MCPL001480

Description:	THE SENIOR PLAYOfficer 666Under the directorship of Miss Cottington, of Crawfordsville, the cast of the Seniorplay achieved a significant success in its presentation of Augustin McHughs rollicking farcein three acts. Officer 666 was a victory over skeptics, who declared that talent was lackingin the class of 1923, as well as a creditable performance of a play brimful of subtleties andniceties of the dramatic art.Miss Cottington, a student at Columbia University, has staged numerous amateur productions. To her is due credit for whipping into shape the green material which she had athand. Under her tutelage, meaningless gestures became expressive ones, lame speeches became imbued with poignant wit. Miss Jack, as sponsor of the class and head of the playcommittee, has performed invaluable services. She launched the cast on its work beforeMiss Cottington took up her duties, and has proven a wise counsellor.Travers Gladwin, a young millionaire, receives a summons to come home from Egypt.The cause—intrigue. His (dismissed) butler, Watkins, and his lawyer, Forbes, have beenplotting against him in collusion.Gladwin, having come home incognito on the liner, meets his eccentric English friend,Whitney Barnes, at the Gladwin mansion. He tells Barnes of a beautiful girl by whosecharm he had been smitten while lunching at the Ritz-Carlton grille. The two are discussing the Gladwin collection of paintings, when two ladies call. One of them, HelenBurton, is the girl whom Gladwin had seen in the Ritz.The girls assert their desire to see Mr. Gladwin. As no one knows he is home. Gladwin,with shrewd discernment, thereby deduces that someone has taken on his name for somecriminal purpose, apparently, and maintains that he is Travers Gladwins most intimatefriend. The girl expresses some surprise, but intrusts Gladwin with a message for herTravers Gladwin. By dint of wily evasions, Gladwin manages to discover that Miss Burtonintends to marry Travers Gladwin and that they will take the best paintings with them ontheir honeymoon, that night.Gladwin, with the motive of discovering the pseudo-Gladwin, of saving this charminggirl from his intriguing clutches, and of winning her for himself, calls a policeman. MichaelPhelan, Officer 666, appears upon the scene. Gladwin bribes him for the use of his uniformand sets forth on his thrilling adventure.In his disguise he easily passes, at least in the wretch Gladwins eyes, as the policemanon the beat. Helen Burtons aunt comes with Sadie, the second woman in the case, to prevent the elopement; the unsuspecting Barnes is the goat.The villain Gladwin, with agility of mind equal to that of the hero Gladwin, succeedsin convincing not only Helen, to whom the real Gladwin has revealed his identity, that he(the villain) is Gladwin, but also Bateato, the Japanese valet of the hero, and Phelan, whois getting worried over his chances of being discovered.The last two acts seem an inexplicable running about of policemen, lovers and beloved,exclusive of a maiden aunt and a frightened servant. At last a plain-clothes man identifiesthe false Gladwin as a notorious picture thief and expert. No alternative remains for thepolicemen but to recognize Travers Gladwin as the man he professes to be. Phelan loseshis job on the force, but Gladwin takes him into his employ. The final daring fade-outfinds Helen and Travers and Sadie and Whitney in a very touching embrace.Harold George and Mildred Shields scored appreciable hits as the dashing young millionaire and the elegant society debutante, to whom the sobriquet of grape-fruit girl isapplied. The part of oily Wilson, the false Gladwin, was interpreted by Roger Languell inhis adroit manner. And the title role, Officer 666—wasnt it a grand and glorious Phelan?It was impossible for the audience to conceive of the fun Bill Ramsey and Bernice Beardhad in rehearsing the palm-reading scene and the bizarre handcuff scene. And Oh! Hel—en,wasnt Mildred Legge the most terrifying hen-pecking Auntie? The character interpretationof Bateato, Gladwins Japanese valet, was very cleverly excuted by Ralph Leser. Bad Potatoes was the cause of many a laugh.Line-up and SummaryTravers Gladwin Harold GeorgeAlfred Wilson Roger LanguellOfficer 666, Michael Phelan Francis WylieWhitney Barnes William RamseyHelen Burton Mildred ShieldsSadie Small Bernice BeardBateato Ralph LeserCaptain Stone Earl RawlinsRyan Clifford JonesKearney Emery HallmanWatkins Robert NicholsonOther Officers.Page seventy-six
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloom/id/2446
Collection:	Bloomington High School

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