The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-25
THEA TRICAL LETTER
 OF FRANKLIN FILES

New York. Oct. 22.--Willian GIL iette and Louis Mann have no fem mine opposition in their reappearances here in new plays. nor Is there any competition between William and Louis: for how could there be7 Gill; lette is far from the ablest American actor. but do believe he is the brain fest for he has wealthied himself by adapting roles to his personality. from his shift from college professorship to farcical acting in his own version of a comic farce to his Sherlock Holmes in a glorifation of the detec- tive drama. He has risen high In fame and fortune with the aid land friend- ship, beiieve) of Charles Frohman. Not so well has Mann done. He used 10 be on a par with David Warheld in the caricature of the humble yet shrewd, abject yet assertive. Polish Jew in New York. Both were com rades with weber. Fields and Sam Bernard at the bygone Weberfieids concert hall. Neither hated 50 much to talk about himself that he wouldn't tell you that. although he mightn't be superior to Booth's and Irving's shy lock in their obsolete ways. they mere ly awaited the opportunity to show their new. original and better person atfon of "the Jew that Shakespeare drew" in comedy which actors have persisted in presenting tragically. We'll, WarfeId fell Into masterfui Be- lasco hands that showed him forward in "The Music Master" and have held him there despite '"rhe Grand Army Man." while Mann-whom many ad- n1irers of slow, exact. detailed acting rank up with Warfield-has just now come to '.The Music Master'' sort of an opportunity Tn "The Man Who Stood Still" ]"
 First. though. for William Gillette and "Samson.." The play Is not a dra- matization of the Biblical strong mans feat of pulling pillars out of a place and crushing his enemies along with himself in falling temple. The hero is French duplicate of an American stock 1obber fn that he has wrung and screwed a colossal fortune from copper mine stock. He has worked and fought his way from a stevedore on the wharves to the boss of the bourse: and the most exquisite, luxurious, seem- ingly valuable thing his money can buy is an impoverished marquis's beautiful daughter. And there you are. s"rhe Lady of Lyons'' to "Clafre and the Iron Master" and a hundred plays of caste between them. with high-born brides dlsdaininB low-born bride erooYns awhile, but finally doting on them. In this new fiction. the old way of the husband winning the wire by humble. aIl-suffring love is not followed. Maurice Brachard is no sen- timental weakling. Having bought Marie DAneline, he demands that. al- though she detests him 50 that she won't let him touch her. she shall not let another man handle her lewdly. So. when he learns that she is going to spend a night in a carousal with Jer" orne Le Govatn. he goes in for he'll and-ail row. Don't let those French names confuse you. It Is only the fe- mIliar family triangle. without which French dramatists would lay down their pens and write no more.
 However, there Is no staleness in the third acts matter. Maurice knows of Marie's escapade with Jerome. The samson fable ensues in modernity. Maurice has forced copper stock up to 500. Jerome has begged and borrow cd every dollar that he can to add to his investment in copper. If Maurice can run the stock down. to. 500 in a day on the Bourse, 1t will ruin that corrupter of his bride. Also 1t will bring Maurice down with a crash. But didn't Samson kill himself in killing his enemies? So will Maurice destroy his wife's seducer. Jerome. although death comes to his ownu self, too. That Is tSamson's" big scene. Mau-