Evening public ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, April 15, 1916, Postscript Edition, Amusement Section, Image 9

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    W
AMUSEMENT SECTION
PHOTOPLAY
DANCING
MUS IC
l&tlXQtt
famtmg
PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL IS, 1010
A Very Bad Drama
ana a Clever Review
Walter Prichard Eaton Thinks "Margaret
Schiller"- a Pretty Poor Play, but Says
Cohan Has "Some" Review
THE BUG AND THE MAN THAT MADE HIM FAMOUS
Keenan Keen on the
Magfic of the Movies
The Star of "The Stepping Stone" Analyzes the
New Art of Expression and Finds Its Power
Commensurate With the Theatre's
By WALTER
TT7HV O. Jf. Cohan. In his burlesque of
VV tlio pennon's plnyn. let "Margaret
Schiller" escape Is linril to roc. unless he
thought Hint the task of litiitesquliiR It
was too easy. In fnct, thero arc scenes In
this Intent drnmn from the pn of Hnll
Calno which could ho beautifully bur
lesqued simply by hlttlnrr up Hi" para of
the performance and ctnphnslzlngjuit a lit
tle more the emotions of the players. And
this Is the piny In which i:iIe Ferguson
Is spend Ins u year of her precious youth,
when she should he teaming to net We
say learning to act Intentionally, because,
In the role of Margaret Schiller, In this
melodrama, playing In the big New Am
sterdam Theatre, she shows that as yet
there nro n. whole lot of secrets still
sealed for her. In fact, at times she nets
downright badly, and the hnider she works
to save the play, the worse she nets We
have no objection to her tackling melo
drama; probably It would be n good thing
for her, If she could tnulito a good melo
drama, under competent direction or play
ing opposite to Otis Skinner or Ho'e
Coghlnn, and If sho could tackle It for a
row weeks only nut to spend n season
In this Cnlne illbblsh Is little shoit of a
crime, for she Is getting worse Instead of
better, and working harder nml harder
(Llong wrong lines to save an Impossible,
situation.
Margaret Schiller Is n young German
girl, living in the home of her uncle and
aunt In London, after the outbreak of the
war. Her father has been Imprisoned, and
died In prison, which has made her and
her brother very bitter We see them, with
their old mint, when the piny begins. Tho
aunt says It will be nil right, because the
uncle won't lose his Job In the conservatory
where he has taught tho piano for .10
years.. 1'iesto, enter uncle lie has lost his
job. Then they say It will still be all
right, for they can live on son Frlederleh's
salary. Presto, enter Frlcdei Ich, and he
has lost his Job. Then Matgaret says If
thero wore only some way so sho could
get Into tho house of Sir Robert Temple,
the Prime, Minister, who. Is responsible for
these cruel alien enemy laws, hho'd fix
him,. Presto, enter a family friend who
NOT TWINS BUT WHICH IS NORMA?
The Talmadge sisters, Norma and Constance, are surprisingly
similar in facial expression, as the photographer has just betrayed.
They are not twins, and thero is a decided difference; but which
is which?
Can the "Anti-Suffs"
Find An Answer to
Mary Shaw?
The "antls" are finding It difficult to
obtain an argument Strong enough to
offset the, practical example for suffrage
afforded by .Mary Shaw, tho legitimate
actress who has temporarily left tho
legitimate stage to present n one-act play
called "The Dickey nird" In vaudeville.
Miss Shaw will be seen In this playlet at
B. P, Keith's Theatre next week. Aside
from the famo and popularity sho has
gathered through her career on the stage,
Atlas Shaw la one of the prime workers
for "votes for women" and ono of the
most active of American clubwomen and
has found time for her propaganda and
has worked for the cause without Inter
ference with her professional career or her
domestic duties, for Miss Shaw Is at one
and the samo time an Ideal mother, a
theatrical star of correct proportions and
an Indefatigable worker for the advance
ment qt womankind. In fact, all of Mlsa-
Shaw's work, regardless of Us kind has
been In tho nature of uplift. The Central
Federation of Women's Clubs, probably
the largest woman's organization In the
world, having a membership of more than
a million and a half, has entrusted Its
work to a group of committees. The
Drama Committee Is composed of three
women, and Miss Shaw Is one of tho num
ber. Her profession has helped her ma
terially. In her -work for the federation.
