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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1920)
2 T THE OMAHA SUNDAY 'BEE: JANUARY 18, 1920. 9 J Embellishes The Screen, Approach ing Almost Spectacular Perfection In Everywoman's Quest for Love Walter Browne Con ceives Beautiful Realization of His Dreams In the Screen Version of His Famous Play, to Be Pre- sented In Omaha at the Rialto This Week. Even in his first visionings of "Everywoman" and her quest for love, the late Walter Browne could hardly have con ceived rJictorially a richer and more beautiful realization of his dreams than Paramount-Artcraft has set forth in the screen version of his famous play. "Everywoman," which Manager Thomas presents at the Rialto theater this week, is a production entirely worthy of the great company which produced it and gives its director, George Melford, rank among the best of his profession. A morality play is difficult to stage even with the help of words, and it must have been a delicate task to prepare this one for the screen. But the adaptors and Mr. Melford haye been so successful that it is no exaggeration to say that the picture has an appeal, considering the difference in the medium, quite equal to that on the stage. "Everywoman," as it embellishes the1 screen, takes on more nearly the nature of a great spectacle than anything heretofore revealed in the silent drama, if we except Mr. Griffith's "Intolerance." It is a series of beautiful screen pictures" with about as much of a connecting plot as Mr. Browne gave his memor able play, and that is slight. x But in the much-sought "story interest" it is not lacking. The story follows the play faithfully, describing the journeys of Everywoman in quest of King Love. She thinks she may find him on the stage and tries that route, relying , largely on the influential friendship of Wealth. But Dissipa tion steals away Beauty, after Modesty has been made very, very ill, and only Youth stays with her. Before she leaves Wealth she entertains Passion, but learns his true nature and finally finds real happiness in Love. The big ensemble scene of the picture is that in which Wealth entertains many, many friends in honor of Every woman. Vice, who later wins Everywoman away from Wealth, Is there in the company of Passion and Youth is frightfully bored by Age. ' It is a gorgeous scene with a huge tafcle in dollar sign shape and with a prancing chorus that suggests the best of Ziegfeld and Sennett. ' During the scene they take a dip in the pool which forms the center of the table and dive for money. But the smaller, more intimate scenes, the ones that really tell the story, are well handled, too, including the wooing of Everywoman suc cessively by Wealth, Passion and Love. Many of the scenes are introduced by beautifully fashioned groups of symbolic statuary, something new in filmland and decidedly distinctive. Violet Heming, taken from a successful stage career, to play the title role, does it admirably. She has in expressive, sensitive face ; beauty of face and costume, and a clever com mand of makeup, as she depicts the temporary flight of beauty. Bebe Daniels is a voluptuous, alluringly charming Vice and dresses her role to perfection. Wanda Hawley as Beauty, Clara Horton as Youth and Edythe Chapman as Truth are among the other successful feminine Dlavers. Theodore Roberts plays cleverly, but without aristocratic! Truth, Everywoman declares she is enecc, me roie oi weaiin. Irving uummings makes an ar dent Passion; Monte Blue, a winning Love and James Neill is impressive in the cowled figure of visionary effect, Nobody. THE CAST. Everywoman Violet Heming Wealth Theotiore Roberts Beauty Wanda Hawley Youth Clara Horton Modesty Margaret Loomis Conscience Mildred Reardon Truth v.... Edythe Chapman Vice Bebe Daniels Love Monte Blue Passion Irving Cummings Nobody James Neill Flattery Raymond Hatton Lord Witless .... Luclen Littlefield Bluff . Noah Berry Stuff Jay Dwiggins Puff Tully Marshall Age Robert Brower Time Charles Ogle Dissipation Fred Huntley Auctioneer Clarence Geldart SYNOPSIS. A girl donates one kiss to be sold at auction at a charity bazar. Among the bidders are three rivals for lier hand a struggling young physician, a professional actor and a millionaire. Naturally the latter wins, but the kiss docs not come up to expectations. Two stage man agers who are present offer the girl an opportunity to become an actress. She asks time to consider and that night three girl chums who are visiting her offer varied advice. With the dawn of a new day the story merges into symbolism. The girl is now called Everywoman; her maid, Constance, and her three best friends are Youth, Beauty and Modesty. To Everywoman, in her mirror, appears Flattery and the character of Nobody, the ever pres ent, is also introduced. Flattery begs Everywoman to go upon the Stage of Life and seek his master, King Love the First. Everywoman determines to accept the manager's cffer to go upon the stage. The young physician proposes and is re jected. In spite of the objections of Modesty, Everywoman decides to take up the stage and is dominated by the actor, now known as Pas sion, and the millionaire, now called Wealth. The stage managers are Bluff and Stuff, and their press agent r..iY it i - , is run. everywoman is acclaimed as a great star. -- She soon accepts the attentions of Wealth and a new