Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-29

terprise on the part of Frank Fielder
and Mae Desmond. who head the popu
lar Orpheum stock, as it is a light
comedy that is brand new to Phiadel
phia. The only other change of bill will
be at the Walnut, TO which William
Lawrence. the rcsiduary legatee Of
Denman Thompson. will return in THE
Old Homestead" by popular re
quest" that is both popular and re-
quested in a more genuine sense than
the usual press agenting Of the phrase.
Several of the continuing attractions
which have been received with favor
will enter on final weeks. The photo
play houses will make up generously for
the lack of strictly theatrical novelty.
TNHE tentacles of prohibition arc clos
4 ing themselves around these United
States.
In this dire extremity there arises
John Cope of the 'DaddicS' company,
to speculate on the effect of prohibtory
legislation upon the well Known Amer
lean drama, comedies in particular.
The most humorous scene of a comedy
frequently depends upon license. liquor
as well as dramatic, and this threatened
wiping out of the farceur's mainstay
Mr.. Cope was inclined to view with
alarm.
"What," he queried of the play
Voer over a beverage of which only the
straws were genuine, lis going to happen
to our farces after it has become penal
offense to dispense booze, on or oil =
With alcohol about to surrender its
place in the social-or sociable-history
of the country, what are the farce
writers going to do for a substitute!
''Still the situation is not entirely
hopeless. If we cant have fun with
the chap who has got his liquor we can
have little sport with the man who is
trying to get it and can't. And think
Of the possibilities of the man who
smokes himself blue in the face.
1T is, in other words. the weaknesses
Of mankind that provide most of the
farce situations. We've inherited that
from the French, though as a real mat
ter of fact you can trace the same
tendency of farce all the way back TO
the Latins.
GEORGE NJ. COHAN'S first pro
VI duction as an independent producer
will be an American play from his own
pen. The initial performance will take
place early in January, Mr.. Cohan an
nounces that all future Cohan produc-
tions and Cohanized plays will be pre-
sented under his personal management
and supervision.
DROMINENT in the cast supporting
i Grant Mitchell in "a Prince There
Was George Nj. Cohan's character
comedy. now at the Garrick. is that
always dependable and painstakng ar
tist. Ernest Stallard who contributes
a delightful visualization of the vencr-
able valet He first won distinction on
the American stage in support of E. ).
Willard. with whom he toured for
years, appearing in every Offering OF
that celebrated English artist. He was
also associated with Charles Frohman' s
attractions for many seasons, notably
in support of the late Kyrle Bellew. A
few years ago Mr.. Stallard created the
title role in Preserving Mr.. Panmure,
in which he created an emphatic per
sonal success in spite of the fact that
the play itself was doomed to failure.
In Boston, New York and Philadelphia
Mr.. Stallard's effective work as Pan
mure' won him high rank as charac-
Ter artist.
tGT WAS working up north in a Hud-
l. son bay trading station when I
was a kid" contided William Law
renee, leading man in The Old Home
stead" the last TING he was here,
"when I took a notign to 20 on the
stage. I did not like school very well,
so had skipped out and beat my way to
Winnipeg, where ! got a job with the
fur traders and was sent north to one
of their factories.
THE boss was a cockuey and was
always talking about Drury Lane and
Her Majestys Theatre and Of the fine
actors and actresses he saw there. so /
made up my mind to become Il player.
He was man who never laughed il he
could help it. But my announcement
seemed to tickle him. After that he
always called me David Garrick |
worked my way to the British capital
and went around to the various theatres
and asked for work. When they asked
me what | had done and | informed
them that | was a Hudson bay trupper,
they smiled
II worked passage back to New York
on returning cattle boat, went to the
playhouse where Denman Thompson
was showing, told him my yarn, and
he put me to work doing a very small
bit. But it gave me a start. Some fifteen
years ago ! got an opportunity to play
Uncle Josh in The Old Homestead
and / have been with it ever since.
fAIL of the well known characters of
"A Irwin S. Cobbs greatest fiction
BtDTiefr-tIf picturesque lltu duh N'HlCu
who heretofore have had their being
only III magazines or between the covers
Of books-have been gathered into
connected narration aud placed rccog
nizably upon the spoken. drama stage.
The dramatized version of Cobbs
story, Boys viii Be Boys" wns sue
cessfully put on last night at the Broad
way, Camden, and will be presented
there at both performances today.
Charles O'Brien Kennedy rewrote
the story for the stage, assisted by Mr..
Cobb, who also aided in the selection of
the east and supervised the staging of
theeproduction. The dramatist is an
actor now playing with John and Lionel
Barrymore in 'The Jest, a New York
success. The production was staged by
Lester Lonergan, who plays the role of
Lo Sang kee in support of Fay Banter
1n another success, East Is West,
still running in New York.
The play is enacted by an exception
ally talented cast headed by Harry Beres-
ford, whose portrayal of the Cobb char
acter of Peep O'Day, the lovable old
man. deserves the sensation it created
during the New York run. II is a
during the New York run. The basic
story was one of the most popular of
Cobb's contributions to the Saturday
Evening Post
EtRANK TINNEY, who is making the
~ hit of his exceedingly hitful career
as Frank, the Property Man, in
Some Time has just informed q
local jollesmith that he will not allow
him to couple his name with new Ford