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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 1920)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN. PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 29, 1920 3 N AUTHOR-STARS ARE FEATURE XTCTT7 7r.'DT7' TIT A VHTtT TCT7C Rachel Cro there Follows George M. Cohan Example by Taking Role in Piece of Own Building Miss Ferguson Returns. V'-tM- W$?A "iiyL 1 AY 1 '31 1 V- A Ufa" -7 1 "A'-1t ' J anuaanauanuuntaanuunnnaauk " ; S - r V; '! I v- - ' I in I "s r - - " I BY ELIZABETH LONERGAN. TEW YORK. Feb. 28. (Special.) l Rachel Crothers, following " the footsteps of George It Cohan, made her appearance as star of her latest comedy." He and She." ther authors have been featured in their Awn olavs. but onlv Mr. Cohan and Miss- Crothers have appeared in the three-fold capacity of author, pro ducer and star. Both the play and Miss Crothers' acting came in for a Cood amount of praise. The story tells of two sculptors, husband and wife, who go along cheerfully side by side in an everyday sort of exist ence. No jealousy or friction until suc cess. In the shape of a prize award, comes to the wife. The husband is envious and sulks the first rift in their home life. "She." by the way, has never bothered with the problem of the home, but when the young daughter arrives from boarding school and adds another side to the situa tion, she is mighty perplexed. In the end, mother love triumphs, and with her new attitude toward life, the trouble with her husband is also ad justed. As in her other plays, there are many clever snappy lines. Cyril Keightleigh, who played the lead In "A Little Journey," has the role of the husband and Faire Binney (sister of Constance, star of "39 East") is the daughter. Other parts are well played by Margaret Johnson. Arthur Elliott. Fleming Ward. Ethel Coxzens and Frances Bryant. Miss Crothers' plays are very well known, and several have been played on the coast. Besides the two com edies of last season, "A Little Jour ney" and "39 East," she is the au thor of "The Three of Us" and "A Han s World." who provide much of the musical en tertainment for this country promise to strangle the music of France, Rus sia, Italy and England, to say noth ing of the music of our own country, and it will be done with such appar ent lack of intention that it will be impossible to make the Innocent pub lic realize it. - "Parsifal" had its first English per formance . at the Metropolitan - on Thursday afternoon, something ' it would have had many years ago had Alfred Hertz had his way. The ques tion of opera in English came up on one occasion and when that great Wagnerian authority and con ductor expressed the belief that it would be a great day for this coun try wben opera would be given in English, the writer seemed more than astonished and asked him how he would like to conduct "Parsifal" in English at the Metropolitan. "It would be the greatest moment of my life," he replied. "Imagine how happy I would be to know that the audience could follow the lines and could understand what was hap pening on the stage through the text. and to understand the text:" "Alas!" was the reply, "few peopl in any audience would understand those philosophies, even if they heard and understood the language. It is not a mere understanding of words. it is a matter of philosophy, of psy etiology, and you ask too much when you ak understanding. Two more weeks of opera at- the Lexington and the Chicago opera as sociation will carry its offerings to Boston and elsewhere before the ar tists disband. Tiie great surprise of the week was the first appearance In New York of Carlo Galeffi. who was on the stage but a very few moments when the audience knew that here was a great artist and a great singer. His entrance was effected in the role of Michele in the first of the Puccini trigolttte, "II Tabarro," when h demonstrated his great powers in tragedy, which he quickly matched in the comedy of "Gianni Schicchi. Interesting it was to note that the one who aDOlauded it the most heart ily was e Luca, original creator ol the role, whose masterly Interpreta tion of it will remain a matter of history. Marinuzzi gave marvelous readings to the Puccini works which had several distinguishing teaturcs of which the presence of Edward John son. in the same two contriDutea greatly. THE MIKADO" IS FITTING CLIMAX OF ALL GILBERT AND SULLIVAN SUCCESSES Vogue First Attained by This Tuneful Opera Has Survived Through 34 Tears of Unabated Popularity and Always Wins Approval' of Public Dorothy Dalton's appearance in Aphrodite" was the first of several cases where film stars are return ing' to the legitimate. Miss Dalton did stock work and also appeared in vaudeville, but was not well known until she entered the picture business. Now Theda Bara is following her ex ample and the New York opening of "The Blue Flame. in which Mr. Woods will star