Indianapolis Times, Volume 36, Number 81, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 August 1924 — Page 7

TUESDAY, AUG. 12, 1924

Page Wins Deserved Recognition Here' Lena Daley Opens Season in Home'City

By WALTER D. HICKMAN mHE whole town’s talking. Meaning that Sherold Page as a gentleman rounder In “Common Clay” has come into his own. Some weeks ago. Page joined the Berkell Players at English’s. He has given signs that he had the real stuff in him for characterization but it remained for “Common Clay” to make him a talked of favorite here. He has always done his parts well, no matter how small they have been. As Arthur Coakley, a society lounge hound who thinks he is a gentleman although he is a wrecker, Page crashed into that happy state of being a favorite because he is a good actor. There is something polished and yet human about Page in this unpleasant role. When a man takes a part which is a thankless one from a public standpoint and thrusts it out into the open as a flesh and blood characterization, well, it is proof that he has talent and showmanship. This man knows how to wear a dress suit. He knows how to combine clothes and that around town attitude. In other words, he knows the business of characterization and he gets sincere attention from the audience even with an unpopular role. My words of praise for Page in no way retracts from the ability of other players present in “Common Clay.” The accomplishment of Page is more important because this play was written as an emotional vehicle (not altogether logical) for Jane Cowl. Miss Cowl climbed nearer to artistic as well as financial fame in “Common Clay.” Jean Oliver has the servant girl role which was created by Miss Cowl. Right from the start Miss Oliver gets the "swing” of the situations in the first act and mounts easily to the big second act. The playwright rather cheats this character of a big chance in the courtroom scene, although Miss Oliver takes splendid and wise advantage of her opportunities in this act. Miss Oliver is quite a triumph this week. Mary Hill as Mrs. Neal triumphs with careful artistry in the court room scene. Here is a real honest and human piece of characterization. Eddy Waller is cast as Judge Samuel Filson in which he plays a “father” role Instead of being a lover. He ages gracefully. Herbert Dobbins is handicapped by a poor wig and other mistakes in makeup. Larry Sullivan does wonders with an attorney role. Cast includes Lawrence Cloe. 'William V. Hull. Alexander Campbell. Dorothy Farley. Robert Fay, Idabelle Arnold and Myrtle Stringer. The piece is well mounted and directed. “Common Clay” will be on view at English’s all week. To my way of thinking it is the best all-round dramatic work yet revealed by the Berkell Players.

LENA DALEY INTRODUCES US TO “MISS TABASCO” Lena Daley’s 1924-25 Columbia Wheel burlesque show Is called “Miss Tabasco.” The program states that it is in two acts and twenty some scenes and I believe the program. Modern burlesque has really become musical revue with a dash of vaudeville. Columbia burlesque no 1 o n g er appeals jtg - to men only •X, , Burlesque must „ not be the headH quarters for dirt. Its doors must be open to men if an <l women if it *||pV Lp. ft wants to exist. * Lena Daley knows this and jljrw- yw. she has built an J* . elaborate revue. . - : ''aPfw s dressed at times In scant attire, hut the clothing used smart. ™ Lena herself in one scene does LENA DALEY an impression of Gilda Gray, wiggles and all. Gilda has made herself famous and that Miss Daley knows. From a scenic standpoint, “Miss Tabasco” is quite the sauce. It Is in good taste. Scene after scene follows and when the doctors finish their work on this new production there probably will be a reason for the existence for several scenes which seemed pointless to me last night. There Is more Broadway In this Daley show than one expects to find In burlesque. It has distinction ana class and will have more so when the rough points are Ironed out. I am going to list the real big things of merit In this show; The Gilda Gray impression of Miss Daley and the work of Martha White in the same number; the entire comic scfne of Eddie Shubert who not only acts like Ed Wynn but looks like him; the jeweled curtain number at the close of the first act; the comedy of Shubert and others in the blind pig drug store travesty; the Cretonne Girl number; all vocal demonstrations of Martha White; the dancing of Billy Mack; the strength demonstrations of Mile. Tyana; some of the singing of Sid Gold, but not the "Mr. Booze” number; the chorus, the way the lights are handled and the really beautiful drops and curtains used. . Sid Gold should discard the “Mr. Booze” l,umber. If this number is a hobby with Gold, then should by

