Judge, 1924-12-27 · page 10 of 35
Judge — December 27, 1924 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This is a *Judge* magazine page featuring theatrical humor and reviews from around 1912. **Top Section:** Two cartoon jokes about plays: 1. "My Girl" stars Marie Saxon and Harry Puck. The joke: Marie calls her leading man "a model young man"; Harry quips he's "an 1895 model"—meaning outdated or old-fashioned. 2. A vaudeville exchange where characters suggest going to Niagara Falls, then joke "Is that place still running?"—implying the tourist attraction is so old it might have closed. **Bottom Section:** Theater critic George Jean Nathan reviews "La Belle Fatima Belasco," adapted by Al Reeves Hopwood. Nathan sarcastically warns that while producer John Golden markets plays as family-friendly entertainment for "wives, sisters and sweethearts," Belasco's risqué "Harem" play is explicitly sexual ("loud stuff"). He mocks adapter Hopwood for adding crude American flourishes, saying Hopwood never minces words—he "calls a spade a bed spring" and stays for the consequences. The satire targets theatrical hypocrisy about morality while critiquing both dated entertainment and scandalous adaptations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Marie Saxon and Harry Puck in “My Girl” Marie—He’s a model young man, Harry—Yes, an 1895 model! Keith's Ryan— Falls. Let's go to Niagara Lee—Is that place still running? La Belle by George Jean Nathan Fatima Belasco HE Rey. Dr. John Golden gener- lly advertises his plays as being “for wives, sisters and swecthearts.” David Belasco’s lat- est offering, “The Harem: play for wives hearts. but one should be wise guy enough to see to it that the wife, sister or sweetheart one takes to it is some other fellow’s. For “The Harem” is, to put it softly, pretty loud stuff. What is more, its original Hungarian loudness has had a couple sisters of riveting machines added to it by the American adapter, the Mons. Al Reeves Hopwood. The Mons. Al Reeves Hopwood, as you know from past acquaintance, for a moment to call a spade a bed spring, and on this occasion he not only calls but stays to dinner. I have seen a lot of plays in my time never hesitates comicbooks.com