Indianapolis Times, Volume 36, Number 309, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 May 1925 — Page 6
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THE RAH-RAH PLAY RETURNS TO BROADWAY Play Jury Looks Over Some New Things of Much Interest. By the NEA Play Jury EW YORK, May 9.—Compared with the heavy pruns of the serious “drammer,” the pair of shows just arrived are circus cannon which go off with a bang and discharge a puppy dog on a parachute. They are happy entertainment, “swell'’ diversion. They ask you to check at the cloak room all your captious notions about character portrayal and the problems to which the stage should address itself and probabilities of motive and setting. Their names are "The Poor Nut" and “The Gorilla.” * * • mHE first is a rah-rah college play—the only one of the season, so far as memory serves —with one great scene in which the stadium goes wild to the urging of an acrobatic cheer leader. The “poor nut,” himself, is played with conviction and understanding by Elliott Nugent, ono of the authors. He is suffering from an acute inferiority complex. This is dissected with Freudian gusto by a girl psycholog. dabbler. At the end the "nut” wins a track meet, bullies his rivals, joins the Psl 81gmas and tells a pursuing female that he will not marry her. Local color is supplied by a band playing “On Wisconsin,” and the stands yelling "OHIO,” blit as college life it is burlesque. As skillful hodge-podge of tried theatrical devices, however, it breaks the tape a winner. Percy Helton as the cheer leader is a whiz. Florence Shirley and Norma Lee have the college girl lead parts, and Miss Lee is most appealing. * • • GORILLA” is a crashing jmystery play. It backs most Lf— 'of them off the lot for the number of its blinking lights, screams, pistol-shots, trapdoors and sinister designs. It has two comic detectives who gum up the clews. Action is scattered all over the stage and through part of the audience. The gorilla, who grabs off the beautiful girl, turns out to be a super criminal. Laughs are scattered thickly through the lines, and the dangers and perils start a current of agreeable shivers up the spines of the customers, Clifford T>empsey and Frank McCormack, the detectives, seize the heavier acting honors. * • mHE play jury’s choice, “They Knew What They Wanted,” got the pulitzer prize of sl,000. It is pleasing news for this column, which has been ballyhooing for the plays all year, to have its opinion confirmed. “They Knew What They Wanted” has not been pleasing news, however, to at least two theatrical producing organizations. They real's* sadly that it might have been. Sidney Howard, the author, wrote it for the Provincetown Players. They read it and hesitated. It wasn’t exactly what they hoped for. Next it went to Robert Milton. Milton himself delayed reading it. Some one in his office looked it over and faled to get excited. Howard then took it to the Theater Guild. After they had accepted it and paid the first advance royalty, Milton happened along and promised that he was going to read it soon. By that time the Guild already was rounding up Pauline Lord, Richard Bennett and Glenn Anders for the winning production. * * * || |"| ERE is just the man that Iril many man y people have been ■ * I looking for; all those, at any rate, who have an original play drooping in a desk drawer. He is .Joseph Lawren, publisher, real estate man and friend of the theater, of 220 W. Forty-Second St., New York. He invites playwrights to send him their plays. The twelve best will be given a try-out production by ca pable actors in Lawren’s/own studio theater. The only string is that th' author must agree to come to New York for the production. An invited audience will criticise play.
■1 1 INDIANAPOLIS NINE DAYS MAY 21 to 30 A Genuine Old-Fashioned Circus With All Professional Acts Tents at W. Wash. St. and Belmont Ave.
Counting Up Movie Houses
New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, California, lowa and Texas, in the order named, are the best motion picture States in the Union, according to B. P. Schulberg, an independent producer in the United States, who has just started work in Hollywood on his $2,800,000 p)o----grams ior the year. “Motion picture houses are going up rapidly in all parts of the country” said Mr. Schulberg. “The motion picture is the chief diversion today of the masses anad will remain so despite the radio. At present there are more than 17,800 motion picture playhouses in the United States. On an average of more than 200 are being erected yearly. This tremendous development is only natural when we consider that 68 per cent cS the American people attend the motion picture theater regularly. “New York State has only a scant lend as the motion picture playhouse rente' of the United States. It has 1,456 motion picture theaters. There has long been an impression that Illinois was second in the number, but this is not the case. Pennsylvania, with 1.397 houses occupies that position with Illinois third with 1,307 and Ohio a close fourth with 1,040. These are the only States with more than 1,000 houses. "Iji the three-figure division California is in the lead with 775 and lowa /‘lose behind with 729 and then Texas with 709. Missouri comes next with 618 and Michigan follows with 614 Minnesota has 566, Indiana 565, Wisconsin 543, Oklahoma 482 and Massachusetts with 438. Nevada has the fewest, 25. Arizona has 79. “It is noteworthy that the New England States are far behind the West and Middle-West in the number of motion picture theaters. Vermont, President Coolidge's home State, has only 94. Rhode Island has 65, Connecticut 185, Maine 191 and New Hampshire 109. The southern States average about 200 picture houses. “But America leads and will continue to lead."
They Are Guilty
n : W-
Upper—l<ester Huff Lower—Charlie Davis Both of these men, Huff, organist, and Davis, orchestral leader, are guilty of creating mu.-ieal programs that please movie fans. They are always present at the Ohio.
A. USEMF.N i*B
There Is Plenty of Fun and Adventure in New Movies
‘DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS’ IS DOMED HERE Original Company to Present This Much Discussed Play. O* - ~“ F foremost importance among the fall theatrical bookings i. ■ for Indianapolis is the announcement that Eugene O'Neill's widely discussed play "Desire Under the Elms," will be seen in this city the early part of January. This drama of O'Neill's is the play which occasioned the nation-wide agitation over censorship, and brought about the formation of the play jury system in New York City. Attacked by the district attorney as “indecent" and “injurious to the morals of the young,” notice was given to the producers of “Desire Under the Elms” that the play should be closed within three days.
