Footlight Parade

- What a laugh.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, it doesn't mean a thing.

- They laughed at Edison, too.

Looks like I'm an assistant

to a guy out of a job.

You remember when mahjong

was popular, don't you, Harry?

- So what?

- It's a fad.

I've staged 50 musical comedies

and I'll stage 50 more.

I hope you're right.

Frazer and Gould are putting

Never Say No into rehearsal...

and I'm doing the numbers.

- Am I going with you?

- If they don't run out of ink. Let's go.

- Hiya, Kent.

- Hello, boys.

When does Never Say No

go into rehearsal?

Chester, it don't. You can't give

the public what they don't want.

- What show are you gonna do?

- No show if we're in our right mind.

People ain't paying for shows no more.

Talking pictures is what they want.

So, it don't mean a thing, huh?

Plays is a dead issue.

We're in the picture business, exhibitors.

Yeah, we just bought four houses.

They deliver the show in tin cans

and we got nothing to worry about.

So musicals are out, huh?

Yeah, come on around the corner

and I'll show you why.

Yeah, come on around the corner

and I'll show you why.

There's the answer.

It's a lot better to fill your theater

10 times a day at 40 cents a ticket...

than to charge $5 a seat

and have it half-filled once a night.

- Yeah, if you're lucky.

- Come on, I'll show you.

Won't last.

Excuse me, Zeke, official business.

From now on, he'll be getting plenty

of orders, but they won't all be by wire.

- Here's your answer.

- Oh, well, no matter.

I'm so proud of you, John.

So, you're in the picture business, hey, Si?

Who's that, Whistler's mother?

There's competition.

We're booking a house down the street.

So we give them a little prologue

to fit the picture.

What's the picture, Uncle Tom's Cabin?

We're showing Slaves of the Desert.

So we put on something oriental

to fit the plot.

That prologue wouldn't fit anything

but an ash can.

Just the same,

it costs more than the picture.

Say, why don't you let me put on

some of those prologues for you?

- No, no. No more prologues.

- No more prologues, Chester.

That oriental flesh is too expensive.

After this, we're giving our customers

talking pictures and nothing else.

Well, so long.

I gotta break the bad news to the wife.

Red line, I hear you calling me.

Public wants talking pictures

and talking pictures only.

Listen, what you better do

is get yourself another job.

Maybe I haven't made myself

understood, honey.

They're not doing

any more musical shows.

I always said they'd catch up with you.

Is it my fault if somebody invented

talking pictures?

I don't care whose fault it is.

It's time you earned some money.

I'm used to good clothes

and everything that goes with it.

- Well, haven't I always given you...

- Yeah. What goes with it.

Listen, I'm fed up with you

and I have been for a long time.

Well.

- What shall we do about it?

- I'll show you.

Here, sign that and I'll be

tickled to death to get a divorce.

- You sure this is the way you want it?

- Absolutely.

Well, that's that.

Here's your aspirin, 18 cents.

Say, how do you do it?

The place next door charges a quarter.

Yeah, but he's on his own.

We got 100 stores.

- What does that mean?

- We buy in big lots.

When you're buying for one store,

you get soaked.

When you're buying for 100...

I see, practically name your own price.

That's it.

Say, that's marvelous.

The chain store idea solves everything.

Thanks a million.

- Hey, your aspirin!

- Take it yourself. My headache's gone.

Come on, Al.

Listen, boys, I just bought some aspirin.

- Drunk again?

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