The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-08
"LovE's INSURANCE"

By Earl Derr Biggers. The Bobbs Mer- Till company, publishers, Indianapolis The remarkable popularity of Earl Derr Biggers' company, Seven Keys to Bald- pate" as produced in this country by George NJ. Conan, has caused the play to become such a valuable piece of prop eity that foreign producers have paid more for the Australian and South Afri- can rights to the production than has ever before been paid for ah American comedy, even including Cohens adapta- tion of Chester's -Rich-Quick Wal lingford." the foreign rights of which were sold at a fabulous sum. Likewise great haste has been made to secure an English production of the play and now, when the owners of the English rights gre just at point of putting the finish ing touches on their proposition, comes along tho report that some zealots have been ever more anxious than the legit- innate owners of the play and are at- tempting to put across an alleged in- fringement.
 to resemble the real thing that Charles Hawtrey is trying to stop it's produc- tion and Earl Derr Biggers. the author who has been spending his vacation on the continent, has been rushed to Lon don town to inspect the reported piece Of plagiarism and determine whether it is or 1t isn't founded on his book
 Seven Keys to Ba1dpate" has been re- ,narkable both as & book and play for two reasons First, 1t appeared as the first novel of A writer of little repu- tation, but despite this fact. from the very merit of it, which the public is often ont to overlook in it's quest for "bg names" sprang into immediate promi- nence. In the second place, the author has done what heretofore was regarded as impossible-he has fooled the public and gotten away with 1t successfully.
 The belief was current that a play wright could not fool his audience for any length of time and be successful The Biggers-Cohan combination fool their audience twice, and each time they have added more fun to their tale. In fact after the final clearing up of the story the audience is a bit dazed and quite undecided whether it has been given the truth or whether some other surprise is still in store for It.
 Now that new novel from the pen of this successful young author has been reported for publication at an early date inquiries are coming in thick and fast as to the method he employs fin his new story. The title of Biggers' latest book is Love Insurance" Certainly there are sufficient possibilities in that. and though it is not safe to give MT Biggers away entirely so far in advance of the appearance of his new book. it is safe 10 suggest that his readers will be quite as badly fooled and thoroughly baffled before they finish Love Insurance' as they were when they read Seven Keys to Baldpate."
 Not once does the author give and ink ling of how the story is really going to end. and the reader has thousand diff ferent ideas Tn as many seconds as to the continuation of the story.
 But this assurance can be without fear or later contradiction. Love Insurance satisfies It leaves a delicious taste in the mouth-the sort of one that smacks of more of the same thing. And if Biggers continues to produce manuscripts at the same rate as his last two. the public will not be compelled to wait overlong for his third delightful narrative.