davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The New York herald., 1922-12-17

AS a reward. wnen the opera house was
opened, he was made assistant man
ager. staying with Hammerstein for
two years till his interests were dis
posed Of.
After doing some vaudeville produc-
ing he Joined Comstock and Gest.s man
aging companies at both the Comedy
and Princess Theaters. Then he be-
came general assistant to Elisabeth
Marbury in her play brokerage business.
here he went into the br okerage busi-
to handle the sale Of spoken plays to
screen producers. disposing of many
dramas to Thomas II. Irce. He declares
that IL many plays had been snapped
up then at $1,000 apiece by the film
makers whom ne urged to do so, In
stead Of depending on original scenarios,
many plays could have been purchased
for 900 which have since totaled
sT50.000 in their sales.
He was in one of the first Plattsburg
training groups, and after eing COM
missioned a second lieutenant and being
attached to the staff OF Major-Gen. Bell
of the Sevnnty-seyenth division at Camp
Upton he was sent to the Second Army
Corps abroad. There ha organized the
first theatrical unit for the entertain
ment of the soldiers. which later became
known Is the Argonne Players. When
he was assigned to the 306th Machine
Gun company he saw active service
and was part of the Lost Battalion, be-
ing the first officer wounded'in that adj
venture.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
MY DEAR SIR:

Barrymore's Hamlet beautifully read,
but the acting was reminiscent of the
movies. The text was woefully cut and
so staged that the whole play was little
more than reading in costume. With
two exceptions the support was made
quate and their lines so cut and directed
that they had no opportunities.
Any one who has seen that sterling
actor Tyrone Power as Judas to Mrs
Fiske's Mary Md1dalen will know that
the part of the King was not his concep-
ton. The stage setting of one scene,
mainly flight of steps, for the entire
play was ridiculous. The modern abom-
lnation Of split curtain and the weari-
some curtains calls brought to perfec-
ton by Sothern and .Marlowe- were
worked to the limit. The churchyard
scene, one Of the gems Of the Bard OF
Avon that I once saw played by Booth
and Jefferson, was "the most unkindest
cut Of ALL" I could stand no more and
fled the theater. fearing the worst was
yet to come and convinced that Barnum
was right. j learn that there is coming
n flood of Shakespearian revivals by va
rous talented actors. Would that Otis
Skinner was among them! He has yet
the wonderful voice that THE SUN said
years ago was the best on the stage, and
he is the one man who knows all Its
traditions and could reproduce them
However, this Is too much to hope, for
fear the modern producer Will continue
the darkened stage TO hide the lack OF
scenery, the split curtain with the tire
some calls, that were unknown to Ed.
win Booth. and will depend on the press
agent for the audience. w. j. WOODS.
Troy, n. ", December Q. 1922.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
Who's Who

MAURICE s. REvNES, producer Of
Fashions for Men," Is another Philadel-
phia product. though born In New York
80 years ago While he was high
school student there he began an asso-
citation with Oscar Hammerstein, though
at first in On unobtruslve way Revnes
was so devoted to music that when
Hammerstein brought his operate
troupe to the Academy Of Music in
Philadelphia he used to work as a super.
One night in 1907 he heard the impre-
sario deliver a speech from the stage
revealing that he proposed to build an
opera house there. If the citizens would
respond properly. Hammertsein said. he
would erect the house the following
year.
Revnes became so fired with the idea
that he went to the director and offered
to handle the subscriptions. Though
unknown to Hammerstein, he impressed
the impresario so that he turned him
over to his son. Arthur. to be engaged.
After several weeks without any prog
ress. Revnes told Hammerstein he be-
lieved the money would come in If he
circularized leading citizens Hammer
stein rejected the idea as beneath his
dignity. On his own responsibility
however Revnes sent out circulars and
In four weeks S1S0.000 had come in
The New York herald., 1922-12-17

