Evening star., 1918-08-18

-T WAS an English drama, with an
English story. by an English
playwright that held Washing
ton audiences in tense grip the
past week and easily took rank
ahead of anything heretofore pre-
sented in Washington during the
summer season. and. for that matter,
for some considerable time previous
thereto. The playgoer realized 1t and
manifested due appreciation. The re-
viewer also seemed to sense the fact'
and yet. strange to- say. his enthusf-
asm almost spent itself upon the de-
tail that .Under orders" maintained
a tense interest through four fuii
length" acts, with but four characters
and only two players to impersonale
them. The thought was suggested at
once of the splendid advantages to the
producing manager. and IN ms eAai-
tation thereat almost forgot the play
wright, who might be supposed 10 pc
the first consideration. Even that,
however. did not dim the fact that
Mr.. Berte Thomas wrote play with
the ring of real drama and that 1t was
superbiy played by Mr.. Hull and MISS
Shannon. :.
After all, what upcS lilC P0bAAS SNA
whether a play is presented oy Two
or by six players, if it De a thorough
lY, good play. The Producing man
ager VINO pays the saiaries ana pock-
cts the pfoiltS may care; Dut VINO thAt
buys food literary or otherwise. cares
how much the man makes who sells
it if the prize. be the same reSafdieSS
of quality. Besides, long, long ago.
even before Forrest played Metamora
or Maggie Mitchell played fahchoh'
,a1 70
inches below the name of the star IN
the theaier program one or more or
the humber players who doubled up"
to save expense. 1t has been only
doubling up has appeared in "a
dual role" or in dual roles":.the
press agent is not quite sure which
that saving expense in that way be-
came a really notable feature.
-woman's Persistency.-Few careers
on the stage parallel that of Alice
Brady, who has won nanfe and fame
for herself in two lines of dramatic
endeavor. not because. but rather in
spite of the fact that. she is the
daughter of William A. Brady. the
theatrical producer.
After her. graduation from girls
school in Washington and taking
course in the New England Conserva-
tory of Music at Boston. Alice decided
that what was good enough for father
w;.s good enough for her. Accordingly
she mapped out career for herself in
theatrical life.
Father at once promptly went up in
the air and came down full weight on
both feet with a veto. Alice persisted.
Father argued, persuaded. opposed
and finally began to put obstacles in
the way. And still Alice persisted.
1t was not until after she had es-
tablished, by sheer pluck and perse-
verance. that she had real talent and
that she was rapidly growing in the
art of. applying 1t. that father relent-
ed He did more then. He was even
willing to permit her to use %the mag
netic introduction" of no practical
value, except TO keep alive the name
of producer. William A. Brady pre-
SentS, etc.
Miss Brady, on the speaking stage,
achieved substantial results in The
Things That Count" in Little Wom-
en-" in Sinners and as prima donna
in the all-star cast assembled for the
revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan
operas at the. Forty-eiShth Street
Theater. New York.
About three years ago she turned
from the speaking to the silent stage.
and there won even wider .hohors' and
a larger host of admirers. Today she
ranks as one of the successful femi-
nine stars of the film world. and now
she returns to her first love.
Alice Brady'S career. typical of the
American girls push and persistence,
once genuinely started, is pointed to
by her friends as showing what can
be accomplished when effort is rightly
directed. Some say that this. is what
ultimately is going. to give woman
the vote.
David Wark GriMth-Twelve years
ago David Wark Griffith presented
dreary drama of his own authorship
under the title of "A Fool and a
Girl" in the Columbia Theater, with
Fannie Ward in the stellar role. To-
day he is perhasp the foremost direc-
tor of cinematographic entertain
ment in the world.
His first innovation with the cam
era was the utilization of "the close
up" and the .cut-back." two devices
that have done more to bring.a life
like quality to the silent drama than
any tricks since originated. Subse-
quent1y he startled the public by an
nouncing picture SO gigantic in it's
depletion of crucial period in the
history of the nation that it might be
shown only at q scale of prices rang
ing up to $500. His next Gargantuan
endeavor was staggering in its mag
nitude, despite the fact that 'Inteler-
ance" was not the popular success of
its predecessor. Mr.. Griffith then went
to Europe, where. the war was rag
ing to film scenes. which his asSoci-
atts q: z N,.Ir trying to
simulate on this side the Atlantic.
The Great Love-" his latest picture,
10 the result.