The evening world. Newspaper, May 23, 1922, Page 28

ry > THE NEW PLAYS “The Rotters” ‘ Colorless British Comedy i By CHARLES DARNTON ® “a is so little of the comic spirit in the British middle-class family t we can hardly be expected to respond hilariously to a comedy like ‘The Rotters,"’ which seemed hopelessly far from home last night at the 39th Street Theatre. A play that is accepted as satirical in {ts own coun- try may be regarded as merely quaint in another. Even while realizing the commer- lal value of respectability in a small Mnglish town, we may feel that the ‘Guthor, H. F. Maltby, is a bit severe ™ dubbing as rotters people who are Wimply commonplace. The Clug- ‘Wons aren't even ripe enough to be considered rotters. Estelle, the flap- pat, who is sent home from school for irting; Winnie, who is old énough to'know what she is doing when she Yéads on the handsome chauffeur and ‘turns out the lights, and Percy, who Ww dragged to jail from a public house, re too ordinary to be interesting “The same may be said of their father, the ambitious Councillor, who makes & business of respectability. But | Mrs. Clugston, clutching the secret of an earlier marriage to her withered breast, is a real and thoroughly amusing character. This homely ereature remains the one living figure the simple proceedings even when professionally righteous husband \giconfronted by a first wife. Save her, “The Rotters” is colorless h comedy. Ti this role Janet Murdoch brought breath—or rather gasp—of life to ie play. Bedecked in old fashioned ‘was like a picturesque ruin, Screenings se SCHOOL DAYS—1922. Little Johnny harrowed out his ears and even scrubbed behind them. Then he slicked back hie hair and looked into sister's hand mirror to see that his Windsor tie was on straight. Hie mothe> almost fainted when she saw her son, scrubbed and shining like a mackerel in the June moonlight, ap- ~ «ong before breakfast time. ‘No, ..0ther, the millenium is not at hand. Little Johnny didn't want to be tardy because English history is the Srst study scheduled in the morning. Even that sounds funny, doesn’t it? at ‘when you know that in many they are now teaching his- ory via the motion picture route ar: showin; euch films as “Vicar © Wakefield,” “Mill on the Floss,” in Hood,” “Silas Marner” and many other classics that have been and freshened up at the Cxi- hacker laboratory. ‘We suppose that when they start teaching arithmetic by pictures they'll first ask a subtitle question such as: “If Willie had three rab- bits and two disappeared how many ‘would he have left?" and then flash & picture of Willie and the mbbits 4nd ehc~ @ hunter shooting two and saving one. {Dwould be effective, at that. THE LIMIT. There have been many, many trained horses and dogs ia the movies; @odies of educated cats; a few well- rained crang-outan; a college- bred bee or two and flea’ with L. L. D's after their names, but it re- mained for Conrad Nagel and Will- fam de Mille to spring a new movie @eneation in exhibiting a trained lar. In the latest de Mille film the script for a caterpillar to craw! the Immaculate whiteness of lagel collar at a certain moment. -SBbth de Mille and Nagel tried and (fed to train a nice fussy-wuzry eaterpiliar, but the cater wouldn't at all. Neither would the pillar pater. Finally they spread a nice Batch of caternip over the collar and ‘hi fussylets acted with all the in- telligence of a human screen player. Which, to the casual observer, ign’t #0 much, at that. But he is stumped at last! Unele Joshua Whitcomb in “The ‘Old Homestead,” which role Roberts ‘will essay for Paramornt Pictures, Mecessitates the Horace Greeley, or way slugger, type of chin chin- kind that starts adjacent Adam's apple and grows up- Mike a date palm in a sort of i 7 i rig first time in my screen got to resort to crepe led Theodore yesterday. ve been rather proud of my Brow almost any sort of ‘Whiskers, but as for these lambrequing required for Uncle I don't believe I HEE Ne, i latter stunt was not pulled, ir, wntil after the scenes had teen shot and the vegetables were eg Pe Say THe os : |, Bebe Daniels and of green Efincipals ip the action. “MORE DUPLICATION. wabbling in her movements, yet al- ways keeping