you once In a generation the charm,
the genius, the magnificence OF a Julia
Marlowe as she Is to-day?
If youth then is so important Walker
Whiteside, who acted Hamlet when he
was 16, must have been ideal. as many
critics throughout the country still claim
him TO have been. John Barrymore is
to-day 40, you say. Very well, will he
be less great as Hamlet when he reaches
60? Is an actor, then, TO abandon giving
to the public great acting because he
must of necessity add years TO his life?
What would become of opera II such
were the standard demanded? Lilli
Lehman refused to sing Isolde, though
her London manager insisted that she
do so. until she had reached an age
which was twice that the role required.
She declared she was unit for the task
and her exceptional, we'll nigh unique
standard of art would not permit her to
undertake Isolde or the other great
Wagnerian characters until she knew
she was ready. Did the critics condemn
this great Isolde when she finally essayed
the role at an age much too old to- be
physically correct?
1t is true that in the theater the eye
demands satisfaction, but II is a ques-
ton whether the eye is more deserving
of being pleased than is the spirit. !
would rather see Duse at Ga than all
these youngsters New York is raving
about.
But this disparaglng of the ripe, com
mandng matured artists because th+y
have passed the fiftieth milestone is TO
say the least ungracious and ungrateful
and we think meticuous. Modjeska
many years ago pointed out that to play
heroines of Shakespeare requires tho
- To arf nj
she said, one must be 60 and look 16.
Mr.. Ziegfeld can find you plenty who
look 16, but where can you find a half
dozen who can act Juliet at any age
Julia Marlowe acted Julist when she
wac 10. II we are to believe some very
good critics, she is the greatest Juliet
our or the English stage has seen.
Should she again appear as Juliet, as
some of us ~wish she would do, will she
be greeted by deprecatlng voices be-
cause she is no longer 10. and for that
reason we must be deprived of seeing
what her wonderful personality and art
are capable of doing with the role?
Why should the theater be so different
from other arts? Some of the most i'm
portant creative work the world pos
sesses has been done at ages well over
fifty and oftentimes we'll over sixty.
Wagner, Verdi and Cesar Franck have
these periods of their life to thank for
some of their most perfect compositions.
and there are endless parallels In liter
ature. 1t is not fair to assume that art
in the theater reaches It's fullest develop
ment late In life. even with the few rare
flung geniuses?
There Is only one public know OF that
appreciates this fact. In London they
are loyal to theipeople who do fine work
TO the end of their careers. There is. no
doubt, sentiment mingled with this adt
miration, but even so this quality OF
sentiment is finely human and not to be
sneered at.
We hold no brief for the veteran who
lags superfluous on the stage, but
Forbes Robertson waS far from being
superfluous, as are many other players
who are no longer sixteen.
RAY HENDERSON.
CLEVELAND, Ohio. Dec. ~, 1922.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
enT THIS RIGHT.

To the Dramatic Editor:
VIII you kindly, for the love of the
Twelve Apostles and the nine muses.. in
form the dear general public something
about the title or the new Molnar
comedy at the National, Fashions for
Men" A great many people object to
1t. declaring that 1t means nothing. !"
Another group in scanning the adver-
tising columns seem to decide that 1t is
not a play at all. but some sort of
fashion bazaar presided over by Beau
Nash or some other flossy gentleman
who writes Helpful Hints for Natty
Dressers."
Fashions for Men, Is literal trans
lation Of the Hungarian title "Uri Divat, .
which is the legend on the signboards
over scores OF shops In Budapest exr
actly like that shown In the first and
last acts OF the new play. l am in
formed by my private spies that there
are no shops In Hungary where mems
furnishings are sold exclusively. Such
goods are always sold in stores where
articles of women's apparel are also on
sale.
Unquestionably there is a symbolic
allusion In the title. 1t Is certain that
Molnar intended to present Peter Jtthdss
as setting a new fashion for men" in
his attitude toward the two women in the
play, his wife and Paula. This idea
could be stretched to cover the attitude
Of all the men in the play toward the
women commemorative mild JuhoSz, the
debonair and worldly wise count, the
self centered Oscar and the faithful and
loyal Philip.
At any rate please inform the world
that II isn't fashion show and the
title has definite meaning. even a
Significance" JOHN PETER TooHEY.
New York, Dec. 13, 1929.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
The First Nighter's Calendar
TUESDAY.


PR0VINCETOWN
will The
in
Cleon Throckmorton designed the
WEDNESDAY,. 81
APOLLO THEATER-Ben-A Mein
hard and Rudolf Bernauer will be presented by the sewyn 1t
of mechanical. arrangement six
The E.
Won S to !.
Belasco in The Merchant Venice The supporting
include Philip Mervae A Il.
ice Ian Macaren as Antonio W. Perciva Graano Herbert
Gmwood Prince Albert
Regpad
S
Gobbo,
II
S
Messenger, Miss Mary Miss
Ellis Nerissa Miss Julia Adler Jessica The settings
Ernest Norman oNei London composed the
incidental The
Quod r. The period supervised Elmer Tahnger
FRIDAY.
THEATER-IIelen be A
play Jordan
Charles
role Others will Ethel
Florence Russell
Fillmore and Albert Taverner.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
A BROAD HINT.
n IN, Dramatic Editor : a

