The Washington times., 1919-03-25
THE CAST

George V. Hobart, one of Americas
most prolific playwrights. has pro-
duced in "Come-on Charley which
had its opening at the Garrick last
right. something entirely different
from anything Of his that has been
shown before. A mixture OF non
musical burIesdue, melodrama, and
farce, II Is rather bewildering: but II
l. certainly arnuslng. and there is
never a moment that could be called
! dull.
! The story, while original in its de-
| Yelopment, smacks rather, in its
| fundamentals. of 1.-The Seven Keys to
| Baldpate" and '"The Poor Little Rich
Girl"-paradoxical though that may
sound.
The opening scene furnishes COM
pIete abb for the author, BY estab-
fishing the fact that all the action is
dream. 1t is in the Office of Will
inn J. Drew, a lawyer He tells his
daughter that Charley Carter, a shoe
| Clerk. has just been left $4,000,
! through him, and that he plans to
give the youthful heir an incentive in
life by informing him that the same
will provided for a legacy Of 81. o00. 900
| On the condition that he could
make the original ten thousand grow
TO million in six months. Then he
| takes an overdose Of headache medi-
clne-with the result that he dreams
| Of the consequences of his action.
The first dream scene is in the shoe
store in Stamford. where Charley is
working. Given his $4,000. he horri-
fies the lawyer by getting rid of IL
within half an hour-half for a new
process for making artificial leather,
To- -
rest to swindler. The lawyers feel
ing changes to a rather different kind
| Of horror when he finds that the arti-
6oial leather scheme will double the
investment may times over; that the
vaudeville team Is so bad that IL Is
an assured New York success, and
that instead OF giving the swindler
$4,000, his client has actually taken
that amount from him. Fifty thou
sand dollars profit in a day. and the
awyer will have to come across with a
million il Charley meets that sum!
Act II is in a suite in a New York
hotel. where Charley. his self-ap-
/ pointed secretary, PerciYal Teeters;
his lawyers daughter. Dorothy Drew,
TO whom he has become engaged; ;
John 0'Brlen, inventor of the artificial
leather process. and others, are ceIe-
brating. Charley seems to have found
the Midas touch. Every venture into
which he goes proves successful. and
his speculationS in Wall Street bring
in thousands. (In the market, he
plays a system; Jennie. a parrot, picks
Tout the stocks for him. and tells him
wheather to buy or sell)
Drew is fast becoming terror
stricken, lest he shall have to part
with his million.
Crooks hide a valuable stolen ruby
1 in Charley's room. and he finds it,
This IS the last straw for the crooks.
upon whom he had preyed whenever
they tried 20 fleece him, and they de-
eide to entime him to a haunted house
and extort all his ready cash from him.
He goes to the house, but outwits
them, although they think they have
succeeded. They leave with his
check-rendered worthless by a trick
after tying him up to a post
Drew, insane with fear, lest he be
compelled to live up to his contract.
enters with a bomb to kill Charley
! but the ghost of the uncle VINO left
the original $4,000, drives him off.
and he awakens in his office, crying
for mercy.
the play closes with all Of the
characters of the preceding scenes
proving to be everyday aquaintances
OF the lawyer-and Charley given
$4,000 without strings or talk OF any
additional legacy.
The work Of Frank Mccormack,
Lynne Overman, Josephine Stevens.
Ann Mason, and Estelle Taylor was
particularly creditable.