herself from going to pieces. The suppressed desires of the other feminine members of the family were clearly explained by her susceptible behavior toward the gallant chauf- feur. This delicately managed bit of comedy was as true as the accent that Miss Murdoch gave to her wholly de- lightful performance. Harry Corson Clarke played Clug- ston fairly well, Kathleen Flynn was a bright, pretty Mapper, and Louis Hector suggested an Admirable Crichton as the Oxford-bred chauf- feur. But after all was said and done “The Rotters’’ left the impression of provincial dulness, THE BIG LITTLE WHATE YouR OLD FRIEND Goors SON 1S IN TaIL- WHAT DID HE Do ? BBrxors:s — MoM “Tord MR BUX Hee “Just NT COME TS set HeQ INS AT LEAST NOT Tit SHE 1S SURE SHE IS A WIDOW — IT WouLD MAKE TAS NEIG+BORS STALK . X DUNNO - <M Sus Goin’ DOWN “To FIND me , 1922 (N. Y. Eve. World) By Press Pub. Co. FAMILY TL MaKe Bay Him CONFESS [_/ TH' WHOLE STORY BEFore I BAIL TH’ FATHEAD Ive ween eee SINCE MORNING He LL Tey, some St4eMe Td SHER sede. Ke AND ‘HAT Man Buk ANT Deed AROUND HERE “eT - Get INTO Bur MR Bix cAME VESTER - DAY IN AD SGuise - IT DDNT Foo. TRE NEIGHBORS “HouGH - TwT FROM NOW ON THEY ARE GOINGS KEEP A stare Lookout — THEY RE Nor Gone 1% HAVE ANY THING ELS Por over oA THEM _ KATINKA THEY'RE PRETTY PARTICULAR WHO THEY LET LAND IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES THESE DAYS — EVERYBODY HAS To PASS AN EXAMINATION BEFORE GETTING OFF THis SHIP! wilt until some star is announced in @ certain film and then flood the mar- ket with copies of other players in the same film. At least there hare been many, many instances of this sort of work. The latest to be brought to our at- tention is the controversy over ‘‘Sa- lome.” No sooner had Mme. Nasim- ova announced that she was making “Salome” as a film than it was an- nounced that William Fox was plan- ning to revive an old Theda Bara film of the same title. ‘The same thing happened when “Omar the Tentmaker'’ was an- nounced by Richard Walton Tully and Ferdinand E: nd when they tried it with “Orp! of the Storm,” which was at first to be “The Two Orphans.” Then came the simultaneous release of many Sherlock Holmes films with the big film of that name made by. John Barrymore. This may be good business, and profitable business—it must be or they woulin’t keep it up—but if imitation is what they say it is, it is indeed the sincerest flattery. it it IT’S JUST “TESS.” Mary Pickford announced yesterday that, although her next picture would be @ frank remaking of her famous success ‘Tess of the Storm Country,” ft would be released under the name “Tess.” When United Artists flashed this bit of information among the exhibi- tors who are waiting to show “Tess” many a face. ‘This was explained by one acute showman who, when he heard the title change, remarked: “Ain't that nice! that nice? Think of the electric lights In the latest relqase of Topics” they shine the following at one: late.” Hood” will present the hero tn a startling though scant barricade of whiskers. of the Fairbanks admirers, the studio heads announce that the jowl jungle will not prevail throughout the entire film, The beard, grown for the pur- pose, will tease the zephyrs only in the Sherwood Forest scenes. argued that a bandit, no matter how kind the heart that flaps under his tunic, is very, very unlikely to barber himself each dewy morn. ‘The beard will be about three weeks |asked Al. old, Just long enough to be intriguing to the fair sex, but pot long enough \ | AN GET Soaxed 4 Five sPor! House — WERE SHE Goes missin’ FIRE AGAIN! | AFTER ALL 1 DID YESTERDAY Too — I'LL ) HAFTA LET MIKE LOOK ‘ER ov rn — NO WONDER SNE’S SKIPPING - | MAN, YOU'VE GOT ' THREE 4 SPARK PLUGS CRACKED} ey eT. CLEANED EV'RY ONE OF “Hem PLUGS YESTERDAY AND There. WASNT ONE'OF "EM BUSTED a WHEN 1" TK ‘em our! acl YEH BuT How ABouT WHEN y'PuT ‘Em BACK ? THREEYor tm - GosH Mike — 1) L?'S0t You're DUGGED BECAUSE You WANTED Wo PLEASE YOUR OLe’DAD® O About Plays and Players pe Bent RCHIBALD SELWYN will nail Saturday for Europe with Ber- lin as his objective point. He is going over to see a play which the Selwyns will produces in New York next séason. At pressnt it is called “Die Wunderlichen Geschichten