her, will be early in March. There have been reports that Miss Bara was on the stage before, but others, more authentic, tell that she was in an entirely different line of work before that memorable time, when, as extra girl, her work at tracted attention. Mrs. Leta Vance Nicholson wrote the original story, which has beet dramatized by George V. Hobart an3 John Willard, and the supporting cast will include Allan Dinehart, Donald Gallagher and Miss Thais Lawton (who played the lead with Guy Bates Post in "The Masqueradcr"). The play is described as a melodrama anu Mr. Woods' experiment of transferring screen staars to a similar position on the stage, will be watched 'with in terest by other managers. Also, it is a long time since Mr. Woods has an nounced a "melodrama." Several of his plays have turned out in that class, but the advance advertising has cleverly disguised the fact. Elsie Ferguson is another who will return to the stage, her first love, after devoting a long time to picture work. Billie Burke returned to the fold earlier in the season and Doris Kenyon, after a successful season in "The Girl in fhe Limousine," is now touring and her screen followers will turn out in great numbers. Kitty Gordon is another who is due back shortly in a musical play, after an ex tensive tour in vaudeville, which did not include New York. The unusual success of the theater in New York is one attraction, the extraordinary de mand for stars making it necessary to press every available one into service. Then, too. the wonderful advertis ing value of a picture star proves always a great drawing power. For every one person who has seen, or heard, of a dramatic actress, a hun dred are familiar with a start of similar rank on the picture screen. When the celebrated character actor. Maclyn Arbuckle, was appearing in the film version of his stage success. "The County Chairman," at the Strand theater. New York, several years ago. two well-dressed ladies were heard discussing the much advertised announcement. And the gist of their discussion was that his fame was probably because he was related to "Fatty" Arbuckle, taking for granted that this was the reason for featuring him. So, too. there are many who are ignorant of the fact that Mary Pickford and Mar guerite Clarke, both were well known on the stage before pictures were even heard of. They feel that the fame of their favorites began with pictures. Notwithstanding the fact that travel was almost impossible, all sur face lines being snowed under and taxis stalled on ail sides, a large audience was present at the Lexing ton to witness Ralsa's second per formar.ee. although the role of Alice Ford in "Falstaff is not a very at tractive one to those who know the tremendous possibilities of the great dramatic soprano. he was the re cipient of applause at every occasion and she lent much to the performance which had Rimini in the title role, Schipa as Fenton, Defrere as Ford Myrna Sharlow as Anne Ford, Irene Pavloska as Mistress Page, Maria Claessens as Mistress Quickly Mojica Oliviero and Lazzari. Chief interest lay in the score as read by that su preme artist. Marinuzzi. Mary Garden's "Louise" was one of the rarest treats the Chicago opera association brought to New York and that the Charpentier opera has the same vigorous hold upon the public as it had when it first saw light through the combined efforts of the late Oscar Hammerstein and his mar velous air, Cleofante Campaninl, was not to be doubted. Miss Garden has brought to it many points of interest, much psychological force and her cry of "Paris! Paris!" brought a yearning In many hearts. The long list of im personators was a most excellent one. Including Pufranne, who has sung it many times: Madame Claessens, on taine. Warnery and Dora de Phillipe, the latter perfactly inimitable as the street arab and as the apprentice. MARINUZZI IS PROMISING MUSICAL POST CANDIDATE Possible New Impresario Is Declared Musician of Widest Sympathies, Boundless Knowledge and Man of Appealing Personality. Exhibition Shows Many Novel Uses for Wood. "Silk" Sox, Sausage Casings and Phonograph Records Among Products. AN ELABORATE exhibit of the unique uses of forest products is a part of the display of the New York state college of forestry at Syracuse, in its campaign to educate the people of the state to the necessity of pre venting waste of the forest areaa of New York. Here are some of the strange uses seen in this exhibit: "Silk" sox, made from wood fibre. LITTLE GIRL TO DANCE AT B'XAI B'RITH. NEW YORK. Fet New York is i in nothing rr,or oi tb EMO.IE FRANCES BAITER. EW YORK. Feb. 28. (Special.) an amusing city. g more so than in the fact that it would rather gossip about music tnsn near it. News factories, of course, run riot at present manu facturing successors to the revered dead maestro, whose personality, force and tremendous genius for or ganization will be as much missed as his superb musicianship and ar tistic scne. Perhaps one of the greatest achievements in behalf ol grand opera for Chicago and the life of the Chicago orera association in geiicral ws tne associating with the business side such a man as Herbert John.