Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-04
THRILLER is
DICK FERRIS
NEW SHOW
is C0NGL GENERATION OF SEW
ERAL THINGS
BUCKETS OF BLOOD cARELEsSLY
SPILLED
Ferris Finds It Hard Work to Act
Like Twins with Bad
Touch of La
Grippe

Biff! Bang!
Now, Steve Grigsby, have you at
last!"
Never! Justice triumphs, though L
give my life for the cause. Kiss your
boy, mother; it is all over now.
No. dear reader, this is not an excerpt
from a thriller at the home of Kramer
and AL Woods. 1t is a bit of real dla-
logue from a real play, writ, produced
and even played by that exponent OIL
the highly spectacular and religious III
the drama, Dick Ferris. a..
OF course you don't recognize the
Ferris earmarks in any respect IN IT.
it is distinctly anti-Ferris, as you khoM
the sorrel-top manager and pefIoIilleii y.
Neither was the indoor circus a Fe I1,,s
feature that you would expect. But
the circus is a go, as everyone knew
II would be. and If "Way out West
isn't a hit, too, then Dick has pupllcly
offered to eat his hat, band-hat pand'
not circus band-and all.
thought to be a hit-several OF thenl'
in fact. For one recognized the ma
terial out of which several hlts nave
been made, whether or not 1t antedates
the Chronological moment of their birth
or not. For instance, there is in 1t
pinch of Arizona" a bit of charles
O'Malley." few semblences of ID Ar
tagnan," and a distinct flavor OF some
more dramas of like Xix. or course
thew have been sugarcoated, but then,
their disguise is about as effective as
is that of the village constable Wheh
he puts on false whiskers and covers
up his tin star.
Has Situations, Anyhow
Howsomeyer, whatever or wherever
"Way out West Is, no one can deny
that il has situations--the one thlng
dramatist most Graves. Aye, IL mas
barrels of them; it is all SITUATION II
is so rapidfire that no sooner Is one
situation developed than before 1t mas
time to sink in another one has chased
II off the boards. And that second one
merely begins to develop when thlrd
sticks its head out of the wings TO
we'll for it's turn. And the rattle OF re-
partee. the crash of conversation ana
the rumble of rhetoric is so lncessanC
thai one could we'll imagine himselt IN
a verbal slxirmish that would certalnly
end in the amputation of everything
above the antepenultimate, even though
an. survivors at all remain.
Dick as the twins, Steve and sam
Grigsby, was hardly presentable last
night. He is in the throes or Ia grippe
and it still lives up to its name with
him despite heroic treatment. He did
the hest he could, but his voice was
pretty we'll comparable with rattan
file. Doubtless he will be better TO-DAY,
then. too, so will be his acting. In run
possession of all his abilities, he ought
to be great in the double role.
Florence Stone is the marvel, now
ever. and this play has full right 10
be. if for no other reason than TO snow
her in the character of 16-year-old
girl. Makeup, action, voice and atmos-
phere are perfect, and 1t was hard TO
believe that she was she, so clever was
the deception. She has done greater
pieces of work here, but none more
Elusive.
Frank Beamish has the comedy role
of Ikey Ivenstein, an absurd 1mpossl-
bility. He doesn't quite murder IT,
much, doubtless, as he would like TO 40
so. Joseph Kilgour is the army chap
lain; Harry Won Meter Is getting into
practice by playing the villain; David
Edwin is good as the colonel, Carrie
Clarke Ward is fine as Mrs. Grigsby,
Eleanor Montell is almost convincing
as the villainess and Florence Barker
is sweet and sympathy compelling as
the blind Indian girl, while Robert
Leonard completes the cast as the
Cherokee, Cross Dog.
But don't be discouraged; go and see
this thing. It Is we'll worthy of serious
study, as an example of what man
can get away with in sane, serious
and supposedly studious community.