de= Kapellmeisters Kreisler,”’ but in orde: to make {it anappy,. the title will be changed to “The Mysterious Affair’ for New York. The play is by Car! Meinhard and Rudolf Bernhauer and it calls for » lot of new stage de- vices, effects nd transformations which will make it unique in the an- nals of Broadway producing. . Crosby Gaige obtained the American rights to (see name above) when he was in Berlin recently. THE OILY PRINCESS. (A story of @ beautiful girl and a moaning saxophone, One scené, laid in a garden in Baltimore, is thoughtlessly delicious. Makes ex- cellent reading for people tn towns afflicted with daylight saving). On hearing the bomb explode, Prin- cess Olga was distressed. She feared somebody was trying to blow up the King’s pool table, “What?’ she shouted. The King was worried. “Where do you get that what stuff Olgy?”’ he asked. A few more strains of “The Livery Stable Blues" floated through the window. “Ah,” said Citizen Muldoon, ‘the Saxons are coming. I hear the saxon ophones,”” It seemed ridiculous—honestly, it dic But why should the dignity of the oc casion be disturbed? “Guff!"’ snapped the Princess. And as the sun sank In th sky a bird was heard to cheep. (To be continued). YES=WHEN _ I WAS A Boy- FATHER GAID He OH! so ou Committed BIGAMY’ Hun ? 4 ute THe Wastin’ Vee WELL . Weel FSS TIGHT WN THE SIDE Doork They’d Better BOTH Keep Quiet! SEE THAT FELLOW —HE'S AN INSPECTOR WAKHING FOR IMBECILES. OR MENTALLY UNFIT PEOPLE ON 7 BOARD To STOP ‘EN \ Vig LANDING IN Cape 18S TRY, Eve. World) By Prom Pub Co, (Savon i > NUTT’S DOPE, Jefferson Shrewsbury Nutt, a! though visiting his relatives, the Bones, in Bogash, O., keeps abreast the times. A letter from him aays: “Dear Dud: I and the wife eee by the Bogash Exterminator that Will- iam Rudolph Hearst is talking of run ning for Governor. It seems to me an interview with him would be a good story just nt this time. If you say the word, I and the wife will run down and call on him. I would go in first and say: ‘Mr. Hearst, ts it true you got Gubernational aspirations; if so, how about the Mexican situe- tion?’ Of course, he might get mixed up and refuse to talk. In that,case the wife would come in and aay: ‘What is the keynote of the feminine vote, Mr, Hearst, and how about the Morning Pictorial?’ Then she might recite her new poem, ‘Who Put the Alin Albany?’ I feel certain we'd cop off a whale of a story for you. Say. when you aren't busy send me $11. | want to get a straw hat and have a DON'T WORRY, FERDIE ~ 1 WON'T MENTION. A WORD To HIM brought a beam of satisfaction to T ask you, ain't will save!’* CONSIDERATE, “Timely “Willie—No, I never stayed that MORE WHISKERS. Douglas Fairbanks in ‘Robin However, just to relieve the minds This, indeed, is realism, for it is floor mop. or les: “What “Hot dog to act as a natural chest protector or After the forest scenes Doug will mow himself and once more feel clean. RAY SAVES FOOT. Charles Ray has joined the accident | hand of bootleggers by the acent of brigade out Los Angeles way. Charlic,| their mash. The gentle art of king- who escaped with the loss of a week's} ing is one of the best things Larry work on “A Tailor Made Man,” might| Semon does. You'll agree to that| Produ the| {ng much discussion in art olrctes.| day: have lost his right foot, but didn't. eine 18 were Wer Be Charlie had just made an eighty- foot dive off the mast of the schooner | release. Oceanica Vance, and had been ‘‘res: “Frank—When you were standing | cued” by folks in a small power boat. on the porch saying ‘good ht’ to] The much-touted C: her, did it ever dawn on you"-— having gone on strike, Ray stood near the engine of the motor boat to keep warm and his trouser leg caught in the fly-wheel. shoe in time to save a bad crushing of the foot, which, seriously bruised and torn, VERY CHIC! Al Christie, the papa of comedy, is going to take ” drama along with the 4,000,000 (more| ken Chains. other directors and producers, | ¥®- And so he hesitated long enough while on his way to the steamer that is care rying him to Europe to order work started on “The Son of a Sheik.” Just as Christle was about to decide he ran into Geor rected the real “Shelk” film. are you “Burning sands,” answered