New-York tribune., 1920-11-01
On the Screen
Charles Ray Seemingly Miscast
in An Old-Fashioned Boy;
Twin Beds" at Strand
By Harriette Underhill

An Oid-Fa shioncd Boy" is farce with
slapstick provlicties. Ii isn't bed
room farce, either, although some Of
the more intimate scenes are laid in a
bedroom, and Charles Ray came dam
gerous!y near becoming one OF those
mistaken individuals who are chased
IN and out Of clothes closets and clothes
baskets by iratc husbands To our
way Of thinking, Ray is quite wasted
IN comedy of this sort It's like
motoring through Arcadia at the rate
OF sixty miles an hour. However, Je-
rome Storm has humanized ..he STOW as
Tar as possible, and the audience at the
HlVoh yesterday enjoyed every bit Of
the chase
Ray is cast as David Warrington.
and be is an old-fashioned boy because
he believes in living in houses instead
o. hotels, children, and non-divOIce mar
1ages. In the early part Of the pic
tuie, before Violet, Herbert and Bahv
broke out with the black measles, RAJ
hau chance TO De himself in sVMe de-
ighNul scenes. especially When he pro-
poses To Betty Graves. a Young adv
who lives in hotcl and owns a NAL
teSe poodle. lie has built house
and furnished it according 10 his own
taste without consulting the girl of his
Dreams and the day sha; shc SAYS
"fes' he drives her in ms car Over to
sec 'hc house. FINALLY, as great JOY
giving surprise, he tells her that he
completed it for her.
'nut how did r0u know that would
marry YOU" Now that was his grea,
chance, If only he had said. "If vor
hadn't, should have locked it uD ANA
kept 1t as q shrinc'" But no; he needs
must say, ION. knew you would"
That settled it. After lnat his fancoe
thrrW him over, his two best friends
sep"fatcd. their three children got
black measles in his house. hc vas
sus pected OF ha} .ng abducted the chill
cfen, OF having allena1ed the Ngilo's az
tect1ona ana came near 10 being p CO.
resDUudcnt.
Thc comedy started smoothly and
sedately, bat it kept o. del. .opinr
speed until Ray was hanging ON the
picture molding and the cnllQren We're
flying about in an automobile, which
We expected any minute would start to
lun hackward' and get mixed uN with
railroad train, as automobiles have
way Of doing in slap-sticl comedies.
The aenouemcnt brought things back to
normal and Ray was himself again, but
we cannot see him in the role OF a
suspected home wrecker fccbly defend
ing himself to an enragcd husband
Ethel Shannon is attractive as the
girl. Others in the cast are Alfred Allen,
Wade Boteler and Grace Morse.
There is also on the program Para
mount-Mack Sennett comely called
"Novie Fans 4 cclorcd scenic and the
Rvoli Pictorial with some more OF
those fascinating Marcus cartoons.
Acta, Grace and Martha did dance
called at the Fountain No, sin;
names were given which seem to be
usual with those dancers VINO float
about in gauze and their hair flying.
However. Aleta. Grace and Martha are
a particularly joyous and graceful trio.
Marie Lind and Georges Trabert sing
"The Magic of Your Eyes
The overture is "Orpheus" and the
lighter number is called Back to the
Eivoli.' 1t was written by Max Manre,
the Rivoli drummer, who helped TO
make Mutt and jeff famous on the
screen.