The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-01-24
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THE BELASC0.
EXCUSE Me-"

Exc0Se Me-.
When the curtain was raised at the
Belasco last evening and that inimitable
exponent of black-face comedy, Willis
Sweatnam, was discovered as the car
of the most realistic Pullman sleeping
car setting ever displayed on the Ameri-
can stage, little electric waves Of poten-
tial fun began tickling. the risibiities Of
the nearly capacity audience. mo-
ment later the portmanteau-laden form
of Harry Kendall appeared at one end
Of the car. and before Porter Sweatnam
was halfway through the fearful task
Of loading his English passenger and
dunnGge into a section one could snug
gle down in ones seat with a contented
giggie, confident of the hilarious treat
this Pullman carnival of Rupert
Hughes held in store.
No one gifted with sense of the
ridiculous can have travelled overnight
on an American railroad without having
participated in or been the chuckling eye
witness of at least one of the myriad Of
comic happenings that Mr.. Hughes, with
the kind assistance of Col. Henry W.
Savage and his chief of staff. George
Marion, have crowded into the three acts
Of this overland limited laughter train.
Hardly had the porter seated the Brit
Usher and received the order to prepare
his bath at $50 when that gritty CO.
median, James Lackaye, wobbled into the
car carrying one of the most amusing
stage packages" we have seen of late
He Immediately took the porter into his
confidence and explained that he was
h-h J.
Reno to get a divorce from Mrs. Jimmy
Wellington, his sporty Chicago wife. who
smokes cigars. and, like Eva doesn't
care. Finding the porter unsympathet-
lcally DESTROYS of attending to the rest
Of the arriving passengers, the bihulous
Wellington hurls his bulk upon the fiat
chested and irate Englishman
Among the next arrivals are sweet
faced spinSter. on her way to China, via
frisco, to be missionary; a grouchy
Old bach. and middle-aged clergyman
and his wife. on their first post honey
moon journey. Bent forgetting the
cares and conventions of his parish, the
cleric turns his collar around dons a
naming necktie. and. producing large
"-cent straight cigar, repairs to the smok-
,1ng-room for good time His wife
agrees that they will not reveal their
calling, but pose as a physician and his
spouse an arrangement that results in
one OF the funniest situations in the
piece, for the minister not accustomed
to the role of pretender. soon finds him
self under suspicion by the conductor as
a card shark
OF course, Mrs. Jimmy Wellington ar
r1Ves. also bound for Reno shouting the
battle cry of freedom. Jimmy she ignores
completely, which induces him to prolong
his search for solace in the cup. In fact
ne does not draw a really sober breath
until the train is running through Utah.
and no liquid refreshments can be served
The main complication is furnished by
a young runaway couple, most capitally
played by John Wesley and Ann Muir
dock. Unfortunately they were in a taxi
cab accident and couldn't keep their ap-
pointment with the minister and still
catch the train. which was the last the
lieutenant bridegroom could take and still
make his transport for the Philippines.
While bidding his disappointed fiance a
fond and long-drawn forewell in the
paSSageway at the end of the car the
train pulls out. The couple find them /
selves in the embarrassing position of be- |
ing the recipients of a joyous reception |
by pair of army friends and a shower !
of rice. They decided to pose as married !
until minister can be found.
The second act setting displays the OBJ |
servation cafe car at the end of the train, |
and no matter how hard one may have |
laughed during the first stage of this /
comic pilgrimage. one finds the second |
still funnier- The stopping of the train !
by the deSpairing Miss Murdoch because |
she hears that her little fuzzy poodle has |
fallen out of the window is but one of |
the score of intensely ludicrous Incidents |
and situations.
A real thrill is jolted into the third act !
again the interior of the sleeping car !;
when the train is held up by two |
masked ruffianS. and all tanSles. matri- !
monlal and otherwise, are Strengthened |
out through the kinship of fear that |
drives each one to the side of his proper /
mate and reveals every one in his true
colors. The young lieutenant illustrates !
what has long been the contention of |
many travellers. that it needs but the
daring of one determined man to get the |
better of such bandits. The trick is
turned cleverly, and furnishes a most
happy finale to what should prove the
most uproarious farcical success of the
season when Excuse Me- drops in on
Broadway.
Among the other players whose work
goes far to make the entertainment what
IT is are John Findlay, as the minister:
Scott Cooper, as the old bachelor. who,
by the way. finds in the missionary an
old-time sweetheart and marries her on
the train; Thomas H. Walsh. as the con-
ductor; Isabel Richards. as Mrs Jimmy:
L. H. OConnor, as one of the highway.
men. and Lottie Alter, as the minister S
wife E. q;