Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-03-03

I
is to play at the Majestic theatre
four days beginning tomorrow. The
critics have averred that it is a
great production and have lauded
| Miss Phillips to the skies. But in
the height of her emotional sue
| cess, Miss Phillips declared that
| she is quite certain she ought to
be a screen comedienne rather than
a tragedienne.
I'D love to play in slapstick
comedy" she averred. II know I
can do it because I have done it
When l was on the legitimate stage
I used to play summer engage
ments before the camera and, whis-
per it softly, Francis x. Bushman
would be-a great comedian if he
were permitted to be. We played
opposite one another in many small
films six or seven years ago. Those
were happy days. We played ev-
erything in those one-reelers from
the widest melodrama to rural
comedy. l wasn't 20 years old at
that time but on several occasions
played old women while Mr..
Bushman was a bewhiskered sher-
If. Yes,s times have changed. We
sometimes had four directors at
once and of course that meant we
were making four pictures at once.
We played a scene of one picture
while the scene of another picture
was being set up. That was what
call my moving picture stock ex-
perience. We didn't earn much
money but we enjoyed the life"
At the Illinois.
The show that opened at the 11li-
nois Sunday was the surprise bill
of the season, for one no more than
gets settled as to what an act is
going to do than they upset one and
do Something else To begin with
the show opened with a one-reel
comedy that makes a prohibition
list angry, and then came rhe Pathe
news, showing scenes taken from
balloons and aeroplanes Of President
Wilson's arrival at Boston and also
shows him receiving his great well
come there. The Pearl White sec
Ond episode of 1.-THE Lightning
Raider" was a thriller and if she
lives through it all she is a wonder
to be sure The vaudeville portion
of the show was above anything
yet seen and comprised much worth
mentioning. Hayes and Stanton
opened the show and went over for
a goal with a novelty comedy talk
ing and musical act called the zap
Town Baggageman. They may be
baggagemen but this one has no
excess in his act for it was all good
pickings for them yesterday. Cor
don and JoliCe commenced to get
laughs and built up some monu-
ment of giggles and roars that put
them over for the comedy hit of the
show with an act that quarrelsome
people should see. 1t is the do
nestle classic laughing act of the
show business. Maxine Milstead,
little girl with a big voice, came
next and sang some popular songs
while playing at the same time her
own accompaniment on piano-ac-
cordeon, following this by a few
selections of great moments in
great masterpieces in real music.
Lee Hing Ching is without any
doubt a mental marvel and all
school boys and girls and men and
women should see him write back
ward. upside down and in four diff
ferent ways with both hands at the
same time. He has some trick
writing that beggars description
and it was the novelty act of all
novelties. Herbert and Mary Reese
is another surprise act. The lat
ter sings and plays the violin and
the former sings in a double voice
that shows quality and trick posi-
bilities as well, and whistles with
much ferver and gusto. Their fir
tation number in which whiStling
takes the place of words was a
scream of the first water and put
them over for big hit. She is a
cute little girl while he is a CO.
median in a full dress suit and they
are entertainers who give a full
measure of satisfaction. The clos
ing number was a comedy boxing
act with some excellent bag punch
ing by man and a woman by name
the Keeleys." She has a pretty
figure and he might have had but
she beats him up so much in this
act we assume he is a little bit
weary of being too aggressive for
fear of the consequences. They
have some good comedy material
and put it over with a punch. This
act, after getting as many laughs as
can be put in a 12-minute act, |
brought a dandy bill to a close. The |
theatre orchestra gave an excellent |
account of itself.