Judge — August 13, 1927 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE the only play that I lave taken a look at recently was “The Mating Season,’ which was so infernally awful that I decline to waste time describing it, I shall devote this space today to a supplement to he American Credo, covering certain of those articles of f: that form the basic theatrical philosophy of our es fellow-countrymen. Herewith, then, some of the cardinal doctrines of the Ameri- can theatergoer: 1, That Irving Berlin buys all the songs he publishes under his own name from struggling song writers who can’t get a hearing from the Song Writers’ Trust and who have to sell their entire rights to the songs, including silence about the deal, for $50 apiece. 2. T all the gents seen seated at the round table at the Algonquin Hotel in New York re celebrated, and that they constitute a powerful and malign organization of —backscratchers who make it: impossible for any one they don’t like to succeed in the theater or in newspaper or literary work. That it is so hard for trical managers to give away ses for a flop that the attrac tion in question frequently plays to a house containing not more than half a dozen people. 4. That all the costumes in Ziegfeld’s shows are made of the most expensive materials pro- curable, and that they cost as much as $1,000 apiece. That stock company train- ing, however bad the stock com- is an excellent thing for an That a society woman who takes up acting can never play the réle of a ty woman on NG he & The Spider” (Music Box)—Entertaining tery meller that makes the audience part of the show ‘Saturday's Children" (Booth)—Intelligent and written American comedy on matrimony, ably Kias Me” (Lyrie)- “The Mating Season (Selwyn)—Terrible. The Second Man" (Gi - amus- ng ‘Rang Tang” (Royale)—Periodically stimulat- ing colored show that unfortunately tries to black up Ziegfeld. ‘Africana’ (Daly's) —No Ziegfeld imitation here; Harlem au naturdl “Padlocks of 1927" (Shubert)—Texas should serve liquor with this one. if you are sober. “The Circus Princess” (Winter lively and comical musie show, with some engaging tune Rio Rita’ (Ziegfeld)—There is more for the sye in this one than for the ear “Merry-Go-Round” (Klaw) — Some of the sketches are highly diverting, and Don Barclay is | a clever fellow. “The Squa'” (48th St.)—Elinor Glyn ina ish shawl. Drivel. Crime” (Times Square)—Cheap melodrama about crooks, with one good scene. 1 Night in Spain” (44th St.)—As tasty low comedy as you will find in town. “The Play's the Thing” (Miller)—A naughty little farce-comedy adroitly handled. * Broadway" (Broadhurst) —The pre-eminence of this melodrama has not yet bee lenged. *Peogy-Ann™ musical exhibit Vanderbilt) —Mildly “The Desert Song” (Casino)—You'll like the tunes even if the book saddens you. “Grand Street Follies” (Little)—This me some good laughs. * Hit the Deck" (Belasco)—An obvious s dance affair “The Ladder” prize. (Cort)—The winner of the booby “The Barker" (Biltmore)—Life among the ear- nival show folks, Fairly interesting. “Good News" (Am -ador)—For future re- “The Road to Rome’ (Playhouse)—Historical paraphrase that doesn't come off. “The Constant Wife" (Elliott)—Amusing com- edy on sex, adeptly performed. 2-Oop" (Carroll) —To be reviewed anon. For future review, if ever. | NOW Se the stage nearly so well as an actress whose mother was a washerwoman and whose a stree r conductor. That all the newspaper dramatic critics get together be- tween the acts on the opening night of a show and agree among themselves whether they will pan or boost it, and that any one of them will vote for giving the play a favorable review if the manager has sent him a bottle of Scotch or a box of cigars or if he has a crush on one of the actresses in the pla That a man who does not care for a second-rate piece of work, which ond-rate men admire, and who say i destructive critic and is j ing to show off how smart he is. 9. That many of the famous Broadway actors are hop-heads and that they never go on the stage without taking a hypodermic or getting a snootful of cocaine. 10. That it is remarkable when you stop to think that Owen Davis has, up to date, written 141 plays. 11. That amateur revues are always much wittier than the pro- fessional ones. 12. That an actress with a lot of sex appeal isn’t actually as good an actress as she persuades you she is father 13. That when a colored music show star calls on the audience to shout out what song it would like to have her sing, it is a wonderful coincidence that the musie of the particular song al- ways happens to be in place on the orchestra’s stands. That there is no girl in musical comedy today with half the pep of Lotta Faust. 15. That the trombone player in a theater orchestra always (Continued on page 2+) comicbooks.com