Show I Alas Poor Yorick Capital Has Seen Its Last Theater By fly News Analyst and Commentator WASHINGTON WASHINGTON-As As Washington hurries through summer forced to commute to Philadelphia for its major distractions it itis itis itis is faced with a painful prospect of less diversion next fall This city which once boasted of almost a dozen legitimate theaters when it had a much smaller population is about to have the last one that lingered on alone turned into a movie house t The old National theater which opened In 1835 was burned and rebuilt times collapsed once is now about four to end Its legitimate days on an Issue which Is giving the Democratic party equal concern concern civil civil rights Actors' Actors Equity to which most actors The belong wont won't play here because Negroes are not permitted In the audience There Is talk that the old Belasco Delasco theater erected In 1895 on Madison place facing LaFayette Lafayette Lafayette La La- fayette square may maybe maybe maybe be reconditioned 2 and leased to a management which will lilt lift the racial pray discrimination practice practice tice the Belasco is currently government government government gov gov- property k and is used as a storehouse If the Belasco is not reopened reopened re re- opened opened Washington Washing Washing- i ton will be theater- theater less Baukhage Washington's theatrical tradition began early One of the first theaters here was the Washington theater at Eleventh and C streets It opened in 1804 and its ads proclaiming the grand premiere added in small type No Segars are to be smoked during the performance When that edifice burned a second Washington theater seatIng seating seating seat seat- ing persons was opened in 1821 It boasted numerous improvements Improvements improvements im Im- and innovations Including including including in In- stoves reserved seats scats improved acoustics no liquor Inthe in inthe inthe the box lobbies and facilities for Negro playgoers Facilities today today today to- to day wouldn't satisfy satisfy accommodations would have to be on a basis of race equality Fourteen years after the new Washington theater had opened its doors the National theater appeared on the site of the present movie- movie to house It is located in the very center of what only recently has been called downtown on E Estreet Estreet Estreet street which meets Pennsylvania avenue just before it bumps into the treasury building skirts its northern front and ambles past the White House HOU Important clubs hotels and restaurants restaurants rants are only a few blocks from the National today but when it was built it was like any other point in the young capital well-nigh well inaccessible inaccessible inaccessible in in- accessible in inclement weather When it rained or snowed Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsyl Pennsyl- vania avenue became a Residential areas except those in Georgetown weren't far from the center of town in the early but because of the rough going the wealthy didn't like to risk their fancy equipages out on bad nights it cost as much as 10 to get from home borne to the show Now you yon can ride all the way from Capitol Hill to what was forest and farmland in 1835 for 30 tn cents The capitals capital's greatest theatrical development began right after the Civil war and went on for three de de- de- de cades By the time I attended my first sh show w here in 1914 there was no dearth of dramatic entertainment entertainment entertainment entertain entertain- ment and sometimes three original Broadway companies would be playing playing playing play play- ing in different theaters at the same time It was a good town for openings openings openings open open- ings up until fairly recently There is one theater now a museum museum museum mu mu- seum which is still a point of interest interest interest in in- terest for tourists Originally it was wasa a Baptist church on Tenth street In 1861 it was converted into what was called Christy's opera house Later it became Fords Ford's theater In Inthe Inthe Inthe the upper stage box of this theater I President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated assassinated as as- by the actor John Wilkes Booth There was a saloon on the corner below the theater where Booth was said to have had his last drink before before before be be- fore he crept into the theater shot Lincoln and leaped to the stage tripping on a piece of bunting and breaking his leg For many years over the bar barof barof barof of that saloon hung a crude picture picture picture pic pic- ture of the assassination and on the floor was a metal marker where the mad half actor was supposed to have stood as he warmed his courage in preparation preparation preparation tion for his theatric crime Washington ers were well acquainted with John Booths Booth's acting but better still with that of his elder brother Edwin who had the greater talent But they never saw Edwin Booth on a local stage again He was so 50 heart broken over his Ws brothers brother's crime that he never again played in the capital A theatrical performance in WashIngton Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington plays