-"pmHHHmiiHiL The"Ecening Ledger Amusement Section, Saturday, December II, 1915 AMERICA AS THEATRICAL LONDON SEES IT AMUSEMENT SECTION 8 Address all communications to Dramatic Editor Evening Ltdaer, Independence Square, Philadelphia. THE AVERAGE NET PAID DAILY CIRCULATION OF THE EVENING LEDGER FOR NOVEMBER WAS 94,800. PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1915 ITHCRfc AC Om.Y TMAtC i. - AKO Omly tmic 1 TVrtl OP Ml jjc -v .. TYPCO 0 Woncx.l I Dog-town Goats IT'S great sport to be a. doj; town. New Tork knows nothing of the remark able experience which is Philadelphia's every now and then when a new show comes here to be whipped into shape for Broadway. "We have been having two experiences in the last fortnight, the repairs on "Stop! Look! ! Listen!!!" and "liuggles of lied Gap." "What would life be on the road if the managers couldn't get our goats once in a while with a few surprises for those people who "get around" to the new shows when they ate aging? Now You See It and Now You Don't "Ruggles" did a metamorphosis this week. It took several months for it to turn into a musical comedy after its first production as a straight farce in Wilmington. But in Philadelphia "Ruggles" yuite outdid the fabled hair that turns white in a single night. The piece at the Lyric lost all its musical comedy trimmings between Tuesday evening's performance and the "Wednes day matinee. Tet somehow one can't help "feeling that this comedy of amusing char acters and amusing lines really ought to be a full-fledged, lC-song musical comedy after all. It has so little plot. Time Out! The process of "taking time out" of "Stop! Look!! Listen!!!" has been a good deal more remarkable. The movies arc not the only tilings that need expert cutters. "Stop! Look!! Listen!!!" which lasted till 11:45 the opening night, has been under the surgeon's knife ever since. Unfortunately, the pro ducer didn't do what he might have done cut out the whole third act. He would have bagged the only two poor sets not by Mr. McQuinn and J. M. Barrio's silly and slow skit, which has evidently been Introduced from "Rosy Rapture." the revue he wrote for Gaby in London. Instead. Mr. Burnside and Mr. Dillingham have been pursuing more com plicated methods.' which will probably work out better In the end, even though Philadelphia suffers in between. They have hacked away bits here and there. They have completely removed, for instance, that real discovery, Marion Harris, who made the first night glad with her infectious smile and her "I Love a Piano." That song, one of Berlin's best in the present score, has fallen to Harry Fox, while Joseph Santlcy has absorbed the "Hula" dittv, which was once Miss Harris'. Fortunately. Gaby has ceased teaching Mr! Pilcer about love. Unfortunately, Barrie's skit still threatens to be the death of the piece. But the most interesting effect of the cutting so far Is the annihilation of the mild little plot, so far as Sunshine and Tempest go. They have disappeared from the first .act, songs, dialogue and alL Mr. Lalor, however, still goes on talking about his lack of children and preparing the audience for the dis coverywhich it can no longer make that Sunshine and Tempest call him "dad." The Impatient Star Not every rising star of the theatrical firmament is content to go on securely year after year in some successful part as George Arliss has done in "Disraeli" and Hodge in "The Man From Home." Otis Skinner deserted "Kismet" after the second season for fear it would become a Rip Van Winkle to him. And now the town is much surprised to learn that next week is Elsie Ferguson's last in "Outcast." Although she has played it only a little over a season, the star feels that she has got as much out of the part in the way of technical development that it can give. Keeping on would only be putUng off the chance of new and ambitious parts in the years when her talent is most rapidly developing. So, with the aid of managers who appreciate her point of view and have, to boot, a play for her in which timeliness is an important item. Miss Ferguson goes on to fresh conquests. She is doing the best she can to get the benefits of the repertory system which has made so many fine players on the Continent. Bound on the wheel of the long run the can never get a half dozen new parts a season, as a player at a German theatre could before the war. But she can do the next best thing, change her play. Unfortunately, that means a financial risk that not every manager or every plaJCr will face. The more honor to Miss Ferguson and her backers! The Authors Rebel Over in Germany a few seasons ago the omniscient Government put through - a uniform contract Jaw of a most enlightened and efficient character for the protection of the actors. American players have been striving for a similar reform here, and with much hope of success. Now comes the Authors' League of America demanding a fair and uniform agreement for the protection of the novice far more than the experienced and successful dramatist. This whole matter of contract is something the lawmakers should regulate as abroad; but if they won't do it the individual Initiative of organizations among actors .and authors must step in. Censor-made Sensation ra;2ehnrnfPh0Ty censorship has the usual number of embar rassing horns. On the one hand it threatens artistic freedom and public ex pression in a well-meant attempt to protect the public from exploitation by S,?rrECrS the-thCr hand' U the W l " very same exploitation in an aggravated form. . Without censorship certain unscrupulous producers would doubtless try "to rut isomethinc over." It is entirely nrohahv tw ,,!.. .. . ,., ,.,...