Charlie Announces jf OPENING ■ Sunday, May lOth OF BEAUTIFUL WALNUT GARDENS (THE FAMILY PARK) With Many Free Feature Attractions An Amusement Park Without Things That Depress or Demoralize
Dewey Seidel’s Walnut Garden Orchestra TENNIS COURTS HORSE SHOES CHICKEN DINNERS DANCING SWIMMING BOX BALL ALLEYS FISH POND LUNCHES SHOOTING GALLERY BABY RACK PONY TRACK CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND AND MANY OTHER FEATURES Meet Charlie at the Gardens "WHERE THEBETTER CROWDS GO” —MM——M—. ,J. I^—MM——— DIRECTIONS—Take State Road 12 to West Newton, Follow the Arrows Through Camby and on to the Gardens, or Take Hiner’s Red Ball Line to Gate. Take Bus at Hiner’s Bus Terminal, Senate Avenue and Maryland Street.
THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES
No. I—Pauline Starke in "Adventure” at the Apollo all n**xt week. Pauline is wearing her hair anew way. No. 2—Nazimova as she appears in “My Son" at the Circle next week.
Before twenty-four hours had elapsed, however, hundreds of letters, telegrams and phone calls came flooding into the management of “Desire Under the Elms.” Indorsing the play and declaring that its forced withdrawal would be against the best interests of both artists and good citizens. "No one but a half-wit could attack ’Desire Under the Elms,’’’ declared the Rev. John Haynes Holmes. Dr. S. E. Mezes, president of the College of the City of New York attested that: "While ’Desire Under the Elms’ has tragedy and daring, it is far too sincere and somber to be salacious; rather does it approach the fateful march of the Greek tragedies. And the acting and staging are decidedly acceptable. You are rendering high service to the cause of art and to the public.” Novelist Speaks Will Trwin, famous novelist, declared that: “No play which does
AMUSEMENTS
No. 3 —Here is the haughty and dashing Pola Negri in “The Charmer” at Ohio next week. No. 4—Here is Douglas Mac Lean smiling. He does that in “Introduce Me" at the Colonial next week.
not raise sex desire in its auditors can he fairly called Immoral. If we suppress ‘Desire Under the Elms' on these grounds, we must be logical, suppress also some of the best of Euripides and Shakespeare." Said William N. Cohen, Judge of the New York State Supreme Court: “There seems to me a broad distinction between 'Desire under the Elms’ and others of a salacious character which are manifestly written, produced and acted, with the purpose of luring and attracting by lascivious means. ‘Desire Under the Elms’ is hard, bitter, stony and realistic. It is a faithful picture of the New England that I knew almost two genorations ago. It is true,'there is a guilty love and the murder of a child, but they are so presented as to repel lustful desire." Original Cast This public defense of “Desire Under the Elms” quickly brought about a complete vindication of the play.
No. s—Wiliam5 —Wiliam Haines in “The Midnight Express,” opening Sunday at the Palace. No. 6—Richard Talmadge in "Tearing Through” at the Isis the first half of the week.
and it was cleared without criticism of any kind by the Play Jury. Since that time it has continued its pros perous run at the Earl Carroll Theater in New York City, and this week will celebrate its two hundred and twenty-fifth performance. The original cast featuring Walter Huston in the role of Ephraim Cabot will appear In “Desire Under the Elms" when the play comes to Indianapolis. Houston will be supported by Mary Morris, Charles Ellis, Allen Nagle, Victor Killan and Hume Derr. i i4SJ*
|!| ii| VICTOR SLEWING S mW® JACK LONDON £ Jjjj |i|| masterpieceIPVENTURE if WITH TOM MOORE,PAULINE STARKE | . AND WALLACE 3EERY., lyyjHiw A man and a girl on a jungle island—adventure, and a strange, breathless romance. If you’re keen for pictures packed with thrills, daring and excitement, here’s the king(^ga^^qmeßyi "The Love Bug" —Fox News Weekly—
SHERMAN MAY ABAKDONSTAGE Legitimate Star May Return to Movies. Indications are that Lowell Sherman, recently signed to appear in several of next year's Warner productions, will permanently abandon the stage for screen work. Sherman is due to report at the Warner Studio June 1, and since this player has recently declined an offer to appear next year on the New York stage, the assumption is that Sherman is looking forward to a long stay in Hollywood.
MOTION PICTURES
SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1925
DALEYSTARTS j FIFTH WEEK ] AT CAPITOL ‘Runnin’ Wild’ to Be Next Tabloid Bill of This Season. . For the fifth week offering at the Capitol by the Lena Daley Company, commencing with the regular matinee tomorrow afternon, will he one of Miss Daley's road attractions, called “Runnin’ Wild," in which an augmented cast and chorus will be sene. There have been new members added each week to this company until at the present time the company is more of the size of a traveling organization than that of a permanent company. In the now offering “Runnin' Wild," an unusually heavy produce tion In the way of scenery, costumet and electrical effects will be shown. The new school for stage dancing which Miss Daley has opened at the Capitol for aspirants for stage work is offering girls the opportunity of taking up stage dancing, and the ones that are successful will not only be given permanent places in her company here hut with one of her road shows next season, it is announced.
Theater to Celebrate Anniversary The Winter Garden, where A1 Jolson is now playing in “Big Boy," will clebrate its fourteenth anniversary on Friday, March 20. The celebration will have a double significance for Jolson, as he was a member of the first production presented in this famous playhouse. The opening attaraction at the Winter Garden was “La Belle Paree” and "Bow Sing.” Jolson had an inconspicuous part in the former.