The theatre compels ono to travel from
city to city and as Miss Shaw does so, she
Invartbly addresses the local members of
tills organization.
In this capacity Miss Shaw has en
deavored to increase the demand for an
intellectual drama and to keep the classics
perennial. Miss Shaw Is also on the Ad
visory Committee of tho National Board
of Censors of moving picture Alms, and
president of the Gamut Club, an organiza
tion composed of women of the allied arts
.-.-actresses, singers, painters, sculptors,
writers, etc. In recognition of Miss Shaw'a
wonderful work, the Criterion Club,, an
Institution which Is very similar to the
Union League Club, but composed of
wealthy women instead, of wealthy men,
made Miss Shaw an honorary niomDer.
It would seem that these activities would
keep the average woman busy, but not
so with Miss Shaw for she has already
become a devotee of vaudeville and her
appearance in "The Dickey Bird," Is being
recognized as one of the season's most
important features.
The Musical Expression
TN THE various forms of the-i-
atrie entertainment, music is
paramount as the mode for ex
pression and companion of another
art. In tragedy and comedy music
is used to heighten the effect of
a dramatic situation; in panto
mime, to make clearer the inten
tion to be conveyed by the actor;
music's fascination makes the bal
let enduring and possible. John
Philip gousa.
PRICHARD EATON
has Just come from .Switzerland to be a
governess for the Prime .Minister's little
girl. Margaret will Impersonate her, take
her place. Just a little more speed In the
plujln-j. and thl a I wutild iniiKe n perfect
burlesque of the long-nrm-of-colncldcnco
drama, without a single change.
.Margaret goes to the Prime .Mlnislei'it
house, of course, nml of course she falls
In lovo with him. especially as he discovers
her secret and Instend of turning her, over
to the pollen, still keeps her in his family
a curious proceeding for a Prime Min
ister In limes of such grave national peril.
Hrr hi other Is nsslgned to murder the
minister when Mnrgaret falls to accom
plish this end, and .Mnrgnret In older to
save both her bi oilier and tho Minister
so nrrnnges mntters that the brother
shoots her In the dark, nud escapes think
ing ho has killed his qunrry. We really
oM'ected to see Matgnrct get up again nml
fall Into the .Minister's nuns. Whv not?
It would be no less Improbable than the
rest of this rlganurolo.
.Miss Viirii-iiii. as Miminvt. is im doubt
supposed to express blind hate, dnwnlng
love ii'wl sublime "lf-nrrltlr c Then- l u
scene where the Minister cross-questions
her, for all emotional pnrts must bo
uiltteu to show tho actress breaking down
under stiniii. nml saying, "You nsk me so
mnuy questions, and Po got such n head
ache, and I want to go to my room now."
Thoro Is n sceno where. Margaret con
fronts tho Minister's trusting little child.
There Is a hCene where the Minister speaks
In kindly fashion of the Germans', nml
shakes her resolution. And so on. Tint
for nil these tricks of tho scntlmentn'
melodrama, Iho part nevertheless Is lit a
strangely monotonous key of unrelieved
wcepmess, aim to project umellcveti
wccplncss for a whole evening Is beyond
Miss Ferguson's powers, especially in thlH
big theatre, hi the first place, she has
not yet developed anything like the ph.vsi
cal resources. Lacking both the nntlvc
power and the training of an actrjss like
Margaret Angllu. her sob and hei crooked
smile are both for row C, and are lost
before they get to the vasty rear of tho
auditorium. In the second place, in lior
efforts to color her tones to tho moods,
while she occasionally strikes a rich, deep
note, showing that the noto Is latent In
her range, for the most part sho playn
with a curious and terribly ncrve-trylns
head tone, from the roof of her mouth,
which, you feel. If pushed, would be too
closo to a falsotto for comfort. She does
not shade tho part, and In her effort to
swing tho piny sho strains moro and
more to project this weepy woe by over
emphasizing the sob, which sho lacks the
physical resources to mako big nnc"
resonant and powerful. Indeed, where
has sho ever had tho training for uch
n rolo? If she had played "Mrs. Dane's
Defense," "Zlra," "East Lynne" and a
dozen moro dramas like that, sho might
mako a go of this one. As It Ib, with
out the proper training, and without tho
proper help from some, mora experienced
player In the company, she Is beating her
wings futllely. Norman Trevor, to bo
suro, ns the Prime Minister, Is a good
actor, but ho projects his part largoly by
native dignity, which Is about all the rolo
calls for. Nor Is it certain that his ad
vlco would be welcomed. We lire not at
all sure that Miss Ferguson was not made
a star too soon.
