New-York tribune., 1918-09-13
By Haywood Broun


The growing school Of saturday
Evening Post" drama has one good
point in its favor. It always ends bet
ter than it begins. This is carried over
to the stage from the stories in which
an attempt is invariably made to hold
the attention of the reader until the
end. Writers for "Ihc Saturday Even
ing Post" are chiefly concerned to let
their big surprise burst we'll in the
back of the magazine, with the adver-
tlsements. 1t would be interesting to
figure out just how many carpet sweep
ers or corsets or cans Of baking powder
arc sold by first rate detective yarn.
"Another Mans Shoes" is perhaps a
pit too typical of its school. The play
is founded on a short story which ap-
rearcd in "The POST on March 16,
1912. Laura Inkley wrote the story
and she and Mabel Ferris are respon-
siblc for the play There need be no
question that "Another Mans Shoes"
contains en- adequate surprise for it's
conclusion. If denoucment were the
sole factor in dramatic writing the new
piece at the Thirty Ninth Street The
itlt WOUlu NC duIlllIHDIc. III certainty
fulfils all the requirements Of the
modern school of playwriting, which
holds that the purpose Of dramatist
is to invent a puzzle which the au-
diencc cannot work out for itself. Few
viii predict the final twist of can
other Mans Shoes"
But there are faults ust the same in
the manner in which the mystery is un
folded. The problem is set in the first
act, and then there are practically no
developments to help the audience in its
game Of guessing. There are not even
any false clews to send spectators sour
rying down blind alleys. Only two con-
tlngencies are open. and the audience
has every reason to believe that the
wrong one is correct until the authors
them straight. Under such circum-
stances not a few are apt to give up
early in the evening and wait until the
answer is handed to them.
The play has to do with amnesia, or
loss of memory, which we understand
is popularly confused with aphasa.
This is no simple amnesia, however,
but q most complex case. Any attempt
to relate the symptoms at length would
give away the plot, which would be a
pity since the surprise is everything.
1t may be said, however, that the play
would seem to point out the necessity
for every ncurologist to provide him
self with q duh, blunt instrument with
which to hit patients over the head
The hero Of "Another Mans Shoes
seemed to be particularly prone to loss
of personality. He was just as sem
sitlvc TO rocks rs to railroad trains. 1t
seemed strange that his doctor ever
let him ou5 Of the house without
trench helmet.
Lionel Atwill plays the part of the
man suffering from loss of memory.
Much Of his work is interesting, al
though he was sometimes Handicapped
by his material. The farcical moments
than those in which the authors un-
dertook to develop the mystery feat
ure. Under an exceedingly serious
and literal treatment, much in the
mood of "Three Faces East" we are
sure the play would fare better.
Neither author showed sufficient skill
at light dialogue to make the humor-
Gus scenes convincing, and after all,
the humor was an effort. The central
situation was fundamentally serious
and was so intended When this was
kept in mind the play held interest
Thus the last act in which the explana-
tion is made proved much the most
interesting. Here the play attained its
best measure of dramatic movement.
The acting OF the piece is competent
throughout. Next to the star perhaps
the best work is done by George Backus
as a doctor, although we must say he
permitted a fearful amount of hub
bub in his sick room. Others who are
helpful in the performance are Miss
Elsie Mackay as the heroine and Ethel
Wilson and Paul POrtcr