New-York tribune., 1918-02-09
BY Haywood Broun

motto emphasized in "The Love Mill"
"Opcning Chorus" which is led by six
"Tennis Boys" armed with three-ounce
racquets, After they have committed
few foot-faults there is a joke about
Haig and Haig, and presently the fat
comedienne says: 81 could live on
onions alone" only to meet the re-
sponse: eff you do, you will" The
leader of the Tennis Boys, by the way,
is down Oh the programme as Joe
Miller.
Earl Carroll wrote the book and
lyrics, and the music is by Alfred Fran
els. Nothing very humorous occurs
until one of the comedians drinks
glass of vinegar under the impression
that it is a cocktail. After that things
grow more lively and a man falls down
when fat girl throws herself into MS
arms. ,,,.
And yet, although "The Love Mill" is
along more or less accepted lines, it
brings up one or two questions OF m
terest to students Of the drama. FOR
instance, why is it that the book OF
"'rhe Love Mill" like most musical
comedies. is full of cynicism about
marriage, while the lyrics by the lden-
tical author approach the self-same IN,
stitution with reverence, truth ana
sweetness? For instance, one charac-
ter in a prose period says: We're not
talking about love; we're discusslng
marriage" And another, when asked
whv he is about to marry, replies flip
PANTY: "All my friends said J drank
4oC muCh for n single man.
But these same light testers under
the spell of verse and music raise thell
voices in stanchly sentimental songs
such as "Down the Bridal Path OF
Love-" "Every Flower Has a Melody
"The Love Mill" 81 Loved Him Tor He
Loved That l Loved" Even the whlm.
steal 90. 7. U. c. !; NJ: w. u.n tugs ~ al
the heart-strngs. Winch. then IS Inc
real Carroll? Is it the bitter misogyc-
mist of the book or the ardent singer
1t is more than possible that the
change in mood is a consequent or the
change in medium. May We not hazard
that music is the home of love and
verse an expression of the nostalgia
of the lover? Perhaps all this has
something to do with Swinburne OF
Meyerbeer. We can't tell otthand, put
we have no hesitation in saying that
Harry Tighc, despite the onion joke,
and other nAndlcaps, olleA euSeSeueu
in being funny.
Edward Richards and Joseph Ben
nett, blackfaced dancing comedians;
had one or two good numbers. and
there was good dancing by Vera Myers!
Margaret Philpot and Cortez and
Peggy. None of the pricipals had
much opportunity to be entertaining
except Harry Tighe. Grace Fisher did
we'll with number called "Why Can't
1t All Be Dream?" For the rest she
rather emphasized the commonplace
ness of her material by stridency.
The scenery of "The Love Mill" is
not distinguished, nor is the chorus,
with the exception of one young wom-
an, who was often the fourth from
the left. She was the one who had
chestnut hair and light blue eyes and
wore a shrimp pink dress, a gold brace,
let CON her right wrist, and a small
diamond ring of a couple of karats CT
so. She also sang the first line of
the song, called every Flower Has a
Melody" but there is no way of identi-
flying her as Valerie, Addie, Tessie,
Eileen or any Of the others whom the
programme dismisses briefly as friends
of Peggy"
In one respect the humor of "The
Love Mill" may be hailed as higher
grade than usual. All five of the au-
tomobie jokes employed are about the
Dodge.