Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-23
sLANGY PLAY;
POOR COMPANY
TWO OR THREE GOOD CHARAC-
TIERS REDEEMIT
Great Race Scene Is Not What One
Expects, Being Spoiled In the
Doina--Belssoo's Fine Pro-
duetIon Of "MIstress NelP'

II you would add few choice and
unexpected bits of slang to your vo-
cabulary. the Mason this week is the
place TO acquire them.
If you arc fond of the "ponies.'' the
atmosphere Of the track. the company
Of booxmakers. touts and gamblers,
YOU can get 1t much more inexpensive
~ than at Ascot and absorb consid-
eiable OF the Fascination" of that
track at very much less cost while
viewing Checkers there.
If you enjoy a inelodrama little
more nearly real life than those from
the pen of Lincoln J. Carter and his
confreres played by truly melodra-
matte company. in a melodrama
fashion, then you for the one that
opened the syndicate houses season
last night.
Checkers" is a racehorse melodrama
based on the story of the same name,
though not adhering strictly thereto.
IL has one big scene-one scene rather,
that ought to be big. II is the third
act, which is laid in the betting ring
at a race course-presumably Washing
ton park. Chicago, though the powers
that be have the good grace not to
strain Imagination by billing it as
such. A race track follower who has
pledged his honor to a sweet girl
that he would never bet again puts up
her keepsake, $50 gold piece, on Re-
morse, at $50 to /, and winS-thus
doing violence to real life-s500O and the
girl.
One can imagine how that might be
made into tremendously exciting bit
of stage work AS given here. a fu-
neral would be wildly exhilarating be-
side it. The bookmakers, the bettors,
the touts and the jockeys are all there,
10 the number of possibly half a hum
dred, but every one is walking in his
sleep. For feature wildly and widely
advertised it is'the poorest fluke con-
ceivable.
Checkers the play, opens in the
Arlington, Hot Springs, where the di-
version is created by making fun of
crippled invalids and drunken young
man. The other funny" things are
the slang. plentifully interlarded with
"damns" and ''hells.' The scene
shifts to Clarksville, Ark, where a
replica of Sis Hopkins without her
originality and n few country bump
lSinS add to the merriment. Then
comes the race scene, and the fourth
act brings together Checkers and the
girl whose gold piece he uses to break
his word to her. Can you beat it?"
as Checkers says ~
With very few exceptions. in the
company Los Angeles has been handed
a large sized lemon; in other words,
a gold brick. If this is the Original
New York production" as is adver-
tised, then one must feel something
akin to pity for New York'S intelli-
gence, and its ease as a "come-on."
Hans Robert, as Checkers, is good
most of the time, though when he
ventures to be other than the
cheap sport, occasionally he fails
to convince. Dave Braham, jr., as the
tout, Push Miller, is gem of purest
ray serene. These two redeem the
men. 1t Vas tated in extenuation last
night that W. T. Clark, who plays the
small part of the judge-and does il
we'll, by the way-had lost his daugh-
ter yesterday morning. 1t is hard to
lima yine what would have happened
had daughters of any of the other men
passed away.
OF the women, Jane Kelton heads the
list, and she plays the heroine in a
true stock actress fashion. Yet Los
Angeles loves Jane Kelton, and it gave
her rousng welcome last night. The
other feminine characters are unim-
portant perhaps that's why they We're
given to their present depictors.
Yet there is fun in Checkers" lively,
slangy, stable-yard fun, over which
he gallery eXulted and about which
The PIT laughed in half understanding
way. There is something SO descrip-
tive, so enlightening, so altogether ap-
lopos in the profane slang that one
srins at it and admires its patness.
There is possibility of almost great
stage work in that race scene despite
it's funereal aspect here. One loves
Checkers. even though he is false to
honor and decency. One takes Push
Miller right to ones heart because he
isn't trying to shine as anything else
but what he is-a tout of the touts;
crooked, yet with a heart degenerate.
but void of pretense, There is fun in
''Checkers"-if you have a mind to go
and dig it out of the mediocrity in
which it is buried.
Los Angeles has heard much about
the hardships which 1t will meet at its
syndicate theater this year. 1t has
also had some fair promises of good.
This is the opening of the season. One
could wish, for the peace of mind of
Los Angeles, buoyed up chiefly by
hope as 1t is. that a better and more
suitable inaugural had been possible
SUMPTUOUS PRODUCTION