The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-08
THINGS DOING in GOTHAM
BY FRANKLIN FYLES.

NEW YORK, May The Spit
IN fire floated on mooth water,
under clear sky, with Bruce
and Valda aboard, until Sandy
Hook lighthouse was not sighted A
wild night storm hid that beacon, shut
off the moonlight that had facilitated
their love during the voyage and blew
the vessel onto the Jersey shore.
Valda might have gotten off easily In
q Hfeboat, but Bruce couldn't, as ne
was tied to a post in the cabin. ana
the girl went back to cut him loose.
Then he carried her to the deck and
SWAN with her to safety.
This was very likely the most ter
rifle storm and wreck ever seen In
make believe. We had seen the deck
of the big steam yacht in good
weather, with much of it real and the
rest Ia correct imitation, and the slow,
slight roll of the craft shown by q
deceptive lifting and lowering OF the
horizon. The Illusion had been won
derful So was the spectacle Of the
loss OF the Sritfire and the rescue OF
the girl by her lover.
The hero of THE Spitfire' is acted
by the Charles Cherry whom matinee
girls dote on for his good looks and
gentlemanly department He is the
star Of the cast, while Ruth May
cliffe is technically featured" for
Cherry has a vogue. while 1t is only
a year or so that Ruth first put her
best foot forward on the stage; that
is. the better of the two, If there was
any choice, and II was seen to be
pretty, as feet go, for IL was bare
when, as the friskiest Of the school
mates in Clyde Fitch's Girls" she
dangled 1t out Of bed in what liter
ally, were the footlights-
1t Is a takingly testy temper that
Ruth exposes as a spitfire, for It
charms Cherry. who INDUCES 1t so
fondly that all the women Will admire
him, while a few men may think ne
Is fdiotic to make trouble for himself
as her husband. Ruth is on her mil
lionaire fathers yacht off Calais Two
thieves, who have stolen fortune
in precious stones and wish to get off
for America without letting the Gus
toms officers see the swag, board the
Yacht in the owners absence, present
bogus kilograms from him ordering
the captain to speed away to New
York with them in absolute COM
inand. The vessel is barely under
wav when Cherry falls from tug
boat and is taken onto the yacht 1t
is Cherry who was robbed OF the
gems, and he seeks to capture the
thieves with their plumber. That Is
the ingenious plot.
This new play by Edward Peple.
after getting a melodrama OF crime
and detection under way, has a mid
die section of comedy during the voy-
age Which tale shall Ruth believe
the truth as Cherry tells Il, without
the least confederation, that the two
other strangers to her robbed him in
a London hotel; or credit the thieves
fiction, supported by false evidence,
that the precious stones belong to
her father, who has entrusted them 10
them to .smuggle into the United
States.
The spoilt heiress falls in love with
the hero, yet feels bound 20 let the
Villains take control of the yacht;
and, piQued by his nonchalant toler-
ance Of her whtms, permits them to
humiliate and punish him by Onerous
service in working his passage. They
put him in sailor suit, send to mess
with the crew and order him to holy
stone the deck. The incidents are
serio-comic and calculated to enter
tain people not yet stage tagged or
theatre cynical. Girls Will think
Cherry Just too sweet for anything.
but alteration as the hero, who pa
tiently endures his sweetheart's cap
rices, and finally saves her from the
wreck OF the yacht; and Ruth May
cHffe does pretty well with the role
Of a modern Katherine tanned by such
a Petruchio.
Louise Dresser Is featured" like
the Maycliffe girl in a Broadway
show. Don't confound Louise Dresser
with Marie Dressler. Both are big
and wholesome; but Marie is huslkier
than beautiful, and she makes fun
with staiwart and strenuous antics.
Louise is a smooth, blonde beauty,
who sings ballads with quiet kind Of
polite humor As a wealthy grass
widow. courted q second time by her
husband, she looks like the wax mod
els In shop windows. with modish
spring gowns on. although she sings
as q wench IN praise of her coon
mans "tur'ble lovin' ways" as q su-
persensuous girl under the yum-yun
tree" and as a knowing wife whose
refrain to her hayward husband is; 1