Berkeley High School - Olla Podrida Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

Page 18 text:

THE June Class of 1919 produced material which was very well fitted to present the play, In Mizzoura , on the evening of June 6, and pre- sented it with great success. Those who were so unfortunate as not to have seen it will here read the story that they may regret their absence on this eventful occasion. The scene is laid in Bowling Green, Mizzoura , in the times when one travelled from the railroad to town in an old stage coach behind several horses; m the times when the sheriffs were kept busy chasing bad men who even made so bold as to rob a train of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, and get away with it, as it appears our villain in this story did. Kate, the older daughter of Jo Vernon, the village blacksmith, has experi- enced the advantages of a young woman ' s seminary and soon after her return home, realizes, to her chagrin and disappointment, the apparent barrier that education has put between herself and her simple home folks. Longing for something better than Bowling Green offers, she accepts the attentions of one Travers, a handsome, flashy stranger, who appears more to her taste than the honest kindly sheriff, Jim Radburn, who has watched her grow from childhood, and who worships the ground she treads. Radburn is on the lookout for a train robber whom he suspects is Travers. His desires for capturing this robber are three-fold : to perform his official duty; to free the wrongly suspected express messenger, Sam Fowler, who is his sister ' s lover; and to end the rivalry for Kate. On the evening of the second day, Colonel Bollinger rushes in to the Vernons ' home to inform them that just now Travers has shot a man who tried to stop him, upon being accused of robbing Sam Fowler ' s car. Bowling Green is instantly alive with guns and men, hunting for Travers, who has escaped. Kate is horrified by these accusations which she can not believe. Meanwhile,

Page 17 text:

Portia could not have wished for a sweeter, lovelier companion than Nerissa, as played by Rosemary Browning. Her soft words of comfort in time of weakness served as an inspiration, not alone to Portia, but to the audience as well. David McCullough as Gratiano proved to be a right hearty friend of Bassanio and Antonio, although something of a chatterbox, yet one whom you liked to have near, if merely to hear him talk. Allie Porter was given the part of Jessica, the rich Jew ' s daughter. And a sly little shrew she made, stealing her father ' s wealth and Lorenzo ' s heart with all the charm and coquetry imaginable. Her lover, Lorenzo, was ardent in his expressions of regard and appre- ciation and was played most convincingly by Philip Urner to the delight of all. The comedy element in this performance was far from lacking; rather, it was very firmly implanted in our memories by the excellent acting of William Hosselkus and Thomas Debagh as the two clowns, Old Gobbo and Launcelot . Those who played the parts of the Duke, Prince of Morocco , Tubal, gentlemen, court-ladies, and servants offered a wonderful support to the prin- cipals and contributed greatly to the success of the play. Most heartfelt thanks are due Miss McLean, Mrs. De Luce, and Miss Marshall for their inestimable contributions of patience and labor which have helped to inscroll The Merchant of Venice indelibly upon the memories of those who saw it and upon the growing list of Mr. Winter ' s Shakespearean productions.

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while all have gone on the search, the villain enters her home, pale, grim, gun in hand, seeking protection. Kate hides him in a closet. The seasoned and calculating mind of Jim Radburn locates Travers at the Vernon home, where he immediately unearths him. But instead of arresting him, Jim offers him his horse, as a means of escape, since he believes that Kate really loves Travers, and not himself. Travers is finally killed in Louisiana, and Radburn is cleared of all criticism by Kate ' s humble confession that Jim had done it all for her. This terminates the story with happiness for all. THE CAST. Jo Vernon Jim Radburn Col. Bollinger Robert Travers Sam Fowler Dave Esrom Bill Sarber Kelly Mrs. Jo Vernon Kate Vernon Elizabeth Vernon Emily Radburn Charles Witter Frank Forsburg Donham Owen Walter Rountree Howard Clark Harold Gee Harry Buckalew George Delury Rexford Gordon Regina Parent Eloise Selleck Marie Carlin Josephine Fink