The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-01
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RICHMOND.

1t used to be said that art and bus.
mess could not be combined success
fully. The motion picture has proved
this to be without foundation. 1t fol.
lows therefore that one may be a hard
headed business man, practical and
possessing common sense in large
measure, and yet have the ability and
dramatic instinct necessary to pre-
duce really artistic results.
Such man is Sam Wood, who d.
rected the first Paramount picture
starring Gloria Swanson-"The Great
Moment" by Elinor Glyn, which is
showing at the Richmond theatre.
Mr.. Wood was in commercial lines
prior to his picture work, and fol
some time after entering the latter,
was assistant director to Cecil B. De
Mile.
Here was a schooling for any man,
and Mr.. Wood profited by it. He de-
veloped originality to such an extent
that he was selected to direct Wal
lace Reid, one of the most popular
stars in the world. in several of his
fast moving automobile comedies
which proved so successful.
Perhaps one of the biggest opportu
mites to date came in "The Great
Moment" Sam Wood is easy going.
courteous, capable. He gets through
his work with a minimum of effort,
apparently, but it is only because
there. is no friction. He works hard
and conscientiously He has won the
esteem of all with whom he has come
in contact-and that is one of the
most important things for director
to accomplish.
VICTORY THEATRE, DAYTON.
Probably no combination of play
and player has so caught the fancy of
| the American theatre-going public III
decade, as has Fay Banter in East
Is West" which will be presented by
William Harris, Jr.. for three days, be-
ginning Thursday of this week with a
matinee on Saturday, at the Victory
| theatre, Dayton, Ohio.
/ After having scored a very great
success which kept it for two years at
! the Astor theatre, New York, it was
| shown at Boston, Philadelphia and
Chicago, where the comedy was &c
! ceived with the greatest favor.
| East Is West" is by Samuel Ship
man, who was responsible for an
other much talked of play, Friendly
! Enemies; and John B. Hymer, and
| is a comedy of American and Chinese
! life. with scenes laid in these two
countries. 1t opens with prologue,
| showing a "Love-Boat" on the Yang
| tse river in China where the unneccs-
sary daughters of the poorer class are
| sold to the highest bidder. From that
remote point one is carried to the
! Chinese quarter of San Francisco. and
| the exclusive Mob Hill section of tho
Golden Gate city.
Creates Character. E. -.
| Miss Banter, as Ming Toy, the little
| Chinese maiden, has created charaC-
ter which will long live in the memory
of playgoers. 1t is appealing and wins
the sympathy of all who have seen
| her; in fact, her Characterization has
placed Fay BANTER as one of the fore
most players of the day.
| Any analysis of the play resolves
itself into an analysis of the art OF
Miss BANTER For though the theme
itself is .just"such a combination of
Oriental atmosphere and Occidental
vigor as appeals to the great Ameri-
can heart, and the setting is said to
be carried out with eXactness OF detail
it is little Ming Toy who is the life
and heart of the action. The calm
celestial sky seems to form a back
ground only for her winsomeness; the
white mans God takes on a new
efficacy in the light of her naive faith
Mr.. Harris has surrounded Miss
Banter with an unusual supporting
company, including Ralph Locke
Frederick Howard, William Tenny
son. Albert Berg, Robert Harrison