Variety (August 1923)

2*: a *•»-*, "rp:.^ '•%r;? ^v'-*-•■-4"'''••-!.'■> ■ ^i»»" '!.*■■<:- Thursday, Au^jtiit •, t9n LEGITIMATE '' -""^ ■■-'•■ *lft'5 J«N, ^^; ■f>1i.. ^gf'^^"'' 17 OUT OF TOWN REVIEWS !«••••••••« .••••««**«*i yALLEV Dip CONTENT San Francisco, Aus- t> Huffh Benton Ki«t!.-^ . . ..er K»rJoil« PMitoi^ Mdt Thurstoe.. llMrtT' Orwrty • . „ _. jCHnor Benton r.. • • t ll>iilci« Coapw n^i^i^A B«nton •••.•Jwihu Mbtttews TempJelon Druid ...L»wroncc Orant 'Ma. rion •••••••••••••••»*U*n vtAry a«»r«l(1l»c Ue L^cy I»ab«Ilc Fletcher T»«Uly Martin Alger So«d« Krl* Shaw.... ....Betty Batterly Baby 'Winters .....Aana MeNauBMoa }{AfolJ We«tley ......Jack Blak» Gll«a rell«\v» Do** Hlliman Wtttaon ,.•«•• WlllartI JensMi FaIUcb Glrj'a— B«atrlci> Fr»«man, B«»ilah I..X Rayo. Violet Slater. Bonnie McCarre>ll K»tJ« Walah GeralJlne Biair bers staniS <Kit with cameo-Tike dlstinctuesH—Ricliard Tucker as the husband ajtid father gives a clear- , . cut and impreiislve portrayal; •*^'"Ma'rth^'*'BryM ^""^"8 Matthowe as the sen is AraiMM Francia [splendidly natural and convincing; Dttlci« Cooper, as the daughter. 0weet» cbatming: and emotionally a revelation, and Isabelle Fletcher, coaviuciag in every degree. .> /. Rifers. A CHARMIKG CONSCIENCE Ban Francisco, Aug. 8. ••*••• ElwTB JIarvey .Raymond Northeut Francifl Adatr .Uanry Mowbray Misa Aofflln >«•«••* Marjorle Rambeau has a nevr play. "The Valley o: Content." writ- ten by Mrs. Blanche Uprigiit from ier novel of the same name, and it wsB K»ven its first prcsentatiou at the Capitol last week. . The stellar roie. that of MarJor?e Benton, give-i Miss Ram beau the sort of a part that she seems to like best. One in wlilch. she runs the scale of emotlojis from' comedy to drama to pathos t^nd even tragedy. It might easily be claeiUfied as a typtcfll Rambeau role, and after flteing the play one SMspects that Miss Rambeau b£id no little part in the fashioning of her vehicle. The opetiing performance was a Viami>iiant occasion for Mi&i Ram- beau and Mrs. Upright The house was paclced. the applause persistent aad con.-.istent. and the third act curtain followed by the uisual parade of flora! pieces and speeches by star and author. The attdience was as distinguished as it wasr enthusi- aatic. Just how much of this en- thusiasm was genuine and hew much inspired by regard for Miss Rambeau and Mrs. Upright only the test of time nnd the verdict of un- interested audiences will determine. "The Va!l-y of Content** has much to recommend It from the stand- point of it.i material. -At the same time it hao little to recommend it when viewed in the light of its structure. In its present shapife It is clumsy, unwieldy and exceed- ingly loose in texture. The absence of a practiced play- writing hand is noticeable. One f^s the impression Mrs. Upright attempted to drainatlxe her novel literally, and in so "^ing lost sight of the exigencies of dramatic con- •truction and the limitations of th« apoken st.ige. Each act Is divided into two di.stlAct acenes with a dif- ferent setting for each. These con- stant interrupffors necessitated by (he frequent change of seene servo to lull the interest and to weaken the force of the theme. Many of the changes seem unnecessary and could be obviated by weaving the Incidents of the plot more closely together. Mrs. Upright strikes a compelling, note in her theme. She builds her premises around a young couple struggling for success, happy in their near poverty; their dreams of future wealth centred about their two little children.' The husband Is working on an Invention that prom- ises a realization of their hoi>es. Follows a lapse of 18 y^ars. Wealth has come. The old-fash- ioned mother, sticking loyally to her straight-laced ideas, loses the love of her modern children, even wins • their contempt. The husband buc- tumb.s to a siren, and Just when the trlf,? awakene to her folly and seeks desperately to retain her slender hold on thoAe she loves a grreat tragedy rears Its. head and the mother's shoulders are