one role that it plays Inno in inno inno no other American city It becomes on n certain occasions few or many according to the taste of the incumbent Incumbent incumbent in In- president a ceremony of state No matter how private a presIdent president president pres pres- ident wants to be when he sees a ashow ashow ashow show he cant can't help being a public Personage on such occasions The secret service responsible for Cr his life wouldn't think of letting him sit anywhere but in a box where he heIs heIs heis Is separated from the crowd This on the other hand makes him con con- One guard outside the door to Lincoln's box in the Ford theater theater theater thea thea- ter could have prevented the as as- The fact that there was no provision prevision pro pre provision vision for protection by the government government government govern govern- ment in the Temple of Music in Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo falo cost the nation its President William McKinley Since then the chief executive executive tive has had a bodyguard whether er he likes it or not and a bodyguard bodyguard bodyguard body body- guard cant can't hide its light under undera a bushel Entrance and exit from froma a public building become a little bit of a pageant no matter how they are effected Woodrow Wl Wilson son loved the theater He liked vaudeville and was a frequent frequent frequent fre fre- fre- fre quent visitor at Keith's Keiths now Keiths now one of our big movie houses Edmund Starling head of the secret service under several presidents often talked to me about how much Wilson loved the theater Starling enjoyed it I enjoyed it and perhaps together er we exaggerated Wilsons Wilson's affection affection affection tion for the footlights But Starling used to say that Wilson got more I recreation from that than source any other In his book Starling of the White House he says Wilson preferred pred pre pre- I musical comedy and vaudeville vaudeville vaudeville vaude vaude- j ville to serious drama That was the general impression among the j newspapermen I know Both the Theodore and I Franklin were great theatergoers I Neither of them was a blushing violet violet violet vi vi- olet as far as receiving adulation of the crowd crowds was concerned but for fora a number of reasons largely the hectic times of the late Roosevelt's regime the former made his attendance attendance attendance at at- anywhere more of a show Although an assassins assassin's bullet t did lay low a man in Franklin Roosevelt's entourage Mayor entourage Mayor Anton Cermak of Chicago when both were visiting Miami Theodore Miami Theodore Roosevelt was himself actually shot and badly wounded on one occasion However this was after he left the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House and while he was making a apolitical apolitical apolitical political speech in Milwaukee It was the movie which drove out the later Washington legitimate legitimate legitimate legi legi- theaters but this death deathblow deathblow blow to the present-day present National theater arises out of the growing growing growing grow grow- ing demand to end segregation segregation- a demand which made itself felt after World War I and which increased Increased increased in In- creased in World War II The frequent well publicized con con- s over lifting of the segregation segregation segregation se se- se- se ban in Constitution hall property of the Daughters of the American Revolution andone andone and andone one of the few available concert halls in the city ha have ve spotlighted Washington's segregation habits babits they they arent aren't laws The manager of the National theater theater theater thea thea- ter is not closing the theater for social reasons He lie simply cant can't book shows i if he continues race discrimination discrimination discrimination and he thinks that if he raises the ban he cant can't sell tickets to enough white people to make it pay To southerners it probably seems absurd that such a question should arise and northerners probably will willbe willbe willbe be just as surprised for the opposite reason Washington was once a southern city now it is a mixture of North and South and typical of I neither S Embrace Pity Then Endure Before Defore his third party's convention convention convention conven conven- tion in Philadelphia Henry Wallace repeated several times the assertion that he was not a Communist that he didn't want Communist support in fact tact that he wished they'd get out of his party For this as some observers pointed out Wallace was mildly spanked by the Daily Dally Worker Work Work- er mouthpiece of communism communism communism com com- in America It seems to me that Wallace Is following on one of Alexander Popes Pope's quatrains in reverse Remember Pope said Vice Is a monster of so frightful fright fright- ful mien As to be hated needs but to be seen Yet seen seen too oft familiar with her face We first endure then pity then embrace Having embraced the Reds Wallace Wallace Wallace Wal Wal- lace seems to be beginning to back backup backup backup up through pity and now is finding that he has to endure them whether he likes them or not DOt |