File:Plays and players, leaves from a critic's scrapbook (1916) (14769226382).jpg

Identifier: playsplayersleav00eato (find matches)
Title: Plays and players, leaves from a critic's scrapbook
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Eaton, Walter Prichard, 1878-1957
Subjects: Theater Actors, American Actresses, American
Publisher: Cincinnati, Stewart & Kidd Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
ure hasn't so greatly changed since Scheherazade told her tales. Allah be praised! CHEWING GUM AND REFORM 11 Broadway Jones—George M. Cohan Theater, September 23, 1912 The good spirits who hover over babies cradles bearing gifts were generous with George M. Cohan. They gave him nimble legs, and a knack of whistling up tunes from the vasty void of memory, and considerable comic ability as an actor, and finally the born playwrights gift—which can never be acquiredby purchase—of setting upon the stage, in terms of speech and action, exactly the episodes of a story which the audience wishes to see. More's the pity, then, that the good spirits could not have a little further endowed him with the attributes of good taste and a knowledge of life. If they had he would be deserving of the praise which Arnold Bennett recently heaped upon him. Mr. Bennett admired his works because they were strictly American and unpretentious. That's so like Mr. Bennett! Of course, what he meant was, that they were 44
Text Appearing After Image:
CHEWING GUM AND REFORM 45 American because vulgar, or without good taste, and unpretentious because simple minded and superficial. Mr. Bennett is typically an insular, middle-class, educated Briton. Hence his unconscious patronage. Who but such a one could praise George M. Cohan by insulting America. However, this isn't to be about Arnold Bennett, but Mr. Cohan. Cohans latest play, Broadway Jones, is now current in New York, and successful, and Mr. Cohan acts the leading part, while his papa and mamma act other parts therein. It is Cohans second straight play, without music, the first being Popularity, which belied its title some years ago. Get Rich Quick Wallingford was made from somebody elses story, so does not count. In Broadway Jones Cohan has deliberately set out to write a comedy with some definite character study in it, and character development, and to act this character himself in a legitimate vein. More remarkable still, he has to a considerable degree succeeded. His success up t

Note About Images