To the Dramatic Editor:S
At this time, when the press Is packed
with talk about this stars and that
stars plans for playing Juliet. wish to
contribute my noise to the discussion
from the viewpoint of an average
Shakespeare enthusiast.
A few seasons ago l chanced to see
Miss Bertha Broad as Juliet In Walter
Hampden's production at the Academy
of Music, Brooklyn. Well. sir. the girl
actually stopped the performance In
the balcony scene and the potion scene
The following day purchased a copy OF
every metropolitan newspaper, expect
ing TO be greeted by big headlines on
the dramatic pages, headlines telling
about the wonderfully vital performance
of Miss Broad. Not a iine--nothing !
Later / was informed that city critics
seldom II ever travel to Brooklyn to
witness performances.
Since that memorable night had lost
complete track OF the young lady until
In recent issue of the Theatre Mdgd-
tion "A Born Juiiet--on the Road to
Stardom."
But that was ALL Last week met an
oldtimer In Shakespeare productions. and
in reply to my inquiry he stated he had
heard from some one that Miss Broad
had abandoned her Shakespeare strug-
giles" because managers. II at all inter-
ested In doing Shakespeare. wanted
names" only.
Now. Mr.. Editor, I am not acquainted
with Miss Broad, and don't know any
body who Is, yet I would like to tell the
world, loud enough for the aforesaid
managers TO hear me. that II any Of
them present Bertha Broad as Juliet I'd
guarantee en- attendance OF Mt least fifty
persons--friends Of mire. Here Is a young
girl who has proved that she can actually
play JuHet and nobody Is hav-
ing her do II.
Furthermore, II any manager inter.
ested In the proposition will write me !
will Immediately send him a certified
check for fifty seats. and ne can charge
me spectators prices.
CHARLES PHrNEAs DAVIS
BROOKLYN, December 0, 1929.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17

tone. Her Temporary Husband"
which was rather temporary in New
York. has just been welcomed to the
screen to the tune of $4,000, with First
National acting as the reception COM
mittee for the industry. Welcome,
Stranger" was also made at home In
the films at price of $4,000. The
deal for "Six Cylinder Love- another
Sam II. Harris production. fell through
with dull thud because the owners of
the rights asked the movie folk to
stand and deliver $4,000, and the
movie folk felt they were talking as
if they We're film stars.
Another instance has just come to
notice of the extreme care in mount
ing a production used by David
Belasco, who is like an eagle for spy
ing something wrong and pouncing
upon it. In Pittsburgh. when David
warfield's-and Shakespeare's-'Th
Merchant of Venice" was presented
there recently, some commentator In
an idle, jesting moment said that the
set for Portals mansion at Belmont
which was done in somewhat Oriental
vein, looked like the Casino Theater
in New York in it's early days.
1t was evidently the most casual
remark, but Mr.. Belasco felt that
drastic measures were called for. So
last Thursday night, only a week be-
fore the opening at the Lyceum, The
ater, the whole Belmont set was torn
tvnk foil noI
Other managers would probably have
been terrified at the mere thought Of
making an elaborate change at such
a late date, but Mr.. Belasco was de-
termined his set wouldn't suggest a
place where O fortieth anniversary
was about to be held.
Carroll McComas in Max Marcin's
production of Mary Get Your Hair
Cut" is slated to bounce into the
Forty-ninth Street Theater on JAN
uary 8. The piece received agreeably
tolerant notices out of town, and sew
eral neighborly things were said by
the reviewers about Miss McComas's g
acting in particular. Since then the
piece has gone through the customary
fietcherizing for metropolitan debut
Lonely Wives" is still rehearsing
vigorously The latest sensational
news from It lis that the chorus has
been completely changed. George Nc
Lellan, associated in the production.
is all for voices, while Woods and
Herman are all for figures.
Allan Pollock in "a Bill Of Divorce-
ment" closed last night in Cincinnati.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
AGE AND ART.

