The New York herald., 1921-10-24
Will Rogers as
Romeo Presents
Satire on Movies
Plays Shakespeare in Way
That Might Prove Pointer
to Other Actors.
CAPITOL-win Rogers in Doubling
for Romeo" n Goldwyn production
written by Elmer l.. Rice. VIII Rog-
ers and WIN Shakespeare and directed
by Clarence Badger.

There have been actors who played
Romeo with long. flowing locks, and
others who did him with close cropped
hair, but VIII Rogers Is probably the
first to portray the great lover with his
hair in a sort OF twilight stage. 1t is
neither flowing name nor a convict 8
pompadour: 1t is just half and half, the
typical Rogers hair cut. which never
seems 10 vary from picture to picture.
That Is part Of his art. perhaps.
There is also the Characteristic Rogers
smile. which does its share TO make the
combination Of Rogers and Shakespeare
as irresistible as certain widely ad-
vertised talcum powder. Possibly Rogers
may even go far toward popularizing
the Bard of Avon.
When the picture starts, the specta-
tor has scarcely any notion that pres
entity 1t IS going to break right out into
Shakespeare. 1t opens In a regular
Western town, with dance hall-and a
minister-where Slim, a cowboy, proves
so bungling in his bashful love making
that in evaporation she tells him to go
to the movies. 1t might have been
somewhere else In these days OF very
modern heroines. but 1t was the movies.
She says that after he has studied
owe making at first hand, as 1t Is done
by the masters OF the screen, to come
back and try the methods on her--in
word, she appoints herself the efficiency
expert Of the cowboys courtship.
Slim gets Job as utility man In the
movies, his principal duty being to
double for the villain whenever the lat
ter Is to receive a beating and can't
stand the strain on his temperament
Slim decides that handling bucking
,broncos is easier work, but when he
T.. .x,fv, mo OF a
any of the most UP to date methods or
courtship. the young woman holds out
Romeo to him as his next grand model!
After reading the play the cowboy falls
asleep and dreams he Is Romeo himself
and here begins the most delightful part
of a comedy that Is a bright ray OF hope
in. world that is murky with mere
motion pictures.
It is extremely titillating to see
Rogers staggering about In velvets.
plumed hats and tight hose and posing
amid the very high art" settings typical
Of Goldwyn, always with his air OF
cowboy who Is feeling good on a couple
of strong ones There are the usual
Rogers sallies-and fussy teachers OF
Shakespeare should go and observe how
he can be presented without detriment to
a running accompaniment OF wise
cracks" Douglas Fairbanks might
have derived pointers from the DUE
which Rogers ends with an uppercut.
His Romeo is certainly funnier than
that of Kellerd.
The satire on the movies Is delicious,
and Rogers achieves triumph when he
points out that what audiences have
been waiting years to see Is what
would happen If the villain did get the
girl. Less of the genuineness the
human flavor that Rogers has made his
trademark, is evident here. and he
capers rather than acts. But in his
last picture he seems to be having a
very good time, and the audience can
appreciate it. And for all itseseeminE
irreverence there is no real heresy in 1t,
for in accordance with the best movie
canons cave man methods win the girl
In the end.
Sylvia Dreamer as the girl and Will
inn Orlamund as movie director
stand out i'll a cast that shows equal
dexterity in handling horses or Shake
speare.