Judge — March 13, 1926 — page 17: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ING the o by Geonpe Jeam Nathan. LEVEN years ago, when Dr. E Anspacher’s “The Unchas- tened Woman” was first pro- duced, I could see utterly nothing in it and announced my findings in my customary bourgeois manner. Where- upon, inasmuch as my colleagues to a man voted it a superb masterpiece, I was, as is the wont, set down for a fellow intent upon attracting atten- tion to himself by affecting opinions contrary to those held by everybody else. It is therefore not without apar- donable relish that I now find myself reinstated in the Elks. The play, revived by the Stagers, has presently been seen to be exactly what a blind man could see it was eleven years ago, to wit, a tenth-rate sample of dramatic writing, and the news has been duly incorporated into the public prints. In view of which, I privilege myself the hope that, eleven years hence, I may be reinstated in the Moose for turning in to-day a minority opinion on “The Wisdom Tooth.” This effort on the part of the engaging and affable Marc Connelly has been unanimously hailed by my confréres as the true nonesuch. On the opening night, indeed, the enthus- iasm in the theater was so great that the cab starter and head waiter from the Algonquin Hotel, who had come in to revive the applause when it showed signs of letting down, ran across the street and in their joy sent a couple of boxes of.cigars to Gilbert Seldes. Yet there, like a ghost at the banquet, sat the ancient seidel of vinegar who reviews plays for JupGE, an expression on his features of offensive skepticism. For all that he could discern in what was going on on the stage was a play with a fine fantastic idea that only periodically— and then but for a moment or so— showed signs of realizing that idea in terms of drama. Connelly deserved ~ “The Great God Brown” (Greenwich)— O'Neill’s excellent drama. Highly recom- mended. “That Smith Boy” (Mayfair). Q., Jr." A sour one. Née “Don “The Wisdom Tooth” (Little)—Marc Con- nelly in Barrie’s whiskers. “Craig's Wife” (Morosco)—Interesting pic- ture of a certain species of married female. “Hedda Gabler” (Comedy)—Emily Stevens as the queen of the horse pistols. “The Makropoulos Secret” (Hopkins)—My | friend, H. T. Parker, of the Boston Transcript, thinks this is a fine play. The drinks are on him. “The Great Gatsby” (Ambassador)—Owen Davis turns Scott Fitzgerald into a good actor. “Bunk of 1926” (Heckscher)—To be re- viewed as soon as the taxi gets up to 104th street. “The Green Hat” (Broadhurst)—The bunk of 1926. “A Weak Woman" a girl & la Frangais. itz)—Two fellows and “The Shanghai Gesture” (Beck)—The critical gesture is thumb placed deftly to nose. “A Lady's Virtue” (Bijou)—What_ Every Young Girl of 1775 A. D. Should Have Known. “Alias the Deacon” (Hudson)—A corre- spondent writes in tocomplain of my curt dis- miissal of this one as fapdoodle. Flapdoodle. “The Butter and Eg Man” (Longacre)— Amusingly observant farce-comedy of Broad- way show business. “Easy Virtue” (Empire)—Jane Cowl to the rescue of Noel Coward. “Puppy Lore” (48th St.)—A weak little dingus. “The Unchastened Woman" (Princess)—See opposite. “The Student Prince” (Century)—Commend- able musical comedy with admirable singing chorus. “Young Woodley” (Belmont)—I suggest an evening with this sympathetic and understand- ing English comedy of schoolboy life. “Port o' London” (Daly’s)-Pretty bad. “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney” (Fulton)—Ina Claire as g tony crackswoman. “The Monkey Talks” (National)—Jacques Lerner's ‘monkey impersonation and Martha Bryan-Allen’s pretty legs. “Sunny” (New Amsterdam)—Large and lively dancing festival. “The Cocoanuts” (Lytic)—The Marx Follies. “The Right Age to Marry” (49th St.)—To be reviewed anon. “The Jay Walker” (Klaw)—Movie mush. “The Jest” (Plymouth)-rBasil Sidney in Joba Barrymore's réle of the erafty and venge- ul Wop. “Cradle Snatchers” (Music Box)—Comical stuff. “Trwelee Miles Out” (Playhouse)-Rum and rebellion: if the applause, it seemed, for his inten- tion but surely not for his accomplish- ment. And if, after eleven more years have duly passed, all the loudest hand-clappers do not agree with me, I shall be happy to present the M. Connelly, as a mark of humble apology, with the best dollar derby hat to be bought in the city of New York. “The Wisdom Tooth” is the tale of a rubber-stamp and timorous store clerk who trails after his imag- ination back over the path of his early life in an effort to find the brave lad that he once was and to gain from the youngster the courage to make a man of himself. This charming theme the playwright never quite catches up with; it is always a block ahead of him, tantalizing him with its loveliness and eluding his most strenuous efforts to get close to it. As for “The Unchastened Woman,” the revival of which was doubtless inspired by the success of “Craig's Wife,” we engage, as I have observed, a pretty sad affair. How any critic above the mental capacity of a dog- show judge could ever have detected any sound quality in it passeth the understanding. The only explana- tion I can imagine is that eleven years ago the Eighteenth Amendment wasn’t yet in force. In those day reviewers didn’t spend the entr’- actes, as at present, hanging dole- fully around the cold lobby dragging at Lucky Strikes and getting their feet stepped on, but in a warm and friendly barroom, one of which was certain to be not more than a stone’s throw from each theater. And, as a recent mot phrased it, all of them were on strict liquid diets, save for an occasional pretzel. It is there- fore likely that Dr. Anspacher w praised not so much for his play fot the artistic eminence of the bar- tender next door. (Continued on page 27) comicbooks.com