The Washington times., 1914-03-11
Toddy's Best Photo-Pldy Stories
"FANTOMAs,"
Gaument Features (Four Teels).

MYSTERY play of no COM
~ mon order Is the fourth of
n this series Of plays dealing
with the battling character,
Fantomas. the crook-detective. Sell
dom is an identity more cleverly
concealed and an audience more
regularly fooled. than by this slip
perry crook. He is brutaliZed
Arsene Lupin. a cleverer Raffies.
Victor Navarro. who is cast in the
title role, makes the most Of the
many opportunities which are af-
forded by the complex plot construc-
ton to battle his audience and
drive home his effect. He is sup
ported by a large cast. in which
Renee Carl and James Breon give
good support in the characters next
in Importance.
To tell the story itself is like find
ing the end Of the Mystic Maze
or analyzing the star dust of the
Milky Way Fantomas, with his
phenomenal ability of disguise,
changes from one character to an
other with such rapidity that fol-
lowing his evolutions Is out of the
question-even for Juve, the famous
detective. Juve. by the way, in this
particular number, is dismissed from
the force in whose service he had
spent SO much time following the
elusive trail of the crook. This
dismissal and his subsequent arrest
is the result of the pressure of the
press. which must have some one
on whom it can vent its spleen. But
tho mysterious disappearance OF a
bank messenger. after leaving the
house of Moche. an old money
lender, causes a reversal OF public
sentiment Evidently Juve. con-
fined in Jail. could not be responsible
for that crime,
Meanwhile Tom Roberts. American
detective. if the audience may be-
lievc his card, arrives in Paris.
Many Of the audience. naturally
suspicious, refuse to accept him as
regular cop" but in spite Of their
ircrcdulity he promptly finds the
body of the bank messenger, walled
UP behind a plaster partition in the
upper floor of the house occupied by
the money lender.
The audience begins to pat itself
OF its collective back when by his
actions during the visit to the Grand
Duchess, the American detective
shows Enthusiastically that he and
Fantomas are one and the same.
At the bell given nv the Grand
Duchess the guests and the audi
"ncc alike begin to feel that they
have had "onc too many when
three men dressed in peculiar
black costume appear on the scene
in rapid succession. Soon two of
them quarrel and one is slain The
third man. F'andor. the newspaper
friend Of Iuvc. nndS the dead man
behind tn" huus. and informs tn"
cucSts But not u/til the guilty man
in black has cscapcd. slightly wound
cd on In" forcaruI JuVc. locked IN
tine Jail. Is discovered to have IA
wound on his forearm. ISut this
win" has been hribcd. aud tho story
goes ON through man. incidents until
I'ant"mas himself is finally captured
by JUv" and Eaudnr as he is cmCrG-
Ing from IN" Duchess huus" aft"r
stealing tho money which he has
Suggested br collected by public sub
S'riptiUu to b"lp capture him. But
FantOmaS does not stay captured
more than about twenty-five feet of
film, and the drama closes with Juvc
and fandor lying helpless in the
concealed pitfalls into which the
daring criminal had led them.
''rantomas'' VIII he presented ut
the Empress Th"aicr. iI6 Ninth
street northwest. Oa Thursday after
noon and evening.