Judge — November 10, 1928 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE rnovent I apologize for what may seem to be bad manners, I hate to think what “Three Cheers” would have been like if Fred Stone hadn't had that accident and had been able to play the lead in it. An ill wind may not have blown Mr. Stone much good, but it certainly fanned Charlie Dillingham something pretty. Driven to substitute Will Rogers for the incapacitated Stone, Charlie played in elegant luck, for what would otherwise have been a very dull show has now turned out to be one of the most thoroughly amusing ones in town. Rogers single-handed takes one of the poorest librettos ever written, a libretto with no more comedy in it than he Lady From the Se: sticks peremptorily into his back pants-pocket, m tures a whole evening of wheezes in its stead and converts the session into a rib-tickling affair. If Stone had been on the job in his stead, all that we shoul ave got in place of the present exc osity would have been the same old routine Y. MLC.A. flipflops, vaudeville hoofing humorous little squeaks—to say nothing of the lines concocted by Anne Caldwell and R. H. Burnside. Rogers’ informal drolleries send those lines scooting shamefacedly back into the wings. nose at them, zes the Caldwell-Burnside plot until it turns pale in the face, and converts the occasion into something eminently worth the money, A tooth- some .clown, this Wilhelm; an observation, true enough, that hardly comes under the head of news. Prof. Rogers is assisted, according to the lights in front of the Globe and the program, by Miss Dc Stone, daughter to the M. Fred. A very: profi dancer, the young lady unfortunately lacks perso appeal and further spoils the impression of her with a venerable cocksureness that is anything but in- gratiating. The show as a whole is nicely mounted, He fingers his Ny He shove By 7S) i GEORGE JEAN NATHAN LK | = + | o the last scene in particular being more than usually pictorial. The tunes are as familiar as so many 1915 phonograph records and the quality of the Ivrics may be appreciated from such titles as “Maybe This Is Love,” “Because You're Beautiful It’s Great To Be Alive” and “Putting On the Ritz. But no matter. Rogers holds the stage for a con- siderable part of the evening and the net result is what may be described ay eminently gala, Another salubrious laugh picnic is to be had with the 4-Marx Boys-t, in the show called ‘Animal Crackers,” on view at the Forty-fourth Street The- re. Two of these Marxes, the MM. Harpo and Groucho, are tasty drolls, as the world knows, and this season they disclose themselves to be in fine physical condition. They have been supplied with some appropriately funny stuff by the Drs. Kauf- man and Ryskind, and they get it over with the vir- tuosity for which they are celebrated. I bring them to your attention with a magnanimity that is ‘ex- ceeded only by my own pleasure at their antics. expression you observe on the faces sts these days is the result to be purchased at the Empire. Papa Ferenc has done himself anything but proud this time and for all Gilbert Miller's able crystal chan- deliers and expensive actors his play gives out the flopping sound of an embarrassingly dropped oyster. There are, of course, moments in the piece when the old Molnar wit and eye-wink are in mild evidence after all, such a fellow can't be bad for the whole distance—but there are innumerable more when dul ness flaps its wi What the Budapest playwright has tried to do is to take the old setting of “The Swan” and put into (Continued on page 31) Theatre be) —Will Rogers “The High Read’ ( Fulton)—Loastale's erting comedy, very well played. “Heavy Tratfic” (Miller)—Richman's comedy: it will amuse you “Straight Through the Door” (49th cet)—Mystery qaffle by the Rev junk melodrama by Prof. M “The K Gey” (Biltmore) the movies and their fauna. “Otympla” (E:mpire)—Motnars evenin old Erorytiing® (rosdburst) “The Froat Page’? (Times Syusre) This still stands ¢ evenings in the “Possession” (Booth) very dull, by Dr. Selwyn ‘Animal Crackers’* (44th Street)—The “The New Moen” (Imperial) —A Marx family in great trim. musical exhibit commended to. your “Bille” (Exlanger)—George M. Cohan Stteotion: fooling, with the belp of toelifters and 4 } i renders yoolelers La the Theatre Guild has ever sponsor ‘Litts Accident” (Morosco)—You'll eae welcome laughs here. por comedy, Digest ‘By Request” (Hudson)—The Nugents “Elmer the Great’ (Lyceam)—Mons. in nothing mue Lanner turna out some saueeful dialogue “The Command Pertermance” (Klaw) wry feeble play. iderably less. (Belmont) —See next ational) —Tearful —Dr. Hopkins ‘reeeding Small (Comely)—Same a Beck)—Despite my fend Ervine, damaour, “Jealousy” (Elliott)—And bere lackbirds"” (Eltinge)—One of the “Gods of Lightaing” (Little) —A play best song and dance shows in town, about the MM: Saceo and Vanzetti. To “Gentlemen of the Press™ (48th be reviewed. Strect)—Peeble attempt at a newspaper “The Final Balance” (Provincetown) — Play If my strength bolds out, TH also get _ “When Crummles Played” (Garrick) — around to this oe next week. Tiresome stuff jarnegan" (Longacre)—A pigsty “St tertude (Golden)—Still at view of Hollywood. the top « i as ss comicbooks.com