Manual High School - Mirror Yearbook (Peoria, IL)

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THE MANUAL, 1920 .ami .. ,152 ggi? Wm -'f'- h- -'f' N ...AAAA a - ...., ww ' W-..-.. Eau 3l2eher Qian Gisli The delightful play You Never Can Tell was presented by the Senior Class on May 24th. From the way the actors carried out their parts you would never have guessed that they were amateurs. Reeda Eibeck as Dolly Clandon, and Kurt Goldberger as her brother Philip, fairly carried the audience with them throughout the entire play. However Don Brown, as Valentine, the dentist, comes in for a lion's share of comment, for he certainly did put the true love stuff over the footlights. And when he kissed her-the smack, like the first shot at Lexington Green, was heard round the world. But that reminds me of Doris Elsesser, the receiver of the said smack. As Gloria Clandon she was a perfect trifler, but she fell for Mr. Bohun, the attractive lawyer. And who would have made a better lawyer than Louis Moscove? Ruth Goldstein as Mrs. Clandon and Carl Haeffner as Mr. Crampton certainly made a charming couple. You could tell they were married once, by the way they quarreled, but they had separated long ago and Mrs. Crampton changed her name to Clandon. Mr. Crampton was quite disgusted with the way his children greeted him after so long a lapse of time, but Balmy Water Boone, better known as William Shakespeare because he resembled him so much, reconciled Crampton by telling of his own son who was no other than Mr. Bohun, who, too,had changed his name to be distinctive. Ralph Ojeman as the waiter was an ideal man for the part. Then there was Herbert Wolfram as Mr. Finch, the solicitor. Who would have thought that pretty Dolly Clandon would have fallen in love with him? And as the ballyhoo artist for the sideshow says, last but not least we have Mary Applegren as the maid. While Mary's part was a minor one, it is always the minor parts that lend atmosphere and charm to the play. What would a dentist do without a pretty maid to receive patients-well, You Never Can Tell. This paragraph is reserved for one, Miss Flora L. Ebaugh, who directed the play .Her ability as a director is best judged by the way in which the large audience expressed its approval and admiration of the performance.

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- THE MANUAL, 1920 .... , . Qlibe Hsiun of Eau jaeher Glam Gisli The curtain had descended for the last time. The play was over. From all outward appearance it had proved a success. The people were loud in their praise and their only wish was to see it again. Thus ended the night of the initial performance of You Never Can Tell. But gossip and news travel rapidly and the next day a local com- mittee of citizens called upon Mr. Brown to secure a second performance. The request was granted and the performance was given. This time hundreds of people were turned away. As a result the play was given the third time, but still people met with the same fate at the door. The cast and director then 'hit' upon a plan. They de- cided to charge one dollar admission and thus check the crowds. But the admission might as well have been three pins, for the persis- tent audiences were ever increasing. Price was no obstacle to keep people from witnessing this inviting play. Its success was instan- taneous and its popularity, gossip. It was then decided to give only three more performances and dissemble the scenery, but what appeared after these performances can scarcely be believedgan invitation to present the play at the Peoria High School Auditorium. This re- quest of course could not be refused and so the play received another volume of applause and admiration form the audience of that school. In the meantime both the local papers phenomenally agreed that the paly was the best ever presented by any cast in Peoria, amateur or professional, not barring East Peoria. It happened by chance that the manager of the La Salle theater of Chicago was stopping at the Jefferson and read about the success of the play. He immediately investigated and was so delighted with a special performance that he offered the cast and director the nominal sum of 550,000 for one weekls performance at this theatre. The offer was accepted. The performances at the LaSalle theater met with much enthusiasm, for real art is indeed appreciated everywhere. The warm approval of Chicagoans was plainly evidenced in the papers. Comments the Chicago Tribune of june 26: The new version of Bernard Shaw's 'You Never Can Tell' was indeed unique. The interpretation by that cast has even excelled that of the Metropolitan Stock Co. of New York City. The elaborate settings were perfect. Philip Clandon, to the writer's belief, was easily the star of the performance. His know- ledge of human nature was a great asset to his person, and his