Evening star., 1928-03-27
NATIONAL THEATER.~-"The
Nineteenth Hole"


1t seems unusually cruel that man
With good goif stroke should be
forced 10 so through the contortions
Of duffer on the stage and show
himself as something he is not, Frank
Craven, however. is unable 10 disguise
his meticulouSly trained golf swing and
his more carefully grooved comedy IN
The Nineteenth Hole" which he
brought 20 the National last night, just
as the golf colony Of Washington is
shaking of its Winter lethargy and
thinking Of green fairways and missed
puts and crashing tee shots. Craven
wrote the play and has found in II
the soul of the golf germ, even though
he dedicateS il 10 Grantland Rice.
whose fine Italian hand runs through
the theme
He may foozle a tee shot out in the
great open spaces. his puts may not
al find the bottom Of the cup, But
he doesn't miss stroke in the show,
which opened at the National last
night, and Craven lets no opportunity
80 70 bring out The queer Quirks Of
the game and the abandon Of its dew
oteeS. even 10 the point Of domestic
c3iS7lpti0n Good. clean comedy, The
Nineteenth Hole" and play that
affords Craven the opportunity TO do
we'll the thing he likes best TO do, He
struggles gloriouSly and successfully
with his Eolf complex, striving manfully
70 remain a duffer through the throeS
Of his noyltiate period.
Golf il seems is quite a game.
Around Il the kid Boots" Of two years
back was constructed. and now Frank
Craven, probably the best player Of the
sctoY-colferS. has cast himself in a role
which FITS him like q glove. He has
taken the atmosphere and the nomen-
clsture of the ancient Scottish sport
snd set 1t down on the boards of the
National with all the charm and grace
of one thoroughly converSant With the
twin roles az golfer and actor. Not a
chance Is lost TO grasp the utmost fun
making opportunities from the hun0r~
ols situations which arise In the do
meStic circle Of Vernon Westover Chase.
h0okworm. authority on stained glass
windows and embryo golfer The piece
deals with the vlcISSttudeS OF a writer
who has taken a Summer home IN
long Island colony and finds himself
enmeslled IN q circle Of golf and golf
conversation somewhat TO the disgust
Of his wife and the embarrassment Of
his purse. Innocently enough he wan
iers on the golf course and tries his
hand at the game His doom is sealed
the moment he has struck his first tee
shot. Nothing remains but that he
must Join the golf club. he who didn't
know what 8 set-up is. or the violent
possibilities Of q toddy.
Thenceforth he is a golfer and Moth
trg else. His writing goes by the board.
notwithstanding the insistence Of his
wife that he conclude a treatise on
stained glass windows. He becomes in
volved in q game with the choleric
chairman Of the green's committee,
somewhat TO his financial embarrasS-
nenr and moves on 70 the great match
on which more than the mere financial
issue is involved. He does not win the
match through q maguanimity which
breaks the rules Of match play. but he
wins the respect Of his fellow members
and greater than all the other half Of
the Chase domestic circle begins to
show an interest in the game. Dorothy
Blackburn is the typical wife Of the
Eolf-mad husband. and Kitty Kelly Is
the fiappar golfer who trounces the
men Of the club at their own game.