Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-08-19
TRASHY PLAY
WE'LL DONE
DRAMA BEGINS WHERE 1T OUGHT
TO END
MELoDRAMA FOLLOWS UPON THE
HEELS OF TRAGEDY
Burbank Company Does Its Best with
the Materials enthusiastically
Is Good In the Leading
Role of Play

"Genesee of the Hills, is melodrama
following upon the heels of tragedy
In constructing it the playwrights be-
gan their work where 1t should have
ended In the story of Jack Stewart, as
related by his brother Charles, there is
fine dramatic material, material 1or a
play that would have made us grip tight
the arms of our orchestra chairs, but II
is not used. There is a master chiv-
airy in this story-the story of man
who marries the girl his brother had be-
trayed to keep a promise made to their
mother by both brothers on her death
bed that they would guard and protect
that girl from harm. This would have
been worth while. but it all happened
before the rise of the curtain on the
first act
After his marriage Jack Stewart went
into the Wilds, leaving his wife and her
son behind him. He had given the child
the patronymic 1t should have had. He
had seen to it that there was no scan
dial. More he could not do.
All this is a prologue, prologue tnat
might we'll be spoken before the curtain
as a guidepost to the plot. Now see
what follows.
Becomes an Indian
Stewart makes his way into the lands
of the Kootenais. He is adopted by the
Indians and becomes one of the tribe.
At the same time he is unoffcially at
tached to frontier army post as scout
At the post he meets Rachel Hardy, SIS
ter of rancher, saves her life and falls
in love with her.
Through the laundering of young
captain Just from West Point Stewart,
now Genesee Jack, is arrested for horse
stealing, and his tribe, the Kootenais,
suspected instead of the real culprits, the
Blackfeet. While he is under arrest the
Kootenais send a peace party to the
post Again the West Pointer plumbers,
mistaking the Indians for hostiles, and
one of them, grandson to the CHER, is
killed.
Naturally the tribe takes the warpath,
and from here on matters move swiftly
in familiar melodramatic fashion. The
laundering of the commanding officer con-
tinues He leads his men and the women
into a deathtrap. Genesee Jack rescues
them through a conveniently situated
haunted mine. into which the INDIANS
will not venture. In doing so he Is MINI
self shot, only to recover in the last act,
by which time his wife has accommo-
datingly died so that he may marry the
woman he loves.
All this is trivial when compared with
that ante-curtain plot, but such Is Gen
esee of the Hills"
The play contains little more than
suggestion of Marah Ellis Ryan's story,
of which it is announced to be dram
atization 1t is only just, however, to say
that it pleased last nights audience and
that the acting of the Burbank company
was far better than the piece deserved.
Beasley Plays Lead
A. Byron Beasley, leading man for the
week. plays Genesee Jack in a way that
! proves him to be distinct acquisition
to the Burbank company. This is the
| fourth week of Mr.. Beasley's local en-
gagement, and had his parts been selected
to prove his versatility they could not
have been better chosen. His Jack Stew
art is an excellent rendition OF a clap
trap role.
Miss Blanche Hall is Rachel Hardy,
Arthur Rutledge is the laundering cap
tain and Elsie Esmond is the major s
daughter, a flrtatious young woman who
keeps two lieutenants dangling after her
and who finally decides to marry the
one with red hair because red is her
fayorite color. This red-headed chap Is
played by Harry Mestayer, and both he
and Miss Esmond do much to make a
poor play enjoyable.
A really fine setting has been provided
for the third act, a defile in the noun
tains. with river in the distance; and
the living room in the Hardy ranch also
is we'll UP to the Burbank standard.