made to carry the blame for it all. She finds herself utterly alone, except for the «on, who. at this crisis, clings to the woman who bore him. This son later follows his dictates and forms an alliance with a girl utterly out of his class, and the mother at last is completely alone. Now comes the t^^Ist in the plot that, while it carries the surprise BO vital to every drama, at the same time serves as the play's greatest weakness. The last act goes back to the first, and we find that It all has been a dream: that the husband did not win wealth; that the chil- dren still are babies asleep in their crib, and that Marjorie Benton has fallen asleep over a book she wa.s reading, and that all we have seen didn't really happen after all. One feels that one has been tricked, the emotion^ made sport of and that the sympathy lavished npf'ii Marjorie Benton utterly wa.st<'<i. As a vehicle for Marjorie Ram- beaii. however. "The Valley of Con- tent" prrjmlses a great d^al, for as M.uj.iiie Renton she in trulj' superb. She gets under your skitn witii her emotionalism and swf^ops you along on . 1 w ave of Bym»>athy. In short. Ah** makes the -i»lay a part of her- sj'lf au<l you forget lt8 <ler*cienciH<< thron^h the alchemy of her art. "The \'ulley of Contciit" is csscn- ♦'aily a woman's play. TlKy will Iovf» i: hf>cause they can cry their dea.- eyos out, and when tho final curtain talis go away with the as- surxMP.. In their heart tint, after '^U. Marjorie Benton is not in nny 'J'lngcr; that her suffering was but TlMTMe. Porter C'.OlOB«l. tM> ImXM.. Freddie Fallals Jacqueline Kellowa. Lawrence llaatlnsi Jo*j« Iv»ncovlch **w»»tapa Sterllns Janet Cnmerua' JewreWr's Clark Richard NUhola Mr». Somerset Vem Berliner Ijiura Poatall* Qladvs Knorr Reverend Dr. Wlnflald Harry lUrfoot Fork«3 Allen Whwler En-yden * <lream. '^*f the vot'v lares ca.4t, four mem For the final week of her season at the Curran Margaret Anglln pre- sented **A Charming Conscience," by Orrick Johrv». described as a "jojous fantasjr in tiweo acts." This otHis certainly is fanciful. In treatment It rather suggests Oscar Wilde In a playfool mood. Much of the dialog belongs in the "smart- category, clever and witty, as witness this ia the third act: **My dear fellow, you shootd read wosnen like the Chinese read lH>ok8, in the reverse." w <._i^ ::^ It is rather diScuIt to determine Just what Johns was driving at wl^n ho wrote "A Charoiing Con- science." One minute he strikes the note of high comedv, the next he keys his play to tne mood of a society drama, and then plunges Uito the broadest burlesque. How- ever, he does it all delightfully. His lines at times fairly scintillate, and the unconventionality of the situa- tions keep an audience bubbling with merriment. Johns is evide-ntly a poet at heart with a sense of humor on the .side. Both apparently are equally developed. The program places tl)e time of the action as "^ext Spring." which prol>ably Is the excuse for the futuristic nature of t^e scenic deco- rs tions. The first act fairly screams in colors. The walls are splashed with reds ahd yellows and purples and g re ens all smeared into the semblance of panels that nresum- ably are meant to represent a riot of tropical vegetation. This set. created and painted by Lucien Le- bault, Is as "crazy" to the eye as are some of the situations. The effect of this scenic "madness'' re- calls the incongruities of "The Box of Dr. Calegrl." This first act is laid in the IS- stnry apartment of Jacqueline Fel- lows (Miss AngHn), and through Firench doors at the t>ack may be seen the tops oC other skyscrapers painted out of proportion, just as they might appear to one looking down on them from such a height A weird effect, yet aomchow in keeping with ths fanciful notions of the author. Jacquellna Fellows is living alone In this apartment, except for a French maid and a girl guest whom she had Known years before, and, just before the action opens, saved from a suicide's death in the East River. «Tacqueline Is much