Life — November 17, 1927 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

Six of One, Etc. I" is a bit of a shock, under a title as impressive as “Behold This Dreamer,” to discover a satirical comie-strip such as Fulton Oursler and Aubrey Kennedy have written for Glenn Hunter. Without knowing a about George Kelly's forthcoming “Behold the groom,” we will bet that it is worthier of the biblical association. It is too bad that Mr. Oursler used it first There is a very nice idea behind “Behold This Dreamer” and every now and again it breaks through the net-work of gags and babbitt-baiting which has been thrown over it and shows what it might have been. As in “Sandalwood,” Mr. Oursler’s earlier attack on the Philistines of Rotary, a really fine dramatic theme has been crowded out of a hearing by piccolo notes of topical satire. The Giant Babbitt is already black-and-blue and doesn’t care anyway. It is unfortunate that an ad- herence to a lost cause and a passion for random wise- cracking should have been allowed to interfere with such a good play as the authors had within their grasp. Glenn Hunter again demonstrates the power of per- sonal appeal and his skill at heart-wringing by making an individual success of “Behold This Dreamer” in spite of the fact that you can’t understand a word he says in the first act. QD afr <> she BSG BAY A PLAY which sets out to make a certain point and does so in quick marching time is Galsworthy’s ape.” Granted that the point it is making is a new one and granted that its progress is achieved by turning it into a series of episodes, nevertheless we found “Escape” unusually moving and even thrilling. It is not so much a point as a problem which Mr Galsworthy presents, much as he did in “Loya with the same fine-pointed pencil, althou, not to be compared with “Loyalties” as is. The progress of the escaped convict across the moors, with the gradual closing-in of + ty around him topographically represented by the descent from open moors to the valley, from valley to gravel pit, and from gravel pit to a wardrobe in a vestry, could not be otherwise shown than episodically, and, as we get little time for reading and were theref of the play's ending, it kept us pretty fairly well on the edge of our seat. And the willingness to help the convict to escape, evinced by at least one person in each episode, gave us a great glow each time it happened. Seven episodes, seven glows—not bad for an old eyni + the fact that Leslie Howard as the es- ise: Nothing play. ore unaware caped convict gives the best performance of his career, or of many other careers, may have something te do with our enthusiasm for THE old Neighborhood Playhouse troupe are now known as “The Actor-Managers,” and with some additions to their number are presenting Dunsany’s “Tf at the Little Theatre The of “If” is sufficient to make it interesting to the aver theatre goer. A man is given the chance to live over again one premis moment in his life of the preceding ten years, with the resultant changes in his carcer guaranteed to take place in the space of one day. This immediately throws the audience into such a frenzy of introspection and specula tion over the moments they themselves would like another at, that for a time the progress of the play is Which is quite all right, as Lord Dunsany ver again so many times that who! chance forgotten. says the same thing chunks of it can be missed without loss to the con- tinuity. The general effect ¢ The man in the play (well portrayed by Walter Kings ford) chooses to catch a train that he missed te before, with the result that he ends up in Persia, Most of us would probably have chosen somethir. nt-sounding and perhaps with much less drastic “If,” however, is interesting. years much more signifie: change in the net result LN BS ES I “The Arabian,” Walker Whiteside is another of those cool, inscrutable with dress-suits when they are with the I Orientals who wear turbans glish, but in their native haunts in the desert wrap themselves up He really is a good chap Id be surprised to see how in chintz curtains and leer. it heart, though, and you we and why—he cares for the young white woman. Or maybe you wouldn't be surprised AR -+—_ broke our own record for quick exits at “Im- WE moral Isabella? the general trend of the first six or seven speeches. If it turns out that we should, in our line of duty, report on it, we will go back, but we have every confidence that this will not be necessary. staying only long enough to get bert Benchley comicbooks.com