"Tho Cohan Review or 1910," at the
Astor Theatre, is sheer fooling, a running
burlesque of many of the season's plays,
and mostly unlnteliglble to those who
have not seen these plays. To those who
Continued on I'oib Four
jT .t
If Herodotus Had Only Been a Camera
A writtr In a rtcent (jju o Collier"!
delve deep in the QVtttlon o "Setina
tlie A'cuu tu i-'llm" and lit Ins course of
Ml tptculaliont diss up noi.ie novel
cnancrs mliscd &V the inovis man 0
ancient dais,
THINK of the programs that a Bmart
operator might have got together In
the old days! Instead of reading dry
history, our schools might now see
some of these on the screen:
Athens, Greece Pheldlppes wins the
first marathon, 490 D. C.
Rome, Italy Christians burn Rome
during1 one of Nero's chamber concerts.
Thebes, Egypt Wild scenes occur In
the wheat pit when Joseph, a youns
broker, puts over the first corner.
Fhllistla As the result of a barber's
strike, Samson, the strong man, wrecks
the temple and loses his life.
Ithaca Ulysses, returning disguised.
."SftegJ
in J&Q j ""sifc " A ZFLi.mtrf ismiaf " w. "2r MR til Iff 3C3"" "ttx. IILh
f li fit M a ' -1 w j mi fcv I x -. v X r. S avill 111 t i ri l '
II ffllifl -s ' "t -1 - K A i iii A .r ... ft .g TStaf II 1 im L'" a IPtt-
)
t '
I WL - -mn
1 ryf- SB ;
Ej $&& ,7 3f W&jHrl Zmmmmmwr
m Ilk Kp J?m
NOTHING
Lyric Tl
In "Alone at Last" nt the
Theatre draws so much np- i
plnuso ns Mr. AtvvcU's little song nbout
the microbe, lie composed it and sings
It, mid It Is not only the neatness of IiIh
versiflcntlon but tho timeliness of the
teplc which makes It so enjoyable to the
audience. Here nio those verses which
Mr. Atwell sings:
In these ri-is of linllRestlon
ic is nriennmee a question
An to what to ent nml what to leave alone
Tor each mlcrobo and bartllua
Has a illfroront way to kill us,
And In tlmo tlrcy nlwajs claim us for their
Dsn,
Thero nre germ of every kind
In any food that jou can find
Tn tho market or upon the bill of fare.
Drinking- water's just ns risky
As Iho so-called deadly whisky.
And It's often n mistake to breathe the
nlr.
tfnnie llttlo bun Is going to tlnd you some da-,
Sonio little hug will creep behind oll Homo day.
Then he'll miul for his buir friends
And nil our earthly (rouble ends,
Some llttlo buB Is colne to 11 ml loll some day.
The Inviting Rreen cucumber
tlels 'most everybody's number,
White the Rreen corn has a ayslem of Its
own;
Though a rndlsh seems nutritious,
Us behavior la nulla vicious.
And a doctor will bo coming to vour home.
Hating lobster cooked or plain
la only flirting with ptomaine.
Whllo nn ontor sometimes 1ms a lot to
say.
lint tho clams we eat In rhowder
.Vlako tho nngels chant the louder.
Tor they know thai wo'll be with them right
nway.
Take a slice of hlen fried onion
And ou're fit for Doctor Munon.
Apple dumplings kill jou nuli.kr th.m a
train.
Chew a cheesy midnight "rabbit"
And n grnve jou'll soon Inhnbll
Ah, to eat at nil Is such u foolish game.
