Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-11
THE COUNTRY BOY LACKS
GREATNESS, BUT PLEASES
Edgar SeIwyn'S New Play Given
Its Initial Production
at the Burbank
NY SHIRLEY OLYMPUS

THE Country Boy" Edgar Selwyn's
new play, which was given its premiere
production at the Burbank theater
yesterday afternoon, is a platitude in
four acts. Its comedy is banal, COM
monplace and trite. Its situations are
weakly climacteric. 1t may be COM
mentary on the folly of country boys
going to the city to succeed, but in
reality meeting failure, but it's a COM
mentary so familiar as to be valueless
to society in general. The leading role,
which / understand was TO have been
a stellar part for Richard Bennett, is
not nearly strong enough for an actor
with his capabilities. As a, matter of
fact, practically no sympathy is given
the leading character, because the
author has made him a weddings
vacillating, irresolute, wavering indi-
vidual who learns lesson but Is I'M
able to convince his auditors of this
fact with telling force. The play lacks
the vital essential OF great success, but
pleases in a manner.
The story of THE Country Boy Is
quickly told. Tom Wilson. whose
mother is a widow and whose father
was a partner of Hiram Belknap, lead
ing citizen and lawyer of Fairview, N.
Y, loves Jane, Belknap, daughter of the
leading citizen, and she loves Tom.
He refuses a position at meager sal
airy In the Office of Belknap. Always
Tom Is looking for 1.-THE big thing to
happen. He is believer in luck, and
like most other boys, Is a supreme ego
list, being convinced THAI he can sue
coed easily in the great city. He goes
to New York, meets an actress of the
boarding house type and forgets the
girl "back home" After spending time
and money on the actress, Tom is cast
aside for a man about town. To add
to Toms cup of woe, Jane breaks on
her engagement with him and decides
to marry his rival In Fairview. Job
gone money gone, sweetheart and
actress gone, Tom decides to commit
suicide. He Is saved from his rash act
by Fred Merkle, a journalist who has
learned the lesson of The losing game
IN New York. At a critical moment
Joe Weinstein, who lives in the board
ing house with Tom and Merkle, rushes
in with a roll of bills which he has just
won. The money opens the way for the
trio to go to Fairview and start a
newspaper. All does not go as we'll
with the newspaper as had been ex-
pected. Tom, who directs the editorial
policy. launches an attack on Hiram
Belknap because of Belknap's attempt
to give the New York Central railroad
a free depot site. An automobile accl-
dent brings Jane Belknap and her
fiance, Hezekiah jerks. to the news
paper office Tom fails In convincing
the girl that her fathers position is
untenable and she starts to leave the
office, Then Hiram Belknap comes In.
In a very few minutes Belknap Is
shown what the power of the press IS.
He yields, buys third interest In
the paper and everything seems rosy.
lane quickly and mercilessly jllts her
fiance. The final curtain falls on a
scene which leaves the audience 10
believe Tom Wilson has been reclaimed
and will marry the girl he had intend
ed to wed from the first. Surely there
Is nothing very unusual or striklngly
dramatic about such story.
Here and there in the play there are
eepigrammatic lines. For instance
Merkie says to Tom: Success is
process of elimination. When man
finds out what he cannot do and does
not want. he finds himself" The line
called forth much applause.
The opening act of-"The Country
Boy" Is the best of the four. Mr.. Sci
WIN caught and embodied the spirit OF
youth in that first act. me laltn Al
the future. the ebullience which causes
Young men to rush into marriage OF
attack life's problems when half pre-
pared. is typified in Tom, his actions
and his speeches- In contrast STANDS
lane Belknap, who, though Toms age
has the wisdom of woman the iheu
ition which never fails. -,
The three succeeding acts are ouli
and would bore the average playgoer'
T,ha action drags, and the situations
are theatric without being dramatic
The second act shows New YORK
boarding house-but oh, such BOARD
Richard Bennett as Tom Wilson
gives a faithful portraiture OF youth:
Unfortunately the real sympathy oI
the play is given to Merkle, played az
mirably by David Landau, whereas II
should go to Wilson, from a stage
standnoint. Harmon MacGregor made
his initial appearance with the Bur
hank company, as Joe Weinsteln,
slangy Broadwayite. Mr.. MacGregor
gave an excellent account of himself,
and Is a welcome addition to the Nor
CISCO forces. Marjorie Rambeau had
her big opportunity in the nrst act'
and she made the most of 1t. Inc role
of Jane Belknap is not strong, Out
Miss Rambeau has a faculty of put
ting lights and shades in colorless roles
which delights. David Hartford was
his usual self as Hiram Belknap. Ethel
Won Waldron, as an embryo prlma oon-
ma, overacted considerably. Myrtle
Vane. who also made her debut on the
Burbank stage yesterday, made the
part of Amy Leroy, SHOW girl, Stahu
out like a Jewel. AS matter of fact,
Miss Vanes role and the one portrayed
h. MT. Landau, are the two strongest
of tie entire cast of characters. There
is no gainsaying the fact that these
two players were better than any OF
the others in the cast. Edwin Ewald
as Hezekiah jerks and Louise Royce
as Mrs. Bannan, a boarding house
keeper. were excellent. Others in the
cast were satisfactory.
Red and yellow shivers, comfortable
little shocks of nervous prostration and
vigorous twitches at the heart came
TO those who sat through the Girton
stock company's production of the mel
odrama, 1.-THE Dangers of Paris" at
tile Grand opera house yesterday az
ternoon. The play vibrates with Paris
ian atmospheric touches and in four
acts and eight scenes searching flashes
are turned on the life of the great
French capital, or rather upon that
phase of life which is known to the
inhabitants of the lower strata of So
ciety.
The premiere feature of the attrac-
tion was the blood stirringAApache
dance in act one. That the dance will
bear IMPROVEMENT will have to be adj
mitted, yet, at the same time, 1t
seemed to please the good-sized au-
dience of thrill lovers, especially'at its
finale when the female danseuse gently
but firmly urged knife between the
ribs of her partner.
THE rest of the show lived up to the
,kaf ion n