suitor called Lord Witless. But still faithful in her quest for King Love, Everywoman mistakes Passion for him, allows herself to kiss him and discovers her error through Passion's descrip tion of the Gates of Pleasure. She rejects Passion, but "Modesty has left her to become a wandering exile. In the course of a banauet given by Wealth, he begs Every woman to be his, declaring he is King Love. However. Everywoman soon learns that he does not want her unless Youth and Beauty are ever present and she refuses him. Passion, longing for revenge, has Dissipation steal away Beauty to be held for a ransom. Everywoman flees from the house of Wealth In panic, taking Youth and Conscience with her. With Beauty lost, Bluff and Stuff dispense with the services of Everywoman as a theatrical star. Still seeking Love and heeding a suggestion of Youth about the love of gambling, Everywoman stakes her all in a gambling hall in hope of winning a clew to Love. She loses, and in the same game Lord Witless is ruined ' and kills himself. New Year's eve finds Everywoman and Youth, poverty-stricken, wandering in the streets. Father Time beckons and Youth leaves Everywoman for ever. In desperation Everywoman then finds that Nobody is her friend. As the chimes ring out the new year, Truth and Conscience leave the church, and fall at the feet of ready now to follow her. To the cottage of Truth now journeys Ev erywoman and these discovers that the young physician, the son of Truth, is the Love for whom she has made her pilgrimage. Modesty, taken in and cared for by Truth and Love, recovers from her wanderings and Love declares that Beauty will soon be ransomed by Right Living. Everywoman Repulses Passion Everywoman Her Whims Wiles Likes Follies And Her Quest For Love By W. K. MATHEWS. Everywoman I And a theme age old, yet always new! And who can do It justice? Everywoman most talked about, most written about, most dreamed aboutyet still the most unfathomable problem of the centuries. Everywoman her thoughts; her likes; her loves; her whims; her hopes. One of the most interesting con tributions to the world of written and spoken words on Everywoman is that which years ago created a furore Walter Browne's morali ty play, "Everywoman." And now this stage play has been recreated as a spectacle-drama of the screen, a lavish thing befitting the subject, everywoman. But will all women of Omaha agree with Walter Browne in his implication that Everywoman is born to take up her quest of love and continue it, through paths beset by temptations and pitfalls, until she finally utterly fails or reaches her goal the Haven of True Love? Is the quest of love woman's work? Browne would have us think so. As Lawrance Grant, noted author and actor, who wrote the prologue to "Everywoman," says: "Who shall know the workings of a woman's heart? Who shall fathom the dreams of a young girt as she first looks out on life, , 'StdlB with Mlnettnt f.rt. Whr th brook nd r1vr mt, Womanhood and Childhood lloL "She starts fortified bv all the benehcent attributes Youth Beau- ty-Modesty Truth and good eon science; but near her are Ambition and Pride beckoning her on: Passion with a pleasant exterior; Vice in at tractive form; wealth ready to smooth all paths; while Love, Com passion and Devotion seem but dull company. Everywoman must choose which of these shall be her com panions. "Beauty cannot flirt with Dissipa tion, nor abide with Passion; Youth cannot sport with Vice; Truth will be estranged by Ambition; and Con science be stilled by Pride. Only In finite Love Perfect Devotijn Di vine Compassion will cleave through all vicissitudes, ready in the hour of direst need to rally round her, when nobody cares. "Everywoman meets these char acters daily. They bear ordinary nor mal names, but she knows to which group each belongs, whether they are a force for good or for s evil, whether they should enter the inner circle of her frtends, or be passed byand forgotten. "Will she pursue Ambition? Con sort with Vanity and Pride? Indulge in Dissipation and Vice? "Or, in the path of simple stand ards and quite modest ways be content to live her life in compan ionship with womanly virtues, be lieving that if she pursueth truth alone, then love when she so ear nestly desires, will bt her sura r- ward?" And have you noticed that al ways the Interrogation points ends the discussion regarding Every woman? The eternal question? So let your thought dwell on Everywoman and her greatest prob lem, her quest for love. Perhaps, you may remove from some "ev ety woman's" path one of the ob stacles. She asks little enough; yet something so difficult to obtain True Love! "Everywoman" Everywoman, thy beauty, youth and modesty Are attributes that nothing can place " Once flown and when times hand shall trace Upon the cameo-clearness of thy . face Shadows of evil e'en the con stancy Of those who love thee truly, can not stand ' Against the loss of all that gave thee grace. Pause, Evervwoman, on the brink of tragedy; . ' Place all thy trust in truth whose charity Shall lead thee through the laby rinth into love, Ending thy quest at last; and in the sacred grove Where happiness and hope maestt callv move. To the soft and dulcet cooing of the dove Thy heart shall find its own in rhapsody, Akin to the soft music of the spheres Through all the coming years. 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