Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-12

something OF decline IN
business with the coming of
klzygTVSNG "Billy" Sunday, but so far
the bllghting effect of a re-
SE@ vival has not fallen very hard
on any OF them. To be sure, the charac
ter Of regular form of amusement at the
Omaha theaters is not such as would be
seriously objected to, even by a radical
evangelist, and therefore regular devotees
find it not hard to go from one to the
other sometimes doing as one is re
ported to have done during the week,
seeing the pictures first. Mrs. Camp
bells short stay here served to remind
us that Omaha has not fallen entirely off
the map, and a little later on may be
again in the regularly Travelled routes or
standard attractions. Two weeks from
Wednesday the Boyd will start on its
winter season, with Al Jolson in "Danc-
ing Around" and from that time on
something will be doing all the time at
the playhouses. Much OF the future de-
pends on conditions In New York, where
the big producers are still undecided as
to what to do. Recent word from there
tells of the postponement OF a number OF
projects of the first magnitude, and that
managers generally are not plunging into
anything headlong. unless It be conserva-
| tivism. This is comforting. for 1t means
that when a revival does come It will
be on safe lines for a little while. In
the meantime, we may divide our atten-
tion between the Brandeis stock COM
pany, the EMPRESS Gayety and orpheum,
and the pictures at the Strand and
| Boyd's.
Next Tuesday evening the Strand thea
ter win present George Beban in his
greatest triumph, "An Alien" This pict-
ure has been amply described as the
picture that makes the dimple TO catch
the tear" and is conceded to be one OF
the best screen adaptations ever made
Mr. Beban is supported by an excep-
tionally strong cast, including two OF
the most clever little baby girls possible
to imagine and the story hinges around
the greatest of themes, mother and father
love. An especially appropriate musical
program will be rendered by the Strand
theater orchestra. under direction OF
Carl Lampe, while the new pipe organ
will also be introduced. On Friday and
Saturday "Island OF Regeneration" will
be presented, followed by Robert Ede-
son in "Mortmain" Sunday.
Beginning with q matinee this after
noon. and continuing through the week,
with two presentations daily, LES Mis-
erables," one OF the most important pic
ture productions of the day, will be
shown at Boyd's theater. 1t Is based on
Victor Hugo's wonderful work of the
same name, and follows closely the story
told In that masterpiece of literature that
is familiar to all. Jean Valjean is care
fully depicted from beginning to end.
and the stirring events of his checkered
! life are brought out clearly A splendid
company Of actors has been used in
staging the dramatic effects Of this great
picture drama, and nearly a thousand
people are used In the big scene, of the
mob In Paris, chasing ValJean as he ran
from the bakers shop with the loaf OF
bread he had seized to feed his starving
mother; In tho street fight between the
mob and the army. when Valjean res
cues Javert and saves his life, only to
have him again turn on his relentless
hunt against the man whose great gen.
erostty had made 30 many happy. but VINO
could not be happy himself. Prison scenes
and the priests house, the factory and
the convent. the quarries and the streets
of Paris In the early days OF the last
century. all are shown. And finally. VAL
Jean Is shown in tho last hours of his
life. when little Cosette strokes his pallid
cheeks and realizes something Of the
great love OF this man II Is a sermon
as strong as Billy Sunday ever
preached. showing the unremitting con-
test between the forces of coed, as rep
resented by Vatican, and the forces OF
evil. embodied in Javert The Production
is in nine reels and runs for about two
hours.
''The Shepherd OF the Hills" drama
tization OF Harold Bell Wright's novel OF
the same name, will be the bill for the
thirteenth week OF the popular Edward
Lynch Players at the Brandeis theater
beginning tonight. The story is OF a city
man who seeks solace in the hill country.
The old man fingers in the hills and gains
the name OF dad" Grant Matthews
the man whose sheep Dad herds. has
a stalwart son. Young Matt" Sammy
Lane. a ward OF the Matthews is engaged
TO ollie Stewart. q young man who has
since moved to the city. ollie returns
and Is humiliated by Wash Gibbs, q bully
In the hills waEh. tiring Of ollie. turns
his attention to Sammy. and young
Matt" brushes up the landscape with
him Pete. a child OF nature. informs
Young Matt" that Wash Gibbs and bis
gang are preparing 10 attack the lonely
} shepherd. Wash Is shot by an unknown
hand. II develops that the unknown hand
is the shepherds son. who has lived IN
} the hills a number OF years unrecogniEed
The big theme OF the play u the Low,