The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-07

and shoot her. The shot is heard, and
she staggers back into the room, scat
tering the blood-red petals of a rose
from her MORALLY wounded bosom BY
this time the audience has had it's at
tention diverted from Mrs. Langtry as
beauty, as well as from the highly
mod1Sh house gown that she wears, by
the vital interest of the play and her
engrossing performance. So the eli
max, although strained for by Mrs.
Langtry as both authoress and actress,
is very effective when 1t comes
Now as to Jim Corbett. He says
that he wishes people would forget he
ever was priZefghter, and regard him
solely as an actor. If they did that he
wouldn't be an object of much inter-
est nor starring at a probable salary
or $500 and share of the profits, in
creasing his income, may be, to $3.50
per week; he could be getting no more
than $50, the average pay OF a leading
actor in melodrama at the second-class
theatres. Therefore it would be bad
for Jim if his pugiistic championship
were not remembered. Nevertheless,
he needn't be ashamed of his acting; it
is rather clever, and of an assertiTe
kind that pleases the multitude; and
IL Mrs. Langtry has the right aspect
for her prospective title OF Lady de
Battle by inheritance from her father
in-law, SO does Mr.. Corbett look the
Gentleman Jim of the prize ring and
the tenderloin cafes
Jim's character in THE Burglar and
the Lady" is that of "a Raffies, who
knocks a Sherlock Homes down and
out. If the pulpit takes note of this
play ii will be not only to condemn it
for setting up a thief as q Iovable hero.
but also for making a clergyman, his
brother an example of hateful villainy.
New York is having a bad spell of
criminal schooling for youths at the
cheap theatres. The men mentioned IN
the titles of 1.-THE Gambler From the
West and 1.-THE Girl and the Gam
bier" are among the weeks stage eX-
altations; and Corbett advances his
pupils from pugilism in "Cashel By
rOn'S Profession TO thieVery in The
Burglar and the Lady" AS a prize
fighter he wore a champion belt. AS
robber he is so sanity good of heart,
as well as deXterOuS of hand, that
when he touches off charge Of dyna-
mite to blow open bank safe you look
to see the explosion flash halo
around his mead.
Newspaper reporters have figured IN
many plays ard usually in caricaturc-
Clyde Fitch libelled the craft in Cap
tain Jinks," as Pinero had in THE
Squire" and Augustus Thomas didn't
get around to fair representation un-
til THE Other Girl" but Richard
Harding Davis was graphically truth
full in THE Gallopor." and now we get
a sincere portrayal from Jesse Lynch
Williams in 1.-The Stolen Story. l
don't mean to say that Lynch's report
or wasn't unusual in being loved by a
pretty young millionairess, or that mis-
being vengefully hated by a girl who
gathered society news was a common
case; but the view of work in a news
paper office is a satisfaction to Journal
lists and a revelation to others.
The star reporter is introduced as
hustling to get "a story of important
politics at a country house suggestive
of J. c. Phelps Stokes during his So
cialistic confer ence last spring. In
further pursuit of the STORY he goes
to the Metropolitan opera house. where.
! in back of the famous horseshoe of
boxes, he comes upon the society-re-
porting adventures and the million
airess at cross purposes. The note
worthy portion of the play. however.
J is a transfer from the short tale of
THE Stolen Story Billy Woods. acted
admira bly, by Jameson Lee Finney. was
an able journalist in the narrative with
the one weakness of inebriety: but alb
| sent mindedneSs from love contributes
| to his troubles in the play. Anyway.
! he fails to get an extremely Important
! piece of news for a New York journal.
is discharged. and is taken onto the
staff of a rival paper. While drowning
| his sorrows In drink he gets the big
''story''-''a beat" and scoop" Of I'M
common proportions. and hazily goes
to his old office, instead of the new one,
| to write il out The scene is the city
| room" at midnight. very realistic with
| the hustle of editors and reporters, the
| hurrying of copy boys, the clicking of
| typewriters and the rush of going to
press
Billy Woods enters what he doesn' t
| know is the wrong office. and absent
mindedly writes his story" The city
/ editor is aware of the mistake, and
| that is what makes the action oddly
interesting with the various and subtle
| tricks TO keen Billy absorbed in his
work Care is taken TO avoid the slight
est Interruption Copy boys silently
take the manuscript page by page as
| he writes it. Thus the STORY" is stolen
in quite professional way, which gives
a change of luck to Billy, and an in
side view of a newspaper office to the
| audience
George NJ. Cohan, being an actor and
a practiced playwright, might be ex-
pected to give as truthful a picture OF
life in a theatre as Williams. once a
reporter, but inexperienced in play
| making, could give of life III news
paper Office. But it is pleasure as wei
as a disappointment to see that the
stage types in Popularity are moi
| fairly representative. No doubt there
are many actors who in private behave
like the one whom Thomas w. Ross
personates in the new Cohan comedy
and endeavors to make an admirable
fellow; but is no more fit to stand fol
his profession socially than a quael
for medicine or a loafer for journalism
This young man is placed in the pre-
dicament Of David Garrick in the in
mlliar Robertson comedy: he is a stag
idol, a wealthy girl is infatuated will
him, and she is hindered in marryin;
him by an lrate. bigoted father; bu
this Garrick of Broadway starts in b.
: bullyragging the elderly gentlema,
with tenderloin cafe slang insults, an'
when the insolent fellow isl ejectet
from the house he is much less popu
lar than the parent with the audience
, In a show If life behind the scene
, during a performance. Cohan's facilit.
|