-on. who probably could if he would divulxe the entire scheme for the future. Perhapi that brilliant young con ductor. Giro Marinuzzi. could tell what Mr. Johnson might leave un told. Marinuzzi has already proved himself a ma.i of the first rank for the most important musical post of the world. A musician of the widest sympathies, of boi ndless knowledge, of sympathetic and pppealiric person ality ai:d above all of perfectly sane manner, in Marinuzzi the late Cam paninl left a tremendous bequest to the Chicago opera association. Everyone has been named as pos sible inipivs-iri-i even impresaria for lo! Miry Garden's name loads all the rest. Then there are such wild guesses at Tcscanlni. but why with a Marinursi in the saddle one should think there- would be room for Tos ranini is more than anyone with dis cerning powers can imagine. Apropos of Toscanini. amusing propaganda in his behalf is beins waged ly one New York paper, which newsitatea ?oing into history a bit. When Tos-aninl left the Metropolitan suddenly, it was said, sub rosa. that during a rehearsal of Beethoven's lnth sympnony ne became so in furiated at one of the first violins that he struck the plaver in the fi ce. ' at which the. men laid down their in struments and informed the great Hunan leaner mat as a body they would never play under him again. inra may or may rot have teen true, but when a few weeks ago news ar rived from Italy that Toscanini had struck a member of the orchestra ever the head during a rehearsal of beet.ioven s Ninth symphony, it be gan to look as though Beethoven's -intn symphony was worse for Tos canini than Friday the 13th. It cer. tainly brought to mind the old story and made many people feeL that it mignt nave been true. xircnestra leaders have a perfect riaeni to oe irresponsible at times.' mis paper says. "Thev ?nd other great musicians are justified in doing iiunBs mat would never be forgiven in men or women of less artistic tem perament. These ere decisions reachet by the Italian courts in the case of Arturo Toscanini. the distinguished maestro, who was charged with smashing his baton over a violinist's head because the latter plaved a little flat."' ine writer will never admit that the war has lessened the value of Germany's music, but insists that the menace of German music again looms large on the musical horizon, the great trouble with purveyors being a lack of moderation. It was a great and wonderful thing to get all Ger man music out of the way for a while, and it is equally a pity that it should come back so soon." Bu a greater pity will be to have tne on slaught which is expected, put us back to where we were before the war. The business end of the different orchestras Is pronsbly the chief of fender, because there are little if any royalties to pay, little if any rehears ing to do and enough Germans to supply larce audiences for the Wag ner offerings. In addition to thcGer mans themselves, there are great numbers of Americans who had been j tauirhf hnr tn hour V u in r. - v. joy the emotional characteristics mous waste f; I i I ft im Ik v M - 1 if ipifSii i i! iSiilll!r f -rwro Photo by Lowell. Leah Senas. One of the featur'es at the ball to be given tonight at 4 B'nai B'rith hall by the ladies' auxiliary of Congregation Aha- t vai Sholom will be solo numbers I by little Miss Leah Schas. The I little girl, who is 12iyears old, I received her training -In Port-? t land and Is a talented toe danc er. She has appeared in nu merous local entertainments, among them the "Night in Ha waii" production at the audito rium a vpn r u ITJ I. ... ..... A which look like silk, feel like silk, but are far cheaper than the real thing.. Sawdust sausage casing, in which wood, converted by chemical processes into viscose, is used instead of the old type of sausage casings, produced from the by-product of the slaughter house. , Wood-flour phonograph records, 1 compressed under enormous power, to help make music from sawdust. Paper milk bottles to help fight the high cost of living, by saving the breakage of enormous quantities of glass bottles in the kitchen and by the dairyman. All of these unusual commercial 1 articles are made from what was once waste of the' sawmill, and their. dis play is part of the campaign of the New York college of forestry, to show how close utilization of wood will help to cheapen articles of commerce I and at the same time end the enor-1 accompanied - vROBABLY nothing in theatrical r history ever equaled the craze which followed the first presen tation in London of "The Mikado" on March 14. 