The New York herald., 1921-08-02
Getting Gertie's
Carter Has Fen
NopeI Situations
Authors of New Farce Fail in
Titanic Effort to
Create Fun.

A. Fl. Woods paid his annual tribute
glad to have the duty of his mind Any
man should be glad to have Getting
Gertie's Garter Off his mind 1t might
readily be dangerous there. 1t might
cause perhaps an infection or. where
resistance was weak. have even worse
results. But Mr.. Woods at all events
left his tribute to the Great God of the
Double Entente reeking on the stage of
the Republic Theatre. VIII the flies
buzz and swarm? Will they hover over
the mess until the receipts run so high
that there may be persons ignorant
enough of the theatre to believe that
this astute Snowman is giving TO the
public what it wants9
Mr.. Woods had his two house drama
lists. Wilson Collision and Avery Hop
wood. prepare the latest specimen OF his
theatre soandaIeur. Now they are 50
expert that they are able to use barn
instead of n bed as the scene of their
action. This freedom allows the method
OF Avery Hopwood more scope. while
Wilson Collision is able to give the brand
of imagination that appears TO be his
special gift wider play Again 1t is
chase which furnishes the theme of the
three acts. There was in up in Mabels
d2oom" also hunt. 1t was bit of
feminine lingerie that time Now 1t is
a garter.
The actors are after the garter. The
authors are hot foot after the double
meaning. Sometimes they overtake it.
AT he httt
Ing to their quarry. Painting, they scurry
after the harmless word that may i'm
plant the foul thought. With their hot
breath on the back of Its neck the guilt
less phrase that may be twisted to their
lubric needs struggled and succumbed.
The Pursuit of the IndeIicste.
1t was absorbing. this chase OF the
authors after a lack of delicacy that
must exist alongside lack Of wit Their
stolid struggle to be well over the bor-
der of decency and yet thickly surround
ed with dulness was impressive to wit
ness. No part of their effort was moro
successful than the avoidance of any real
ground for laughter. Novelty in word
or deed. piquancy In place of plodding
industry. some humorous suggestion Of
life or character--these were carefully
kept out of the authors programme. To
rub 1t In thick appeared to be the watch
word. What they were rubbing In 1t Is
not possible to define here But there is
no harm in saying they made 1t thick.
1t is the search for garter Jewelled
and adorned with a photograph like
passport for Europe that sets the pack
In motion. The donor, now married,
wants II back. He goes after 1t and
the woman who has 1t. After him comes
his wife and friend who also has a
wife. The chase of the actors leads to
barn. Knowing the artistic ambitions
OF Mr.. Woods and the skill of the play
wrlghts need any audience be warned
against what happens In that barn?
There was never such q titanic effort to
create fun of the variety needed in these
specimens of the Woods repertoire. Men
and women ran up and down a ladder.
One girl dressed in a horse blanket be-
cause she had for no reason taken off
all her other habiliments. Another actor
covered his face with -four that he might
be taken for a ghost. The second act
was for all the world like an old fash
ioned afterpiece in variety show. II
was to suggest a more modern COM
parison, like n movie comic, only the
custard pie was missing. May be one
of them will be in use tonight.
mcm mDerh OF fnc Snat.
There were two Dawus concerned in
the proceedings. the better known Hazel
and a fresher young Eleanor. more
brunette and more beautiful and equally
untalented. Walter Jones. much thinner,
was correspondingly less apoplectic but
more genuinely humorous than any Of
his colleagues. Miss Dorothy Mackaye
was the heroine OF the horse blanket,
and Miss Adele ROLAND of the marvel
lous French accent was again an ancil
larry Gaul. She possesses a most versa
tile zee" Lorin Baker. who hid in the
-four barrel for the sake OF the ensuing
dramatic effect: Donald Macdonald.
Louis Kimball and Ivan Miller were the
skilled mannikins that kept the scenes
In motion.
Yet the applause In no degree corre-
sponded to their violent efforts. There
should have been a demonstration after
their labors. Evidently there had been
but mild interest whether or not the
actors got the garter of Gertse. The
impression was much stronger that the
playwrights had got the goat OF the
audience.