Stage Doomed?

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 644, 22 April 1929, Page 9

Stage Doomed?

GREAT PRODUCER’S FEARS

Goes Over to the Talkies

(United Service) (United r.A.—By Telegraph—Copyrig

Received 9.5 a.m. THAT the talkies will finally hard-hit London West E some leading* managers, acc “Sunday Dispatch.” It is estimated that at pr< theatres show a profit which : The managers point out that while the prices have been only slightly raised, compared with before the war, the cost of everything connected with production has been doubled. It "would be useless to attempt to raise the prices, because this would only aggravate the mischief, namely, cinema competition. The silent films were bad enough; now the talkies threaten much greater mischief. Mr. Basil Dean, 0.8. E., who is at present probably the foremost producer, has given up the fight and has decided to enlist the talkies. He recently lost £7,000 on a shortlived play. Mr. Dean added that only three per cent, of the West End plays show a profit. Big musical comedies will live -while the prices are low, but drama, comedy and farce are doomed. Other theatricals scout the pessimism, expressing an opinion that the

LONDON, Sunday, knock out the majority of the ad theatres is the opinion of ording to an article in the ‘sent about 15 per cent, of the s often of the barest. I people still want good shows, but that stars’ salaries must be reduced. PREACHING BY TALKIE BILLY SUNDAY’S PROPOSAL (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) NEW YORK, Saturday. A message from Sterling, Colorado, says Mr. Billy Sunday, the famous evangelist, confirmed reports from New York that lie is planning to make a number of talkie cinema films, in order to spread his version of the Gospel about the entire earth. He stated that many places, owing to their inaccessibility, or his own limited time, had been out of his reach, but he hoped to offer his message more widely through the medium of the cinema. He said he had always been a “booster” of the proper kind of films. He indicated that he wished especially to send messages to the more inaccessible portions of England and to Australia.