The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-02-04

TONIGHT At ..
son. Strange world!' comments
the old master. And, let me
tell you, Holbrook Blinn's mother
had the most beautiful red hair
ever saw in my life."
Along comes the supremeIy
noble Judith Anderson. She dis
sects her cordial greeting by
bursting into song, preliminary
to her first entry. She sings
that song, too; nobody else.
And Ruth Dayton, who plays
the part Of the consumptive cafe
habitue.
There's one Of the worlds
best newspaper women and z
born actress" says Belasco. And
then / hear Ruth's story.
Ruth saved Bill Harris reputa.
ton when he was blaciEmailed aa
the father, Of an unfortunate
girls illegitimAte baby. She
saved it BY extracting an excltI-
sive confession from the girl and
! exploding the frame-iip. A beau
tiful brooch, inscribed by Hart, ID
part of the unseen properties in
this play.
In q rather hurried review yes
terday neglected to mention
Miss Dayton's nice acting In the
cafe scene and, later, as the. coIl-
| fidante of the Dove. Repentance
is hereby expressed, and she can
clip this out and wear 1t along
side Bill Harris brooch.
The lady who losses herself on
| the PROSTATE body Of the once
belligerent greaser, is Beatrice
lanyard, fourth ana last wife
OF Willard Mack, the author.
Miss lanyard is d quite vivacious
creature who paid no attention
whatever to me, though this Is.
| pardonable considering the ada
cent splendor OF Tunis Deans
magnificent topper and bouton-
| Mere.
The human atmosphere In q
Belasco production Is cross-graiued
with hidden talent. His "silent"
actors are more than super
L
spear bearer. All of them afe
people with fixed ambitions,
| definite talents, attaching them.
selves to the Belasco tutelage for
| the invaluahlet rewards they win
later get.
One feminine component Of the
| gambling room mob Is the wife
of a Metropolitan opera teEiO..
Another is writer In her own
right and the wife Of quite q
| prominent fictionist.
The dancer In the cafe scene
Of the first act is headed for ii
career as dance sOloist and prac-
| tees necessarily.
That Chinese comedian who
shoots dice and speaks but seven
lineso gets more week tilMn
many dramatic critics. incidental
ly, he Is one of q handful Of
Chinese actors on the American
stage,
1t required weeks to recruit the
Mexican and Indian actors.
Mr.. Belasco is not a rich man
though, as dean Of the producing
profession. he should be. He has
nothing but q studio In New
York. That, of course, Is a
show place but also a bauble con.
sidering the magnificent things
this man has given the Amer.
lean stage. ~
within recent seasons have
lost $550,00O," he said, putting
on plays that wanted to pro-
duce and which hoped the
public would like to Gee. In
Trace 1nSsnAnNrkf0,ra AM.oM
thought OF financial gain because
I was q fool.
"I have made attractions run
ming month after month to ca
pacity houses In New York with
not the slightest financial profit.
knew when I produced them
could not make a penny. The
expenses were too high.
my productions OF 'Deburau'
and The Merchant OF Venice
couldn't make q penny for me.
OF course have had failures,
also, in the sense that pro-
duced plays the public did not
want to see."
Mr.. Belasco IL making money
this year. '"The Harem" and
Ladies Of the Evening are both
smashing nlL9 on broddWay. AZ
see it, THE Dove" will CON-
plete the profitable trilogy.
What will become Of the
profits Of these successes?
I'm good for another, fifteen
years Che's sixty now and during
those fifteen years theren never
be any profit 1t will all 80 back
into moro productions" said Mr..
Belasco.
The Hawaiian string quartet
was strumming Follow the
Swallow" Bill Harrigan was
making love to the Dove behind
the footlights. Mr.. Belasco lent
ear to each and talked betimes
and when Judith Anderson sang
down the curtain I escaped from
the most pleasant interview Of
my career, as eleven stage hands
appeared with murder in their
eyes.
Anyone who has ever been hack
stage knows stage hands. They'd
walk over their own mothers
to place the property vase on
schedule.