The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-02-19
Theater Profanity :
Has a Real Value
| In Stage Writings
Best Swearing of the Season Saves
"The Dream Maker" From
The Storehouse.
B, EARLE DORSEY.

by DOhoEIs
~ NE Of the most poignant hIlarities Of ths
past week was the effort Of the critics
both professional and lsy-to stain and
~ isolate the germ OF drama that gave
poise. interest and frequent charm to the play
called The Dream Maker that william Gillette
brought to the National for six nights and the
usual matinees.
Having placed the opus under ether the corps
Of analysts were unanimous in agreeing that, TO
a thoroughly astonishing degree, The Dream
Maker lacked all the necessary dorsal and
trail constituents and yet despite its obvious lack
Of machinery and purpose, It frequently lived and
moved and had its being. Most Of the eminent
yivisectionists, confronted with the necessity OF
a press-time diagnosis. stated the facts and let
It 60 at that.
1t is my later opinion that "Th. Dream
Maker. achieved much OF its semblance OF vitality
from the incessant patter of profanity-some OF
IT almost classic-that showered from the dialogue
Of the chief Gillette characterization The
clerical school of dramatic criticism frowns
greatly the OF such material and viewed
from the standpoint of fine playwritng. pro-
family becomes mere trickery. 1t is simply
means toward effect and effects are always
secondary to thesis.
However IL was manifest that The Dream
Maker" greatly lacked thesis and the playwright
had enough that his, effects must
disguise this shortening. So he resorted to pro-
fanity-much and lurid profanity-and he reaPed
the reward his prescience deserved Instead Of
The Dream Maker" revealing its flaws IL rocked
with a rare, rich and racy profanity. Instead
Of admitting its manifest weaknesses Il swore
without ceasing its audience and sent them
home to tell the neighbors. The profanity, by
all odds. the best profanity heard this
Young pIayriohts should remember this Nerer
VIVID the righteous and their troxrs- ~ your play
lacks theme and Is devoid Of boss Use lots Of CESS
cords and tOdit for the royalties TIE eussords ore
u Worceste7shtre flavor aHd lend that hdr-oH-
theohest atmosphere. CBss Iosd AND long and The
rsoht-thinkeTe tciH retcurd voI!
TT in Downright unfortunate that the late
Smile week" came and went without the
compilation of some symposiurn that would
= contain the expressions OF the nations not
abIes on that epic interval. Purely for
ment compiled q private list from the news OF
the day. but It was done half hesrtedly and is
woefully incomplete 1t contains, in fact but
three expressions. to-wit: Those Of Woodrow
Wilson, Arthur Brisbane and George Jean Nathan,
the drama critic
Mr.. Wilson's statement. on being asked to
smile in print, was: 81 can imagine nothing
more silly" or words that effect
Mr.. Brisbane, WITH his flair for the trench
ant remarked in Sen "a we
it's impossible TO tn r.g' 2
Mr.. Nathan wiz unsceusSoEssd seEIogsrrtst
held that the smiIe = sristocrst; ,hs lalgn
is a peasant"
Thus ends the sligo couper 4.4Ea O. u.ousht
and speech 1 personally corrected the 'gcssto1
of Smile Week" but by good fortune
DR.. Nsthan's further remarks copiously aired in
a issue of Judge" can be reproduced
here with profit.
Although there is more Theatrical money
to be made Of laughter than out Of smiles,
this does not prove that laughter is superior ia
the smile any more than the fact that there is
money be made out of Don't Kiss Me
on the Nose Dearie; My Dog Has Spanish Blood
than out of 'SarSsaap pale proves that Berlin is
superior Berioz The smile is the
crat of dramatic literature; the laugh is the
peasant. The smile is child Of the intelligence:
the laugh is child OF the belly. Gentlemen
heir Wallets laugh Lord Chester
field. Christ smiled but did not laugh. We
know from the records that Caesar and Napoleon
smiled. but there is no record of their laughter
George Washington. it appears. smiled; many
Presidents since, laughed"
"oue laughs at Topsy. ,Charleys Aunt and Henry
Cabot Lodge much laughs at toho sits
upon a tack; but smiles at Tdrture, The Last
Night Of Don Juan' and Arthur BapoWr, much one
smiles something tcistfuI its superiority They
smile in DouHing Street; they laugh in the slEms.
sToDDARD TAYLOR, who now manages
the destinies of the Garrick, has been
forced to admit that theatrical condi-
As tions not altogether ideal in this
year of grace. 1922. though Mr. Taylor would
doubtless point to the fact that the latter part
of 1921 even worse when you come right
down it.
Having struggled through a trying and
burdensome array Of and near-drsma at
the Garrick since the season opened last Septem-
Der. and having found his theAter. on several
occasions, devoid of any play ALL Mr.. Taylor
has conceived a remedial idea, which, in its
single manifestation thus far. is working to his
theaters and the publics joint advantage.
To come to the point, Mr.. Taylor enjoys a
wide acquaintance among dramatic impresario.
of the republic and he enjoys likewise a generous
prestige judge Of Washington and its
dramatic desires. Equipped with this standing
he has devoted himself to the business of going
bond among the impresarios for the proper recep-
ton OF their good plays here in Washington.
He has to partcularize, succeeded in con-
vincing William A Brady that Washington de-
sres and will probably patronize Mr.. Bradys
production of Galsworthys The Skin Game"
and Taylor has personally vouched for the fact
that THE skin Game" will show the proper
returns at the box office IL brought to the Dis
trict of Columbia for a week.
MIR. Brady, IL IL said, had not included
Washington in the original itinerary Of The