Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-03
HOMELY ACTRESSES
NOW HAVE THEIR
BIG OPPORTUNITY
BY DAVID BELAsCO


may be said to have come into her
own.
Time was, and not so many de-
cades ago, either, when there was
absolutely no place for the homely
girl save the chimney corner Then,
quite suddenly, a strange thing hap
pened. Out of the Sabbath quiet of
Yorkshire rectory a book went forth
that was destined to change the face
of the world so far as the plain
visaged sisterhood was concerned.
Written by young woman, herself
a homely little body, Jane Eyre"
was in time to accomplish the abso-
lutte apotheosis of the unbeautiful
female" as the sex was somewhat
inelegantly termed in that early Vic
torian period.
The effect upon the English speak
ing world of Charlotte Bronte's mas
terpiece was to make that world rub
it's eyes with wonderment-wonder
ment that so much charm and grace
and romantic interest could attach to
an ugly woman. For Charlotte
Bronte went to very great pains to
paint her heroine precisely as she
was. In comparison with the fascinat-
ing complexity of the plain faced
Jane, the mere pink and white pret-
tiness of the heroines of former gen
erations of novelists, the namby
pamby beauty of the Pamelas, the
Clarissa Harlowes, the Evelfnas, etc.,
all seemed as so much WEAKNESS OF
the flesh. After reading Jane Eyre"
the rank and file of novel readers
demanded that they be given some
thing else in their heroines beyond
pink cheeks and long eyelashes In
other words, the beautiful woman's
monopoly as a heroine of fiction had
been successfully and for all time dis
puted.
In pictorial art and particularly in
drama, however, this monopoly was
to continue for several more decades,
with the result that up until the pre-
Raphaelites began to discover the
subtle beauties of their strange wo-
mems faces, and Ibsen began to write
his modern plays, the homely woman
had no place either in pictures or on
the stage other than that of the gro
tesque or ridiculous.
This new conception of women as
reflected in the faces of the pre-
Raphaelites and the complex and
baffling characters of the Ibsen wo-
men was the inevitable result of the
feminist movement, which since the
early '30s had been slowly but sure
ly developing all over Europe.
To this feminist movement. or, II
YOU wish to say "new woman" move
|
| is due.
Indeed. very much doubt whether
the production of such a truthful and
sincere plav as "The Lily" would have
been possible so recently even as
five Years ago. Not only would there
have been a popular prejudice against
the philosophy and sentiment OF me
Lily a few years ago, but there would
have been an even greater prejudice
n T0Iain of face ana
devoid of physical and sexual attrac-
tions as Miss Nance O'Neill has sue
ceeded in making the character OF
Odette de Maigny. =
\ X i !. !. \ X X !. !. i \ = y y = = =" -
rb;s will he '"The Code Book" by De
Witte Kaplan and Herbert Walter, IN
which Charles F. Hammond ana Alien
Atvell have scored a tremendous sue
cess all over the country. This deals
with the attempt of a Japanese spy
disguised as a Filipino, to gam pos
session of certain secret Information
contained in the code book of an Of
ficer who has given him employment.
He is discovered and denounced by a
recruit. who sacrifices his own reputa-
tion to save his country. This is ac-
lxnowledged to be one of the greatest
tabloid dramas ever staged.
PauI Spadoni the inimitable, has
been brought back to America Ior d
tour of the Orpheum circuit. he is
the man who juggles cannon balls ana
other heavy pro1ectiles with the Ut
n,ost ease. one of his most sensational
feats heing that in which he jumps
on q spring board, tossing huge tor
nedo in the air, and catching 1t on MS
neck. ,,.
LYONS & Yosco, "sons of ITALY," pring
a Genuine musical act of high quaIlty.
to a harTiGf and YOSCO SlnRS
a number of songs in excellent voice
Hal Merritt a college boy comedian
ond cartoonist will introduce num-
her of novel stunts with the crayon.
enIivening his work with a rich tund
of ready humor. Ill,
Edward Abeles and his company VIII
repeat their gripping sketch, self De-
tense" and other features viii be
frank stafford & Co. in "A Hunters
Came. Fiddler & Shelton, the colored
comedians, and La Toy Brothers, COM
edv acrobats. There will be a fine new
lot of motion pictures.
The following week Vesta Vlctorid;
the famous English comedienne, VIII
annear at the Orpheum for the first
time in Los Angeles.
PRINCESS-"The Irish Lord" is the
nlavlet which Producer Arbuckle mas
chosen to follow his phenomenal sue
cess "Ooray for JetfrleS, at tne
princess. The latter piece proved such
a hit with the Los Angeles public that
the advisabilty of running it second
week was considered, but Manager
Workman decided to stick to his policy
of one show a week-no more, no less.
"The Irish Lord deals with the frolics
of a plebeian hod-carrier, who to serve
the purposes of a designing sharper is
induced to impersonate a Hibernian
nobleman The Irishman is always
PLAYING the fall guy for the sharpers,
and has many interesting and anus
ing adventures. Fred Ardath viii be
more than at home IN the role OF the
Irishman in question, while Ben Sellar
is to be featured as the shrewd sharp
er. Roscoe Arbuckle is German
cohort of the sharper, while Minta
Durfee will be aptly cast as an alleged
New York society woman. Bessie Hill
viii try her hand at character parts
in the role of. an Irish biddy.
Several excellent song numbers apro-
pos of the playlet win be interpolated.
Hazel Baldwin has clever solo,
"Someone to Call Me Kid" while
Minta Durfee is featured in ANY Lit
tie Girl That's a Nice Little Girl Is
the Girl for Me" and Ben Sellar will
sing "MolIy Molyneux." Several 9TH
ers of equal melody will be inserted
l,rino the action of the niece