Judge — September 15, 1928 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

JU DGE vt has always been my contention that you can I judge the ‘quality of a play after its first cur- tain has been up for five minutes. The first five minutes of the Middlcton-Thomas comedy, “The Big Pond ¢ forth the following items: 1. a joke about the absence of regular bathing in] European countric: joke to the effect that the trouble Europe is that it is so full of fo consisting in the remark, “Sprechen Sie Deutsch? addressed to an Italian; 4. the calling of an Italian servant Carus 5. a scene in which the lowly nveyed his love to the rich heroine by recounting to h fable about a poor poet and a golden prince he fable, my chronole ollection not being all that it should be, may con- ceivably have made its appearance on the sixth min- ute, but, if it did, it only makes the argument stronger. There was nothing in the play after the first five minutes, indeed, that didn't live up to the initial plans itions, ‘The humor of th continued to be confined to whee: French telephone service, the mistaking of an sion to Raphael for a raffle, the mispronunciation of monsieur, such presumably droll sequences as O. K., 1. O. U., a stamped-upon sore foot and the rattling off of a long discourse in French, the auditor's inquiry, “What did he say?" and the re- joinder, “He said yes." The plot of the exhibit was no more original than the treatment accorded it, and lay in the stencil of transplanting an alien ina strs environment. At the very conclusion of their play the authors belatedly tried to inject a little juice into hero timidly ¢ SS. pal ree nd specifi dumfound: GEORGE JEAN NATHAN JUD GING ee SINOW & | By but this was certainly points, indeed, notably ond act, their manuse fully so. The hand sure Morosco, the same sort. expression with an oath on rep effemi one of their off days. toward the end of their see- ipt was not merely bad, to be for the dullness of the evening, on the other , did nothing to alleviate it. intanp Mack, though a playwright versed. in ways of the popu to have mastered the trick of s. say in a certain scene or situation up. Once he lays hold of he permits his liking to grow into love, and fondles it that it becomes toph lapses upon itself with a loud burlesque el: stead of writing an episode simply for what it is, he declines to let go of it and e! its potential force evaporates. jar theatre, appears never ing what he has to and then shutting — | a situation that he likes, nd so caresses. aborates it until all This is evident once w at the ne after scene is so greatly expanded and overwritten that it turns upon itself itself a disconcertingly comical boot in the It is the same with Dr. writes a gallery line attesting to the heroism of Our Boys at the front, sure enough a few minutes later he seeks to pop the applause again with another of — | : tries for strength of achieves it, decides that the best way to keep it up is to keep ating the oath, As a consequence, his present play comes very near cussing i in in the instance of “Gang War,” nd gives rear. Mack's dialogue. If he n addition, elf into a state of ee | At but col In- | it by m: ing the girl marry the other fellow, but, as in the old smoking-car story, it was too late. Both Mr. corge Middl have on occasion written not without a tra on and Mr. A. E. Thomas As may be suspected from the play's title—if you ¢ quick at such things—the professor is this time 1 worked up over the condition of af in the “Gang War” (Moraeco)—Willand Mack has just beard that there are eunmen in Chicago. The news bas made « deep im rere pon hin, Pond” (Bijou) —All wet. jantry’” (I"lay house) —Senelair Lewis’ wolf turned into a rabbit by Patrick Kearney. “The Front Page” (Times Syuare)—A Lichly comical, low-cuming farce about “He Understeed Women’ (Belmont) — Amorous balderdash, “The Seng Weiter” (46th Street)— Sentimental ditto. “Relations” (Masque)—A very poor comedy of skill, (Continued on page 31) Theatre Guide “Vanities” (Carroll) —A lazy revue pe “*Bkding’* (Ba, “Ringuide” (Broadbarst)—Same bere riodically given turpentine by the MM consin or 82 Fiekls and Friseo. “The Bachelor Father” (Belasco)— One of List season's rayest farces. ott) —One of Laat wea con's best acte 1 “Gums” (Wallack's)—Yegg drivel “Gentiemsr of the Press” (Miller)— Subscribe for Judge now and make eure of next week's issue. “Caravan” (KI peatal in this case. “Scandals” (Apollo)—George White has put on better ehows than this one, although its comedy element is not bad, eation re Tom Howard and Dave Chasen are the — mas in Ziegfeld’s silks and satias. A good fetcbing clowas in this ove. hy lively and diverting play to see above all others. maical show, with s melodious Jerome Ni? 20d the eupposed corpse turns out to Kern score. tertainment to tickle the profesors ‘The Three Musketeers” (L.yric)—Du- “Good Mews” (46th bo 1 (Republic) —The humors av! Carolina pegro sacie:y resting drama. (Guild) —The Theatre Gail shew Beat” (ZiesteLiy =A satidying gthamet Ren Joawn with Dr. Zee je” (Golden) —The be quite lively. “Diamond Li" (Royale)—Mae Wee ner of the Bowery, in a m3, “Gein? Home” (Hudson) —Some int “Blackbirds” (Liberty)—A colored en- “Eva the Fitth” (Little) —See this page next week. esting material here. More anon. comicbooks.com