The Washington times., 1917-04-20
SHE'S DOLLED UP
WITH BROKEN WRIST
Louise Dresser Excellent vam-
-pire in Spite of Blue Eyes
and Golden Hair.
BY FLORENCE e. YoDER.

ny FLORENCE e. YODER.
Blonde vampires vamp much better
than brunette ones. Testimony: The
brunette vampires did such careless
work that they were caught and re-
vealed to all posterity in musical COM
edy and on the screen. It's only once
in q great while that fair siren is
portrayed.
Louise Dresser is one Of these ex-
ceptions. She plays the part Of a
blonde vaillainess in the new musical
show, "Have A Heart" at the Nation
al this week. and she gets away with
more heavy vamping than any bru-
musical comedy.
Miss Dresser is one Of those golden
haired, baby -blue-eyed creatures, who
look as IL they had reserved harps
and seats in the heavenly throng-
Her smile would disarm w. ]. Burns
himself. Her hair is the color OF
spun gold, and her eyes make you
want to hold onto the furniture, to
keep from drowning.
But it's all just a mere ripple In the
days work. It doesn't count for any
1AAoo OEC6ECE Sah No-Ah JooN oS
effectively as Theda Bara, Louise
Glaum, and Pauline Frederick, all
put together. At that, she gets way
with a lot more, because Theda and
that crowd get punished for ..Ieirs,
while the blonde ladies Of Miss Dres-
ser's type get away with the thing,
hook, line, and sinker.
Very Sad Joke, Says She.
They have done SO well, Miss
Dresser pointed out. that they have
never been generally harpooned as a
type on the screen and the stage. It's
only once in a while, as a sort OF a
joke, that a manager will let a blonde
be the villainess.
But he doesn't know what a sad,
sick Joke he is playing" contended
Miss Dresser.
room, trying to entertain the inter
viewer with words. The poor lady
doesn't seem to understand yet,
even after several years Of experience
on the stage. that she doesn't need to
TALK to entertain. All she has to do
is to lust sit and let g. person look
at her. without having to be distract
ed by the presence of others.
Miss Dresser, in other words, looks
just as alluring near as she does far
away. She claimed that she looked
perfectly awful" because a broken
wrist makes her dress with one hand.
"And no woman can make herself
look respectable with one hand!" she
argued.
She might have saved herself the
energy she put into the remark, be-
cause the only answer that came to
the mind of the listener was that IL
she did that much with one, we
should hate to think what she could
do with two hands.
That broken wrist, by the way, has
kept her out Of the cast Of "Have a
Heart" for something like six or
seven weeks. Her first appearance |
since the accident was Monday Of this
week.
"And was so nervous" she said, |
rubbing her wrist. which was still
wrapped, ''that nearly died"
Seemed to BE Alive.
However near death she might have
been, no one out in front noticed.
That's where 1t helps to be a blonde
vampire. When she fell on the
stage, one night up in New York, and
broke her wrist, the audience roared
and clapped for more. Now, If she
had been a brunette vampire every
one would have taken the thing SER
iously for q ut, or q display Of
temper.
But they never thought for an in
slant of accusing the nice blonde
villainess Of anything but the most
unselfsh and humorous inclinations.
Miss Dresser managed to convey
to the interviewer the fact that she
desired most fearfully to go into
straight drama, and play a sure
enough star role that called for real
acting. She played with great sue
cess in both Perlmutter plays, and
Emma McChesney. Now she doesn't
for her in a modernized version Of
Hoyt's "A Contented Woman
Personally the writer thinks that
the idea Is a fine one. The only hitch
comes in Miss Dresser's inability to
make the influential someone listen
TO her. Now, - she were a brunette
and q snaky Heddagabler type, she
might be able to command enough
inattention to gain her wish.
But we see no way to get poor
Louise a hearing. She may get
sitting, but never a hearing. She Is
too good a vampire. The moment
she turns those sky blue eyes and
that sweet smile loose, she makes
the would-be listener absolutely un-
conscious, to be released from the
trance only when the Coor bangs in
farewell. That is why this is a poor
interview.