Evening star., 1926-10-03

any Conscientious thought must
approach even transient and
momentarily responsible dis
cusslon OF the theater. The stage
has leaped from the position of hu-
mility 10 which wartime conditions
reduced IT into a social and inter
national influence.
The native American theater.
which once produced works worthy
TO rank with the highest efforts Of
English speaking genius, has aban-
doned all literary standards, and the
enthusiastic amateur is content to
rest his glories on a technical abil-
ity TO reflect something from Shaw
or Galsworthy. A popular success
by an European author is greeted
with reverential acclaim. A popular
success by an American writer is
superelliously regarded by the mid
die men who vend foreign wares
only as '>small-town" material. to be
rated with Main Street" quite
apart from "L'Avcnue de LOpera'
and its ramifcations.
Now and then the American the
ater speaks with a strong voice.
But it is lost in the hubbub. Eng
land deluges the stage with lite
rary hnesse III amplifying trivial
topic. France overMhelms us with
lights. costumlng and new designs III
daring display. Germany sends us
ponderous interpretations OF Wag-
merriam harmony. Italy grinds out
the dear cd arias with a sweet per
sistence that conQuers criticism, and
Russia. reduced in national finance,
staggers the imagination by its eX-
travagant opulence i'll everything
pertaining TO the mimic scene. The
European artists have become like
groups OF children singing, dancing
and reoiting with joyous willingness
in the hope OF being rewarded by a
deluge of bright American dimes.
In generous and proper welcome Of
everything good from abroad. Amer
ioa has perhaps gone too far in per
mitting the assumption that its OWL
resources are limited 10 the produC-
ton OF tales OF the underworld,
Charleston ensembles and laborlouS-
ly reconstructed tunes from obvious
sources
Yet the native spirit asserts it
self "Ben-Hur" is resurrected in
the films What Price Glory" fas-
cinates the imagination, though it
shocks the ear. And George kauff-
man tells another of his stories
which dispense with conspicuous eff
forts OF exotic imitation. Kaufman
has proved favortc interpreter OF
the eccentricitieS of our own time
and has managed with more satisfac-
tory results IN redscovering the trail
blazed long ago by Charles Hoyt as
an American sat!rist.
AS Hoyt aimed his shafts Of wit
deftly, SO that they might never
leave a ranking wound, so kautt-
man, with the able collaboration OF
Mr.. Herman t. MankIe wicz, proceeds
to take up a general human trait for
purpose % cariCature. The love OF
soldering was ne~riiy handled by
Hoyt in ~ Milk White Flag" "A
Texas Steer" limited broadly at some
empty vanitieS i'll political success,
and among many other laughing rel
erences TO current themes. "A Tenn
perance Town" attacked with fear
less vigor what was regarded as an
impractical theory of prohibition.
X *
1t is the human propensity for
Joining that is aSSailed Mlth gem
erous humor in the Kaufman Man
kicwicz comedy. 1t contains innu-
merable laughs. and yet leaves the
feeling that the topic was allowed to
rest long before all its mirthtul pos
sibilities had been realized 1t is not
abrupt farce, and it is far from being
high comedy. The term invented by
Hoyt for his own plays may be ap-
propriately revived for this, farce
comedy" 1t is not entirely one thing
or the other. yet a large amount OF
both.
~The Good Fellow refrains from
satirizing institutions, but concen-
trates on the human type; the prom
inent citizen OF Wilkes Barre, Pa,
who seizes on the Joining in.
clination as his particular style OF
fsnaticislu. The title role, played by
lohn L. Hazard, comes pretty near
being the entire performance.
II looks as if Fay BANTER had
found in First Love" possibilities
Of the best success She has had since
East Is West" 1t has new kind
Of suspense in compelling the audi
ence 70 wonder, through all entire
first act. whether ii will be possible
to make il full evenings entertain
ment. Il builds from a very ordi-
nary theme OF interest, one which
must have the benefit Of toleration
for Latin Quarter morals, as had
"Trilby" and Murger's la Bo-
heme."