The Washington times., 1934-01-10

as the screen celebrities. The
Orpheum prospered from the
start.
Introduces Pictures
I shall never forget the deep
Indignation Of the regular Loew
customers when this rising young
amusement baron decided to in
troduce full length feature pic
lures into his vaudeville programs.
The first full length picture was
Prisoner Of Zenda," which took
one hour to unreel and found
young Mr.. Kelley and many
others seeking the sidewalk in
high dudgeon long before it had
reached the farewell clinch.
Were we madP The very idea
OF eliminating an act or two of
vaudeville and filling the time
with so minutes Of movie story
seemed outrageous and com
pletely opposed to. the policy. of
low priced vaudeville. But Mar
Gus Loew persisted with such pic
lures as "The Great Train Rob-
berry" and soon the regular pa
tronage decided they liked it.
They Make a Hit
II I were asked to name the
two things upon which the sue
cess Of the present Loew's, Inc,
is founded they would be: /.
The ability to sense there was
a vast public eager for entertain
ment at 10, Is and Is cents. 2.
The enterprise and vision which
inspired Marcus Loew to be the
pioneer in recognizing the i'm
portance Of the motion picture
as entertainment. To both of
these things the richer and more
conservative Keith organization
was pitifully blind.
When Marcus Loew stepped out
and booked Harry Lauder, the
Scotch singer, said to be first
act to get $1,000 q week and
eagerly sought by the. two-a-day
scouts, he was for the first time
recognized as powerful new oppo-
sition in the vaudeville field and
officially blacklisted by his older
rival. Marcus Loew was also
first to discover that the biggest
headliners had no objections to
three and four shows a day if
the salary was right.
Bows to Washington
I come now to the entry of
Marcus Loew into Washington,
The late Walter Brownley was
one OF his most intimate friends
and financial hackers and made
greater dividends out of his faith
in Loew than he did out Of his
prosperous candy business.
Marcus Loew took over the Co
lumbla Theater and gave his first
show on October IL, 1915. The
sale was 10, Is and Is cents, and
the theater operated on a split
week policy. The first picture to
be shown there was Pauline Fred
erick in "Zaza." The last half of
the first week picture program
was Mary Pickford in "A Girl of
Yesterday"
Lawrence Beatus at $35 a week
was the first Columbia manager.
Red-headed Tommy Cannon (now
chief pianist in the Fox Orches-
tra) was the first baton waver in
the pit. Chief usher and errand
boy was a young man listed on
the payroll as "Angy," none other
than the present house manager
of Loew's Palace Theater, Oran-
gelo Ratio. Mr.. Beatus is now
chief movie booker of the Loew's,
Inc, New York theaters and quar-
tered in the home office.
The 1915 motion picture stars
who decorated the Columbia's
lobby included Marie Doro, Dus-
tin Farnum, Geraldine Farrar,
Laura Hope Crews, Hazel Dawn,
Theodore Roberts, Marguerite
Clark, Blanche Ring and a
moustached two-reel comedian
known as Charlie Chaplin.
Opens the Palace |
On November 4, 1918, Loew's,
Inc, introduced new movie
magnificence to Washington when
the doors of the shiny new Palace
Theater were opened and Mr..
Beatus moved down from the Co
lumbia to be the first city man.
ager., The first screen attraction
was Mary Pickford in johanna
Enlists." The last luSty wallop
which the now thriving Loew cir.
cult gave the struggling two-a-day
was hooking Norah Raves reign.