Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-21
THE GRAND ARMY MAN
SHADED WITH PATH0S
Burbank Company Forms Fit Set
ting for One of BelasCo's
Dramatic Gems
BY SHIRLEY OLYMPUS

itial stock presentation at the Bur-
bank theater yesterday He has done
nothing of the sort. True, there is a
patriotic picture made by the blue
coated veterans, and there is the faint
echo of the terrible Civil War In the
lines of the play, but the theme is not
of these. Mr.. Belasco has dramatized
the love a man has for the child of
the woman he loved but whom some
one else married. And he has done
his work we'll. Mr.. Belasco might
have used other characters than vet
Grams and members of the w r. c. in
the play with as great success, but
that would not be the Belasco
way A play which embodies the pa
triotic. the picturesque and the sym
pathetic elements has a triple hold
upon spectators. And that is the
BelaSco way.
There's a wealth of pathos in the
blind devotion of Yves Bigelow to Rob
ert, the adopted son of the old vet
eran. That pathos is made all the
more appealing when the absolute
faith the veteran has in the boy and
his future is so rudely broken. The
bitterest hour in all existence comes
when a parent learns his child is the
same as other children-just human
being with all the frailties of human
ity. No more telling, and certainly no
truer scene, could be devised than
WnGn Yves Is lBlu lDdI IkOOtAl 10 a
- defaulter. But Yves, a true type of
true father, believes in his boys"
innocence until at last he is forced to
realize the sad truth. And again moth
ing can be more pathetic than the
sight of Yves telling the Judge that
my boy is a good boy and has done
no wrong" and pleading that the boy
be set free. Such scenes occur every
day. DIR. Crippen's father went to his
grave yesterday brol1en-hearted and
believing in his sons innocence, al
though that son stands today in the
shadow of the gallows.
In the end there is happiness and
the smile of youths love triumphant
over the laws inexorability in "The
Grand Army Man." but for the most
part there is sadness and the tears of
defeat. The play keeps a lump in
ones throat most all the time.
Byron Beasleys characterization Of
Yves Bigelow is sincerely appealing.
All the pathos of the old mans life
is brought out faithfully by Mr.. Beas-
ley In the scene where he learns of
Roberts misStep and again in the
court room scene Mr.. Beasley is su-
perb. His acting wrings the hearts of
all and causes many tear to start.
Harmon McGregor puts boyishness
into every action of Robert, so that
the character is exceptionally true. AS
Robert Mr.. McCregor does the best
actinr of his local career. The youth
full charm which has marked several
of Marjorie Rambeau's previous char
acterizations is present in her pOr-
trayal of Halle Andrews, the 17-year-
old daughter Of Judge Andrews. Miss
Rambeau has only to be natural to
play a girlish role. And when she is
natural she pleases ALL Fl. S. Duff
field makes a "bit''-that of the blind
and bent veteran-stand out In bold
~ ie of
difficult things in acting. Howard
Scott revels and pleases in a part to
his liking, that of a cork-legged vet
eran, who, though his hair is gray
and his eyes are old, his heart is still
young enough to beat to the rhythmic
music of a long-standing love. Louise
Royce appears as the sister of Bigelow.
Others in the cast are David M Hart
ford, David Landau, Peter Lang, Will
lis Marks Frederick Gilbert, Florence
Oberle and Ethel von .Waldron.
"The Spring Chicken" grows into a
fullsized pullet, ready for the slaugh-
ter, in the course of its presentation at
the Grand opera house The affair
seems interminably long and drags
along here and there. There are times
when one would be glad if the drag
Eing would cease entirely, for that
would bring the piece to an end
1t is said 1.-THE Spring Chicken"
served Richard Carle as a vehicle and
was one of Mr.. Carries greatest sue
cesses. At least that is what the
ubiquitous one, jay Barnes, says. 1t
seems hardly fair to say such things
about Mr.. earle. He is such a long
ways from Los Angeles that he prob
ably has no knowledge Of the imputa-
tion. Certain it is that "The Spring
Chicken" as it now is would not serve
any musical comedy star very long. 1t
is the hard work of the chorus which
makes the piece possible. Ferris Hart
man succeeds only partly in his at
tempts to he his funny self. Evidently
the material for funmaking is not in
the script hence Mr.. Hartman cannot
cause his usual gales of laughter.
By way of bolstering up THE Spring
Chicken" Mr.. Hartman has interpo-
lated some musical numbers which
please and others which should be dis
pensed with. OF the pleasing numbers
that which is used to open the second
act is the best. Anna Little dressed
as a French grisette, sings something
about IN Seville" and scores heavily.
The number in which various phases
of city life such as riding in rubber
neck autos, etc, is depicted might be
forgotten Nobody would care in the
least. Geography" is another which
could be treated in the same manner.
Marta Golden is a hit when she sings
about "Guessing' Josie Hart wears
some perfectly charming gowns, which
go we'll with her role Of a flirting
baroness. Myrtle Dngwall in a blonde
wig has no very great opportunities.
She makes the most of her solo,
Spring" in the opening act. Walter
De Leon pleases in his song with the
chorus to back him up and dance with
him. This same is true of George
Poultney, who appears as Baron Pa
pouche. "Muggins' Davies is cute al
a housemaid who gets coin for kisses
"The Spring Chicken" is a French
farce set to music. In the American
ization process a great deal Of the
snap has been taken out. There still
is enough left, however, to suggest
Paris and the looseness which exists
therein. "The Spring Chicken" con-
Germs the yearly indiscretions Of two
married men. When the swallows
come a-singing the husbands go a.
pIeasuring. Before the play gets well
on it's way not only the husbands hut
parlormaids, baronesses, wives, sisters,
sweethearts and everybody else are in a
hopeless predicament There isn't very
much fun to be derived from such situ-
alton, however.
Although "The Spring Chicken IS
not up to Hartman standard 1t seemed
to please last nights audience-that is
in spots.
Tomorrow afternoon the Russian
barefoot dancer, Countess Thamara de
Swirsky, who has been widely heralded
for her success in Europe, at the Met
yopoIffan Ouorq hOuga and before the