The Washington herald., 1919-03-30
Griffith Film a Hit

The discriminating patron OF the pho
topiay viii doubtless appreciate the
following comment of the New York
Times on David W. Grinth's great
Aircraft success. THE Girl Who Stay
ed at Home" a picture which will
be featured for the entire week. be-
ginning today. at Loew's Palace The
ater:
david w. Grifnth never produces
what. judged against the field Of
photoplays. could be called a poor
work. His powers of making pic
lures are too great and too instinct
lively self-assertive to permit his fall
he Is sometimes disappointing because
the public has come to expect so
much of him and he cannot always
live UP to expectations. In one or
two of his recent pictures. he was
disappointing. at least to some. It
Is a pleasure, therefore. to record
that The Girl Who Stayed at Home"
satisfies every expectation. Judged
by the Griffith standard II is good;
it even adds, in some. ways. to the
producers long list of achievements.
For one thing. Griffith does in it
what he usually requires a longer
picture for. He weaves several sto-
Hes together in the same plot and
preserves unity. at the same time
using one story to heighten the sus-
pense OF another or to ease its ten
sion. and finally bringing all of his
narrative threads to an even end. E.
Another characteristic that The
Girl Who Stayed at Home" shares
with the greater Grifith productions
Is its blending of meIodrama. delinea-
ton of character. and humor. The
melodrama seems an integral part
OF the plays action; the characters
impress themselves upon the mind as
individuals and the hunlor instead OF
being forcibly inserted as undisguised
comedy relief comes spontaneously
as the three-foId story develops.
,cMr. Griffith's subtlety and strength
in making pictures has not failed him.
He Is not only an artist In pictorial
composition, but he produces effects
that others In time learn to initiate.
His pictures are stereoscopic.' -
During the engagement of Sin
bad" in New York, Al Jolson ap-
peared for more benefits than any
other star has ever done. and this in
spite OF the fact that Mr.. Jolson
gave ten performances a weak at
the Winter Garden.
Besides appearing in Winter Gar
den productions, the chief joy Of
Al Jolson's life is to play golf, and
in. "Sinbad." the production in which
he will be seen here. he has intro
duced a golf scene which is said to
be, vastly amusing.
Manager Robbins. of Keith's, and
Ralph Smalley. the cellist, went TO
school together in Boston.
Forty-two performances in one week
by one person constitutes the record
for appearances in a theater of Ben
WEIGH, the comedian whose show Is
playing its regular annual engage
ment at the Gayety Theater this
week
He made his record achievement in
New York and Chicago last summer
where, through some mix-up in the
booking, he was scheduled to play
three houses IN the same week. The
first, in New York. was an accident
The Palace. the Alhambra, and the
Colonial theateEs all had him on their
bills When the time came for Welch
to take up his contracts with these
concerns the managers were astonish-
ed at the mistake. Welch settled their
dinculties by offering to play all three
houses. The managers thought it was
a joke. But the comedian proved IL
was not. He succeeded in playing all
three houses. both matinees and even
- g. =. l.
prformance in Chicago later.
waltef Hampden and Company will
present' Hamlet for a single per-
Torrance at the Shubert-Garrick The
ater, Monday afternoon, April A.
Carmel Myers. the star of my I'm
married Wife, who VIII Marry
Ae?' "A Society Sensation" and
other notable comedy and dramatic
Theater Wednesday in The Little
White Savage" a brilliant burlesque
and satire on the activities of present.
day press agents.
Comedy situations are legion. and
the subtitles are veritable gems of
humor. while Miss Myers imperson-
alton OF the star side show attrac-
ton of the greatest circus on earth"
Is something new and distinctive in
the field OF cinema art.
Nina Schall, dainty commedienne
who comes to the Lyceum Theater
this week in The Social Fonies," is
a product OF Nevada She got her
start in the show business by diving
at Catalina Island. Miss Schall was
known as one OF the most attractive
of the acrobatic girls that posed for
the films on the West Coast Since
her debut on the speaking stage Miss
schall has had two ventures. One
was a supporting part in a musical
comedy company two seasons ago.
Then she went with Max Spiegel,,
who has for several seasons produced
successful attractions on the American
Buriesque. Circuit
Mischa Levitzki. the wonderful
young Russian pianist who played