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all means take up golf as a substitute. This song just doesn’t fit in this revue. Out, out as to this one number, because Gold’s other work is too pleasing and finished to ruin it with this overdrawn and melodramatic booze number. One of the biggest drawing cards of this show will be Mile. Tyana. a strong woman, who drives nails with her bare hands through thick boards; lifts five men seated on a board with her feet and then lifts an elephant. When a little bit more showmanship is used, this act will be a knockout. Miss Daley makes many costume changes. She dresses better than any woman I have seen in burlesque. But I think she makes a mistake wasting herself on scenes like the booze-mixing episode and others of that class. She should do only her knockout numbers and she has enough of them in this show. When the show gets ironed out Miss Daley will have a winner in “Miss Tobasco.” At the Capitol all week. •I- -I- *h A HARPIST WINS ON LYRIC BILL Wouldn’t you like to hear the more melodious of the popular tunes played on a harp? Roxy Laßocco is doing it this week at the Lyric. Besides his skill on the harp Laßocco displays quite a sense of humor. a And he gets the audience to whistle the songs as he would rather hear the harp without the whistling, but the audience seemed to enjoy entertaining itself. Laßocco is a good showman as well as a good musician. An act that would hold it's own on any vaudeville The Five VersaVERSATILE tile Steppers are STEPPERS just what their billing indicates. There are two men and three women in the act and they perform various types of dances before a pretty drape. The Capps Family, apparently j papa, mama and seme eight kiddies of graded sizes, are seen in an act that is a novelty from the standpoint of personnel at least. They are 3ingers, dancers, instrumentalists 1 and ihere is one miniature rub? ! comedian that gets the laughs. | There is a lot of talent in this family I the most promising of whom seems j to be the younger of the two boy i dancers. He is an easy, natural

Just A Real Child Is Baby Peggy

BY “HICK” Had a “date” yesterday. She called it a "social engagement.” I called upon Baby Peggy Montgomery. She is known and loved all over this land as Baby Peggy. Felt rather proud of calling on a national sweetheart, but I am accustomed to making calls in my work. Guess where I found Baby Peggy? She was in Ace Berry’s private projection room at the Circle looking at Jackie Coogan’s movie, “Robinson Crusoe, Jr.” Curled up in a nice comfy chair with her sister, Louise, aged eight. Baby Peggy was looking big eyed at the Coogan picture. When I entered Peggy and her

ATTEMPT TO GEI INTOSAFE FAILS Bandits Obtain Only $1 at • Filling Station. C. D. Olin, proprietor of a filling station at 3404 E. New York St., found the station badly disarranged today. Robbers during the night had battered the combination off the safe, but failed to get inside. Entrance was made with a key. The burglars took $1 from the cash register. James Staggs, Rockville, Ir.d., told police he met two men at Danville, Ind., who said they were from Chicago, and hired him to come ti Indianapolis to drive a car to Chicago. OnC of the men borrowed $35 from him, he said, and was to repay it today. This morning, Staggs said, he awoke at the hotel and learned the men had left. Cyrus Howley, night watchman at Crane & 00., 333 W. Market St., told police he overheard a conversation between two men in front of the office, in which one said, “I will get him before morning.” They left before police arrived. Ten Planes in Race By Vnited Press LONDON, Aug. 12. —Flying an Armstrong - Whiteworth airplane from scratch, Lieut. H. W. G. Jones arrived at Lee-On-Solent at 1:06 p. m.. today, apparently winner of a 950-mlle speed race In which ten planes participated. Jones' unofficial time was 7 hoiys 36 minutes. v Shooting Matches Arranged Pistol and rifle shooting are on the program of the annual picnic of the 464th Pursuit Bquadron Club, Sept. 1 at Hangar No. 1, Ft. Benjamin Harrison. Lieut. W. L. Betz is chairman. The club will cooperate with lorttl chairmen in observation pf Defense Day. —; v , Assailant Sought By United Press GOSHEN, Ind., Aug. 12.—Police today are searching for the unidentified man who attacked Helen Hertel, 17, of South Bend, here Mon Eda*.

