Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-16
"CLARENCE" RICH
IN COMIC SPIRIT
New Harrington Play Delights
Broad Audience With Situa-
tons and Lines

Brond-Booth Harrington, after many
attempts. seems to have achieved n play
in Clarence" 1t has contour and color.
proportion and perspective, one or more
of (which factors have been lacking In
the theatrical entities of his other
dramas, from the artificial Man From
Home" to the tedious MIR. Antonio" and
the very recent "Poldekin - that shallow
study in bolshevism. To be sure. many
of Mr. Tarkington's pieces nave Won
commercial success, mainly because OF
| the stars associated with than and the
| clever casts which enacted them, but
they made the artistic-minded shiver
| and the judicious grieve. 4,
The same whimsicality of motit ana
! the same searching of youthtIl psy-
chology for which he has both feeling
| and understanding, mark this story or
! the quaint doughboy who If Mr.. Tark-
! ngton's hero" But more--there ,s a
! richness Of the genuine comic spirit, q
| sounder observation of life. albeit a
somewhat humdrum. though typical,
American domestic life. sense OF values
that is never overwrought or over.
weighed and compactness ana ease OF
| handling materials.
The materials are no. "t any very
solid substance, but they are the mate
| rals of actual folk and conditions. The
| household into which the .lemobiliZed
! Clarence. who won the war by driving
mules in Texas. with gentlemanlN coCr-
tesy, minus profanity. and VINO got a
somewhat unofficial wound stripe. that
does not show on his sleeve, hy inter-
posing his khaki between a squad and q
bull's-eye at target practice. is inhabited
of n man who Is head both or a Dig
business and a rowing family, his friNol-
Gus wife. his romantic Su I-deb daughter
and a sort of napper son whose career is
made up mostly of rustication from prep
schools. The menage also includes a
governess who is trying to. keep the
daughters feet in the paths of propriety
and away from grass widower VINO
uses her as camouflage for attentions
to the governess, n parlor maid who rep
reSents the initial wild oat of the son
turned to higher ideals by calf love for
the pretty and demure governess. and the
butler, Iormer steady" of the fTtatious
servant. on the side lines is the grass
| widower.
Given a job as sort of secretary 70
the magnate on account of his alleged
ability to master mulishneSs. Clarence
proves generally useful. being equally
deft at the typewriter. plumbers tools
a piano tuners kit, the saxophone; but
his best work is done as sort OF
wounded hearts. The hearts. however
diagnose only as limited casualties. and
everything winds up in finely agreeable
style with everybody properly sorted out
and the audience with n good and clean
taste and the memory of many laughs al
clever lines and situations.
Alfred Lunt is exceedingly droll az
the soldier who Is really scientist
and Glenn Hunter gives very engaging
and lifelke portrait of the frequently
demohilized prep school lad. Mary
Boland il superb as the vapid, tlutterN
wife and John Floods impersonation Of
the tired and harried business father Is
a genuine study in characterization
Viola Harper, Phoebe Foster. Agnes
/, Finday. Susanna Westford, Barlow,
Borland and William Lorenz, the othei
actors, could hardly be better selected
or cast for their parts.