The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-05-12
AND HOME CAME
TED' IS SURE IOBE
BIG COMEDY TREAT
LOCAL PEOPLE TAKING PART
ARE DOING FINE IN THEIR
DAILY REHEARSALS


which there is an abundance of fun
without any taint of improperly or
anv element of offense. The thrill
ling story is cleverly written and the
interest of any audience Is held from
the beginning to the end by series
of dramatic situations rising from
one climax to another until the final
announcement at the close of the last
act.
The action of the comedy occurs at
the Rip Van Winkle Inn in the Cats
kill mountains and the plot has to do
with struggle for supremacy in a
furniture factory between Ted. the
rightful heir, and one Ira Stone, an
unscrupulous adventurer. who is try
ing to gain control of the business.
Ted is assisted by Mollie Macklin, the
plucky little housekeeper of the Rip
Van Winkle Inn.
The first act of the play takes
place the day before the annual meet
ing of the stockholders of the fac
tory and according to clause in the
bylaws of the company every stock
holder must register with the attor-
nev by midnight preceding the meet
ing. Ted holds the controlling inter-
est but Mollie is in despair because
he has failed to came home in time
to sign the register. The attorney
is ready to receive Ted's signature,
the other stock holders have signed,
the unscrupulous Stone os anxiously
waiting to see whether his forty
shares will gain him the control of
the business, and Molly and Skeet
Kelly, the hotel clerk, are eagerly
waiting for the train. 1t comes, but
Ted does not arrive. Finally, as a
last desperate chance to save the fac
tory from Stone, Mollie and Skeet
persuade a young civil engineer to
impersonate Mhe missing Ted. The
plan seems to be working out wen,
Stone is thoroughly discouraged and
! all is. going as merry as marriage
bell when the lawyer, Jim Ryker, ex-
plodes a bomb by denouncing that
he is personally acquainted with the
real Ted. Mollie and Skeet, having
already introduced the bogus Ted to
the other stockholders, are at their
wits ends to know what to do, when
the lawyer mysteriously disappears
and the engineer is formally present.
ed as the young heir.
Complications come fast and fur
ious in Act III for the real Ted has
been the boyhood lover of a comedy
old maid and she is anxiously await
ing his return. The engineer is kept
busy trying to escape from the
spinster and at the same time trying
to further his own heart interest in
Diana Garwood, guest at the Inn.
Ted comes home and brings a bride
with him, but the resourceful Mollie
hides them in the basement. The
plot is further complicated by a
mysterious widow from Honolulu,
who has a penchant for playing the
ukulele and singing "Aloha De" to
any man available. She, too, owns
stock in the furniture company and
places it in the safe at the Inn for
the night and all the guests retire
after an evening of dancing in the
dining ROOM Molie has locked up
the place for the night and has just
put out the lights when a noise Is
heard at the Office window. Mollie
conceals herself and a mysterious
form steals into the darkened room
and begins to rife the safe Mollie
gives the alarm by the mysterious
burglar escapes and with the shares
Of stock owned by the lady from
Honolulu.
The third act takes place on the
morninf after the robbery. Slowly
bit by bit, the many mysteries of the
play are solved, surprise follows
surprise and the dramatic situations
in this act fairly TEEN with life and
sustaining interest. A mysterious,
deaf old farmer appears, the lady
from Honolulu turns out to be the
lawyers ex-wife, Ted turns out to be
somebody else. the robber is located,
a. r,I H..
ulous Ira Stone is temporarily vic
torious but later ANONYMOUSLY rout-
ed and the faithful little housekeeper
Mollie Macklin, finds the road to hap
piness with Skeet, the boy from the
Bowery.
The local people who are taking
part in the play are doing nicely in
their rehearsals and the production
Us expected to be the best comedy ev-
Ier presented with a home talent COM
lpany. The proceeds are to be joint
ly for the benefit of the Belding hos
pital and st. Joseph's church. Tick
cts are so cents and are good for
either performance. The cast of
characters is as follows:
Skeet Kelly, the clerk. Tom Brack-
en-, jr.; Diana Garwood, the heiress,
Veva Mandeville; Miss Loganberry.
the Spinster, Vesta Lowry; Ira Stone
Jubilee, the cook, Valeria Schmidt;
Mr.. Man, the mystery, Harry Hol-
mes; Jim Ryker. the lawyer, Arnold
Schmidt; Mollie Macklin, housekeep-
er, Bessie Bracken; Henrietta Darby,
the widow, Grace Strunk; Ted, the
groom, Bert Bachelor; Elisha, the
bride, Marvel Klock; Senator Nc
Corkle, the father, Ed. ID. Engemann.
At the opera house, Monday and
Tuesday. May IL and 1S. Get your
tickets now and help two good wor-
thy causes. M