New-York tribune., 1920-10-17
Interesting Chat and Stage Gossip for Paygoers g
Three Live Ghosts True
To Coster Character, is
Verdict of Englishman

1t seems more than coincidence
that Three Live Ghosts" Frederic S.
Isham's delightful coster character
comedy, should parallel the history of
the New York engagement of "The Bet
ter Ole" the Bairnsfather musical
play, with which it has spiritual kin
ship. Rather l would call it provi-
Dental" says Charles. McNaughton, the
whimsical Jimmie Gubbins. who comes
home despite the fact that the Tar Of
fee has catalogued him among the
blessed British ghosts of Flanders
Three Live Ghosts" opened at the
Greenwich Village Theater on the ami
versary of the premiere of "The Better
'Ole" in the same house. And having
registered a success, it has moved
up town to Nora Bayes Theater just as
the Coburn production shifted its long
run to the Cort.
McNaughton in "The Better 'Ole"
played the part of Bert, that philander-
ing member of the three muskateers
who was always bestowing his military
Identification tag upon some girl as
keepsake. Jimmy Gubbins in "Three
Live Ghosts" is just as much of q SEN
timentalist as Bert, but his tenderness
and loyalty are spent upon the two pals
he brings back to London from a Ger
man prison camp. Spoofy, suffering
from shell shock. is bewidered in his
wits. Bill Jones, the American, is
fugitive from the Justice of his coun-
try. SO Jimmie sees that it is his part
to take care of his two comrades.
Jimmie is a typical coster character
from London's East Side," says Nc
Naughton. "And perhaps right here
| should mention the distinction be-
tween the terms cockney and coster
In the heart of the old City of London
is an ancient church Bow Bells. They
say that any one born within the sound
of Bow Bells is a true Londoner-a
cockney. He may be we'll born or not,
but cockney is his name. 1t is as if
you should say any one born within
earshot of Trinity's chimes, for in-1
stance, or on Murray Hill is a true
New Yorker. But the term coster is
applied to the London slum character
usually represented on the stage in
low comedy-the man of humble sta
ton, peddler or hat not, who makes
misft of his HIS, whose favorite
eJaculation is 'blime me- and whose
heart holds dear thes qualifers bleed
in and bloody
oilhihle is very real, very sound
hearted and very likeable. | like the
feilow ;,,' immensely. He is perfectly
wiling to stay dead so that his step
mother may collect the war risk in
surance, but he takes an immovable
stand against her plan to surrender
Billy Jones to collect the reward Of
Tered by an American fidelity company
HIS ruling passion is loyalty to the
pals who shared the danger of battle
With him.
1T is q role love to play. trv
to make it as simple and as natural as
possible. But l never dreamed. after
playing Bert in The Better ole
should have another chance to inter
pret similar character to an Ameri-
can audience.
Three Live Ghosts is all the more
remarkable for having been written bv
an American. You would hardly be-,
lleve 1t possible. Yet the characters
az & wn skllfully and are faithful
to life. Mr.. Isham spent much time in
the slums Of London getting his local
co.or | don't think an Englishman
could have done it better Isn't if sig-
niflcant that in the same year such a
great American play as Abraham Lin
com should be written by an English
man and great English play by an
American ?" GA