1885. and the subsequent production of the operetta at the Fifth Avenue theater. New York, a few months later. It came as the climax of three Gilbert and Sullivan crazes, beginning with "Pinafore," and followed by "Patience" and "The Pirates of Penzance," not to mention the lesser clamor over the rich polit ical satire of "Iolanthe.'" The vogue attained by "The Mikado" was so great that business men went to see it two or three nights in succession, when called to New York, and de luged this continent with letters home about this wonderful little opera. Presently companies were playing The Mikado" in all parts of America as fast as comedians could be shipped from London and educated in New York to the art of singing Gilbert's highly complex and glittering verses. Even families by whom the theater was regarded as a Satanic institution relaxed discipline sufficiently to en ter the doors of the playhouses, on learning that there were no hussies in tights to corrupt the mind. Re spectable citizens argued on the way home from cnurcn as to tne proper pronunciation of 'this new word Mikado" that was appearing in tne ewspapers. All the children were taken to see the piece, as something to remember all their lives, lor 11 ever seemed to occur to the parents of 1885 that a work so light and giddy would survive after they were in their graves. However, that made it all the happier for the children, and good many of them have been hum ming the airs at odd moments ever since. And now after 34 years, "The Mika do" is just as fresh, joyous and wholly heartening an entertainment as it ever was, and probably will make the same appeal 100 years hence. Prob ably Gilbert and Sullivan themselves builded better than they knew; lor Gilbert intended his libretto merely as a satire upon a contemporary fad the craze for everything Japanese hich had been assimilated by the preaching of Whistler, and Sullivan was taking seriously the constant nagging of critics that he should de vote his great talents to "something serious. A year or two later ne aia produce "The Golden Legend," an in tensely serious work, which is to all tents and purposes dead, in train Sullivan was always serious in the hest sense of the word. A rigid artistic conscience is apparent every bar of "The Mikado, with its exquisite decorations, at once spon taneous and scholarly, its rerinea ana colorful scoring, its wonderful fit- ng of musical accents to the text. Few musical works in any field possess such sustained perfection. And Gilbert, who scoffed merrily at everything, was also a serious artist despite his all-pervading satire. He did not mind introducing a few topi cal jokes, but he wrote a book of such literary excellence that- it had given proverbial phrases to the lan guage that will be quoted, conscious ly or unconsciously, as long as Eng lish is spoken. It is not Gilbert's most brilliant book, the satire of "The Gondoliers," for instance, is finer; and Sullivan himself regarded the score of "The Yeoman of the Guard" as better than that of "The Mikado": but the latter of the best-combined effort on the part of both men of genius, and that of most sustained interest. It is stated that the present pro duction of "The Mikado" by the Gallo English Opera Company, which is soon to be seen in Portland, is the best that has been heard for many years. The reason lies in the fact that for the most part revivals have been associated with the ambitions of comedians who wished to show their talents in the part of Ko-Ko. Mr. Gallo, on the other hand, has revived it because of its musical mer its, and his aim has been to give a production which should emphasize the artistic beauties of the whole rather than the japes of the Lord High Executioner. Thus he has one of the most gifted and efficient mu sical directors of the country in Max Bendix, an adequate orchestra with such delightful instruments as the French horns, oboe and bassoon in competent hands, and what Is said to be the best singing chorus that has been heard for many a long day. in der such treatment "The Mikado" assumes its true proportions, and a just idea of Sullivan s wealth of re source, finesse and inspiration as t composer is obtainable. FOREST PROTECTION WEEK IS PERIOD FOR ECONOMIC STUDY Campaign of Education Will Show Value of Oregon's Timber Resources to Resident and Visitor Alike. 