The New York herald., 1921-12-12
X. S. Y. P.' With
Charles Ray as
Artist, Amusing
Unusual Situation Carried
Along PEausibly Without
MelOdralnatic Punch.
STHA ANi.--Charles ray in "R. y. v. p"
First National attraction written by
Rob Wagner and directed by Mr.. Ray.


Rob Wagner and directed by Mr.. Ray.
One Of Charles Rays earlier pictura S
was made memorable D. because he lost his
dress trousers at an important function.
and had to sprint through Railways most
formally clad above the waist. and most
informally below. In the present in
stance much of tine huuisor pivots in the
fact that ct q similar event Mr.. l2ay
lacks q dress coat and is forced to DO
SOME Cha plinesque stunts and shin. up
The side of q building in the best Fair
banks technique Will" carrying his
troubles rather than a coat on his sihoul-
ders
II is not so extremely dvertlng as was
the earlier picture, for the loss of trou-
sers is always more irarlnsically funny
than the loss OF coat. which somehow
doesn't seem quite so VITAL but as it is
this picture is amusing enough and far
nerrier than Two Minutes to Co."
which seemed to take hours TO go
Mr.. Ray gets in his critical ITedica-
ment because he and "a fellow artist
have only one official dress coat be-
tween them, as is ever the way of I'M
pecunious young artists. even off the
screen. Though they don't know any
one present, the pair simply must at
tend this reception, for, as In other Ray
mentally important--brt then parties
always appear to be OF greater conse-
quence to Aim folk than to others, iudg
ing by reports from Hollywood. The
pair are to share the coat, turn about,
changing in the Washroom, but each one
meets downstairs the girl whom Rich
ard Morgan has used for q model, and
becomes so absorbed in her he over
stays his time limit of one dance. while
the other one enjoys misery in n waist
coat upstairs.
The girl is really the wealthy daueh-
ter Of the house, an old playmate of
him, and who allows herself to be mis-
taken in his studio for n model so that
n fortunate ending is finally possible
for the poverty stricken young painter
through her fathers bankroll. This
happens after much scurrying about, in
which Mr.. Rays recent athletic per-
formances stand him in good stead.
But, though there is almost as much
racing around as in a standardized
French farce, it is carried along nat
urally enough, and here at last is Wis
ible something of what Ray seems to
have been cropping toward. some of the
time with his eyes shut
He has carried an unusual situation
along easily and plausibly, effecting a
climax without shovelling in a melo-
dramatic punch carefully timed to oc-
cur at a certain moment. For an in
stant. when Mr.. Ray Is being watched
as he washes his hands interminaby
while waiting for his relief one Of the
nonchalantly amusing touches-one
feared that the watcher would turn out
to be a swell society crook, but he proves
to be nothing worse than private de-
To- IL, IaGa %
tons. Save for a few overlong close
ups at the start. Mr.. Ray has curtailed
his tendency to prolong the human"
touches until they became an inhuman
bore As a consrmmation of his aims
this is proba bly, tine most artistic of Mr..
Rays pictures and, Of course. he Is
helped by his scenarist, Rcb Wagner,
master of his craft and painter him
self. who knows very well young artists
are not rewarded with such sudden
abandon by fate.
Curiously enough. Mr. Ray seems
better at directing others than himself.
and Harry Myers, chunkier than ever
as the brother artist quite scampered
away with the comedy honors, perhaps
because he looked like Raymond Hitch
cock. As a painter Mr.. Ray squared
away at his easel after the fashion of
his recent prize fights and seemed liable
at any minute to deliver knockout
blow at his canvas. But he worried
through his course in characteristic vein
he IL certainly the prize worrier on
the screen. Miss Jean Calhoun was
attractive as the girl and ran down
fights OF stairs with excellent compo-
sure.
Selections from Carmen" o prologue
Lloyd Hamilton In "rhe Vagrant," a
mermaid comedy and washington Irv-
ing" second of the Great American
Authors series. held the sidelines.