Hating huckleberry plo
Is a pleasing way to dlo,
Whllo sauerkraut brings on softening of tho
brain.
The Wooingf
J.'
HARTLEY MANNERS Is not relying
on "Peg O'My Heart" alono to bring
success either to him or his charming
wife, Lauretto Taylor, us all who have
witnessed "The Wooing of Kvo" at tho
Broad will testify. Here is a portion of
tho dlaloguo which savors more of Kutro'a
"The Two Virtues" than of Mr. Manners'
great success of a few seasons ago. Tho
first sceno Is between Eve and her newest
n.irfiiror. T.lvltiirston. an Ameilcnti. It fol
lows upon his'proposal of marriage, and
"explains her lefusal by narrating Eve's
early nuair wiin an arorai uuimiu, "
proved too ardent The second, between
Eve and her cousin Winifred, who Is now
engaged to said nident one, speaks for
Itself.
Kvo My dear Mr. Livingston, one of tlw
chief characteristics of our very remarkabla
peoplo la that wo like overs th ng at tlrst hand
news, houses, furniture and women nt first
l""11'. .. .. .
Livingston That'H true. .i
Kvo I'm second-hand and not eligible.
I.lv. Second-hand: how's that?
Hve--l'vo been In love. .. L , llu
Mv So have I after nil. what difference
doea It maka?
15m Minn was rnthcr serious.
My. Mine Is very serious now.
r,ve Oh!
I.lv. 7llnw long ago?
Kve Oh. years I
i.lv. How many? , ,
Eve. Many years I waa a girl.
Mv. ll'ml Very much In lovo?
Kin Ver very much.
kINo""'?. On tho brink. Tottering. fc
I.lv. What broke It oft?
Bio The old Adam that lies deep In all
men's natures. Ho gave mo my nrst glimpse
of tho. p.bsmal brute. Knllghtenlng but un
pleasant. i.lv. American?
Eve No. English.
I.lv. Oh ahl
Kve Oh. what doea It matter?
I.lv. Young?
Eve At the time.
I.lv. (lood looking?
Kve I thought so then.
I.lv Treated you badly?
Kve Oh. very! ..
I.lv What a fool!
Eve Wusn't h? -
Llv. Any one whdxwould treat you badly
Is on nss.
Eve Thank you. Mr. Livingston.
I.lv. Whero Is ho?
Eve I don't know.
l.lv. Ueally?
Kve Iteally. , . ,, .
I.lv Haven't you written to him?
Eve No.
I.lv Didn't you hear from him?
Kve No. I haven't written to him: I haven t
heard from him, I don't know where he Is.
l.lv.A real nuarrel. eh?
Eve I quarrelled, he said nothing.
What
a Jons lima ago it seems.
waa just a
wins the great matrimonial contest fW
Penelope by drawing his own bow after
eight suitors fail.
rtunnymede, England Kins John
signs the magna charta with three
gold-mounted goose quills.
Troy, Asia Minor After a 10-year
siege the Greeks get Troy's goat in
exchange for a wooden horse,
Westminster, England Canute the
Great, with the aid of the sea, calls
his courtiers' bluff,
London, England Gallant Sir Wal
ter Halelgh assumes ottlce as head of
the department of streets as result of
famous cloak episode.
New York Clty-r-Fulton Inaugurates
the first Hudson Mver excursion line.
Thrace Paris announces the verdict
In the famous beauty contest.
Of course, there would have been
am, Mm mm
ftf&$$wWmwQws tdmmmwlmEkMk
Roy Atwell, comedian and poet,
hns immortalized in a song
When u eat banana fritters
Kvery undertaker titters,
And tho cusket makers nearly go Insane,
Some llttlo bug Is going to tlnd ;ou some day
Some llttlo bug will rreep lehlnd jou somo day
With a nervous little uulver
Tir'll give ehrbosls.of tho liver:
Hums llttlo bug Is going to tlnd you somo da)
Whenxold storage vaults I visit
I ran only say what Is It
Makes poor mortals 1111 their n stems with
sui 1) Htlltf
Now, for breakfast, prunes are dandy
If a Ntnmnrh pump Is handy
And Miur doLtor (an he found quito noon
enough.
