Evening star., 1920-05-26

POLLS" Poker Ranch"

\ good sized audience at Polls
Theater last night found Poker
Ranch" delightful enjoyment. for dur
ing the three hours they were much
amused and highly entertained. This
latest product of the pen Of Willard
Mack. produced by Wellman and SIN
mott. is play for the plays sake,
designed not to point moral or sug-
gest remedy for present-day condi
tions, but 10 provide an evening of
light diversion. 1t might be called a
detective story, except that the
majesty OF the law is here repre-
seuted by western sheriff. There Is
sufficient comedy in the lines to sup
ply play with only laughs as the OBJ
ject and yet there is also an interest
ing plot that keeps the audience In
suspense. Although entirely differ
ent in plot and theme. it is another
Seven Keys to Baldpate" in it's in
teresting and tense appeal.
All the four acts of Poker Ranch"
take place in the living room of the
Trainor ranch in the foothills of the
Santa Ynez mountains. Calf, the
room, according to the program, be-
ing an exact reproduction of the liv-
ing room in the home of the late
through fortune in getting the
thrills of high stakes and the
bright lights in New York and his
living comes from the California
ranch. where he lives. Mrs. Trainor.
Tony" as she is called by her friends,
house has come neighbOr. Philip
Yeager, who has lured Jim into poker
games and won $4,000 more than Jim
can pay. Tony learns that her maid
Is 9eager's mistress and then follows
the development of plans for the set
tlement of the score with Yeager.
AS the latter is leaving the Poker
ranch he is killed. The third-act
curtain falls on the mystery of the
identity of the murderer. Although the
audience knows that Jim Trainor was
not guilty. he was found by the sher-
iff standing by the dead body with
one barrel of his revolver discharged
Ylario, a Mexican employe of the
ranch and known to have disliked
the murdered man. cannot be found
Yeager's mistress was found near the
scene of the murder and it is charged
Yeager quarreled with her Just be-
fore the murder. To cap the climax
of the perplexing situation. Nooka. a
Japanese boy. employed as butler for
the Trainors, presents to them bun
die of notes which the murdered man
had in his pocket just before he was
killed.
The concluding act presents the
solution in the shape of a real sur
around the murder, the play does not
leave a morbid or depressed feeling
Clara Joel is a charming Tony.
combining with beauty and mag
netism an emotional appeal that
makes her performance a delight
She carries the responsibilities of the
romance. William Boyd evidently
will~eain more Of the sympathies Of
the audience for his Jim Trainor as
he becomes familiar with his ex-
acting and not altogether commenda-
BILE role. Ben Hendricks furnishes
the bulk of the comedy with Mike
Mckenzie. a bachelor, who has made
money in western prospecting and
Is visiting the Poker ranch. His role
seems entirely unnecessary to the
plot. but last nights audience would
have hesitated to eliminate it or to
cut word from the lines.
The play gives T. Tamamoto. the
Japanese actor. a great oppor tunity,
and he makes SO much of it taat he
won a real ovation.
Lyster Chambers plays Philip Yea
ger with ease. The role of sheriff is
in the capable hands of Louis Hen
bricks. Altogether the cast is thor
oughly capable.