Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-11


Miss Murray. Whel
81 - MurrGN she was first lurcd
I{f - CAnn0ed to the silver sheet,
t&<S~ - r;J,,. she did the sweet
a 51g'- " retiring. girish sort
Y q thing which the fans associate with
Mary Pickford and Marguerite Clark
Her first picture was Mary johnson !
To Have and to Hold" in which
Wallace Reid was the Virginia gentle
man who won her hand first and her
heart afterward.
Everybody said at the time that Miss
Murrny's main difficulty was her bash
fulness and timidity in part that needed
B haughtiness and regal ycomposure. Her
Z ensuing features gave her opportunity
to play roles better suited to her. such
a. In "Thc Primrose Ring" "Thc
Dream Girl" and "A Mormon Maid y
Then, quite suddenly it seemed. Miss
Murray blossomed out as the protagon- :
ast Of the exotic, hothousc sort of per-
son who had passion for cabarcts
hours of mllkmen. Electric. instead OF
sunlight, became the main requisite of
her starring attempts. That colorful
and Interesting. hut by no means. CEN
sor- proof. "On With the Dance' cX-
empfiies the later Mac Murray type.
and her new one. Peacock Alley is
promised to be just ms gorgeous and
Just as colorful. Again. the star ap-
pears as danccr---a role that comes
naturally to hcr--and again scenes of
gay reves in famous restaurants form
n background for the story.
Robert u. Leonard. tho stars hus
band. directed. but Peacock Alley
Is also unusual in that it marks the
breaking away Of the young star from
managerial reins and her assumption
} Of the difficult task of being both pro q.
ducer and leading thespian. 1t took
four months to make "Peacock Alley. y
and In that time Miss Murray had all
the customary problems TO face that
jar managerial nerves. Carpenters and
4 stage hands have temperament as VOL
as stars. she found. and like Mary
Garden. she soon realized that being
the Boss Supreme was not all bed of
roses.
That excellent actor. Monte Blue,
he appeared in EOrphans of the
Storm" plays the leading role opposite
Miss Murray. Blue must be getting
used to French atmosphere. First there
was Danton. then his part in Peacock
Alley and now. it is said, he Is going
or has gone to Paris to play the lead in
a production of The Queen of the
Moulin Rouge"
Edmund Lowe. stage actor Of
known ability. has a part in Peacock
Alley" and Anders Randolph. one of
the screens best character men. also is
In the cast. The fans remember him
for his work in THE Safety Curtain"
with Norma Talmadge and in many old
Vitagraph productions, including AT
Headquarters" under the direction of
Ralph Ince.
It is so seldom that the bigger stage
i people choose (or have chosen for
thcm) the right kind of screen vehicles
that Nazimova production of "A
Dolls House should be hailed with dc =
light. The only sad thing is that she
has not done it before instead ~f al.
lowing herself to appear in such piffic A.
""Billions' and Madame Peacock"
and some of the others.
Madame made her first appearance
on the English speaking stage in New
York, presenting repertoire Of Ibscn
Nazimora Gabbler'' '.T h Q
In DOLLS Master Builder"
House" on Stage and "A boll, :
House" The role
OF "Nora'' was generally acclaimed as
one of her best roles. better even. most
people say. than her portrayal vf the
neurotic Hedda.
Yet, when Nora flashed upon othc
screen, it was Elsie Ferguson who took
the part. No one can deny that she
took it well: Miss Ferguson has had
a screen record that is absolutely with
out personal flaws. Maurice Tourmcur
(as directOr) and she made warm.
pulsating DOLLS House and one which
set very high standard for the present
players to aim at. The question as T."
whether Nazimova can take the role
better than Miss Ferguson is beside the
point. 1t is only that the Russian ar
tiste, victim of poor photoplay material.
deserves to have had something as fine
and as lasting as this Ibscn thunder
bolt.
To be sure. generally speaking. Ibsen
Is not ideal photoplay material. Few
Of his plays would be so we'll suited
for screen purposes as "A Doll :
House Quite a few years ago Henry
B. .Walthall did I'm excellent piece Of
work in Ghosts but the picture.
whether because of its gloom or the
fear OF censors. was not generally
artist he is--playcd the role Of the ship
( owner in pillars of Society" and his
acting when the news that his son was
believed to be one of the victims in the
wreck of his unsafe ship was brought 70
him was, and still is, screen classic.
The version of "A Dolls House
which the Aldine will have next week j.
directed by Charles Bryant. husband OF
the star. 1t will ,e interesting to sec
IL he has put as much artistry and
into his. Alan Hale tremember him
MS. the German son in 'Thc -Four
Horsemen:") plays Helmer. the ego.
fist husband, and Nigel dc Brulier
also from the cast of the Ingram fea-
ture. and Wedgwood NOVEL; have parts
In this picture.
Nazimova's bobbed hair ought to b.
more appropriate to the role Of the toy
wife in the Ibsen play than il was y
/ the pulsating Camille. While thu
bromidic statement that 'much water
has flowed under the bridge" since th'
4 original stage production of "A Doll,
HOUSE" is perfectly true, the new
A atatus Of women In modern cconomi,
NE has not hurt the inherent greatness
4 0k this drama revolving about Nora
I, Gagged In her husbands house of dolls
and her final awakening. The trumpe
\ tnll that lbsen sounded may not be 81
Reatly. needed. but his compact,
constructed drama is still as perfect
mirror of a certain kind of marital re
1ati0nship as ever it was.
fnTHER new pictures which flash upo
Y Axtbo cinamo armament neyt weoL bo,,