The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-21
Happy in First
Unmarried Role
Miss Roberta Arnold, Leading
Woman for Frank Craven,
Has Something to Say.

Any one who sees Miss Roberta Arnold
playing opposite Frank Craven in THE
First Year must be prepared for a
jolly old shock For those who remem-
Der her portrayals of sarcastic married
women in upstairs and Down" and
adam and Eva" will be surprised to
find she can depict in this comedy char
acter devoid of cynicism, and do it so
well she doesn't need the big bow rib
hons in the first act to indicate she's q
rather ingenious country girl
But that person who views her thus
would probably murmur: "Pshaw! I'll
bet off the stage she's just as wise and
perky as any of them. Casting her as
Zip wife was the correct idea" Then
prepare for the second seismic disturb
ance to the nervous system. In her
dressing room at the Little Theatre Miss
arnold is just as naively enthusiastic as
any country girl getting her first intoxi-
eating Whit of the aroma of stage can
vas, though city is Miss Arnolds nat
ural habitat Her conversation doesn't
5ristle with the suggestion Of hairpin
stabs.
II never was so happy in my life" she
said the other day, las | am in this play,
even though I play girl who's gener-
ally unhappy. Not only because Winchell
Smith and John Golden are most pleas
ant to work with, and Frank Craven is
exceptional to play with--he never takes
advantage of the fact that he's the star
and tries to be the whole play and the
scenery at once. / like it also because
at last I'm allowed to play an appealing
sort of woman, and not one who thinks
of others only so she can pillory them.
This Is the first unmarried part I've
had, and it's agreeable to have ones.
freedom at last-on the stage.
Chance I'm Big City.
when Oliver Morosco first brought
me here for Upstairs and Down /
jumped at the chance, for after you've
played in stock for months and been
coast defender till you think you'll
perish there you'd do anything to appear
in New York. even to standing on your
head. But after I'd been here while
realized that an actress shouldn't stay
at one type of part, though that may
mean changing your type of manager
continually.
"A decided style appears to be nee
essary to attract notice in writing,
painting and music, but l don't think
harping on one note will make you
popular or accomplished in the theatre.
Most of us would like to attain the
eminence John Barrymore has reached.
and he's done 1t by starting with farce,
switching to romance and plungng on
tragedy.
80 was more than glad when Mr..
Golden sent for me and told me to get
my voice ready for this kind of role.
Though / was reared In a city and
never had much experience OF country
life, made up the character for my
self by imagining what the average
American girl should be like In Read
ing, ILL.,. where girls are probably just
as average as elsewhere. ] think It's
by throwing ones mind into a part
and notify any mechanical actions that
one acts n personality rather than
speaks part. Certainly that's the
only thing I've found TO suggest a
change in the character of Grace from
the romantic girl of the first act to the
disturbed wife with a dinner breaking
her back In the second. It establishes
contact with the audience and you no
tice the difference on nights when your
mind isn't In full operation. though you
go through the motions the same as
ever and speak with the same voice
you've grown up with.
Born I'm san Francisco.
while I was born In San Francisco
and I'm loyal to my state. I'm not blind
ly go as are some native there who think
the sun was made to set behind the
Golden Gate. And I think New York
audiences have q viewpoint that's as
fresh and wholesome as California sun
shine. That's proven by the fact that
nlays which aren't clean don't really
flourish here for long, while productions
like this are the life Of the city. Once
In a while a tragedy like Justice is pre-
rented which makes you feel It's worth
while to have tragedy around, but on the
whole. the greatest pleasure in life is In
entertaining people-but not with
" isery.'
Miss Arnold comes naturally by n GER
! tain proficiency in handling the English
language, for an uncle was dean Of the
Medical College OF the University of
California. and she herself mixed the
higher education with fudge at that In
stitution. She didn't indulge in amateur
dramatic work there, but afterward at
tended a school of expression, doing
Shakespearean roles which she has no
hesitancy in pronouncing awful" Then
came year and a half of stock In Los
Angeles, which she considers valuable,
because now she knows how TO intro
dice business when a stage direction
seys "Ad lib," instead OF exclaiming :
"Oh my goodness, whatever shall dor