Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-24
BILLIE BURKE IN
HARRINGTON PLAY
Intimate Strangers" Makes
Good Entertainment, With
"CIarence" Actors inCast

Broad--Since Booth Harrington has
abandoned his romantic manner ir
novel writing and has turned to dis
section and annlyzatiOn. he has drifted
into the habit of occasionally taking q
pleasant vacation back to the happy
camaradic of his earlier style by means
Of stage play,
That's just about what THE Init
mate Strangers" Is, and it will be liked
nr dis'ikcd according to ones persona
pcrsuasions along this line. Candidly
It is by no means akin to-no. not even
4 distant relative 0f-the bubblinP
Clarence. Even the presence OF
Alfred Lunt and Glenn Hunter from
the cast of that delicious comedy could
not achieve that distinction.
Indeed. THE Intimate Strangers
Is composite Of number Of Mr..
Tarkington's moods. There Is more OF
Clarence" in the first act than in
the others: there is quite a pinch OF
Willie" Baxter and Seventeen in
the second act, and there is favor OF
the authors most romantic period
when he was writing The Two Van
reyals" and THE Gentleman From In
dia") in the final act.
The chance stranding OF man and q
woman In New England railroad
junction opens the play and gives oc-
caSion for some rather clever dialogue
on mems selfshnCss, the modern girls
vulgnrity and ages of women. That
and little more. but there is no denying
that it is charmingly told
Then the man in the case (tHkcn to
the lady's home after an uncomforta- :
hle night in tn station due TO blocked
trnins) IS much bcfoggcd by her age,
md indulgcS in paragraphs Of Conver
eution in his ef,rts to find it out.
Through piQuc mot entirely C1plained)
she leads him t. believe she remembers
the Hayes presidential campaign and
the Philadelphia Centennial.
There isn't much more to say about
the plot. because there isn't any more
plot. Of course, the bcwildered man
finds out the ady's right age, or rather
decides to take q chance on her with
out the exact information on the sub
ject.
As addcnda to the main plot. there
are very modern, jazzy happer ans
a most delightful boy who bring in the
spirit of youth which Mr.. Harrington
knows so we'll how to express. The aud
fence Is not told whether this particu
lar fapper is Ito use the words of
Mr.. Lunt in the first act) "a brazen
huzzy in brcPches with pint flask oi
gin on her hip" but she is interesting
SO is johnny" who talks of Hen
merry Esmond" instead Of Sidney Car.
ton, Willie Baxtpr's favorite book. In
the able hands Of Glenn Hunter, this
romantic echo Of Seventeen" with his
"As it We're and his "She Can't Un
derstand" is n dig part Of the perform
ance.
Philadelphia gave royal welcome tC
its own Billie Burke, and it must bt
confessed that she Is more pleasing thar
ever she was, with good bit more dig
nifty and few less "cutc' mnnnerisms
Mr.. I.unt was Clarence" oil owe
again. but that parsonage was so wholly
delightful that nobody could criticize
the repetition.
One last word must be said for Mr.
Tarkington's 3 dialogue. which was. in
the mnin, sparkling and clever. Every
now and then. especially in the long
winded conversations between LNut and
Miss Burke, everybody became lost in q
maze Of unintelligIble, meaningless
words, A food of monotonous small talk,
which may have been natural, but was
certainly wearying.
Otherwise. due more to the principals
and their support than to the author.
perhaps, "Ihc Intimate Strangers" is
good entertainment. Even an inferior
Tarklngton work has more charm than
the best Of the average writer Of this
light hearted kind of thing. II may not
be the most wonderful wine in the world
but any kind IS champagne to most OF
us now.