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M v0 March 19, 1927 WINNETKA TALK 41 The Minturn Players "The First Year" "The best comedy of our generation," said Heywood Broun, the noted drama- tic critic of the New York Tribune, in tribute to Frank Craven's play, "The First Year." "One of the best comedies, if not the very best ever written by an American," said Alexander Woolcott, eminent critic of the New York Times. Every critic, not only in New York, but in every large city of the United States, has, without exception, echoed these words. During the two-year New York run of "The First Year"--second only to that of "Lightnin' "--likewise produced and staged respectively by John Gold- en and Winchell Smith--the New York public made this ap praisal unanimous. Why? Because "The First Year" is life. The characters are people you know--living next door--in your own family--perhaps, being even you, your- self. The things they do are the things you do. The story of "The First Year" is the story of the first year of married life, with its comic tragedies, its laughter and sorrow, its sunshine and shadow, as folks have lived it and are living it now in every American home. To miss "The First Year" is to miss the greatest play ever written and produced by Americans, ever written about Americans, and ever joyously ac- claimed bv Americans in every section of the country as the finest theatrical entertainment that the Twentieth Cen- tury has seen. It is only once in a lifetime that such a play as "The First Year" comes along, there never was one like it before, and there never will be one like it again. That is the rea- sca why the box office of the New Evanston Theatre reports the heaviest sale of tickets since the Minturn Play- ers started their season here. VILLAGE THEATRE "The Winning of Barbara Worth," Samuel Goldwyn's presentation of the Henry King production of Harold Bell Wright's best selling novel, with. Ron- ald Colman and Vilma Banky, come to the Village Theatre as the feature for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The dramatic romance which fea- tures Ronald Colman and the lovely Vilma Banky, is a glowing tale of those pioneers who battled with the menace of water, first in its total absence and then in its overflowing presence. It is at once the story of vast lands re- claimed and the reclamation of a man's soul. "The Winning of Barbara Worth" presents the most unique eternal tri- angle of any of the more important films, with Willard Holmes, eastern en- gineer, coming to love Barbara just as Abe Lee, desert-bred westerner, does: and poor Barbara does not know her own mind, loving both. Gary Cooper, one of the year's "finds," plays Abe Lee to Ronald Colman's Holmes. And Miss Banky is Barbara Worth, daugh- ter of the Jefferson Worth who knew the West should be reclaimed. Conflict between the old and the new is the basic theme of "Sensation Seek- ers," starring Billie Dove with Hunt- ley Gordon, which will be shown on Thursday only. In this motion picture drama of per- sonal life in fashionable society is pre- sented the spectacle of the hidebound puritanism of yesterday trying to de- feat the liberty of today, reducing every person to the rigorous discipline of dogma. Youth break the traces and becomes lawless beyond reason but at last the fiery temper, which will not yield to Minturn's "The Patsy" A Play to Write Home About By HUB Well, T went down to the New Ev- anston Monday to see Harry Minturn's newest and latest, "The Patsy." Now | I don't know a thing about New York crowds or New York tastes when it | comes to the stage but I do know that if they are anything like mine, the theatre editors in the big village were- n't suffering from anything when they said it was a "wow." In my opinion, "The Patsy" is by far the biggest of the season's presentations and the smooth- est of the Minturn productions. It's the kind of a play you write home about, To start with Barry Connors wrote a good play. It moves fast: it is ver- satile in characterization; it is superb in humor. It is a comedy but there are subtle touches of dramatic pathos in- terwoven in such a manner that they could not offend the most sensitive nature or the most critical ear. The plot is simple but is complete and well rounded. Upon the other hand, it is the type of play that without careful casting would