Omaha daily bee., 1920-06-27
Sahara Sleuths
Eye Coney Island
With Suspicion
BY BURNS MANTLE.


those persons who refuse to take
prohibition seriously. The regular
Coney Islander fairly revels in hu-
NOR, but not dry humor. His jokes
must have kick.
Yesterday, as nearly as the experts
could estimate the number, which
they do by looking at the sun and
multiplying by ten, there were ESQ.,
900 visitors at Coney. And third
of these, by the same reckoning,
were connected with one or the
other of the flying squadrons de-
tailed to round up violators of the
Volstead act, snoopy set of indi-
viduals determined upon taking the
JOY out of life, whether it be repre-
sented by case goods or home brew.
If it happened the lunch hamper
was little too heavy for one to
carry, and the weight was divided
between two, it invariably suggested
something to the Sahara sleuths, and
the luncheon party was forthwith
trailed to its bit of shade under the
board walk. If a perfectly innocent
young man so much as turned the
ferrule of his obese malacca sky
ward the while the handle was still
IN his mouth he was in danger of
being set upon by quartet of sus-
Eicious individuals with long, dry,
dropping mustaches, and put through
the third degree.
One poor little druggist sold a
iquart of alcohol, just pure alcohol,
. according to the label and half an
hour afterward found himself under
81 900 bond to appear in court and
explain. And the sidewalk restau-
rant, in the shade of whose shelter
ing rubber plants the honest toilers
formerly sat and slipped their 2.75
while the children played house with
Panama hats and walking sticks of
those too intent on the free moving
picture show to keep track of their
property, were sad places. Coney
is not what it used to be.
And yet, as noted. the crowd was
as huge and unwieldly as ever. Up
and down Surf avenue thousands
and thousands milled in and out of
the roadway, and along the beach
other thousands folled upon the still
damp sands. The concessionaires
had profitable season last summer,
and have spent literally of their
profits in repainting the fronts of
their show places. Luna park has
a million or two new electric bulbs,
and several new rides that are guar
anteed to be faster and more thrill
ing than any heretofore built are in
noisy operation. The screams of
hysterical ladies demanding the
support of the free arms of their es-
corts are as piercing as ever, and
the lost hats of the boys who try to
supply two arms in place of one are
as numerous.
Prohibition may come, and stay,
and holiday at the famous resort
have all its old time charm, but the
Coney Island habit persists. 1t
costs a nickel to get there from most
sections of the >city, and not more
than dime from the suburbs, and
there are few things you can do
, with nickel or a dime these DAYS.
1t is not often that the farce that
springs from an outrageously i'm
probable premise ever gets very far,
but neither playwrights nor produc-
ers ever seem to learn much from
their experience with the type. Even
as wise firm as Wagenhals &
kemper, who cashed in a fortune
with Seven Days" some years ago
because it was at least farcically
plausible, made their re-entry into
the field of play producing this
week with one of these frail and
mechanical affairs that has little ex-
cuse for existence.
Seeing Things this one is called,
and it relates the experience of one
of those chuckleheaded ingenue
wives who wonders what her hus-
band would be up to if she were sud
denly to pass out. She is sure he
would break his promise and marry
again, and morally certain he would
marry that obviously vampirish
widow, Mrs. Bingham. So she de-
termines to test him. Leaving her
pink evening gown on the shore of
a lake, she forces a comic friend of
the family to report that she has
committed suicide. Then she hides
behind the portieres and behind the
doors for two acts to see what hap
pens.
The things that do happen are
supposed to be highly diverting and
laugh-provoking, but, being rather
laboriously made up, they do no
more than test the patience of the
audience, even when it laughs at the
lines and situations involved. At
l0:45 the wife comes out of hiding
convinced that her fears were
groundless, and the widow marries
the comic friend.
The cast is capable and hard
working, being headed by fat Frank
Mcintyre and including Dorothy
Mackaye, John Westley and Marion
Nantine. Margaret Mayo and Au-
. hrey Kennedy wrote Seeing
Things"
The story is that when George
White, the dancer, was a member of
the Ziegfeld "Follies" some seasons
back the proprietor of that troupe
referred to him slightingly on one
occasion as a "hoofer and nothing
more" At which young Mr.. White
took umbrage and determined to be-
come Ziegfeld competitor in place
of an employe.
Last season, as is we'll remem-
bered by those who saw the George
White Scandals of 1919" he acquired
the necessary backing and entered
the field. His start in New York
was not propitious, but he built up
his entertainment until it was good
enough to return a profit of some
thing like 100000 on its road tour.
This season Mr. White came hack