II.it a plalo of fine pigs' knuckles
And the heacl'Stono (Utter chuckles.
Wlillo tho grnvu digger makes u noto upon
his run".
Hut that lovely red bologna
And vou'll wear fi woollen kimono, r
Ah our relatives ntnrt scrupplng 'bout your
aturr.
of Eve That Lost and Then Won
spoilt child then. I'd never been denied any
thing, so when I first met him 1 fancied him,
singled him out and went after him. My
parents showed nrent foresight when they had
mo christened Eto. ! waa very Evc-y as
a girl.
I.lv. Wero jou?
Eve Verj. I know much better now.
Mv. Do on?
Kve Oh. very much bettor.
I.lv. I'vo HlwnH thought Kve must have
bean a pretty nice sort of person. She looks
It In lier pictures
Eve Tho long-haired It, ns n famous writer
once called her tho long-hnlred II. It's a silly
story, anyway. It ended so miserably, like
mlne
I.lv Hut nu didn't marry him.
Kvo Sho didn't, either, did sho? Hut I
would hnvo. He had only tn ask me. I was
clay In his handj und I was happy five scars
ago. Oh, those days! I used tn stay with his
mother weeks at a time. Our mutual bond
was music. He would play In the grent halt
and I would lie In the hammock on the lawn,
listen and dream. Wonderful dreams, too,
and he was In all of them. Are you Interested?
I.lv Yes, I am
Evo Ono day. half In a spirit of mischief.
I promised to Join him In colebratlng n Chopin
annhersary at night, when tho houso was
still. What a llttlo fool I was In those days'
1 wonder if I'd do It now? Oh, l( 1 hadn't
gone! There was no reason why wo could not
nave celebrated Chopin y daylight. Hut no.
I Insisted It had to bo night. It seemed more
Chad's Prayer
from "The Llttlo SKcpherd of King
dom Come"
GOD, I hain't nothin' but a boy,
but I got ter ack like a man
now. I'm a goin' to run away now,
and I reckon you know it. I ain't
c;ot no datldy and no mammy, and
I hain't never had none as I knows:
but Aunt Jane here, she's been just
like a mammy to me. I'm goin'
now. And I don't want you to
think that I'm a-complainin', for
I ain't; and I'm tryin to find mo
some place where I can Jay my
head hero in this earth, and earn
my livin'; only it seems sort of
curious as you'd let me be down here
and nobody carin' for me except
my kin Melissa, who I'm goin'
with. But Thy ways i3 inscrutible,
leastwise that's juBt what the cir
cuit rider says; and I ain't got a
word moro to say. Amen,
drawbacks. Nobody denies It. Imagine,
for Instance, keeping the lions off the
cameraman when he found they didn't
take a fancy to Daniel. It's doubtful
whether the Roman Senators and mob
would have kept out of range o,nd
given the machine a good clear view of
Drutus stabbing Caesar. And, of
course, if Peeping Tom lost his eye
sight, Lady Godlva would probably
have cracked the lens of any camera.
But what would such little accidents
matter compared with a film of a
choice line of martyrs in the Coliseum,
taken by special arrangement with the
management? Or little Moses paddling
round In the bulrushes, with Phar
aoh's daughter in the offing? Or
Cromwell proroguing Parliament with
the words, "Take Away That Bauble!"
thrown on the screen? Such sights
would be worth untold gold to us to
pursuing; the winged germ that ho
he wrote into "Alone at Last."
Homo llttlo hug Is going tn find ou somo day.
Home llttlo bug will Lreep behind you somo day.
Hating Julc slice plnvnpplo
Makes tho sexton dust tho chnpel;
Somo llttlo bug Is going to find J on some day.
Alt these crnzv foods thev mix
Will llont us 'cross tho Ulver Styx,
Or they'll start us climbing up the milky
w ay,
And the menls w-vs eat tn courses
Mean a hears and two black horses
Ho before a meal some people always pray,
l.uelous grapes breed 'pendlcltls,
And the Juke lends tn gastritis.
So there'H only death to greet us either way:
And fried liver's nleo. but, mind ou,
I'rlends will soon rldo slow behind ou,
And tho pnpers then will havo nlco things
to say.