fall flat in its presenta- tion. Ordinarily in the staging of a play the entire production is pointed to the acting of one person and the rest of the actors are so mediocre in contrast that they become mere stage accesso- ries from the audience viewpoint. Without hesitation I may say that the one outstanding point in connection with the Minturn players is that they are all good actors. Each fills his part in such a manner that it seems to be spontaneous and prompted by the sit- uation. Of course there were outstanding players in "The Patsy;" the construc- tion" of the play takes care of that. Margery Williams took the lead and did it exceptionally well. In all places Willis Hall played into the character of the father with touches that were simply superb. In voice and manner he was as natural as real life and in moments of sympathy for Pat he arose Village Theatre WILMETTE, ILL. Your Home Theater J. B. Koppel, Managing Director Phone Wilmette 1441 Evenings 7:30; Mat. Tues., 3:30 Saturday Mats.,, 2 and 4 Mon., Tues.,, Wed., March 21-22-23 THREE DAYS ONLY "The Winning of Barbara Worth" with Ronald Colman, Vilma Banky Also "A Perfect Day"--Edu. Comedy and Pathe News Thursday, March 24 ONE DAY ONLY Billie Dove, Huntley Gordon in "SENSATION SEEKERS" Also "Ko Ko Packsup"--Inkwell Cartoon Comedy and Pathe Review Fri., Sat., March 25-26 TWO DAYS ONLY Douglas MacLean in "LET IT RAIN" Also "Busy Lizzie"--2 Reel Mermaid Comedy and Latest Pathe News force, is seen to yield to love. T far above the average. I didn't like Mr. Minturn as Tony nearly so well as | the part of Muggs in "Turn to the | | Right." His characterization was not | | quite so smooth. Henrietta Tedro as | Pat's mother and June Kerwin as her sister, Grace, were excellent. In every | way, to my mind, the Minturns have | every reason to feel proud of "The! Patsy." -- THE NORSHORE | | Cosmopolitan's newest production, | "The Understanding Heart," coming Sunday to the Norshore theatre, is said to be a romantic drama of intense real- { ism and power. It is a stirring pic- turization of the popular Peter B. | Kyne novel, directed for Metro-Gold- wyn-Mayer by Jack Conway, with Joan | Crawford, Rockliffe Fellowes, Carmel Myers and Francis X. Bushman, Jr. It is a tale of the great outdoors, having for a background the immense timber lands of the Northwest on the United States Government preserves. Joan Crawford, for whom big things are prophesied, does a profoundly moving bit of acting in this big picture. PICTURE PLAYER MAGICIAN During the hot summer nights in the Nevada desert where "The Winning of Barbara Worth," current picture at the Village Theatre, was made, Sam Blum, the comedian who is "Blanton" in the film, exercised his hobby, magic. He instructed Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky how to break a pencil with a $5 bill. He showed the cowboys how to deal four royal flushes in poker at the same time. He showed Clyde Cook, another player in "The Winning of Barbara Worth," how to make two jack rabbits grow where none grew before. And when Blum told Cook that his ambition was to be a billiard player, the Ziegfeld Revue comedian replied: "Then all you have to do is lie down and roll." | BALABAN GK AT 7] ORSHOR HOWARD AVE. neg, CLARK Elinor Glyn's Sensational Cosmopolitan Magazine Story £" 1 T i with Clara Bow Antonio Moreno --STARTING SUNDAY-- Peter B. Kyne's enthralling drama of The Forest Ranges "The Understanding Heart" with Joan Crawford Carmel Myers SMART STAGE SHOW-- Kirby De Cauce with Ulrich's Caballeros SMALL 8 MAYS The Ukelele Boys Twenty-two years of suc- cessful professional service. Personally recommended by Chas. A. Stevens of Chicago and a host of others whom we have served on the north shore. We personally attend all calls, rendering the most careful, courteous and con- scientious service. Mrs. Lewis attends to all ladies' and children's calls. Private De Luxe Ambulance Service The growing demand for prompt and reasonable am- bulance service has made it necessary for us to add to our Limousine Equipment, an Invalid Coach which is the last word in Ambulance Serv- ice. Located in Wilmette. MRS. F. E. LEWIS Lady Attendant Residence Phone Wilmette 3552 FREDERICK E. LEWIS Resident North Shore Funeral Director » Our Display Rooms Are Complete Our Motto: "Golden Rule" FREDERICK E. LEWIS Parlor Phone Wilmette 3552