George. answered Al, and sent prescription filled. Lombard Hooke: the Bogash dentist, pulled the wrong ‘Newcomb to-da: d POEMS OF PROVOCATION || {0% or tet eto worry. Much excitement, but could learn netting A report going around that the iron ' * Ae score ovels in hii Jimmy, Aubrey, 10 his latest comedy, | "TUNE, © soore OF #0 novels m i] pansy, the prise in the Poems of| plays a cellar-smeller and locates a] “Woy has been started on Hobert| Prevocation contest, shows on its Bosworth's next starring feature,| pack the figure of a rough guy. “‘Seottish Chiefs." It will be a big fs ‘and the only thing we are stamping on & woman's face ts caus: the wire that started his burlesque Shetk film shetking. to play the part and now he's gone back into hiding.” Rupert Hughes ts working on at STILLS. least half a dozen film stories and Gossip. Art Rosenfeld bought a couple chorus girls ice cream sodas yester- Pegsy Ellis of “The Perfect Foo!” has written @ playlet called “Trespy” Fred Bishop is to put a Gilbert and Sullivan troupe in Carlin’s Park, Baltimore, soon. ‘This is the last week of “Fhe Hote! Mouse” at the Shubert. It goes to Ohicago next week. Cleo Mayfield belongs to the Cleo Clu No, it wasnt named for her nor she for it. Adah C. Sherman of the Morosco forces last season has bought a bun- after seeing this famous screen-com- it some of the] We wish to state that this is wrong. fe in “A Pair of Kings," his latest BSeotch to round ou! is scenes. The prise is merely @ pansy blossom Loyd Hamilton landed in Holly-|anq when it is riveted on the win- engaged| wood yesterday after a brief but! nor saturday its beauty will be ap- “Hungry | breesy in New York. He it. To-day’s rhyme is by Thomas We know of no one who] may get over it, but he'll never look) vy preppy of Doodlesank, N. J. Look: is more naturally gifted for this par-| the same. “ ticular Job than the daddy of “Potash| Four Urban Popular Classics are| ‘Oh, serve me frog-legs, waitress, and Rerlmutter.” showing in Broadway cinemas this! And cook them nice for me, Richard Dix and Mae Busch, Gold-| Week. Quite some record. =, | Oh, serve them in a hurry, 5 op | Wyn players, have arrived in England cet bie SERONES Peal Marriage, | I'm hungry as oan de.” dare all ready to start filming! to Ynich Wally Reid and Lillian Gish| She served him frog-tegs quickly, scenes in “The Christian. Ay . gelow at Long Beach. play the Enoch Arden lovers. Then came Ms provocation; warheld wif! Claire Windsor, Ernest Terrance, 4 years ago under the David appear et the James Marcus and William Orlamond| ™snyiaien of DW, Griaith. The price was for too much for him,| wyaelity’s annual comcert Sunday have been added to cast of “Bro-| «1, Broadway interesting to the| J¢ brought him consternation, night at the Rotohervernee ‘Theatre. Some strong links, say| Main Streets throughout the coun- \ ene ene cenhees wi FN ager ato tryT* ask the distributers of Star-| 4 THOUGHT FOR TO-DAY. Sees ican tate Tom Blake, once a member of the| land Revue. We'd guess ‘'Yes. Ed Wynn's real name is 1 * . says he by “Comedy Four" in vaudeville, was| Lew Cody has passed up the soup-| 14° wy: is Ixsy Leo. ¥, Zieetele in c she hes @ garpinc tarted on his movie career by Thom | and-fish clothes and has waved good- cites” and would be glad to farm as A. Edieo Now he's playing|by to the butterfly-mam sort of parts i Montague Glass has been Raed ‘to write the titles for fornia sunshine Hearts.” aged to slip his as it was, ot at the desert FOOLISHMENT. it in other musical shows. moinent parts with Pyramid Pic-| and is now in Banff, Canada, shooting| 4 them ou' Mth agar ee Tne. ap ‘The Valley of Silent} “Why ave the New York buildings He CHESTNUT ; “| Henry Harmon, known in movie-| Me hight” FROM 7 TRUE. “Jest seen Jake Little chasin' a couple of runaway hogs. ‘What time was that?’ Latte after twa 0 0 0 making now?"|dom as “Grandaddy,” did @ ground-| Senor Marcos Antonio Gonzales, hog in order to play @ part in ‘The who is a Cuban movie ido} and not een of the Moulin Rouge.” That|a cigar, is in New York looking eyer ty an gmerged from retirement just’ the motion picture situation, Asked Anastasia Bnow; “I reokon,” answered Hiram Smith, “Ite ‘cause they build ‘om a0.”