Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-13
USTIN STRONG has almost sue
ceeded in making a great and
\ popular melodrama of THE
u Dragons Claw" The first act

" ceeded in making a great and
- popular melodrama of THE
Il Dragons Claw" The first act
is d superb bit of workman
ship, and there is evidence in both the
second and third acts of real dra-
matte strength and power. The failure
in the latter act seems to be rather
in details that are of sufficient i'm
portance to easily and painfully jar
ones sensibilities and yet SO easy to
be removed that the structural work
will not be at all impaired. Perhaps
the Washington performances were a
ahead of time and the collaborating
:ment of the author and the ex-
+ fenced producer, Henry Miller, had
not yet had chance to put things in
shape. as was done in the first act.
The prediction is confidently ventured
that New York will see a vast i'm
provement over the Washington pro-
duction.
In these troublous times when most
folks are given to noralizing, the spec
tacle of the armies of the great powers
Jointly engaged in a mission of mercy
and civiliza ton will be likely to be
strongly contrasted with their efforts
in the European field at present-and
who knows what good may come of it?
x
The Belasco Theater will open its
regular season Thursday evening with
FRITZ Scheff in a merry melange OF
matrimonial troubles and pretty music
Her new musical play, Pretty Mrs
Smith, is said to offer the brilliant
young prima donna opportunities that
have heretofore been denied her. Oliver
Morosco. under whose auspices she
comes. has an established reputation
for furnishing good things. Altogether
Thursday should bring a rare treat to
Be1asco patrons.
JOHN BUNNY.-John Bunny. the come
dian. is the ninth John Bunny in, success
sion and the first of the line who has
not sailed the seas in the British navy
or mercantile marine. Undoubtedly this
shaped his career somewhat. for as q
youngster he was taught to row and box
swim and run-to be proficient, in fact
in every branch of sport.
And now. although there is tenth
John Bunny. grown to manhood. and al
though the comedian weighs 2GO pounds
he tumbles about before the camera with
he climbed over the porch of his home
in Brooklyn as part of a scenario. and
not dong after that he went up in an air
ship. Owed off pile into the Hudson and
droyer PAGER at q go clip with q mar
hanging about his neck. None of these
feats ever frightens him, because he
seems TO be oriental enough, he says &c
believe that his particular nemesis will
overtake him at the allotted time and moi
before.
Mr.. Bunny decided early in life to be-
come an actor. He heo2.c Nth small role.
and lived through some discouragint
years before real success came. But il
the course of time his services were il
demand on Broadway He was q splendid
Bottom in Miss Annie Russelrs revva
OF "A Midsummer Nights Dream" a
the dedication of the Aston Theater, Ii
New York. And in succeeding seasons h,
appeared in an ail-star production of tn.
musical comedy Tom JONES' with Mis-
Hattie Williams in Fluffy Ruffies'' an,
with Lew Fields in odd Dutch
At the end of twenty-six years on tn.
legitimate stage Mr.. Bunny took stool
and figured that he had little technic
little fame and not much else. In his owl
words. the days when he would need al
umbrella were coming and he wante,
for the rainy period. About that time tn
movies We're looming large on the amuse
ment horizon. They looked good to Johl
and he embraced them.
His success has proved the wisdom o
his choice. Kindly. comical John Bum.
is waxing rich while bringing millions
of laughs into the dark corners of tn
world. And he has had race horse,