1 BY WELLS GILBERT. Member Forest Protection Committee, Portland Chamber of Commerce. THROUGH the efforts of the forest Protection committee, Portland Chamber of Commerce, Governor Olcott will declare May 21 to 29, Forest Protection week. The committee in 'charge, consist ing of C. S. Chapman (Western For estry and Conservation association), George Cecil (district forest, United States forest service). Miss Mar guerite A. Salomon (Portland Cham ber of Commerce) and the writer is desirous of interesting civic bodies and school children in the coming celebration. With 'the extension of railroads, the improvement of highways, and the development of the automobile it is now possible to reach beautiful virgin forests in a few minutes time. They present one of the greatest charms around Portland both to its inhabi tants and the ever-increasing throngs of tourists. Some of these forests are destined for destruction and will be transformed into lumber doors, posts, piling and the thousand and one things used by ourselves and the whole world. Their loss by "fire The ...DA J TJ1 Famous I-j Stock ..Company The Cosy Playhouse of Perfect Acoustics 1 19TH ANNUAL SEASON Week Beginning Sunday Matinee, Feb. 29 An Extraordinary Stock Release Ik e. taoBToM EO wo nut' 3 NIGHTS SUN. MON. TUES. ' . JACK COOK BBS miCMsi wiillHM? LAST SHOW .WED. MATINEE B would be a calamity. There are also fine stands of young timber which nature automatically provides, if proper protection is given, as unlike the eastern pine which is superseded by deciduous trees, tne western fir and hemlock reproduce their own species. It is aimed to carry on a campaign of education which will largely do away with unneccessary waste by showing both the value of the timber to the state and the methods by which campers and visitors can live in the forests and pass through them with safety. Safey not only to the forests but to themselves, for every year forest fires take their toll of humf.n life. The destruction of forests affect our economic life in so many ways that volumes might be written upon the subject. They 'harbor many In- 1 sect-eating birds which are a rreat protection to the farmer and the fruit grower. They hold back the winter rains and feed them more gradually to the lands In the valley. China was once covered with great trees, and now the ancient highways often tra verse deep, unsightly ravines worn down by constant travel and the ero sion of the waters. In the rainy sea son the floods pour over the slopes, wash away the rich land, turning it into an unproductive area seamed with gullies, and carry destruction to the villages and cities below. We understand the state of Wash ington is to carry on a similar campaign. Eastern states which have awakened too late to the value of their departed forests have been working along similar lines for many years. Abroad the Importance of this work has long been reeoRntsed. WILLOW TREE By J. Harry Benrimo and Harrison Rhoads as Played With Wonderful Success by Fay Bainter. America's Daintiest Star Matinees Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday WEEK numing urn, me iruin ALCAZAR STARTING MOW MAR. 1 MABEL WILBER AND 40 PLAYERS IN GEO. M. COHAN'S 'The Man Who Owns Broadway' BUBBLING O'ER WITH COHAN WIT & SONGS BARGAIN NIGHT MONDAY SPECIAL PRICED MATS. WED & SAT. !(; l J " . if NEXT: "PRETTY MRS. SMITH' ! LYRHC Sft ! KEATING : FLOOD, Managera. that has without thinking any further. Taken j practically all the operations of lum all in all, German music and those berinff. ft LOEWS ilPPGDROMF: niHjrflim Ackermnn & Harris Son., Mom Tnes Wed. A Lively. Snappy, Peppy Show ef TAIDEVILLE, PHOTOPLAY. THE SEVEN BROWNIES- In "The Syncopated Schoolroom." "HIGHSPEED' The Season's Greatest Motor Rac ing Play, Featuring GLADYS HILETTE. ' TDK KOt R SAI.OBKS. The Daredevils of Vaudeville. TED A VD CORIXXK BRETON, Comedy and ilusic "On the Board Walk." GARTKLLE BROTHERS, . Grotesque Comedians. BIALTO A WD lAOST, The Talking Juggling Boys." COBTELLI A'D ROGERS, Oh, My Gowsh!" Matinee. 17 Centnl Krfilaia, 25 !. Box Seata Extra. Prlers Include War 'lax. OA r: NTAGE TJneqnaled Vaudeville Broadway at Alder. Matinee Daily. Zt30. Twice Nightly, 7 and . Popular Prlcea Boxes and Logea Reserved. WEEK COMMENCING TOMORROW MATINEE - THE! MUSICAL COMEDY HIT OP 1930 A Holiday in Dixie With Will Maxtin, Virginia Richards, George MeCleuon and an All Star Colored Chorus and Cast 99 EDWARD BLONDELL & CO. MARY ANN in Late Prima Donna "Not Yet The Boy From Home" Marie" SOL BURNS THE SUPERLATIVE FOUR The Funny Little Fellow In AH Sorts of Harmony THE ACT "HARD LIONS AND BEAUTIFUL TENDER HEARTS" The Story of the Hunt The First of New Sunshine Hits Matinee Daily at 2 Evenings at 7 and 9 Week Starting Sunday Matinee. Feb. 29 MIKE and IKE Ben Dillon in Al Franks TWO PO OLD RT S Biggest Laugh of the Season Snappy Song and Chorus Hits Just Nonsense, Music and Pretty Girls 2 Special Feature Nights 2 Tuesday: Country Store Friday: Chorus Girls' Contest CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TODAY, BEGINNING 1:30 P. M, sdiool Motion Picture Acting and Make Up Producing picture companies are now preparing- to start work In Portland. Local talent will be used at sahirien of $5 to 16 per day. This office will be prepared to furnisn talent ina types lor tne various companies, w ny nvi ei prtjii-ii irin.-H wmi fled director, which will enable you to fill one of the many posil that will be open .' Barney Furey, director. Lester B. Phillips, manager. For appointment S12 Merit Bulldiaar. Broadway at Oak. Phone: Broadway 1677. tril lions