Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-18
ADJUSTMENTS
DADDY LONG-LI:t.S" INDEED
An EVENT OF ruE SEASON


once upon time there was poor
little girl who had never had any
father or mother. They hadn't just
died and left her-she had never had
any at all SO she had TO live in an
orphan asylum with lot OF other lit
tie girls. who had either lost their
fathers and mothers or had never
found them in the beginning.
The people at the asylum, save the
! littlc girls something to eat and Il
place To sleep. but they made them
work very hard and the only dresses
| lhey gave them were hideous checked
! gnghams. and they weren't very kind.
so that all the little girls were afraid
all the time. except this particular one.
whose name was Judy. She was so
smart and she worked SO hard and
could do so many things that when
people wanted To adopt her and give
her Il home. the asylum people wouldn't
let her go. but mad. her stay there to
hclp with the litter ones
But one day the trustccs-thc people
that had charge OF everything about
The asylum--caue To look over every
thing. and one of them heard Judy
, when she told how they lived Before
! that. though. he had heard how smart
ana how good Judy was. SO when lie
round out that she was different from
most little girls. he decided to be "A
sort Of Fairy Godfather to her. lie had
people buy her a lot of pretty dresses:
| he sent her money to spend and had
her taught everything that rich little
girls have to learn.
/ He made her write TO him every
month. but he wouldn't let her know
VINO he was. She never saw him. "x-
cept once. and then she saw only his
shadow. and because the shadow n,uJ,.
! MN seem TO have long legs. she nick
named her Fairy Godfather DADDY
Long Legs" BY an by. as time Went
on. she grew up. and She had been
aunt SO much that she began to write
stories that people printed and paid
ne" money for. And all the time she
was seeing her Fairy tiodfathcr She
n'dht know that he was her Daddy
ohS-Legs because she thought of him
hs an old man. But he WASH, old
but his heart is young
SO her Fairy C;odfathor fou in lay.
= win her and she fell in love with him
f"' Sh" wouldn't marry him because
Sh" had never had amy father or mother
ana she was ashamed 10 tell him. II.
thought she was in love with some
n"dN else. s" they were both very nm
happE Tor long time. But i'm tho
,nn she round out who Daddy Long
l.eps really was-he was her FAIRY
Godfather. And. best of all no tur,,a.,
th"N were married and lived bonnily
! ever after. "'"''E
~ Inc prcttiest little play. this
DADDY I.ong-l.egs." with the beauty
10. comes from simplicity and syn-
ph'hN and Observation-Disclosures. Even
me n,ost stoiid. Erown-up ana uncmo-
d hoiat theaterGocr must feel tho com
penn. charm OF the stage version az
Jean WcbsterS book Of letters. In
must enter with this winsome little
modern Cinderella into her sorrow and
her happiness. .tnd-for IL isn't "A one
part play--he must feel with tho man
past youth his hcartachc SO. like
! chliu reading about the fablcd Ciuder-
ella, he must hesitate between a choke
! ana chuckle: ono moment he laughs
outright ut the bright. youthful com
edy Of it: the next. he feels a catch i,
! his throat.
And. when il is all over and Judy
j aud Daddy Long-Iegs are happy, n.
/ must he glad that he has seen the
i"Heiest little comedy romance that
ever came TO brighten and soften a
/ workaday world
As presented last night. Daddy
Lon: Legs seemed 10 play itself
| mat one forgot. almost, the rare art
( that made ii alive. AZ play it is a
weN-cut gem: there is not a moment
not q scene. not suggestion. that does
| not add TO its CLEAN and heighten its
glamour. But we know that. We did
not know how fine a company Henry
Miller was sending to make il seem a
slice - life
We know NOW. and We OF the prov
! inces have cause To be grateful indeed
TO Mr.. Miller There are really two
lead" that OF Judy and that of Jcr-
Wis Pendlcton. Daddy Long Legs, and
!, would seem well-nsh impos siblc
that either could he more happilv
plaNel than both were rho
Judy OF Frances Carson was a study
in unstaginess. OF course. the part is
sympathetic to the last degree. but 4
is full of temptations for the unwary.
1t lends itself TO mawk ishuess. bathos
comedy that isn't too high. ana a dozen
other qualities. any one of which would
ruin II. All these Miss Carson avoids.
while she succeeds in conveying TO the
fullest the pathos and the humor in
which the character abounds.
Even more difficult. If possible. is
/ tho role of Jervis pcndlcton. the Fairy
Godfather. And for his very fine, his
wholly admirable. performance in the
part, George Alison merits high praise.
Being an .EnSlishman. he naturally
reads wcll-as witness his artistic
scene when lie tells Judy OF his love.
and again when he reads his last let
ter from her. And in addition. he
plays with an enforced. manly method.
both in moments OF hCmor and OF seri-
business. which about one actor in 4
thousand manages 10 attain.
The east is too large TO mention by
the individual: suffice il 10 say that II
is practically without even the tradi-
tional weak spot
DADDY I.ons-Lees" i verify an
event of the season; it isn't likely that
we shall sec another like it--cither
this season or in many seasons.
Douglas Gordon.