dancer and should go far in ftis line of work. Holland and O’Den are a comedy team. Most of their material is new although there are one or two lines that could and should be eliminated. Easily pleased the audience. Lieut. Thetion, a French war hero gives a demonstration of his marksmanship. Louise and Mitchell open the bill with an equilibristic act. The woman dees the “strong man” part. One or two good tricks lose their effectiveness because of a poor attempt at comedy. Fenwick Sisters sing popular songs and one or two that have ceased to be popular Movies complete the bill. At the Lyric all week. (By Observer.) -I- -I- -I* A LITTLE ADVENTURE IN THIS, THAT AND ALSO The new bill at the Palace appeals to me as a little adventure in this, that little of also that. Ty mjfPway of thinking the nifty winner on the bill fajls to Ann Linn and her company, which includes four good looking girls and a chap who handles a wicked pair Os dancing feet. This act opens in a shoe shop with the chap in question attempting to sell shoes to good looking girls when he longs to dance with them. There la some clever conversation and some better dancing with a song or two. The entire six people present know how to dance, especially the man. Truly Shattuck, remembered from other days when days were days, and Emma O’Neil. These two are doing the same act which they recently used on the big time. Methinks that Truly is in better voice than usual. This woman knows the show business. Act runs rapidly and gets laughs. What more is needed? Goul and Rash start out like eccentric comedians but when they turn lose their melody upon those present, they become favorites. They have the happy combination of personality and musical sense. Act goes over big. Rose Maura's Revue is a Scotch song and dance affair. Some of the act looks like it is an impression (not so good) of Harry Lauder. Comes under the head of a flash act. The movie feature is rriscilla Dean in "The Storm Daughter.” At the Palace today and Wednesday. Other attractions on view today include; “The Arab” at the Apollo; “Recoil” at the Ohio; “Captain January” with Baby Peggy at the Cir cle; “The Birth of a Nation” at the Lincoln Square; “The Dangerous Coward” at the Isis and' “The Gold Diggers” at Mu-ter Smith’s.

sister rose and gave me the cutest little bow. "Oooh,” she gapped, “they got part of the reel upside down and now they are goin’ to show it right.” She snuggled back into her chair and waited for the operator to remedy conditions. * Baby Peggy is learning her alphabet and she turned to me as the subtitles were flashed on the screen and said, “Tell me, please, what they are going to do to Jackie now.” When the cannibals on a “far away island” attacked Jackie, she leaned over to me and said in alarm “Those ugly men (cannibals with white marked faces) are not going to hurt Jackie, are they?” I asked her, “they never hurt you in the movies do they, Peggy?” “Os, course they are just acting,” she replied. 'The Expose Suddenly Baby Peggy became more interested. She screwed up her little mouth when Jackie became lost on a storm tossed ocean ‘far away from civilization.” “Mamma, mamma,” she cried, “that’s the lltyle pond at the studio. Isn’t it mamma?” * “Yes, dear," said her mother,” that’s the little pond on the Metro lot.” And so sweet little Baby Peggy gave me the low down on a movie secret —where the movie directors get their “wild”,oceans in far away lands. “She saw Jackie make some of this picture," hes father explained to me. “She is very fond of Jackie. By seeing his picture it gives her her only chance at comparisons.” I can givtfyou Baby Peggy’s exact age—rshe is 5 years old. Her father told me that. The thing that I like about the Montgomerys is that they are allowing Peggy to be just a little girl. To the m she is more than a star — she is their daughter, who has the same rights of thousands of other little girls who plaj with dolls instead of acting in the movies. Loves Her Dolls Her father tald me that Peggy loves her dolls and dogs. “Travel, of course, is hard on them (Peggy and Louise),” he said, “because they -cannot play with their dolls and dogs. I am going to see that she has a child’s rights. She is not going to grow up until she is of the right age. She is going to make pictures in which a normal child is seen. That is her right, you know—to Le really young.” The more Montgomery talked to me the better I liked him. Peggy has a real father and mother. They are not forcing heifinto personal appearances. She'appears in a box at the theater and throws kisses to her friends. The only way that Baby Peggy ’can be entertained is to give her a real child’s party. Then Peggy can come with her dolls and her desire to make mud pies. Oh, I tell you that Baby Peggy is a real American youngster. Bless her. Baby Peggy is here today and Wednesday to Just meet her friends at the Circle, where her latest feature, “Captain January,” is on view. And she looks just like her pictures.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

The Voice ' , > * There’s a pretty face behind the entrancing voice from WGR, the station atop the Hotel Statler in Buffalo, N. Y., run by the Federal Telephone and Telegraph Company. The voice belongs to Miss Helen M. White, who is showm here. When she doesn't "announce” Miss White acts as private secretary to the manager of the company.

