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Tfte Evening Ltcdger Amusement Section, Saturday, December 18, 2919
LOVELIEST OF DANCERS
THE REVOLVING STAGE AT LAST
"PUNCH" SETS SEAL 0! -VmK GL
on c. Chaplin ragM 4 r ; ; mm V V Wk
Still Does Chas. Cause Critics
to Scrape Punch Takes
Off His Hat
Jtany times have our most sincere
critics' fought over the Irrepressible
Charlie Chaplin, and many people "sim
ply cannot stand his low methods," but
at last the .personification of high brow
fun and humor steps forth from the
shadow of war to add his weight of
opinion, and that a staid English view,
by Jove. No less a f unmaker than
"Punch" is on our Charlie's side:
"Whether or not Charlie Chaplin is, as
Is claimed for him by certain not disin
terested people, the 'funniest man on
earth, I leave to others to decide. Two
persons rarely agree on such nice points,
and I retire at once from the arbitrament
because I don't know all the others. But
that he is funny is beyond question. I
will, swear to that. His humor is of
such , elemental variety that he -would
make a Tierra del Fuegan or a Bush
man of Central Australia laugh not much
less than our sophistical selves. One needs
noiSlized culture to appreciate the fun
of the harlequinade, and to that lias
Charjftr, with true instinct, returned. But
it is-the harlequinade accelerated, intensi
fied, toned up for the exacting taste of
the great and growing picture public It
is also far.ee at its busiest, most furious.
Charlie has brought back that admirable
form -of humor which does not disdain
the ' .-co-operation of fisticuffs, and in
wiilcli; by the way of variety, one man
is aimed at and another, too intrusive,
is .hit. However long the world may
last, it is safe to say that the spectacle
of -one man receiving a blow meant for
anethor will ever be popular. Indeed, the
delivery of blows at all -will ever be
popular. Thus glory be are we built."
"AVhat strikes one quickly is the real
ization of now much harder Charlie
works than any other of the more illus
trious filtners. He is rarely ouj of the
picture and he gives full measure. In the
course of five minutes he receives and
distributes a myriad black eyes, a myriad
falls. He kicks abundantly and is abund
antly kicked. He runs and is pursued.
There is no physical indignity that he
does not suffer and inflict. In the
pictures Charlie has no immediate rival,
although on the actual variety stage X
hate seen ..several drolls very much In
hlsjtradltion, which Is associated with the
name of "Karno. One detects the Karoo
brand" at once, but in Charlie Chaplin, on
the synthesizing film, it ha an extra
drop or nervous fluid. He has none of the
bland masterfulness of the urbane and
adventurous Max Lindcr; he has none of
the massive repose or the late John
Bunny; he is without the resource of the
Italian Polidor. He remains a butt, or.
at any rate, a victim of circumstances
whom nothing can discourage or deter.
His very essence Is resiliency under diffi
culties, an unabashed and undcfeatable
front.
"By gestures rather than facia flay
does he gain his ends gestures allied to
acrobatic gifts of no mean order. He
has a host of comic steps, a thousand odd
movements of his hands and head, which
when brought into play under domestic
or social .conditions are absurdly funny.
With his hat, his stick and his cigarette,
he has also a vast reicrtory of quainf ac
lions; and it was a wise instinct that
caused him always to appear in the. name
costume. But his especial fascination is
that lire finds him always ready for It
not because he is armed by sagacity, but
because he is even better armed by follv.
He is firFt cousin to the village idiot, 'a
natural, child of nonsense, and. like An
taeus, every time he rises from a knock
down blow he is the stronger."
For correcting mannerisms' there la
nothing like seeing one' elf on the
screen. Tou get on idea of how yon look
and do and what your faults are that
you can get in no other way. No friend
will tell yon what your faults are, but
the camera is mcrci!e and Ehows up,
-your imperfections along uitli your vir
tues., I know now that since I liave seen
myself as others ce me I can correct u
number of little things I neTer knew that
I did while I was acting. Laura Hope
Crews.
"TTER PRICE" comes to the Broad
JLLMonday night as an untried play,
but it brines with it a mechanical device
that has had long years of successful
operation on tho Continent, a device that
has made playgolng a considerable de
gree pleasanter and plays far more illu
sive. It is the revolving stage.
New York has at the Century and the
Little Theatres two of the very few
American examples of this great disk cut
in the centre or the stage and permitting
four or five scenes already set to be
swung into view in a few seconds. No
American manager has yet tried to adapt
to our theatre the sliding and "wagon"
stages which are also a part of Conti
nental development; they are sections of
stage on wheels which can be rolled into
position in a moment's time with the
scenery all ready upon them.
The producers of "Her Trice," however,
have devised a compromise between these
two methods. They have constructed a
species of revolving- stage which fits upon
YV H&J ' R&t i V WOT
Mrs. Veiiion Ca-.tlc, of "Watch Your Step!" charmingly photopraphed
by Ira L. Hill, who catches the airy prracc of the airiest of dancers.
Not an easy thing to do in the still poses of a photographic studio.
Mrs. Castle, it may also be remarked, is as expert a wearer of
advance modes in clothes as she is a dancer of the very latest steps.
All these qualities, which Mr. Hill reflects so skilfully in his pho
tography, will soon be visible at the Forrest.
the permanent boards of the Broad. On
the stage are placed two tremendous
platforms, or tables, each 2C feet in length
and graduating in width from three feet
Just back of the tormentors, where they
are pivoted, to 1G feet at the end of
the table. Two immense king-pins form
the centre on which each platform re-x-olves,
the king-pins being carried
through the stage and solidly bolted
beneath. Different sets are constructed
on the two platforms and swung suc
cessively into position behind the curtain.
Thus, one platform, with its settings, is
visible while the other is resting in the
wings ready to be reset. By this means
tho seven scenes of the play can be shown
with virtually no break.
In front of the tables there Is placed
an Immense gold picture from 2G feet
long by 14 feet high, the frame itself
IS inches in width. Masking In the
scenery are two Moorish curtains, dull red
in color, closing to mark the end of each
scene and reopening at the beginning
of the next period. What is most
pertinent and surprising in the working in
tills special stage and curtains Is that
but four seconds are required to transport
the auditors from their observation of one
scene into intimate connection with the
next.
Electrically, also, the equipment is out
out of the ordinary. "Her Price" carries
its own switchboard, dimmers and an
immense assortment of lamps of varying
colors to give tho necessary touch to
each separate scene. The switchboard
is six feet square: there are 16 large dim
mers controlling 100 lights each and 12
small dimmers controlling 50 lights each.
The amperage necessary is from 50 to 2u0;
each light is of HKMVatt value and there
are 1500 feet of cable used.
MUSIC AND THE EXHIBITOR
Vou can make up a two-hour enter
tainment, hut what are you doing to have
the lct mu.lc? It Is the musical prop
osition that nerds attention. Vou hate
cot to improte your methods. I'lny a
little different mn.Ir. Tnl:e away the
trombone and use Hie 'cello. Good, con
structive mu-Ic can be cotten out of a
piano. Sir. Ljman II. Iloue urd only
one piano for his pictures.
Hare an introduction In your muitlc.
Some piece from a foreign country. Hnvc
a little piece here and there to run In
accord uith the picturen. tVhen there is
a parade in the picture I hale two or
thrco phonoKraphi plajinK marrhes.
This makes the tcene more realistic, lie
Fides giving the audience a nnielty. I
try In hare a little variety in my 1.I1OW,
Something new or noiel to correspond
nltli (lie pictures. Continuity of all
Uiee i a great help in bringing people
to your theatre. Samuel ItotiiapfcL
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