Judge — December 3, 1927 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE eV GANG we S ueRE is no doubt in the world that all the bad no- tices that critics give actors are inspired simply by env Mr. Lionel Atwill, for in- Compare his life with t of the average critic. Mr. Atwill is certainly a fellow that any critic in his right senses would be glad to change places with, and throw in an extra pair of pants to boot. Consider the way he earns a living. Does he, like the critic, have to spend his time looking at Mr. Atwill and being called a blockhead, a jack- ass and worse for having to ad- mit that the spectacle does not completely enchant him? He does not. All that he has to do is hugely to enjoy being Mr. At- will and the mazuma is his. But that is not all. Mr. At- will is being paid handsomely as I write this for parading around the platform in the Masque Theatre in a devastatingly re- cherché uniform that Perey Ham- mond would wear for absolutely nothing. In addition, he is be- ing financially rewarded, while thus pleasurably beautified, for allowing a lot of hired actors to bow before him and call him “Your Majesty,” for permitting a stageful of his fellow human beings to comment from time to time, not without considerable awe, upon his high wisdom and sagacity, for having fair aphro- disiacal ladies assure him that he is very hot stuff, and for appear- ing in a scene wherein, single- handed, he routs some two or three hundred murderous sol- diers. Is it any wonder, there- fore, that the poor fellow is ridi- culed by a lot of scurvy review- ers condemned to mean and sor- did lives? It surely is not. So HON Spellbound’ (Carroll)—Trashy stuff, with a bad rmance by Pauline Lord New York" (Mansfield) —Even trashier. The Marquise’’ (Biltmore)—A ladyfinger by Noel Coward, with Billie Burke. (Bijou) —Melodra tists and Models" (Winter G: pe atic claptrap. n)—Amusing revue The King Can Do No Wrong’ (Masque)— A very sour one. “A” Midsummer Night's Dream'* (Century)— Reinbardt's admirable production. 1 warmly commend it to your noti Escape"” (Booth) ment. “Behold This Dreamer"* (Cort)—JUDGE JR says he admires it highly, thus confirming my ‘worst suspicions. “The Wicked A ge"*(Daly's)—I suppose that he'd go crazy over this one ton, “Coquette’’ (Elliott)—One of the worth-while things in town. An expert production, “Interferenes"* (Esupite)—A walk-up melodrama in Hawes and Curtis clothes, “Good Neva’ (46th St.)—The gayest tune show in New York. “Women Go On Foreeer"* (Forrest)—Amo, amas, amat, all over the place. “Dracula” (Fu'ton)—Blood-sucker melodrama of ancient hue. “*Porgy’’ (Republic) —Well-staged picture of the life and loves of South Carolina colored society. “The Doctor's Dilemma’’ (Guild)—Shaw is still collecting on this entertaining manuseript. “Four Walls” (Golden)—Yiddo-American gun- man psychology. Dull. “The Ivory Door" (Hopkins)—Amateurish fan- tasy by A. A. Milne, amateurishly produced. The Command to Love"* (Longacte)—This one immensely amusing when I saw it, but I isworthy in a weak mo- don't know what the District Attorney has since done to it. “The Taming of the Shrew"" (Garris peare up-to-date. )—Shake icy" (Casino) —Same here. “Follies'’ (New Amsterdam)—But certainly not here. See it. “Manhattan Mary'' (Apollo)—And Ed Wynn is worth the money in this one, “The Ladder” (Lyric)—""The worst is yet to come" no longer means anything. “The Shannons'’ (Beck)—Pretty bad, but ionally funn “The Baby Cyclone’ (Miller)—A farce to divert you | © "The Nineteenth Hole” (Cohan)—Golf—if you can stand hearing it talked about for two hours. “The Trial of Mary Dugan"’ (National)—A good melodrama “‘Nightatick"" (Selwyn)—Another, not 0 good, but with three lively situations. *The Letter" (Morosco)—Passionate_piffle by Maugham with Katharine Cornell making expert noises. ““Broadiay"’ (Broadhurst)—The melodramatic trump card. “*Burlesque'* (Plymouth)—Some fair ¢pots en- mmerstein)—Arthur Ham- merctein's latest operetta production. To be wed next week Funny Face" (Alvin)—The return of the Astairs. Ditto. And So to Bed’* (Shubert)—Periodically arus- ing despite Wallace Eddinger in the role of Samuel Pepys. Connecticut Yankee’ (Vanderbilt)—Very good jazz and a poor libretto. “Take My Adrice’’ (Belmont) — Very poor comedy. he Merry Malones'’ (Erlanger)—George M. Cohan and a -peedy show “The Fite O'clock Girl" (44th St.)—Some laughs and some nimble footwork. “Repertoire” (14th $ jitney Comedie Francaise * Her Fir Affaire” (Bayes)—Drivel. The Spider’” (Music Box)—Last season's di- verting mystery holdover. “The Racket” (Ambassador)—A melodrama, to be reviewed next we “Take the Air” (\ mented upon next weel dorf}—Also to be com- ss you will know just where to place one of them like myself when I write that Mr. Atwill impresses me as just another absurd ham. The M. Atwill’s latest ap- pearance, all too briefly touched on above, is in a regal melodrama entitled, “The King Can Do No Wrong.” It is one of those highly majestic and dog affairs in which an excessively tony lackey enjoins an equally tony confrére: “Do not give no signal that will betray nothing!” At least, that was the injunction on the perhaps night nervous opening It is all very dreadful rubbish, but Mr. Atwill certainly enjoys it and I'll bet a dollar that he gets more for enjoying it than I do for saying here that I don’ II Disssstse two other recently produced melodramas, “New York” and “Tia Juana,” as equally deplorable, we come to “Spellbound,” the work of an Snglish actor named Vosper. This “Spellbound” is_ still an- other melodrama, founded on the Bywaters-Thompson murder case that a few years ago took Lon- don’s mind temporarily off Turner and Layton, and while it is very little better than any of the three mellers mentioned, it may call for a word or two, though for what sound reason I am blessed if I know. Perhaps beeause Miss Pauline Lord is starred in it and because one might expect the lady to have better judgment. The play is a gimerack that tries to be very psychological and ends up by be- ing simply superficial and Hal Reid. Miss Lord. one of the darlings of the local reviewing gentry, the cold-hearted Dr. von ( Continued on page 26) comicbooks.com