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A Mother Murders Her Son s Artistic Spirit *in Frederick Niven s Novel , 4 Justice of Peace ’

By WALTER D. HICKMAN URDER! Not that an attack was made in the dark with a knife or a pistol, but the sure killing of the spirit, the artistic soul which was life, by the mother of her son. Nothing could be more dramatic and powerful than such a story of real life. You will find such a theme in Frederick Niven’s “Justice of the Peace.” Here is the first sympathetic and intelligent understanding of the conflict of artistic temperament against the stern and uncompromising discipline of a mother for her artist sou that I have read. Every time I urge you to read a book ’t is not done for the purpose of increasing the stiles, but to point out something worth while and beautiful In your mental experience. For more than two weeks have I refused to write a review of "Justice of the Peace. ’’ Even in the middle of the day I have thought of the “murder” of Martin Moir by his mothers cruel refusal to understand his artistic and queer make-up. Even late at night, when the day’s work was over, I carried the thought of this “murder” to bed with me. It is with deep appreciatin of this bo6k that I attempt to interest you in a powerful background f life, peopled by individuals who breathe not the air of the fiction world, but men and women who may be your neighbors. Received my copy for review from Boni & Liverlght, publishers, New York, on the suggestion of Percy A. Beach of Beach’s Bookshop of this city. This is not a murder story in the flesh sense. A mother refuses to open her heart and her mentality to

understand her son. She uses every means, always thinking she Is right, to disturb the thoughts of her son. Story of Murder Her program becomes so successful that Martin carries around with him the nightmare of his mother’s Influence. Art and temperament does develop in him. He creates beauty and becomes famous in the art world. But his mother refuses to appreciate his artistic spirit. She loves to hurt and she hurts him unto death. , Mrs. Moir did more than kill the artistic spirit of her son. Her assaults on him resulted in his physical death. MaPtin’s father in a crude but honest way “understood” the makeup of an artistic Individual. He had a faint knowledge of what it means to ride in the clouds of make believe. But Ebenezeer Moir could not control the death chills in his wife. Niven does not give us just skin deep characterization. He creates full grown men and women. You feel their physical and mental beings as well as their spiritual ideals Niven understands what family influence may do in the development of an artistic personality Artistic temperament is not revealed by long hair,* baggy trousers and a black tie. There is an artistic personality which is so strong that the individual possessing it does not become a milk and water creature. For his ideals he will fight and he will perish. He feels the mental cruelty caused by misunderstanding on the part of those he loves. Martin Moir fights and even compromises to retain the love and respect of his mother. But Mrs. Moir closed the doors of under-

standing. Her son would not mold as she desired. Why wouldn’t he mold as she desired? What spirit of the devil created the “queer spirit” of her son? She refused to walk one-third of the way toward the goal of understanding. In a burst of temper, honest temper, Martin “damns” his mother. Martin after leaving his home, blames hirpself. He tried to make up, but his mother ascended the throne of 3elf pity. In this drama you cannot help but feel the understanding of the author. To me this is not fiction. It is life. It was a fight unto death between mother and son. Never have I encountered such a brilliant natural background. The Show Down You come to one big moment of the book when Ebenezer Moir breaks the news to his wife that Mar’in was to marry his model. * Ebenezer speaks to his wife as follows: “Oh —your son! Do ye know, Rachel”—he spoke very quietly—"that I would hate ye if ) didn't think ye were crazy—crazy with your Eugenists and your Woman’s Emancipation and your Christianity. You a Eugenist. You a Christian. I heard something about you the other day—quite accidentally. I may tell you, seeing that tittle-tattle is the order of the day. I had to go to see about my eyes. I went to Earle — old Earle’s son. There was an etching by Martin hanging in the young man’s consulting room,” he paused. “Does that please you? Good God, woman! Your son! Do ye find nothing In that to please you? If you had walked Into a strange house and saw—but that is not the point.

HOTEL CONTRACT LET Addition With 175 Rooms to Be Built at French Lick. French Lick Springs Hotel, French Lick, Ind., owned by Thomas Taggart, is to have a six-story addition, containing two convention halls, 175 additional bedrooms and a roof garden. The contract was let to D. A. Bohlen & Son, Indianapolis a:-chl-tects. The ground floor will be given over to specialty shops. The two content tion halls, one a large one, with several committee rooms for both, will occupy the second floor. Buff brick and white stone, matching the present structure, will be used. The hotel now contains approximately 700 rooms. I remarked upon it being by my son, and young Earle said he wa3 a great admirer of Martin’s work. Now, listen, my good Hvornan —I saw the old man when I was comag out, and the young man introc iced us—over the head of that e -hing—and I passed a jest with th i old man about the color-blind artists. * *” But it was no use. Mrs. Moir would not understand. She remained frigid. She then shot the arrow which not only killed the spirit of Martin Moir, but put him in his coffin. De not let the year go by until you have read Frederick Niven’s “Justice of the Peace.” This book will rest in my sacred memory box along the side of Charles Dickens and AValt Whitman. Movie in Spades Park Music for an entertainment in Spades Park at 8 tonight will be furnished by the Heath Memorial Church orchestra. A movie, “Hats Off,” will be shown. If It rains the entertainment will be held in the church.

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