sought after by admirers wishing 'j marry her. Among these is her former husband, Freddie Fellows, played by Henry Mowbray. Jacquelint Is determined to find a suitable husband for the girl she has taken under her roof. She enlists the aid of her former husband. Fellows, however, suc- cumbs to the charms of this girl and decides that as long as his ex-wife will not take him back he will marry the girl himself. The first act ends with the dis- covery by Jacqueline that her for- mer husband and the girl are enam- ored with each other and that they spent four hours alone on her 18th- story veranda. She decides that I'Yeddie must marry the girl; she thinks, or at least says so, that she believes he Is merely amusing him- self. The passage of time covering the four-hour courtship Is effected by means of dimmed lights in the first act. The second act is laid in the same setting a month later. The girl. PeneUipe Sterling, has blossomed from a timid, shy little th|ng to a blase, scheming little minx. She make.-^ it quite clear that she Is de- termined to "hook" B'redilie and that she is going to spend his great wealth as suits her fancy. The wed- ding is to be staged in Jacqueline's apartment that day. There is nruch comedy introduced in conof-ctlon with the prepaiations. the arrival of the bridegroom and Jacqueline's it. f I al admirers. - 4 , . ■ . " Frc Idie Kellows and I'is briMe .nre to board steamer for a honeymoon in Europe. Following the wediliijg a paM.sage of time again i« IndicatMl hy lov.erf*d lights. The bride is aboard the steamer nnd Jacqueline has enuacred itassag** to s.ail on the same ship. Freddie rume-i ut the la.^t minute t<» beg lier rot to j.»iii them on their lioneymoon. as rer>**- loie is furipu* about it anrt iSe uwi' dent will cause no en<l "f k*?^*!!'- Before Freddie's arrival -^ fnrm**r husband of Penelope, beHeved to have been kill^^d in France, appears, seeking bis wife. By a ruso Jacq^us- line get.<» Freddie into another r«>om and .then locks the door on him. She leaves him in this predicament and herself sails to Europe with Penelope. The last act Is laid- In the new hoiasc which Penelope had built and furnished in anticipation of hev homecoming with Freddie, but which in the meantime has been sold by Freddi.e to the first husband.-. There is very little action In this act and few developments beyond the fact that Freddie and Penelope''s first hatband have become fitst friends: that Jacqneline decides that she wants Freddie back and that Pene- lope is still in love with the husband she thought dead.. All are paired off properly and the play ends. The role of Jacqueline is handled by Miss Anglin In her delightful comedy style, but with all her clev- erness in this sort of a vehicle she looks a bit too nuttronly to ideallV suit it. Janet Cameron was excellent sf: Penelope and Henry Mowbray'u Freddie was a clever bit of work. Other pleasing and effective charac- terisations are given by John Ivan- covlch, Francis Adair and Wlieeler Dryden. Mr. Dryden especially was delightful aa the poetically^iaclined and supposedly dead basband. He played the part with the true spirit of burlesque. Elwyn Harvey does a French maid with much expert- ness. it#rer«. ^r■.^ » BROADWAY REVIEWS IN LOVE WITH LOVE JitliH MaryiaiQ^ Murn« wtlltann Jordan ..lierton ChurchUI Ann Jordan LynA I^a»taane Hob .MKcalf Henry Hull Frank Cake* 4 Robert Strangf Jack Uantaer Ralpti Morsan Marion Uaam Wands Lyon PAQUES JUIVES Paris, Aug. 1. Marcel Nancey, w)u» ruas the Deux Masques, has offered a new bill to his habitues in spite of the heat. He has a thriller in "Paques Juives." three-act drama by Torls d*Hanse- wick, wherein an the horror of this kind of entertainment is amply sas- talned. A Russian of the Orthodox church has been slain and, of course, the Jews are accused of the crime. A strict investigation Is at once instituted, even a hostage being taken from among,the chosen race. During the inquiry Colonel Smoldowskine a brutal Cossack at the head of ihe csar's