist as some guy who gets up
and initiates (Sic) Shakespeare,
amt he?"
GLOW much American money
does Lynn Fontanne earn?" broke
in Rep. Carl M. Weideman, DEM,
Mich.
Langner said Miss Fontanne's
maximum salary with the Thea
ter Guild was $1,000 a week. He
added that if the Dickstein bill
had been in effect America never
would have seen Lionel Barry
more, Marie Dressler. Greta Gar
DO, Norma Shearer, ELISA Landi,
Leslie Howard, Charlie Chaplin,
ALA Nazimova, George Arliss,
Philip Meriale, and Eva la CALI
enc. ,.,t.,.1 b.. ..,,,..
YEAH interrupted Rep, VIM.
T. Schultz. DEM, Ind. "and if
there weren't so many of these
foreign actors hanging around we
could have room for George M.
Conan prolonged applause from
committee members) to. give Us
some more like Forty-fve Min
utes from Broadway and that's
what the American people want"
And another thing" Dirksen
said, zone thing this bin tries to
40 is to keep out these trapeze
fellows; you know. the ones who
call themselves The Flying Jo-
JOS and the La Belle France
Four"
The committee members were
tumbiing over each other trying
to talk, and Langner broke in
with suggestion: Say, you
could put box office up in the
galleries of congress and make a
lot of money; lots of people would
want to see you"
Atkinson's opposition to the bill
was that many plays failed he
cause producers couldn't find the
proper actors in America He
cited "The Lake, starring Katba-
.rine Hepburn. as an example.
"Wait minute" said Commit
tee Chairman Samuel Dickstein
81 saw the show and what was
the matter with it was that If
didn't have any plot" . $50
Atkinson said he guessed The
would catch a train for New York.