Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-06
all that they could with their parts. Miss
Barrymore did Infinitely more.
A Deteck-a-tove in Town

A Broadway show on Walnut street
that is in brief THE Dummy" by Harriet
Ford and Harvey ]. OHigeins. 1t brings
a 50 show for 81 to the large clientele Of
the Walnut Street Theatre; more, 1t gives
two shows for the admission fec of one.
! For we have not only the Harvey O'Hlg-
| gins of the straight-out detective play OF
"The Argyle Case"-by coincidence on
| view elsewhere in town-but the whmsi-
cal Harvey O'Higgins OF Dom
| O'Dreams"
THE Dummy Is called "a detective
| comedy" and side-by-each in It's unfold
! ing plot are detective story OF engross-
ing interest In its ingenious mystery"
| It's well-artlculated details and It's excel
lent suspense and a humorous sometimes
ronlc commentary, on the methods and
substance of the literature of old Cap
Collier and Sherlock Holmes This is not
at all foreign to the modes OF standard
detective fiction, for did not Nick Carter
of thrilling memory have comedy relief
In Patsy. the comic coadjutor of the
shining hero OF the dime novel?
The Dummy, otherwise Barney Cook
a Bowery lad, as sharp as a steel trap
and as bright as a 1915 dollar. emulous
Of the deeds OF his favorlte fiCtlonal
characters absorbed In a brief career
as messenger boy realizes the height
of his ambition to become a "deteck-a.
tove" by setting wits sharpened by his
Bamln career against a gang OF kdnap-
pers. BY his resource, courage and snappy
work he discounts the crook crew-"foils
en-" as they say in books-wlth its cipher
code, hidden boss and willing tools. And
whilst the folling process Is under way
Barney turns a very frst-class private
detective bureau into very second-rate
auxiliary of his own brilliant efforts.
Oh, yes, Barney Cook was smart
a -fO hp tl,,
audience, envying him his opportunities,
were agreed on that. Some of the mothers
thought he was too smart to have around
the house regularly.
Barney, in the conception Of Ernest
Truck, was a real boy with some trim
mings. combining the attributes of Tom
Sawyer, ChimmIe Fadden and Peck's Bad
Boy. Mr. Truck made Barney Cook n
very different boy from his Charley Mac
Lance, in "A Good Little Devil" but
Just as much a boy-ingenuous. brash
mobile and resilient
Broadway cast at Walnut prices
That included the impressively efficient
detective chief of Joseph Brennan, the
true-to-life Crouch of Joseph r. Garry.
the study-in-brogue of Joseph Conyers,
the study-in-Bowery of II. A. Lamotte,
the delightful French waiter of Curt
karpi and the splendid acting of Jane |
Oaker In difficult role. And we mustn't
omit separate sentence of praise for the
child actress, Joyce Fair. as the kid
mapped daughter of millions.
Decidedly every boy who secretly yearns |
TO outdo the dolngs OF Young Sleuth or
of juvenile Jerry, the Beardless Hawk |
shaw, must see 1.-THE Dummy" It's edu- |
catlonal. it Is. And so must every old |
boy who cherishes fond memories of a |
literary curriculum based on Beade and |
Adams fascinating publications. n course
pursued usually behind the expansive COW
ers OF Meredith's Atlas or in the kindly
shelter of the hayloft. For "The Dummy
will do that rare thing; II will be evoca-
tive Of golden dreams, of olden days. of
vanished aims of yore.