The Washington herald., 1917-01-02
NationaI-"Turn to the Right"


Turn to the Right" coming to the
National Theater this week with the
prestige OF long New York run. proves
to hit the liking of local playsoers as
square a drive as II did with metropolitan
audiences. Contrived with the formulas
OF homely sentiment and comedy, COM
bining the popular crook and old home
stead motives In an entirely familiar pat
tern, it nevertheless makes an irresisti-
BILE appeal to the more simple and un-
affected elements OF a modern audience 8
appreciation.
1t makes you laugh; II makes you cry;
it makes you thrill; and you can't help
but approve Of the whole proceeding 1t
an immense audience. The authors. Win
chell Smith and John L Golden. have a
complete command OF the strings that
govern the average spectators feelings
and they work them so expertly that the
most judicious cannot find cause for
offense.
A delightfully."- acted prologue in q
pawn shop at Ossining introduces three
young men not long out OF prison, swear
ing mutual palship and forming plans
for the future. with a general disposi-
ton to turn to the right" Joe Bas-
com, one OF the tho, makes his way to
his mothers homestead, where the re-
mainder Of the scenes are laid. Joe's
mother IL about to give up the place.
with its potentially valuable peach or
chards, under the wiles of the hard-hst-
ed Deacon Ttllinger.
Joe's great aim Is to keep his mother
from any knowledge of his shame, and
when his pals arrive on the scene lured
to q hand-out by tho delicious smell of
peach preserves. there are many DIM
culties in the way OF concealment, with
all sorts OF comic and dramatic oomplica-
tons bold scheme OF blun by which
the nearly penniless jaiIbirds pretend to
buy NJ the peach crop and hold on the
grasping deacon, turns into q real source
of wealth through the Wholesale manu-
facture OF peach preserves, the crooks
turn altogether straight under the kindly
influence OF Joe's best Of mothers, and
Joe himself proves to have been inno-
cent OF crime. So he marries the dea-
cons daughter. his pals find village maid
ems to their liking. and all ends in gen
eral happiness and prosperity.
An excellent company presents the
characters, each Of which Is amusingiy
drawn Ralph Morgan, as Joe, and Jo-
seph Byrsn Totten and William Forsn
as his crook friends, are especially good
Columbia stock company days, was cor
daily welcomed and gave a charming
portrayal of Joe's faithful sweetheart
Mabel Bert. IN the role of the old lady
who spices the preserves and her sur
roundings with equal sweetness, con-
tributes much to the general delight
Belasco-"A Daughter of the Gods
A ffm production that can run for q
third week at a Washington theater OF
ths foremost rank deserves a fresh look
What are the qualities that place "a
Daughter Of the Gods" still running al
the Belasco, out OF the class of the ordi-
nary feature film'' of the 10 and 15-cent
movie theater? The widely heralded
and precisely measured graces OF Miss
Annette Kellermann. with her startling
feats Of aquatic skill, furnishes the cen
trail attraction, no doubt and the lavish
expenditures and audacious enterprise OF
the producers mark the result as q CO.
Iossal achievement
Tho prime quality of the flm, however
that seems to distinguish 1t from most
big ventures Of the kind is a feeling for
romantic and pictorial beauty that per-
nneates the scenes The prologue, with
its dainty tale of the pet bird and he>
wild mate, the quaint conception of the
village Of the names by the waterfall,
the dramatic uses made Of the rough sea
on the rocky coast, and the whole design
of the Sultan's city and its palace. are
among the signs of an unusual ina
tive force applied to the working out Of
the story.