police, snters Jacob's home, and after having all the family searched takes a fancy to the pretty young housewife. He compels her to prepare him a mesi, with pork as the main dish, after which he violates the woman nnder the eyes of her htisband, prsrented from interfering l»y ths police pres- ent. •The action In this act Is rapid and varied. It is good stagecraft. - Many years pass and the revolu- tion has broken out. Jacob is now a feeble man, worn out l>y work and privations. He Is with his son otm night, when the door snddsnly opens and an elderly ntan eatsrs. seeking refuge from pursuing soldiers. The wind has blown out ths lamp and he is not recognized, the family allow- ing him to hide In tl\s house. When soldiers put their head in at the door and ask if they have seen Colonel SmoldowskinS the name inunediately recalls ths ter- rible past, but Jacob dsclarea the famous Cossack brute Is not there. The Jews protect the refugee, not to save him but to have their re- venge at leisure. Smoldowskine Is terrified when he discovers he has sought asylum in the very home he violated many yeai'S ago. He imagines he again lives in the past, taking Jacob's strong young son for his former victim. His hallucination Is admir- ably depicted by an excellent actor, li. Blondeau. Tho younger Jew seises the hor- rified Smoldodwkine as he had seized his mother over 20 years before and strangles him, while Jacob puts out bia eves. After this bloodcnrdler for the dog days the maruigement offers Its public a broad farce, "Adultere," one act. by Leo Marches and Clement Vautel, which Is better left alone. It tells of a couptto taking a room In a disreputable hotel to hide their guilt from the husband, but the in- terruptions by a waiter and the dirty conditions of the house dispel all poetry from their intrigue. They separate without having deceived the husband, as It were, but he never knows the difference. This so-called comedy Is amu.sln^^ for the habitues, for It smells a bit musty. Kendrcto. The E. and L. restaurant on 44ili street wa.s the scene of something In the way of a sensation early Saturday morning when five ac- tresses were arrested by detectives of the narcotic division. A white powder, evidently heroin. was found in the handbags of four of the wonipn. They were Lillian Mil- ler. 2'i: Birdie Green. 2»; Pauletto La Fargiie. 23; May Hoffman 20. and Minnie Lrder, 28. The first four were held in $r»00 ball. The other, previously convicted, was charged with violation of her parole. Iho detietives said that they had fol- lowed the Rills, bobbed haired and stvlishlv dres*ied, up from Green- wich Village. Many theatri<il celebrities were in fl»e restaurant at • the tim*» On Tuesday ot this weelt tli<! fir.st four Rirl« pleaded guilty and were given four months in tl'.*» worUhoi»'5<». "^ Vincent Lawrence, author of "Two Fellows and a Girl." has another promising candidate for hithood. He might have called this one **rhree Fellows and a Oirl ' That's what It's all about. But the girl Is Lynn Fontanne. So it realfy should be A Girl and Three Fellows." A fleet, skillful little comedy, clean c 1 a nursery Jingle yet alive with solid laughs and never wavering la Its interest, despite all lack of mystery or even doubt as to the outcome. If there were any question left, the pictures In the lobby frames give away the gag. But that doesn't matter. William Harris, Jr., presents this easy comedy, and If any sort of in- door diversion is thin enough tor this summer wear. "In Love with I.<ove" fits the fashion. It never worries a lazy brain or wrinkles a perspiring brow. T>'plcaliy native in its conception, treatment and prog- gress. It glides familiarly on with just enoagh variation of tried oM twists to make pisasantly effortt— motion—like a canoe on a Hstflsss lake. Lawrence, having worked with tha comedy master, Cohan, and having seen his typewritten lines take on curves, dimensions and colors tmder that canny toach. perhaps little dreamed that tn the less fam hands of Robert Milton he And such a wssflth of BB<lerstaa4iac and s]m:>pathy for his fleepy hmaor. The director rarely draws public credit; and that is fHir enough, for the director rarely shines forth through his material. But tn this in.