Judge — July 19, 1930 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE ACRE © GEORGE JEAN NAGIHAN id cal year recently ended. Both “It’s | day in the police court. But, what » a Wise Child,” the Belasco gold-mine, with the satiety of the present audi in the theatre by showing the pub- and “Many a Slip” cracked low jokes — ences, it didn't create so much as a lic a man being elaborately prepared for two and a half hours on obstetrics; faint stir. Nor did some of the for the electric chair, God in the per- half a dozen years ago the cops would — rough stuff in “Half-Gods” and “Red son of a coon pastor or a hollow-faced e descended upon the theatres and Rust”. It isn’t enough to bang an actor dressed up as Death, you'd d everybody out by the neck. audience on the nose these days; r, five years ago, anyone had s that you could make a lot of mo ' probably have put hint down as sim- Strictly Dishonorable” a young — you've got to break the nose st muss | ply a dramatic critic who was trying girl was disrobed by a man, osten- up a couple of ears into the in. to make a name for himself by s sibly to no good purpose; some yea If the fellow we were spe ine about f } something absurdly different or somne- ago Blanche Bates, in “Naughty in the first paragraph had said a few | body that a couple of fellows in blue — thony,” took off her stockings seasons back that there was wampum } H uniforms were looking for. But things — raised an indignant moral riot. / in a play of which Death was the | have changed so in the meantime that | when, a short time before, Sadie Mar- leading character. he would have been | today you'd tap your head signifi tinot stood back of a tall screen in taken by the pants and thrown out of cantly only if the same person were to. “The Turtle” and threw her waist’ the meeting; yet “Death Takes a say you could make a lot of money over it, the guardians of our tastes — Holi has not only drawn the the- in the theatre by putting on some- were seized with moral choler atre crowds, as I have noted, but is ‘ thing much more usual. bus. “Rope’s End” exhibited a ¢ even to be done as a talkie! “The That audiences have turned somer- body in a chest downstage from its Unsophisticates” and “I. tle Orchid saults on themselves and are no more _ first curtain to its last, and the audi- Annie”, which were merely dir like the audiences of some years ago ences licked their chops. In “The Big weren't half dirty enough to draw any than white is like black (except per- Shot”, a girl was seen dressing he patronage. But the exhibit called haps in certain Harlem night-clubs) self after what might euphe- “Dishonored Lady”, in) which the is clearly apparent. If, five or six mistically Ned an affair of the heroine had what might again euphe- years ago one had contended that heart, in a gent’s boudoir. One of the — misti be called an affair of the there was a pile of the wherewithal chief scenes in “Among the Married” heart with a cheap wop just after she in a play that would run from five — can’t be described in this uplift paper. had become en o'clock in the afternoon to ten min- One whole act of “The Silver Tassi utes after eleven at night or in one aid in a hospital ward, that showed the audience a corpse zed soldiers rollin sitting upright for a couple of hours, ing in their beds. The he would assuredly have suffered a ness in “Cross Ro i razzberry of considerable volume. Yet — from complete realism by « rin B.C., was one of the smash hits of the this last season “Strange Interlude” the Actors’ Equity contracts which — season, was still running, “Subway Express” forbids actors and actresses doing too With decent liquor hard to get, the outran any other murder play, “The much work for producers. In “Love, mob is doubtless secking out the the- Green Pastures” got as high as fifteen Honor and Betray" there was a scene atre for its kick. Now and again, of | zed to another fellow packed them in, And “Flying High”, with its act laid in a doctor's office and ! nd groan- with dialogue hitherto reserved for seduction busi- laboratories devoted to a study of al- Js" was only saved betical phenomena other than dollars a seat, “Death Takes a Holi- that five years ago would have brought — course, something relative me will day" turned a tidy penny, and “The an attack on the Eltinge Theatre by get the money, but in the general run { Last Mile” did a pretty fine business. the Army, Navy and Air Force. of things you've evidently got to give Next year, if things keep going on Primer for Lovers” not so long ago the gang something pretty hot or in this way, the managers will prob- would have to have been served with a pret if you want to keep old ably reap a harvest on plays begin- Raines Law sandwich and customers — bogi That the pro- ning on Monday morning and ending would have had to go in by the Family — ducers are suffice! ly hep to the state on Thursday night, on others showing Entrance. Some of the wheezes of affairs is indicated in the plans they grandmothers committing adultery “Fifty Million Frenchmen”—to say have to get the public’s mazuma this with their paralytic uncles, and on nothing of the suggestion of the show's coming y One play announced still others in which operations for title—a few years ago were reserved for production has an act laid in a gallstones are performed in full view x parties and literary readings gala bawdy house. Another of the customers. r M run ‘ ingress. even longer than “Strange Interlude” Take a cool slant at the kind of like “The Amorous Both of these are to be put on by the ’ stuff the boys and girls have engaged Antic” had been offered six or seven same producing organization. There in the showhouses during the theatri- years ago, there would have been a big (Continued on page 27) 16 comicbooks.com