Somo little hug Is going to find you somo day.
Somo llttlo hug will creep behind ou somo day.
Uat somo sauce, they call It chill.
tin vour breost they'll plneo n Illy:
Somu llttlo bug Is going to tlnd you somo day.
wonderful, moro imstorlous so I went. There
wero no guests In tho house. AVheu ho was
restless ho would often pluy half through
tho night. He would that night In bono
of the master's birthday. Ami ne would ii'h
nothing but Chopin. We would talk of ,
lug but his wonderful music, brenthlnt; :.
stun, cnltlng for love. Night cams. ,"e. v
one was asleep except Adam and Kve. 1
followed the path of npple trees that led tn his
room Ho was waiting for me. No king
.ever recoived a queen with greater homage
and respect. Ho began to pln and how ho
tould pla ! Music, most Insidious nf all
sensuous arts .it night a thousand times for
so! Music that whispers through tho shadows,
catls through the dark and moans through the
stillness. It whispered to him, finally master
ed him Then ho mndo tho ono mlstnko that
changed both our lives. I saw buhlnd the
nrtlst-muslclan tho Darwinian animal with
bloodshot eyes and outstretched claws. I
heard tho coarse, surging rush of passion.
In thnt moment disillusion enmo. Out of a
little window flew love and In ItB place camo
that most dangerous feeling to man If once
woman feels it toward him disgust. It nil
happened In a moment, but In that moment
my girlhood vanished. I was astonished,
frightened, ashamed I showed It so plainly
that the animal once more became the man
of Intellectual breeding. Silently he helped ma
with my cloak. Silently ho walked with mo
to tho end of tho pathway. Bllently he. turned
and disappeared out of my life. Ho, you see,
I am not ellglblo.
I.lv.. I am Just as sure in my mind of
every moment of jour past ns I am of jour
future. Thero are somo women who could
do no wrong. You nrs ono of them.
Eve That's charmlntr. There's something
of the poet in you Isn't there?
I.lv. I think there Is In every man when
ho meets a good woman. Don't you?
Eve I'd like to think so. "There aro some
women who could do no wrong. You nro ono
of them " 1 like that. I like It very much.
Where did you get that?
I.lv. It Just camo to me. Tou made me
think of It.
Evo You should always think In word pic
tures. After all, English Is a beautiful lan
guage If you take tlmo to put the proper words
In tho proper place; Isn't It?
Llv. Yep.
Evo Ilecause vve aro American, that's no
reason our vocabularly Bhould bo limited to
"gi whiz." "butted In," "on the level." "go
wan," "beat It," "come across" -Is It?
I.lv No, but you can use them sometimes,
can't you?
Kve On Sundays and public holidays. Try
to paint word pictures. Let's show the Eng
lish we know now to talk.
I.lv. Sure!
Kve He loved word pictures he taught mo
I'll tc.irh you.
I.lv Gee. I wish you would!
Eve He loved big words ao do I jou know
nice long, colorful ones with lots of sjl
tables. Oh, the word pictures ho could paint!
..
Eve I'm devoted to you. I'm not going to
let you suffer by marrying a man like Sir
l'hlllp. not I I wouldn't think of It. I suf
fered when I vvaa Just about your ugo.
Win You did'
Eve Yes. I did.
day, even though they cost tno oper
ators such caustic comment as "Ye
Movlnge Portrayte Chronycle" for Jan
uary, 1606:
YE ANIMATED SPECTATOR.
December 10, 1605 No. 75
Guy Fawkes caught In ye acte. Hire
ling of ye Popish Militants attempts to
Bette a bomb beneathe Parliament.
It might have been enterprising,"
the "Chronycle" might have added, "to
spy out Mr. Fawkes' purposes and to
plant an operator at tho proper time
and place. It may seem public-spirited
to have given, tho plot away to the au
thorities. But It looks more like com
mercial enterprise. The risk taken of
frustrating the plans of both sides by
the noise of the machine In operation
was hardly sportsmanlike In Englishmen."
iMg- ., iii r ir ' gAtiBtR$J E
By FRANK
rpiinnn Is no question of the drnnm In
JL pictures equaling the drama In speech.
