Life — October 5, 1922 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LIFE A Theatrical Forecast for the Season of 1922-23 HE outstand- ing feature of the coming season will be the annual fight between the Ticket Speculators and the Legisla- ture. The latter wiil begin it as usual by passing a bill making it a misdemeanor or something for anybody to sell a theatre ticket at more than the box-office price. This will receive the unanimous approval of press and public. At least one manager will issue a statement saying that he has always been for just such action, and he would like to see any Speculators buy tickets for any of his productions. His wish will be grant- ed almost immediately, for the Sur- rogate’s Court will declare the bill illegal, whereupon the Night Court will reverse the decision, acting in loco parentis, whereupon the Court of Appeals, acting even more loco, will put it up to the Supreme Court, which will pass the buck back to the Legislature, finding only too late that the Legislature has adjourned for Christmas, whereupon the Specula- tors will take up their burden once more, confining their activities, how- ever, to standing around the theatres, and asking people if they want to buy seats. All shows will then advertise “Seats selling 8 weeks ahead.” Ask the Speculators; they know. Musical Comedy The managers all agree that it looks like a bad season for musi- cal comedy. One rea- son is the increasing difficulty of writing new songs, owing to the more stringent en- forcement of the copy- rights covering the old ones. It’s positively getting so now that a song writer has to do more than merely change the tempo and name of an old favor- ite when he wants to put out a new hit. * * * Mr. Ziegfeld is ex- pected to announce the permanent withdrawal A PGS Ga yo oO Oy . aa NG Eo) =] = “Ask the speculators—they know” “The Barrymore Brother Act will appear in its annual exhibition of , Jones’ scenery.” of his Follies, owing to the tre- mendous cost of production, taxes, and high salaries paid his stars. * * * Critics and managers alike will be- “His annual production wail the growing scarcity of any worth-while musi- cal productions; meanwhile, com- plete librettos and scores of all the Gilbert and Sulli- van operas may be purchased in the open market, with no royalty clause attached. Drama The managers all agree that it looks like a bad season for serious drama. In fact Mr. Belasco and Mr. Cohan will both announce that they will retire, as soon as they have pro- duced the plays they now have on hand, which should take them up to about 1947. * * * Al H. Woods will prepare a statement that he is going to bring out a show in which there is no bedroom scene, and one assistant dramatic editor will believe him, and run the story. * * * The Barrymore Brother Act will appear in its annual exhibition of Jones’ scenery, and sev- eral old men will sigh for the days of Booth. Spectacles The managers all agree that it looks like a bad season for spectacles. * * * Morris Gest will of course bring out his annual production of Mecca, but at this writing it is not known what he will call it. At any rate, it will be the biggest thing ever produced on the Century stage, using tons of H-O for the sandstorm scene, and most of the Bronx Zoo to give local color to the Market Before the Gates episode. * * * The Hippodrome has adopted a rather ing slogan for i venture, namely, ger and Better Ever.” This is way possible, at least The “Ice Ballet” an! “Skating Ballet” will be discarded in favor of the “Ballet of Skates,” in the non- derogatory, or winter, sense. A.C. M, A. comicbooks.com