THE TALKIES

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1930, Page 7

THE TALKIES

POPULARITY IN SYDNEY

MORE STAGE FAILURES

SYDNEY, February 13. At tho height of her popularity,' when she was the heroine of many a stage play which thrilled audiences throughout Australia and New Zealand, Miss Muriel Starr must have been on the way to making a fortune. Now her private affairs arc to come before a curious public by way of the Bankruptcy Court, for she is one of the victims of the success of the American talkies, and all the money she possessed has gone in the losses ■ she suffered since she lias conducted a company under her own management. Her last Sydney season was a' complete failure. Muriel Starr was always famous for what the Americans are pleased to call “sob stuff,” and no\ V she has a rare chance to show off her ability in that connection. “Where are my Sydney audiences now?” she asked the other day just after she had filed a- statement of affairs showing a deficiency running into £3009. “They used to be the most wonderful in the world.” She is now appearing in suburban halls fighting a gallant fight for the legitimate stage, but it is a lossing fight all the time. The talkies still hold the stage of public popularity. Still, she is not an old woman by any means, and she is still beautiful. And, what is more important, she still has that catch in her voico which earned for her the sympathy of her admiring audiences in years gone by. Therefore, as Boo’ll as she can entangle her affairs—that will take her two months at least—

she will go to America and see whether she can break into the talkies, and so get some of her own back. “What could I do but go bankrupt?” she asked pathetically. “My cast has been fine They have stuck to me. But we have been beaten. We are not wanted any more. I thought maybe the public was tired of light stuff, so I put on ‘The Enemy’— a beautiful play. But they did not want that. This war has been fought and won from the comfortable seats of the cinema theatre, and you can’t blame anyone for that. The public might have helped a woman on her

own. They might have supported an

old .favourite. But they Jorget so soon. 1 have been doggjed with bad luck for the past eighteen months, and this is the finish. I can’t go on any longer.”

Still another stage show has failed in Sydney. This was the Richard Bell airs company which was playing “Divorce” at the Grand Opera House, “Divorce” ran for a week to very, poor houses, and on Saturday night at. the end of the show Bellairs said that he could not carry on any longer. The talkies had shouted “You’re out of work” for another 50 Australians, In a speech from the stage he strongly denounced the talkies. “Why can’t Australians give their countrymen a chance?” he asked. “They arc driv-

ing their own people to unemploy-

merit. It is pitiable the support we have received. We have tried to give you clean comedy with a first-class company, but w© have failed. Last week Mr Marlowe closed down the pantomime and put 110 persons out of employment, .all because Australia would rather patronise American canned drama than Australian plays. It is not that Australian plays' are not good. The plays that cannot get a good house here are having a long run overseas. Instead of keeping their money here Australians seem anxious to give it to America, which gets 70 per cent, of the gross takings of the talkie shows.” The audience sat in silence and Mr Bell airs went on. “Hundreds of actors are starving,,” he said “An actor, one© ho is forced out of business must, starve. He has no other avenues of employment.” Meanwhile the streets of Sydney ring with orchestral music. There <ue little groups of musicians on the sidewalks and one of their number rattles a collection box. A notice informs the pedestrians that they are musicians who have been forced out of employ - ment by the talkies.