Tho two will ho commercial rivals for a
long time, but neither will usurp tho place
of the other ns nn nrt. On tho contrary,
each
wlll tnko lis own place, forgo its
. ........ .
own path, he shaped by Its own nature,
nnd limitations. So each will Rrow less
and less like tho other, except In tho
fundamentals tho ftencral subject, hu
manity The eye appeal of pictures hns pecul
iar power. The mechanism of Its In
fluence Is curiously direct, physiologically
simple. Uut words have their potency,
too, and will nlwnys have. The spoken
drnma will Rain In benuty and In appeal
by being robbed of somo of Its effects
for the making of photoplays, but In
beauty, variety, slzo nml naturalness of
scenes tho since play can never compete
with the plctuie In swiftness and sure
ness in tho development of certain kinds
of situations It Is again at hopeless dis
advantage.
Hut It still hns a profoundly Impor
tant Held nil Its own, nnd, like a man
robbed of sight. It will develop In un
expected and compensating ways. It will
be better written, moro expressive nnd
better expressed than hltheito. And this
last Improvement will be directly duo to
tho photoplay, which Is reviving the al
most lost nrt of vivid dramatic expres
sion. For enrs we actors have been us
ing word sounds to cover n multitude of
deficiencies in our ability to express hu
man thought and emotion by action. We
havo let tho dramatist nnd tho rcenery
do our work or much of It nnd have
gono out after social recognition and
other false gods.
In tho olden dajs the nctor's world was
a world npnrt and whether It was a poor
world or not. It kept him In living, vital
touch with ids art. lie may havo talked
ridiculously In ShaUcspcarinn quotations
and spouted nnd posed on the stngo nnd
oft', but till business of acting vvns his
life's devotion. The great Shakespeare
was a vital Inspiration to him nnd he
DEMING AND
JSfiMlsmfSRM
The comedian of "It Pays to Advertise" makes it a rule to receive
toy dogs rather than telegrams of congratulation on such occasions
us first nights. Hero ho is in his dressing room nt the Garrick with
a small part of his hundred pets.
Win. A man?
Eve Of course It was a man.
Win. Oh. tell mo, what waa he like?
Eve He was very llko Sir l'hlllp.
Win. Oh. was he?
Hie Very, only ho was younger.
Win. He Is old, isn't he?
Eve Oh, I don't know! Not ao very.
Win. Oh. he Is'
Evo He's too old for jou naturally.
Win. Oh. much!
Eve Of course ho Is much too old for you.
What kind of a lover Is he now I mean what
kind of a ioier Is ho?
Win. Oh. don't!
Kve Oh. that kind?
Win. I never let him make love.
Eve What? , , ... . ,
Win. -I hate to be alone with hfm.
Evo Doea he tnlk much?
Win. Sometime.
Ere Groat big words?
Win. Yes, how do jou know?
Eve Oh. lots of them make lovo that way,
you know, conversationally, especially to quite
young girls. (Soma of them play the piano,
too.
Win. He does.
Eve No.
Win. Oh, yes!
Kve Fancy that. Days It well?
Win Oh. yes. Tho only times I ever liked
him at all were when ha played to me.
Eve Chopin, 1 suppose. They all play
Chopin to very joung girls.
Win No. Etgar.
Kve Elgar Oh. really? "Pomp and cir
cumstance." Fashions change, even In music.
Has ho alwavs behaved himself?
Win Always
Kia He la not an nrdent lover.
Win No. quite cold
Eve Dear me, he must ba oldl
Win. Old?
Kie Cold.
Win. He Is.
Eve Dear me. It must have been an amaz
ing courtship!
ManO
GODIVA
NOT
PASSED BY THE
BOPiRDCeNJOHJ
wages! bsks
KEENAN
wtnt nt tho nrt of expression with n
big reverence in his heart.
Much of that same Impulsive devotion
hns come linck to us again under the in
spiration of this new and expanding nrt
form the photoplay. Under tho trcmen-
' ""V'TR""8 "V"mS .w? nr.e s,lr.lv:
"ig inignvuy anu nappiiy in isoiaieu
K,0un not unlike tho old theatrical coter-
les. Tho photoplay Is dally demanding.
a little better than tho best ivo have to
clve. and we are trying new experiments
to meet now situations nnd making new
discoveries that lend to still further pos
sibilities. lVo are In It heart nnd soul.
