New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-16
George Cohan Fails to
Gust the Evangelist from
the Leadership.
BILLY EXCELS BOTH
IN PUNCH AND PACE
"Pair of Silk Stockings" as En-
tertaining as Ever in Re-
yival at Booth.
BY HAYWOOD BROUN.

for Billy Sunday. By choosing the
evangelist as a hero, George Conan has
forced comparison between himself
and his greatest rival in the use OF
dramatic slang, and, strange as it may
seem, it is George, and not Billy, who
cracks under the strain.
Before seeing "Hit-the-Trail-Holli-
day" we were convinced that Conan had
chosen a character whom he could
round round out to the last detail. We
we're confident that the man who wrote
"Wallingford" could be just as COLO
quail, just as racy and just as irrever-
ent as the invader OF Paterson.
Billy Sunday once said: "I've got
gospel gun that shoots straight. It's
loaded with rough on rats, ipecac, rock
salt, dynamite and barbed wire" The
Conan heavy ordnance, so we had mag
ined. could shoot all that and more.
We were mistaken. George Conan has
neither the punch nor the pace Of Billy
Sunday.
The conflict between the men had 10
come sooner or later, on account OF the
similarity in method and viewpoint. 1t
Is true that Cohan waved the rag first,
but Billy Sunday has waved it harder.
In one respect the playwright has an
advantage over the preacher Billy tells
folk what they ought 70 be and George
Cohan draws his heroines straight upon
the ideal set by Sunday Conan fash
ions his heroes also on Billy's specif-
cations, but his men are drawn from
the great and democratic army OF the
damned which interests both George
and Billy much more than the small
and selected company Of the colorless
elect. Sunday, for instance, could
nreach whole sermon about Walllng-
ford or Broadway Jones and get just as
much and more out OF the material
than Cohan.
But il is in language that the superb
ority of Sunday is mos tevldent. Inc
catchwords of preacher and playwright
are similar. The rule of both is when
in doubt 90 to hell. Billy's hell sizzles,
hut Cohan's has been burnt out these
many wears. and it is too much to ask
the dramatist to warm 1t up for each
new play. III -.
Both men have the same hell, Of
course, but it is viewed from dlherenV
aspects. Cohan has developed his along
farce comedy lines, while Sundays nell
is wholly melodram-tic.
"Do YOU think th.t because you say
there isn't any fire in hell that turns
the hose on IT," is a typical Sunday
sentence. "Aw, you go to hell" Is what
Cohan character says IN order 10
, lava tho audience laughing as he
makes his exit.
Sunday and Cohan develop their plots
along similar lines. Reward follows
virtue and punishment stalks CRIME
with the same certainty in George
rlavs and Billy's sermons. Both men
are interested in the liquor question,
although Cohan never has taken the
, same definite stand as Sunday
All in all. we believe that sunday mas
more of the dramatic instinct thah
Cohan. Both appreciate box once sue
cess, but Sunday always M, mas s !; len
deeper. "Hit-theTrail Holiday; we
are informed, will fill the AStor inca inca,
tire for the season, but when BllIy taheS
the trail they have to bulld taoeI""''e''
The revival Of Cyril Harcourts "Palr
of Silk Stockings" at the Booth Ineatre
marks the return of one OF last seasons
most successful plays. We miss the IN
innate atmosphere of the Little hea-
ire. but the cast is just as goon as '""'
Sam Sothern. who plays Sam Thorn
hill formerly done by Kenneth Doug
los has a somewhat different concep-
ton of the part His Sam is bit more
mature, with hair just beginning 10
turn gray at the temples, ana ms gan
dvism is cultivated rather than that OF ,,
the fop. molly likes good ciotheS'
and so he lives up to that IDEAL
His acting is easy and convincing n.sts
with an occasional touch oil patnos
which heightens his humorous mo,
nents. Miss Eva LeonaTd-boyne IS a
charming Molly Thornhiil' Playeu ias.
year by Miss Caroline Bayiey, anu III
some ways she is better suited 10 the
nsrt than her predecessor, being small
ard slender. a physique more generally
associated with lightness and trlvollty'
THE bedroom scene is particularly
we'll nlaved by Miss Leonard -Boyne ana
p CLAYTON Greene, who takes his OLD
mart of CAPTAIN Bagnal. There IS, OF
course much in the scene when Is
biobIv indiscreet, but all save the most
incorrigible prudes will be valorous
.rougb N survive, as the most I'M
rroper things are said with the great
est delicacy. Politeness is own KIN TO
rodesty in this play.
Niss Alison Skipworth's Lady Cover
is delightfuily inconsequential, and
Miss Svbil Carlisle gives real interest
y: m's ,be hart of Irene Maitland. Wallace
Trskine is q gentlemanly, though some
what colorless, Sir John.
Nobody can tell US that the American
drama is not advancing. The whirr OF
off stage automobiles Is peing dohe pet
70, his wear than ever before.
"A consignment of tiger fat, from
India to the Palace aroused much Go, con- ),
troversy at the theatre yesterday"
u.ri,es tho press agent, until il was
fonnd that the owner was Dorothy
Jardon. the prima donna. who is booked
'5========-s..=
- -------------- --z-:S5g ----zzy,.g,