To the Dramatic Editor:
1t is, no doubt, impertinence OF me to
write You at all, but you touch a sub
ject near my heart when you write of
the age Of Shakespearian stars. In re-
ferring to Forbes Robertson and his
Hamlet you safe he was In his fifties
when he first acted the role In America
As matter of fact. he was just so. lie
was ~ years old when he played Hamlet
for the first time at the Lyceum Theater
In London, where he presented the
tragedy for one hundred nights. 1t is
true that he was So when he was seen
for the last time on any stage in the
part at Sanders Theater, Cambridge,
Mass. and this performance was the
greatest ever saw him give. I presume
that. during my association with him,
lasting over four years. l must have
seen Forbes-Robertson act Hamlet at
least one hundred times.
have II from that worthy woman
and sterling actress, Madge Kendall,
who saw Forbes Robertson's Hdmlet In
1897. when he was A years old, that
he was a greater Hamlet In every re-
spect when he bade farewell TO the Lon
don stage at Drury Lane in 1913. Sure
ly. you must have seen him In the play
the following autumn during his fare
we'll season at the Shubert Theater In
New York city. Mrs. Kendall com
mented on the change OF twenty years
and said that what loss there might be
In physical beauty--and Forbes Robert
son had this quality In its finest sense.
II ever man did--was more than bal
anced by the greater usefulness OF spirit
and soul, while the maturity OF his
mind and art added a luster that no
person under so could possibly bring to
the role.
II seems 10 me there Is something of
parallel to this In the case OF Paderew-
ski The critics to-day agree that while
he has lost something of the youthful
poetic quality that characterized his
playing thirty years ago. there are other
factors In his art to-day that more than
compensate for his lack of the earlier
charm. II IL quite true that a pianist
does not demand 80 much OF his physical
appearance as does an actor, but stlll
personal attributes are far from being
inessential, particularly in Paderewski's
history.
You seem 10 lay great stress on
youth In the theater. Mr.. ziegfeld man
ages to show you each season fifty or n
hundred blooming young beauties.
adorable. fresh. with all the incompar-
able charm Of youth. But who shows
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
How Jokes
Get That Way

DROBABLY many theatergoer
has wondered where the aver
= age vaudeville joke-and some
Of them are quite average-originated
1t hardly seems possible that every
variety comedian created the slang
ana the josh phrases he uses; one
human brain, let alone the variety
brain, hardly seems capable of it. AS
a matter of fact, many of them started
life as SMILES and were abstraoted
from "A Dictionary of Smiles" COM
piled from many books by Frank j.
Wilstach, professor emeritus of the
Winter Garden.
Wilstach--who admits, by the way,
the soft impeachment of having writ
ten the review OF reviewers" quoted in
q letter to THE NEW YORK HERALD last
week-frankly confesses that he had
thought vaudeville artists would be the
last ones in the world to possess copy
of his work. Yet every wise cracker
from the two a day whom he has met
has told him he always had the book
on his dressing table. Just by dipping
into the book they could fetch a joke
to the surface almost any time.
Often at the book stores the players
have asked for that book of smiles"
which is what they were after in the
end, anyhow. Appended are several
job lots OF SMILES from the volume.
Look them over and perhaps you'll
recognize some Of the makings of sew
eral jests which you heard at your
neighborhood theater last week:
Naked as an egg.
InQuisitive as an X-ray.
Merry as an alimony bell.
Compelling as gunpowder.
Lean as a vegetarian's cat.
Even as set Of false teeth.
She has legs like an hour glass.
No more privacy than a goldfish.
Overloaded as Ford on Sunday.
Painless as cinder in a glass eye.
Hard to shake as an alimQpy wife.
Useless as an icebox to an Eskimo.
Useless as a glass eye at a keyhole.
Grave. but satisfied, like a widower.
A face like the abdomen of q ten pin.
Lonesome as a bachelors tooth brush.
Melancholy as a hairpin on tomb
stone.
Slippery as an eel in a kettle Of soft
soap.
Language like the sweeping Of car
barns.
Impossible as to rivet a nail in a
custard pie.
About as secluded as the Grand Cen
trail Station.
She looked like the third page Of the
Old Testament.
Mean enough to steal a lump Of sugar
from a blind fly.
Noisy as living skeleton having q
fit on a hard wood floor.
No more chance than q bow legged
girl In her home town.
About as important as a new flea In
a Bowery lodging house.
Impractical as a market garden on
the lava streams of Vesuvius.
Husbands are like motor cars: they
are good for at least a year.
Absurd as to clap spursinto wooden
horse and expect 1t to gallop.
About as much respect for woman as
q tom cat has for a marriage license.
Matrimony. like motoring, Is really
travelling by means of series of ex-
plosions.
Came down on him like a newly
elected Republican President on a
Democratic postmaster.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
Vaudeville;

