Jolson Bickers with Warner’s

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 862, 4 January 1930, Page 21

Jolson Bickers with Warner’s

Hostile Speech at A J ew Film’s Premiere CRITICISM OF PRICES A tense audience waited to hear A 1 Jolson’s remarks on the night of the Hollywood premiere of his picture. Say It With Songs.” Jolson is in the midst of an argument with the Warner Brothers, for whom he works.

wnom ne works, and everybody expected that another round of shots would be fired when Jolson mounted the platform. They were not disappointed. Jolson began by making something of an apology for the fact that he

had spoken over a loud speaker In a slightly sarcastic manner the week before at the opening of “The Gold Diggers of Broadway” at the new Warner’s Theatre, and then had walked out before he could be introduced as master of ceremonies, writes an American correspondent. Refusal to Sing Following that incident, Jolson had talked over the radio broadcasting station of Warner Brothers, where it was announced by Irving Berlin that he would sing “When My Dreams Come True.” At that time Jolson followed Berlin’s words by saying: “No, I won’t sing: wby should I? I don’t get paid for this, as I would be if I were expected to sing at any other radio station.

As Jolson warmed to his subject before the “Say It With Songs” audience, he continued: “I am just a plain person, and I say what is in

my mind. I am sick and fed up with opening's, and I think that five dollars is too much to pay for a seat, when all you see is a motion picture. “Seats Too Dear” “Five dollar seats are all right for all you motion picture people, because it’s business for you. I am thinking of the young fellow who wants to take his girl. He can’t take a dollar seat in the balcony. He wants to show her that he’s a hot cat, so he has to buy the five dollar seat. Then there’s five dollars or six dollars for a corsage, Then a taxi to and from, and there is 30 dollars shot to. perdition. I tell you it ain’t fair.”