Wc. out hero at the studios llvo and
dream tlttlobut pictures, day and night.
And what Is demanded of film actors
Is chiefly ability In pantomime tho very
thing that hns so nearly disappeared from
tho stage. Hut It Is not tho traditional
or conventional art of pantomime that Is
needed, but a subtle, delicate thing, new
forged by the extraordinary requirements
of tho Intimate, new art.
Tho present-day uso of tho "close-up"
view on the screen, for example. Is the
equivalent of having tho spectntor within
a ynrd or a foot of you, watching every
quiver of a muscle while your face, un
aided by even a whispered exclamation,
tells tho dramatic story. That Is a real
test of acting.
And that now-found nrt of expression
many of us will sooner or later take back
to tho stngo and It will be no small fac
tor In bringing nbout tho rovlval of Inter
est In the spoken drama that will como
when tho two sister nrts have settled
nud accepted their essential differences
and gone their respecllvo nnd divergent
ways.
As for the photoplay, despite the han
dicap of Its humble origin In the nickel
odeon a handicap It Is magnificently
overcoming It Is a truo nnd henven-born
art expression. It Is not, as tho bromide
goes, tn Its Infancy, but In vigorous young;
manhood virile. Impetuous, fearless and
uncritical. It Is an art of amazing poten
tialities that is developing at high speed.
Many of us will gladly devote the, rest
of our lives to It nnd we will bo richly
rownrded.
HIS DOGS
An Outdoor Movie
'Julius Caesar"
for the West
The movies are doing their share In
the Shakespearean anniversary celebra
tion. Herbert Tree's "Macbeth" for the
Triangle Is an example of tho screen nrt.
But out on the coast they nro doing still
niore. Tho movie actors aro to act
Shakespeare In the flesh. On May 19, at
Hollywood, tho stars of' several movie
companies aro to give a production ot
."Julius Caesar" In the natural amphithe
atre country. Tho cast will Include, Tyrone
Power, ns Brutus ; Frank Keenan, as Cob
slus; William Farnum. as Antony: Theo
dore Roberts, nt Julius Caesar; DeWolf
Hopper, as Casca; Douglas Fairbanks, .as
Octavlus; Courtenay Foote. as Dcclus
llrutus; Constance Collier, as Portia, and
Sarah Truax, as Calpurnln. In the more
minor roles a host ot prominent motion
picture players will bo seen.
A natural amphitheatre In Beechvvood
canyon, outside of Hollywood, has been
chosen as the scene of the drama. The
spectators will be distributed over a vast
auditorium. In which arrangements will be
made to nccommodato 30,000 persons.
Wulls, which rise sharply on all sides, will
provide acoustics which will allow every
spoken word to be heard.
In the centre will be a large spaca
which will be used as tho stage. On the
canyon wall, to the right of the auditor
ium, will be the house of Caesar. To the
left Is the space where tho gladiatorial
contests will take place, and above It. on
the left wall of the canyon, the tnclosure
from which multitudes of Romans will
look down on tho contests. A half inla
down tho canyon, In the rear of the stage
Is nn elevated plateau, which will repre
sent the "plains of Phillppl."'
The action will be continuous. , the
close of one scene the lights will ; out
They will then be flashed upon the If cta
tors, and then Immediately will si,r on
the next scene. It Is to be an effect? some
thing In the order of the "cut-back of
motion pictures. The battle scene will be
staged by one of the leading film pro
ducers, and It Is to be so timed and di
rected that It will work its way from tha
background to the central stage at tha
moment of the climax.
The Censors Say!
THE censors say the attendance
at motion picture exhibitions is
becoming a mania. It is a fact
that motion pictures supply a form
of agreeable amusement at a nom
inal admission and, therefore, in.
stead of being a mania is a neces
sity. This is plainly shown by the
thousands and thousands of per
sons viewing them daily, and the
motion-picture theatre instead of
being simply a place of amusement
is becoming a public institution-
Stanley V. Mastbaum.