Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22
New York Stage Offerings
By Percy Hammond.

! rather a tough time of it holding his
job supply plenty of robust fun, while
| the conventional musical comedy young
| lovers are handled by Jack Whiting and
| Harriette Lake as two youngsters who
have hitch-hiked all the way from st.
Paul to Hollywood to break into the
movies. Then there Is also the sapguine
Miss Jeanne ALBERT in the role of the
imported French star.
Miss Lake, who takes the name part,
is comparative newcomer who halls
from the Far Northwest, and but for
bit in the recent Smiles" is unknown
to Broadway. She is pleasantly healthy
and unmannered, with a jolly smile,
an agreeable little voice and general
freshness which goes long way. Mr..
Whiting, as her partner, is his usual
clean-cut self. To them, naturally, go
the two songs that are likely to be
whistled or danced tot the wistful
"Well Be the Same" and the livelier
but no less taking ''Pve Got Five
Dollars"
The Tennessee mountain trio Of
croonerS are also nice, real-looking girls,
with style of their own. which con-
sists in singing 'close" harmony while
all are-after the fashion of some of
the blues" singers favored nowadays
at the same time singing fiat. It is a
fascination.
All in all, a satisfactory show with
no great inSiStence on dirt, some pleas
ant music and Mr.. Harris lyrics nearly
always worth listening to.
X \ x X
Drank MERLIN'S Hobo" was one
L of those Inflated pieces which seem
to deserve more than they get-a piece
Of which all sorts of critical things
could and had to be said, and yet which
had so much that was crisp and enter
tanning in it that even those compelled
to report its faults wished that its
hackers had felt able to nurse it along
until more of the public had heard
of it.
Its hero, capitally played by Paul
Kelly, was a young herman of a hobo
whom nothing could tame. Properly
speaking, st. Louis Blackie wasn't a
hobo. At any rate he wouldn't bend
his neck to- any mans label, not even
self with at the beginning of the play.
He wants to walk by his wild lone, like
Kipling's cat.
He thinks he could get to the top
in almost anything he might choose to
try, with any decent lot of breaks"
but ne just can't see any reason why
he should work. There are possibilities
IN blacKle S philosophy, or agnoSticiSm,
for the boy has courage, strength,
humor and the makings as he himself
surmises, of pretty much anything.
But it can't be said that Mr.. Merlin
ever got anywhere with his young man,
not even TO the point of a definite
negatton of societyS usual compulsions.
We simply saw him hurtled through
a lot OF scenes, with much rather weari-
ness shifting OF stage sets, and then,
at the end, after he had broken out
Of jail, he was left in lone command
OF the freight car from which he had
just tossed yellow side-kick, riding
on into the night.
There was a good deal that was
promising in the piece-bits of slangy
give and take, st. Louis Blackies i'm
perturbable confidence in himself, the
swift and often humorous way in which
he bluffs or strong-arms his way out
Of jam. But what Blackie wanted
Or was driving at, and more particularly
what Mr.. Merlin himself was driving
It, didn't appear.