-. ZT Y," T T lhat C 'eatrc hlch coin m6ney by the exhibition of such films would find. itself in bad odor With the general, mass -of the paying public But with censorship the efforts of the sensational ' producer are greatly aided. All he has to do is inject a little "spice" into an , otherwise inoffensive and commonplace story. The censors object to the whole ' Jllm or to large portions or it Thereupon the news columns and advertising ' columns of the papers all over the country arc filled with stories of this "sensa- , tional film. Out of a curiosity that could not otherwise be aroused the public i u.e uncensorea states sees the film-and is fooled. The courts of other States overrule or modify the censors' decisions; and the public is fooled again A Double Fiirhf Censorship means a. chance for lying, trickery and deception. It clouds the ! L , . -" -"Bt sni oi puonc opinion against evil films impossible. The powers in the photoplay would have to fight-crooked producers and crooked advertising just as touch as the censorship out of which these spring. v -j2 Vss) 'cop I "" ' iffiS- "l-MCV "Vt B'Q I OCA. 3 I.. """"""""""" B t SPOUT ANDM 1 Jp-QUIIOINO Jl Hf.,4 of IjSvrtSiP If ( ii ii K6f v ii ill - !:; .. :ff Wfi Mii-'i i' ! L-w s i :: : XT B il. aI ' I i. L-rfrw-' I i ! i. XJi'a &Jlv W ! " ;1 : 1 Mfv "i " ': jjTO HA.IUT (WHIM f&)l -S vv I ii 1111 li5jffliiililifi j PUMU1HTV DOU.AR. Tl!lf5 nf illi r il tt til I n rlilUI lnljrii I . iJII i I g jj -v The artist of the Daily Sketch deduces this from the American dramas now in London. CUT-BACKS Blow Your Horn! Many music lovers are enthusiastically sure that Jrvins Berlin is a preat lyric Writ or. Tint It's n rnnil 1.-il fn!rr n Rfll lhat iho virsp hn wpIIpc fnr hta ! songs achieve their energetic purpose just as effectively as his remarkable mu sic. Here is something from "Blow Tour Horn," the manager's song in "Stop! I-ook!! T-isten!!!; llanium nd llallcy Tere "wonderful Fhonxnen; In the ihitrical world there are no men Who rould claim to Le ihelr cual-and the Was they made the "tin packed them In ecr season. I know :t well, and I'll tell jou the reason. Thty cre a pair of handbill throwers horn blow era. You mut tall: at-out yourself Or the)ll put jou on the ehelf. cuoircs. Hlow jour horn let 'em know you're comln; Mow jour horn that'll btart 'era hummin. Just make a vhole lot of noise. The only way to collar ctcry dollar Is to holler. AltMer Itanium stiid. cerj other minute There's another one born. You'll Mrtke H Just like Harnum; Make Vm like It, ROFh darn em; Yell out, jou'll fell out If jou'I. only blow jour horn. Some people arae fiEalnst adiertislnc; How thej can feel as they do Is surprirtnfc. I'm a walking e'gbt-rbcel poster I'm a ItonBter. The red, wh'te and blue and Us -alue was doubted Till Geortfe Coh'n started Ringing about It. Now c erj one ho was aeMnst It com- meneed It You will be a household word If jou Just make jourrelf heard. LETTERS Ford Defended by Movie Magnate To Uk rhotoplav EAxlar: Henry Ford has been called a jackass and a clown because he hired a ship and sailed across the sea to stop the most frightful slaughter In the history of the world. ilabe lie can't jstop the war. Few er-p-ct that he will succeed. Nimble-witted critics arc having plica of fun with him because thfy don't believe he can deliver the goods. But. to me, the big thing in hi action is not the question of whether he will or will not stop the war, but the fact that hs Is willing; to try! Jt was by trylns that he cot where he is. And still he keeps on trying! In the face of overwhelming odds. In spite of a world-wide criticism, he Is wlll inft to tackle the greatest Job that ever fell to the lot of a human bclnc In the world's history. He brushes aside the thousands of columns of newspaper criti cisms, he Ignores the public utterances of so-called statesmen, he Fots his face to ward the most glorious goal that any man ever hoped to achieve and goes on his way, trying! They say lie is doing it to advertise his automobile. Hut still he goes on trying! They say his riches hae turned his head. But still he tries! They say he never old anything but promote a good automobile engine and they ask what right lie has to undertake the work of diplomats? The present war is the result of a most gigan tic failure of diplomacy, and th fact that Henry Ford Is Killing to try a thing in which the great diplomats of the world have failed only adds to the bigness of Ilia trying! It looks big to Ford. And mabe looks hopeless to him. But he's got the nertc to try and to spend his own money at it. Tc gods! what a nation this would be if each industry could be headed by a Ford who was willing to THY! What chance would any other nation under the sun have in comiel!tion with us? What if more of us were willing to try, and less of us were slaves of convention and creatures of habit? In my business career I've met hun dreds of men who could tell me what I COULD NOT IX). Hut I have met only a tew who were anxious to try! I've let the former class out as quickly but as gently as possible. But I've clung onto the other class with all my might. J want the man who CAN or the man who will THY. but the man who CAN'T or the man who THINKS "IT IS USELESS TO THY" can't have any of my time. If any young man happens to read thi, I wish he'd let this one piece of advice soak into his brain of brains: There's a -word In the dictionary called "can't." Leave it there! Nevr use it! Instead say, "I'll try" or, better till, "I'll henryford!" CAHL LAEMMLK. President of Universal Film corporation. New York City, December 8. Questions andAnswers Florence Victor Jloore was in both "Chimmie Faddcn" and "Chlmmie Fad den Out TVest." His best known work on the stage was "Forty-five Minutes From Broadway," by George M. Cohan. P. N. E. "The Birth of a Nation" has had the longest run of any theatrical offering this year in Philadelphia. Frank As far as we know, Francis X. Bushman has not Jumped his contract with the Metro. D. V. K. The Patrons, who attended the Exhibitors' Ball en masse "Wednes day evening, are an ancient literary society of Philadelphia. It is said that they have been the first to figure in the local activities of the new Ilearst-Vita-graph News Pictorial, having offered to let the films record their coming annual banquet, at which Mrs. Charles D. Harris will be the guest of honor. 8fejilMitillBJlL!Lii ii
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers