Life — January 9, 1913 — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

TIVE BURNS is the real hero in “The Argyle Case.” When he came on the stage at the first performance to take a curtain call, as advisory author and prototype of the principal character, it could be seen that there was not much physical resemblance to Detective Asche Kayton as portrayed by Mr. Robert Hilliard. This is not saying that they are not both beauti- ful men, only that they exhibit different types of pulchritude The literary authors of “The Argyle Case” are Harriet Ford and Mr. Harvey J. O'Higgins. Their contribution to the entertainment is a detective melodrama of the conven- tional kind, whose distinguishing feature is that in the brief time of one play's performance it introduces not only all the customary detective junk, but also all the modern improvements, including the reading of finger-prints and the use of the dictagraph. This last has been so thoroughly ad- vertised in connection with Detective Burns's celebrated cases that there is widespread public curiosity to see it in actual operation, and its use as a theatrical property is enough to insure the popular success of the play Mr. Hilliard is an entirely new and attractive type of de- tective, exemplifying both modern methods and romantic ten- dencies. In his case a policeman’s lot turns out to be a very happy one. The cast is large and good, Mr. Joseph Tuohy and Miss Selene Johnson especially distinguishing themselves, the former as the boss detective’s right hand man, and the latter by the revelation of unsuspected powers ia an emo- tional way ew es I “Years of Discretion” Frederick and Fanny Locke Hat- ton have given Mr. Belasco and the unusually good com- pany he has assembled some delightful comedy material for interpretation. Of course Mr. Belasco has staged the pic admirably bar the miraculous simultaneous blooming of the flowers of all the seasons in an out-of-door New sland garden, It may be well doubted that even Mr. Luther Bur- bank could not equal Mr. Belasco’s achievement of. having lilacs, wistaria, apples, hollyhocks, crimson ramblers, clematis and Canterbury bells all in luxuriant blossom in the same garden at the same moment. This feat of the imagination is atoned for by the usual careful staging shown throughout The company gives a delightful performance, recalling other days, when finish was considered a virtue superior to freshness. The assembling of thre Messrs. Lyn Ha close associa virility to th big and mature men like ding, Bruce McCrae and Herbert Keleey in in one cast ¢ delightfully contra ve a pronounced tone of performance ng with the “LI PE : well depicted femininity in the two widows of Effie Shannon and Alice Putnam. Of less importance, but done with equal finish, were the roles of Messrs. Robert MeWade, Jr, Grant Mitchell and E, M. Holland. The only character out of the picture was the French maid portrayed by Mabel Buny: very pretty girl, whose flippancy ground that Mr. Belasco, by a is excusable perhaps on the on of his sex, has never had opportunity to learn just how a lady's port herself. “Years of Discretion” is charming light entertainment, done in a way that brings joy to those of us who still ad- mire fine technique maid should com- “QTOP THIEF” is swift farce, employing for its subject thief motive which is just at present so popular «¢ writers for the stage. Mr. Carlyle Moore, the present author, takes the humorous side of the proposition and makes not only his thieves and his policemen, but all the other char- acters, provokers of rather rough-house fun. Mr. Richard Bennett and Mary Ryan are,the thieves who are at the bo tom of the complications, which arise from the mixing of their opera amo jons with kleptomaniac tendencies on the part of other characters. Dine well, have an indulgent spirit for improbabilities and you will find considerable fun in “Stop Thief.” ne HILDREN are canny going to please folk. Just when you think you are hem most they sce through your schemes and refuse to be pleased at all. It will be no fault, though, of the adults who have arranged it if the children don’t like the theatre builded for them atop of the Century. Certainly every effort has been made. THE LATEST RECORD TO BE USED IN CASE OF BURGLARS comicbooks.com