Judge — June 8, 1929 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE ins is the period of the year when apparently everybody goes in for producing plays but play have derived from the pers deplori producers. The established producers, when ¥ approaches, generally go back into their caves I late in August and, counti x up the gains they ticket speculators, content themselves in giving out articles for the Sund the existence of ticket sp yo par tlators. Their place is thereupon taken by an assortment of drip that issues from them. When the heaves into sight, these pseudo-producers m: be relied upon to stake their fortunes on on species of dra te Spring - usually of two Either they enter the market with a mystery play or with a sex fare; these species they seldom depart. ‘The less a I producer knows about the theatre the more he parently convinced that either a mystery pl ever bad, or a sex farce-comed comedy. From reful is ap- y, how however worse, will individuals whose familiarity with play production is nil, but who don’t let that deter them in the least. The result is a procession of productions that run the gamut from merely rotten to excessively rotten and that drive the play reviewers despairingly either to Europe or to the bottle. Among the persons who descend upon the theatre with productions at this time of the season are box- office treasurers who have saved up a few dollars, who have heard that the MM. Shubert and the M. Erlanger also started out on a shoestring, and who can see no reason why they, too, shouldn't horn in ona couple of easy millions by putting on plays—together with a corps of cheese sandwich impresarios, stock brokers, drug-store operators, press agents, ex-bill posters and second-rate actors who share the box-office boys’ hallucinations and in turn can see no reason why —with a little money—they can't soon also become William, Jed and Sam Harrises. That none of these gents possesses the slightest competence in the way of play production and not the slightest knowledge of what goes to constitute a good or even a popular play be pretty sure to bring him in the wampum. And so who hired the Cort Theatre was duly to be found wooing the public gold with the conventional dish of tripe in which suddenly doused lights. hands stealing around portitres and ade their ten thousandth appearance. By the time this gets into print several other such fellows. will doubtless haye displayed ide a sex farce-comedy or two, and will be scratching their heads wondering why they expected they would, and issuing laments that the talkies are to blame. ium delusions of play production grandeur are, bers of the theatrical gold, hire theatres to prove what they can do and soon thereafter are forced to hock their pants. Among the brethren who recentl of being a black Shube: rt or Erlanger was Mr. Mace Pinckard, a Harlem ar-splitting shrieks tical dishes, or maybe are not getting ric as not confined to such innocents of the When Spring is in the air, various mem- black race similarly dream d ms of entertained hopes — | iano-player, the scene of his doesn't seem to offer the | ust discouragement to any of the aforesaid gents, and they proceed with the <a or fireman. Such an exhibit as “The on view liant resolution of so many children playing Indian Jade God,” re ntly put t the Cort Theatre, is a sample of the kind of “The Jade Ged (Cort)—Flapdoodie, “ Is Hers” (Alvio)—The low- comp amie but the book and seore “Little Accident’ (Ambassador) — It remains one of the most entertaining comedies of the year. "The Love Dust” (Barrymore) Eubel meres picks ove unworthy of ber. “The Camel Through the Needie’s Exe™ (Guild)—Medicere Ceeebo-Slovak- ian sta! *denesy” (Bijoo)—It tries bard to be diverting and doren't succeed Theatre “Grand Street Follies” (Bootb)—This year the boys and girls have fallen down. “Hold Everything” (Broadburst}—One of the livelier song and dance sbows. “Fellow Thru” (48th Street)—The best of its kind in town. “Brothers” (48th Street) — Protean whangdoodle, “The Passion Play” (Hippotrome)— It needs the Freiburg beer to make it less berrsome. "The Pertect Alibi” (Hopkine)—Better than the usual detective divertimement. operations being the Belmont Theatre. Pinckard’s offering was a show called “Ps the celebrated snowball in hell stood a 1 chance compared with it. Brother Pinckard, may his soul rest in peace, evidently believed that all that (Continued on page 31) Digest “The Mew Moon” (Imperial) —Good voralists and a musical comedy above the average. “Lat Us Be Gay” (Lit comedy by Raebel Crothers. Pleasure Beund™ (Majestic)—You'll find some good wheeses and some nimble leg-work bere. “Journey's End (Miller)—Next to “What Price Glory?” the most meritorious of the plays of the late war. “Bird la Hand™ (Moroseo)—J_ Drink- water's comical evening e)—Droll “The Little Show" (Music Box) — Much better thas mazy big shows ‘““Weeepes” (New Amsterdam)—Eddie Cantor still pleasuring the trade “Street Scene” (Playbouse)—One of the seasoa's wortbier exhibits. (Plymouth)—Light pastime by Philip “nicer” (Royale) —Some laughs but little in the way of a play. “Chinese O'Neill” (Forrest)—See next week's insue. “Stepping Out” (Pulton)—Ditto. “A Might in Venice” (Shubert)—Ditto. comicbooks.com