Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-16


Cowboys, cowboys. cowboys! Yells.
yells. yells! Shooting, shooting, shoot
ing!
That's what The Round Up" which
was presented at the Mason opera
house last night, is. Certainly there IS
a story with love and hatred, denun-
citation and renunciation in it, but the
yells, the cowboys and the shots are
more or less the play. In fact, there is
so much shooting at times that a wee
bit of cotton in each ear might help
some, If you do not care to be COM
PEELED to visit an aurist.
There's more noise to the second in
the third act of THE Round Up than
ever broke loose anywhere on earth
since the Civil War. But it's the kind
of noise everybody likes to hear, for
it's the music of firearms, and as every
shot rings out upon the echoing prairie
air a dozen redskins bite the dust.
Nick Carter, please write!
There were cowboys to the right OF
us, cowboys to the left of us, cowboys
in front of us, cowboys in back of US,
and cowboys all over us-almost-at
the Mason last night on the stage
were the cowboys of the company,
paid for playing. Above and back OF
US we're the cowboys-and few cow
girls-of the Out West Riding club,
who paid to play or root, as you Will
SO you see there was more or less at
mosphere all over the theater
THE Round Up" is a melOdramatic
niofure of life as it is not lived on the
plains Of Arizona. If ever life was as
strenuous as 1.-The Round Up would
have us believe, IT would make Roose-
welt sit up and take more than notice
But that is beside the question.
The play makes the nerves ttngle, the
blood rush faster through the veins,
the heart beat in sympathy and the
lips curl in scorn. As that is the chief
object of melodrama, and as THE
Roundup" fulfills its mission, it must
be voted an entire success 1t really Is
too good to miss, if amusement OF a
clean and clever sort is desired.
For several things all who saw THE
Roundup" last night are thankful one
is Maclyn Arbuckle's slim Hoover,
the Arizona sheriff. Another is the
buclling bronChO riding contest And
another is the scenery. Stagecraft was
tried to its utmost when Joseph Brooks
Herbert Gresham and Lawrence Mar
ston began their work Of producing
Edmund Days play. A prairie home
with all its cactus naturalneSs is one
Of the evidences. Then a rocky dehle,
where a fight between cowboys and sol
diara on the one side and COChise
is another. From the standpoint of
scenery "The Roundup" is all and a
little bit more than could be desired
1t is a wonderful piece of scenic archi-
lecture and personal daring. TO see an
Indian hang limp and lifeless over a
precipice for fifteen minutes Is a
demonstration.
Mr. ArbuCkle's "Slim" Hoover-who
by the way, is anything but slim-is
Of prh
characterizations which make all the
little boys want to go west and the
bic BOYS say why didn't I?' Mr.
Arbuckle is perfect in his characterize
ton, but one wished, when he adopted
clever ruse in getting the drop on
Buck Mckee, the bad man, that he had
drawn something other than cheap,
nicllle-plated revolver from out his
breast WaistcOat pocket. slim"
Hoover looms large in every scene. He
has a wonderful way with him. It's
pity he did not get the girl of his
hearts choice in the end. Mr.. Arbuck!e
puts more comedy than pathos into the
character. which is a good thing, for
1t saves ones handkerchief.
Albert Phillips as Jack Payson, the
man who lied and felt uncomfortable
about it to the extent Of going into
the desert and finding the man whom
he had deceived and cheated, was
natural and ikable with all his faults
of character However, Mr.. Phillips
has an unfortunate habit Of explosion
in delivering his lines at times.
There was something lacking in
Joseph Lotian'S portrayal of Dick Lane,
the mining engineer. Just what, it is
hard to say. 1t is not a very thankful
role at best. AS played by Mr. Lothian
it seemed weaker than it should have
been.
Paula Gloy as Polly Hope is satisfac-
tory She has allowed her face to tan
while her hands are lily white. Just