The New York herald., 1922-09-20
Again Small Town
Virtue Triumphs
in IT'S a Boyr
Sequel to six Cylinder Love-
Brings Laughs at the
Harris.
ny LAWRENCE REAMER.


II seems that william Anthony Nc
CURE is still preoccupied with the newly
weds He proved this again at the Harris
Theater last night in Its Boy" The
new comedy in three acts and prologue,
is in the vein OF its immensely success
ful predecessor six Cylinder Love-"
which took up a year Of New York's
spare time. Just as the raptures OF
matrimony and It's pitfalls during its
early years were disclosed in this play,
so were they again revealed when The
effects of marriage are somewhat more
deeply marked on its contracting parties
1t was a motor car, If memory serves,
which varied The marital existence OF
the first young couple that Mr.. MCGUIRE
immortalzed in the American theater
Last night 1t was a baby.
After a subdued prologue. the young
persons were seen in their happy home
at Carbondale, Pa. Then the serpent
entered in the persons OF three wealthy
New Workers., who stopped there ON a
motoring trip. Thus iG the Mammon of
Unrighteousness transported now in the
theater-always in a motor. Even the
ceremony of baptizing her first child
hung so heavily on the time of the
young mother that she prefers to chat
with a woman who turns out to be no
better than she might be. But she is
from New York.
Act two finds all hands there. Has
not the proprietor OF the store brought
on the local Woolworth at salary OF
$4,000 year?
As the Playwrights See 1t.
Then follows an act of life in New
York--apartment hotel kind as the play
wright sees it, They are indulging In
&I,, 81 ,f etc
this season. After while New Workers
will have as much right to protest
against its piaywrights as the French
nation, which does not, after all. pass
its waking hours as boulevard farce has
led the civilized universe TO believe
Nor are all New Workers. social gang
men dwelling in gaudy apartment hotels.
Is 1t possible the playwrights see no
other kind of life?
Baby still goo-goos in the second act
out less predominatingly. Granny nurses
him by means of the kitchenette, but
he has been heard to say daddy. Ma
ma is more interested in the diamond
bracelet which the tinerant jeweler
does not want to deliver until she has
paid up some back installments on other
decorations. Thus is the note of i'm
pending peril sounded. Realization
comes when the young husband is dis
missed after one year. Whether he made
good or not, is not matter of import
ance. The company wanted the sites oil
his stores in Carbondale and Scranton.
Thus came the transfer of the family TO
the metropolis
New York came poorly out OF the
comparison with the honest immigrants
from Carbondale. The wife of the can
tain of finance had after all no real
claim to that name. She acted. how
ever, as IL she really had title to the
chinchilla coat. 1t was the same OLD
story The village street-now Main
streets the path of virtue. The
city avenues are the primrose paths OF
dalliance. But there was home In view
when the play ended. The baby at least
did not have TO grow UP in a New York
apartment hotel even II 1t were equipped
with capacious kitchenette.
y From Old Tea Leaves.
Mr.. Mcclure seems to have thought
il possible to draw one more good brew
from the old tea leaves. May be he was
successful. The audience applauded
rapturously. It laughed, which was
more important. sam II. Harris had
presented the play quite impeccably.
There was nothing in the world the
ratter with the cream and sugar he
provided Robert Ames with his intent
look. his irresistible smile and his boy
ish naturalness made the young father
source of constant delight. Miss
Jean Adar was a humanity pathetic
grandmother and Miss Hortense Alden
gave vivacious study of fiapper who
also had her share or metropolitan life.
Charles Lawrence, that highly sympa-
thetic young A. +. +. comedian who
took his honors first in the famous Con-
servatoire de Mile. Elsie Janis. gave an
unctuously comic sketch of a small
tcwn youth.
The actors were all good and so was
the manner of their direction by the
experienced Sam Forrest Joseph Kill
Eour suggested strongly the apopectic
bnunder OF business and Miss Mellicent
Hanley as his companion added a pun
gent Whit of the gutter to the second
act. But 1t all took place in an apart
ment hotel OF the dramatists imagina-
tion. IL was all only theater. May be
-. an1fanra InyaI ~ ~o tr,,,rt ;