Life — October 28, 1915 — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

into the movies. They are clever persons and combine their own curious individu- alities and dancing abilities with the familiar possibilities of the movie camera into an amusing conglomerate which they call “ The Whirl of Life.” They do not hesitate to make fun of themselves and of the customary movie stunts, so that this particular film has an unusual satir cal value. PIPL OP LP LONG with the re- action against things sensational and sensationally advertised which is bound to come, if the American peo- ple have anything like the intelligence with which th credit themselves, plays like “ Quinney are likely to receive more consideration and better patronage than they achieve Oe il at present. It is an unpretentious little comedy of character, very British, but ap- parently true to an exceptional phase of life. The character studies are hung on an entertaining small chronicle of domes- tic romance, The principal part is that of a dealer in artistic furniture and bric- a-brac, which allows of some interesting drives at the secret practices of that trade, with which the author, Mr. H. A. Vachell, is evidently familiar. Joseph Quinney, the tradesman in question, is Portrayed by Mr. Frederick Ross in a way that might seem strongly exaggerated to those unacquainted with the curious Personalities to be encountered in the British lower middle classes. Mr. Ross chooses to endow Quinney with a dialect that makes many of his speeches more than Greek to American ears, but he also manages to get over to American under- standing the drawing of the character and much of its fun. The British conception of the two minor American characters is also funny, but they are not vastly im- 809 portant. The other impersonations, those of his browbeaten but plucky wife, his tricky brother-in-law, his charming daugh- ter and the living-in foreman and typist (English for the young person who type- writes), are excellently realized by the members of the imported company. T may be that there is a section of the theatre-going public that is tiring of the girl-and-music show with its monotonous rag-time accompaniment. If their brains have not been entirely obliter- ated they might find quite a little legiti mate amusement in “Quinneys’.” The piece may not be the very highest de- velopment of the art of the stage, but it is clean, it appeals to the better instincts, and it permits the spectator to go away with the consciousness that he has had an appeal made to his brain and sentiment instead of to his senses only. Metcalfe. Astor.—" Hit-the-Trail Holliday,” by Mr. George M. Cohan and others. Has fun with revival methods and the prohibition idea as exploited by Billy Sunday. Bandbox.—The Washington Square Players. Four playlets done artistically by a co-opera- tive society of young semi-amateurs. Belasco— The Boomerang,” by Messrs. Winchell Smith and Victor’ Mapes. The humors of medical practice exploited in very well acted and staged farcical comedy. Booth —Mr. E. H. Sothern in “The Two Virtues.” by Alfred Sutro. Mr. Sothern in his best estate as the hero of a trifling but witty comedy. Candler.—* The House of Glass.” by Max Marcin. “Interesting and well-acted drama binging on persistent memory of the police authorities with regard to the identity of criminals. Casino.—" The Blue Paradise.” Comic operetia of the Viennese type, cléverer and more tuneful than usual. Century. — Mr. Ned Wayburn’s “ Town Topics.” Girland-music show on a big scale and staged with taste and expertness. Comedy.—Rita Jolivet in comedy later. Notice Cort.— The Princess Pat.” by Messrs. Victor Herbert and Henry Biossom. Comic operetta, American in scene and origin. Musicianly and diverting Eltinge.—Closed. Empire-—Mr. William Gillette reappearing in his former successes. Forty-fourth Street-—German war pictures. Forty-eighth Street.—Closed. Fulton.—" Sherman Was Right.” by Frank Mandel. Notice later. Gaiety.—" Young America." The recip- rocal affection of a boy and his dog made the principal feature of a sketchy but amusing little comedy. Globe.—" Chin-Chin.” Diverting and well: staged musical extravaganza with the fun of Messrs. Montgomery and Stone. Horris.— Rolling Stones.” Comedy drama based on the adventures of two young men who turn from vagabondage to business suc: cess. Hippodrome, —“ Hip-Hip-Hooray.” Gor: geous spectacle and ballet on a large scale and with expert exhibition of ice skating Hudson.—" Under Fire." Drama of the present war with effective scenic episodes realistically drawn from hospital and trench. Knickerbocker.—Varied bill of picture plays with well-known actors in star parts. Liberty.—" The Birth of a Nation.” Con. tinued presentation of picture drama with im pressive scenes based on the history of the closing days of the Civil War, the reconstruc tion period and the terrorism of the Ku Klux Klan. Little. —Closed. Longecre.—" The Girl Who Smiles.” En- tertaining comic operetta. well done and tune ful in a reminiscent way Lyceum,.—Ethel Barrymore in a dramatiza- tion of some'of the Edna Ferber episodes in life. of a business woman under the title Our Mrs. McChesney.” Notice later. Lyrie.—" Abe and Mawruss.” by Montague Glass and Roi Cooper Megrue. Notice later. Manketten Opera House.—German war pic- tures. Marine Eltiott’ erick Harrison. Playhou: Grace, George in Langdon Mitchell's“ The New York Idea.” A delight ful and witty company, well acted by a tal- ented star and competent cast. Princess.—Mr. George Nash in “ The Mark of the Beast.” by Georgia Earle and Fannie Cannon, Notice later. Punch and Judy.—Closed. Republic.—* Common Clay,” by Mr. Cleves Kinkead. ‘ry well acted drama of the in justice of the law of the sexes, with Jane Cowl, Messrs. John Mason and Russ Whytall in congenial rdles. Shubert.— Alone at Last. Thirty-ninth Street—" The Unchastened Woman,” by Mr. Louis Anspacher. Well-acted but extremely artificial depiction of American life as it isn't. Vitagraph.—" The Battle Cry of Peace.” Elaborate moving pictures set forth as an argument in behalf of greater preparedness in. America against. war. Some impressive episodes, but marred by the conventional methods of the movie producer. Winter Gardem—" The World of Pleas- ure.” See above. —"Quinneys’." by Fred See above. Notice later. PIETER GB PIG RHEGE SG GH PF IRRSRN-