<rtance the shrewd, fine strokes of Miltcn demand that the shadowy figure In the background for once be called to the footlights for a cheer. It were impossible for any author to Interpolate into his script ths lit- tle highlights with which Milton illuminated this simple play of un- exciting situations. Some of Miss Fontanne's "business" gave her and the story character far beyond what could have been intended in the writing, which Is no reflection on Lawrence, but Is a triumph for Milton. The cast Is of high standard throughout. Such an important par- sonage as Wanda Lyon appears for three minutes, and those who tenant the boards for much longer periods maintain Interest throughput ss though they, too. had only three minutes In which to get thsir thoughts over. Ralpb Morgan. In an unberoic hero role different from the dress-suit parts he usually assumes, does about as big-lsagus work as this reporter has ever caught him at, and Henry Hull, ths usually over-earnest vol- cano of Intensity, can let loose bere as far as he likes, for he Is a hyper- exuberant young chump, boiling with love and Scotch, and is at last cast with perfect aptitude. Robert Strange Is a power as the very straight middle-man In the love problem, obviously so from the first, effectively so to the l^st. Miss Fontanne hasn't half the part she had in "Dulcy," and until the last act hasn't any part at all except entrances, exits and feeding for the scrambled emotions of her rival suit-. ors. In the final act .she has a scene or two putting the play In her lap. and she emerges with another per- sonal laurel wreath. The story Is of a young girl (not the flapper sort, not a flirt, but a romantic hoyden who doesn't know her own heart) who has a rich young Idler and a prosperous young self- made business man at her feet. She lets the business man storm her Into an engagement. The Irrepressible but ImpossIMe iioung scion haunts her. There are cro.s«-purpose con- versations and8ltuation.«», axul a fight between them to a double knockout (olTstage), aftcf which she proposes to the honest and poor young engi- neer who has tried to be the friend to everybody. Not a very pulsating yarn, eh? Ri!t a mighty amusing, lively farce, r.ith a few serious moments at the er.d, and everybody happy. There were something like 15 honest curtain calls after the final f.ndeout. fjcit. MAD HONEYMOON William A. Brady tn saaociation wuM Wllmer'^ Vlnemt ttttrodur^ett thia thraa^ act ooaiady by Barry Conncra at tiit PS^r-^ iMuac, New York. Aug. 7- Pluy jbtaged b^ Hal Brlsffa with following rastr Mn. Shaoaen Loaiae SydsMtla Rutaa Colsata Uaorae Pauncvlsrt Marie Wifnnn ,..■ Mnyo WerUA Dulw WUwm...., Bdward Am«l<l BiU OHea. 'Oaorjfi' Proberi- Kennedy .......A. FianoUi Lens Pesry Culffate BoDtn Woi>«ter Wally Spencer Kenneth MacKaoo* Cousin Jiiumla Rawlinion tlonedict MarQuarrla Mrs. Ead« BtanoUe r.atal». PartMn Crandall William Oenftl<« Ol)e»llah F^ad* Herbert Ik-ywc Captain Hluea I^mronce WllUa LoU'« Mann and nernard Igoe, t;i.xi driver, were arraigned in the West Side Court, New York city, AMg. 6 on count»»r charge's of dis- orderly conduct. When a.sked to re- cite their grievances both refused aod only declared what a lovely gen- tleman the other was. A traffic cop \a.-x.s asked to explain, and said the defendants had had a heated argu- ment about a route In the street, ^h.