Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-05-27
Ii General Public Doubted That at
Pays to ADVERTISE" all We're
Convinced at Class Play
ut Armory.
PARTS WERE ALL WELL TAKEN
House was Packed and Audience was
Generous I'm its Applause of
Actors.

vinced that it pays to advertise Fri
day night at the class play, then ap
plause and laughter are no signs o
conviction. A running fire of amuse
ment, highly explosive dynamics ant
generally unexpected events raj
through the play.
The selection of this production was
particularly fortunate in that it is sc
delightfully."- breezy and carries the lis
tener far away from the ever serious
present moment.
Cyrus Martin, a wealthy soap mag
nate, controls all the soap output
save Ivory-and this control is obtain
ed not by use Of brainy competition
and advertising, but by sheer weight
of dollars. Now Martin has a son
Rodney, who has never allowed
thoughts of work to bother his brain
and father is much perplexed over
Rodney's boredom at the mention OF
labor. This feeling is so deep that he
enlists a pretty and competent young
business woman, who is SO concise and
business like that she follows forms
like cash register-Miss Mary Gray
son, to act as his stenographer and
enlist young Rodneys interest in bust
ness.
The very interesting camouflage put
ur by Miss Grayson and father, the fact
that Rodney falls in love with Miss
Grayson and the sudden appearance OF
Ambrose Peale, bankrupt stage
manager whose role-first last and
eternally is "Advertise"-form var
iety of such amusing misconceptions
that one is scarcely able to keep from
laughing all the time.
The part of Father Martin was we'll
played and we'll conceived by Harold
Nice who raved and disowned
his son, and then did the "fatted calf
stunt beautifully afterward.
Miss Eva Mills, who has been star
for the high school theatricals here
to fore, carried her laurels even farther
in the graceful and clever adaptations
of herself to the character of the young
business woman.
Rodney Martin, who became sudden
~ electrified with business ideas and
who bucked the worst sort of adverses
in order to make good, held the SYM
pathy of the audience throughout. o
yes-everybody wanted him to make
good. Bruce Stiverson, as Rodney
Martin, was a striking character and
deserved the keen interest the crowd
gave him.
Perhaps the two surprise characters
cf the play were Ernest Stark and
Marvel Ferguson, neither Of whom had
taken anything but very minor parts in
any other production. Ernest as Am
brose Peale had a great task on his
He had no great variety of conversa-
t;onal topics, but what he didn't know
ir the range of fiction or fact, reality
or imagination, about advertising, has
as yet never appeared on the horizon.
The Interpretation of this character re-
auired enormous concentration, weeks
Of examining facts, and fairly cat-like
agility, to say nothing of lightning
speed tongue work. Ernest had them
all and his epigrams at fathers" con-
scrvatism-"If Fatherd die, all the
world would go dirty" and "Ab-so-
lute-ly," rung in at various places, eli
cited roars of laughter.
Instead of william, there is Evil
lianess," clever, feline, stylish and
graceful. More than all that, she pre-
tended to be pure French, and she
ratified off patois and "parles vouxed"
to the extensive dismay of everybody.
Marvel Ferguson, as the French coun-
tess, was stunning in looks, and
splendid in action.
Miss johnson was petit and duti-
full maid, acted by Airline Maxon;
Muriel Richardson as Miss Burke, the
lady housekeeper, was dignified per-
sonage; Donald McChesney, an irate
creditor, acted by Hilmar Christopher
son, raved most convincingly; Faith
er's oldest friend" William Smith. was
a very kind party, played by Myron
Hahne; Geo. Bronson, the travelling
man, was Harley Monroe, who was GER
and lifting it so that the whole weight
does not fall upon him and crush him.