The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-02-22
In Walked Jimmy" Is Innoc-
uous Little Comedy, the
Dramatic Interest Of Which
Is showed Under by Plati-
tudes-A. H. Van Buren,
Saves the Dominate 6
Character from Tedium by
Skillful Acting.
By JULIA CHANDLER.

When Jimmy walked into the very de-
terted nrst act Of Mrs. ROME II. Jaffa's
new, comedy, which had its premiere at
Polls last evening, the story pricked up
its ears; a tottering business sprang into
instant prosperity; a would-be suicide
found life quite worth the living; every
employe in the Cinderella Company re-
ceiyed a hyperdermic Of good cheer, and
a capacity audience reelected at least the
spirit of the play.
You see II was this way:
John Treneyan, proprietor Of the Gin
derena Soft Sole Baby Shoe Company
las much Of a tongue twister as the
sister Susie song, ehD on dismal
and stormy April morning found his as
sets so completely submerged by his LA
bilitIes that the only way out seemed
by the long and lonely road.
Nobody wanted Cinderella Soft Sole
Shoes.
The one rascally salesman insisted
IL was because mothers are coming
more and more to believe In eugentcs
and would not buy protection for the
tiny feet Of tippling toddlers. Nobody
cared whether he was correct or
otherwise. The fact remained that
the business was going to the bow
vows and John Trellevan could
see the way out only along the shiny
He therefore discharged the small
kit and caboodle Of employees and with
tn. sympathetic elements rampasins
down a single window pane, slowly
lifted the deadly thing to hts templs,
when
In walked Jimmy.
The program said he would. and we
had scented the psychological moment.
Wait a minute" begged the genial
voice from the doorway.
J. T. obeyed. Then he looked into
the smiling eyes of his visitor and
went on obeying orders until the
stranger who came with the spring
time-aN spic and span. and smiling
transformed Trellevan's crumoling
business into a success so stupendous
that the fastest express stopped al
the town where prospered the Cinder-
ella factory, and trsinmen mesaphoned
to eager passengers information con-
corning the towering monument OF
Industry. CThe species Of railroad
employees must be different out in
California where Mrs. jana livesD
In the second act Jimmy extended his
smile until It encompassed so many foil
needing sunshine shed on the routine OIL
life that we lost su count Of them, bu
we are quite willing to accept the state
ment Of the program that Into tbs
Hearts Oh the FeOpLe "alheu
the hearts Of those both on the stag
and on-for a smile Is an Infection
thing. and II does its work in Mrs Jaffa'
play which, you have doubtless alresd.
gathered embodies the New Thought ides
proving the contention that one has bu
to think success, talk success. and liv,
success in order to have success. Tina
was Jimmys religion and he got ava!
with II in a manner so reminiscent o
Do t. Aayarffaa nigh
Rave believed that one was witnessing
the latter with baby shoes substitute,
for soapD were It not that the Roi Coope
MagTue farce-cOaedy Is a delightful
clever piece while Mrs. Jaffa's new com
edy Is 50 saturated with platitudes, 8
weighted down with bromides, that dra
matte interest is showed under.
But to get back to the story.
Jimmy's refusal to acknowledge a sur
name created about him an air of mys
terry which was responsible for suspicion
being directed toward him for a trail
robbery which occurred upon the nigh
Of his arrival 50 the optimist wake
into trouble, out again. and all by tn
magic OF that same smile which won 70
him the heart Of the girl he loved. serv
ing as a stimulant to the tagging fait
Of all the folk he met along the way.
Beautiful thought. Of course but b
no msner Of means Is it sustained b
Mrs Jarrs's play, which contradicts II
own argument times without numbei
The hero, in his embodiment OF his rel
gion, Is repudiated at the first susplcio
against him by the very folk in whom hi
gospel Is supposed to have created fsitl
Even the girl who loves him is insult
GENTLY impressed to stand out bravel
and loyalty for him when appearance
are against him.
But. as bromide. Illogical. incense
quential as Is In Walked jimmy whe
viewed from every standpoint Of pul
poseful argument and dramatic construC
ton, the Poll Players gave to the initis
performance Of the piece last evening 6
much Of sympathy and spirit that tn
audience was persuaded into good natur'
In the hands OF the average actor jim
my would be but the automatic pronur
cistor OF Mrs. Jafra's three hours and
half Of plstitudes, but A H Van Bure
injects into his thankless creation III
rare grace OF his delightful comedy metf
DDS. and brings to his INSTALLATION
sufficient touch Of earnestness to reliey