^n they were rtrresJed and taken to the station house, however, both cooled off, talked it ovtr atid t>ecatne faf^t friends. A.s iiaKi-trate Mc- Kiniry saw tlu».t they did not want to press any rom|»laiiif*t h*» dis- fh.'ifg* d tbetn bo'r\ -ci bl'tni"! " "i theh*»a». m This is one of tl»ose plays one can- not gauge as to Hs box-ofllce out- come. Desplts tlM sophi«tioatsA first-nighters' inclination to scoff at some of the busintss and aiternat- lugly laugh at and with it, the piece possesses those antiquated and lotlft since proven sure-fire bits of hoke^ to make it a possible contender f«r popular patronage fos a few moatiis. It will either stick for some time o*- perish quicklyi Among the early season entries, and having a clear tsid Tuesday, it drew all the first string critics from the dailies. Tbe great majarity af tKem gars k their un«vMi« attsa^ Men tm tha flalsh, bscaus* st llM csss f s ita Mt l a 4osr tem»sralura whisk ka4 ilia e^ca on ths humUUty outsids. A aasBbsff of Mr. Canosra' liaea and sitnatkma wera mat with sin- cere aad hearty approval! flrom everybody, but tks basic tagrsdlsats warv too fka»ttlsr to lend tiM asm total plauBlMltty. A BMrttsr off llMlOOt in stotea rs«lslsra« boaAs Is tha slaaiiTa o^^ct sf ths plot, which InTolfvsa tha police, two suave crooks and a Keystone coa- stable froas Psa Wee. Mich. In between Pegsy Colgateli fhther is fi;^mlng Pefgy*» s l o psin s n t wMli tha desirable Walfy 8peneer. aMhavflii Colffste pera makes rnadi ada abovf being sst agalnsk tha ualsa. To complete the ■Jtaatlaa Is D«kka Wil- son, the Colgates' chauffeur, a re- formed convict, who lives In terror of being "framed" by BHl Crips, one of the crooks Involved In tha f^.- 9M bond hatri. Pcm^B ftr In tha ointment la tha uncertainty as ta whelhsr or no< her husband of aa hoar, whom she married sarseal years sgo as a re- sult of a boardtea sehaot e s cspaia Is reaUy deaA. He was reports^ drowned, but ths body was aevsr found. Ths man was tne brother of Bill Crips, the crook. Crips intends to capitalize it by representing him- self as the supposedly dead htMband. After Peggy aad Wally hava gaae through a mock ceremony hsr a' pseudo-Parson Crandall (Crip^ ae- complice) both decide to blackmail the girl on bigamy charges. The realization of her supposed wrong decides her to make young Wat|y sit up all night nfter the wedding, ceremony. The elopement takes place In the Michigan tank town where the respondence school detective nlmself prominent by compounding each arrest with felonies he luts studied up on in preparation for h£> first pinch. As ths real detectU'** explains It later, the hirk dick was playing unconscious billiards when he finally pocketed one of the crooks In time for the final curtain explana- tions. The play has some noteworthy people in the cast who did much to help matters slong, Kenneth Mac- Kcnna had several brilliant moments as Wally, and Edward Arnold, as the reformed chauffeur, was convincing despite a couple of line httchps. That was a common fault. . The nervous opening night tension ac- counted for one or two other mis- haps, notably ths collapse and breakage of a taAl lamp and the fumbling of another prop. George Probert attempted te make his crook creation "Mmooth.' but he did not ring true. Blanche Latell and Herbert Heywood as the Eads' couple took advantage of thHr comedy opportunities to the fullest. Boots Wooster as Peggy was an ac- ceptable Ingenue. Louise Sydmeth as Mrs. Shannon scored. For two acts the play, despite lis sliortcomlngs on realism, mulntalne<1 a certain sincerity until the rush and bustle of the final aci. Tl^e melrtdramatlc lining up of the crooks and the climax fthere was no de- nouement because of Its obvious- ness) took the edge off the earlier Impression and let It down. The farce metier contains enoodh to appeal to the average theatre- goer seeking light entertainment, and rnay baiig on I! this field is at- tracted. •*><"' The Cornwall Memorial Church of New Vork city at it.«« services Hun- day morning, Aug 5, unanlmoustv"" voted a resolution requesting Chan- ning Pollock to continue the produc- tion of "The Pool." which has been scheduled to doss Sept. J. Th** Kev. Lincoln Caswsll. pastor of the chur< h. lias sent Pollock a copy of the resolution, which calls the plav .1 gr*at Christian sermon on the lootli»Mliood of man and hopes that i! tni'Tht »»e made .\ p''rmin«»n» \t ■ itfjutlon In ?h** rity. ..