PALACE-Elsle Janis. Trixie FRI
ganza, vivienne Segal and Harry
Carroll, Fradkin.
CEN TRIAL - Say 1t With
Laughs" with Roger Imhof,
Marcelle Coreene, Bob Nelson.
the Barr Twins, Bobby Barry.
BROADWAY - Harry Stoddard
and his Stanley Orchestra, Jim
my Lucas with Franccne, VIII
Mahoney. Max Cooper and Irene
Ricardo.
RIVERSIDE-Chic Sale, the Can
sinos.
COLONIAL%"Stars of the Flu
ture," "A Night in Spain"
EIGHTY.FIRST STREET-Ernest
r. Ball. the photoplay, 1.-The
Pride Of Palomar."
PROCTOR'S FIFTH AVENUE -
Margaret Young. George lie
Marie.
PROCTOR'S TWEEN Y.THIRD
STR EE T-Greenwich Village,
M1nstrels, Polly Moran.
PROCTOR'S FIFTY -E IG H T Fl
STREET-McGrath and Deeds.
Briscoe and Rauh. -
PROCTOR'S 125TH STREET
Sarah Padden, Butler and Parker.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17

Almost at the foot of the
hill-a short leap and we're
there! ~ s. &y
Here under the one roof are
gifts for every member of the
family-every friend.
In the briefest time, and
comfortably, you may finish
your Holiday shopping.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
Cheeriest of
Lists for Christmas
Choosing

Skates and Skating Shoes
Hockey Sticks and Fucks
Smoking Sets and Ash Trays
of Cloisonne, Brass,
crystal and Enamel
English Repp Mufflers
Bandannas Used for; Mufflers
English Spitalfields Scarfs
English Knit Silk Scarfs
Scotch Golf Hose and Half
Hose-America's
Largest Assortrnents
Skis, Snow Shoes and Bob Sleds
Golf Bags and Clubs
Cricket Bats
Tennis Racquets and Gases
Poker Chips and Tables
Hazard, Roulette, Keno, Faro
and Minoru
Ma Jung,
Imported Chinese
Sets OF Ivory
In Variety of Cases
Carved Ivory Chess Sets
Motor Coats and Robes
Kit Bags and Suit Cases,
Fitted Travelling Bags
and Toilet Cases
Golf and Tennis Shoes
Moccasins for Boudoir Use
English Riding Boots, Spurs
and Crops
English Walking Sticks and
Umbrellas
Largest Selection of Mems
and Women's Sweaters,
Golf sWaistcoats and Jackets
Riding Breeches and
Tattersall Waistcoats
Indoor Golf Games
Humidors, Cigar and Ciga-
rette Cases, Wallets and
Loewe's English Pipes
Women's Cap and Scarf Sets
Flasks, Lock Spirit Bottles
and Tantalus Sets
Ship Bells Clocks, Den, Desk
and Travel Clocks
Wrist Watches for Men
and Women
Luncheon and Tea Kits
for Motorists
Binoculars, Opera Glasses,
Cameras and Supplies
Pocket and Table Cutlery .
Sporting Scarf Pins and
Cuff Links
Hundreds of Gifts for Campers,
Hunters and Fishermen
Sportsmen's Smoking Jackets
Indian Blanket Robes
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
To the Dramatic Editor.

10 tHe DrdWdftC EdNOT.
For nearly rrty years I have been
reading and Believing that 'if you see
It In THE Sun (and HERALD) it's So"
After the fulsome praise OF your dra-
matte critic l journeyed to the Harris
Theater with great expectations OF y
treat thatHwouid put some of the mem.
orics OF other days in the shade. ]
have seen nearly all the Hdmlets OF my
time. including Edwin Forrest. Booth,
Barrett. Edwin Adams, 70. L. Davenport.
Edward Eddy, the old Bowery Theater
favorite ID. w. Waller, Il. r. Stetson,
Frank Mayo Ca good Hamlet before
playing Dupy CrocketD, Charles
Fechter, Charles vandenhoff. with
Mary Anderson as Opheitd, Thomas w.
Kcane, Henry Irving, II. III. Sothern,
Forbes Robertson. Henry Miller. Walter
Hampden and one woman. Adele Bel
gardc. 1 found the greater part OF
The New York herald., 1922-12-17
THE SUBWAY CIRCUIT.

MoNTAUK THEATER tBrooklyn)---
Her Temporary Husband with will
lam Courtnay.
TELLERlS sHUBERT THEATER---
The Cat and the Canary"
MAJESTIC THEATER--"Giory."
SHUBERT RIVIERA THEATEIs
tManhnttan) Grace George In ITO
Love-" with Robert Warwick ana Nor
man Trevor.
The New York herald., 1922-12-17

Reports were in circulation last
week that the Shuberts had been dick
ering with Max Spiegel for a lease on
the Strand Theater for a year, with
the deliberate purpose Of presenting
vaudeville there. Motion pictures