Page:The New Yorker 0003, 1925-03-07.pdf/3

THE NEW YORKER Advisory Editors: Ralph Barton, Marc Connelly, Rea Irvin, George S. Kaufman, Alice Duer Miller, Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott

It seems to Them

THE first major casualty in the World's crusade to make the Broadway theatre a finer and innocent bystander, Heywood Broun.

As a direct result of the World's unwillingness to tolerate plays it recently discovered to be surfeited with shame, Mr. Broun will leave the paper at the end of the current theatrical season, of Herbert Bayard Swope, the Executive Editor. But There is a possibility that he may remain, but since this is based on the execution of a complete about-face, the wise money does not look for any such result. An editorial on "Ladies of the Evening" started it.

The editorial, headed "A Cheap Skate on Broadway," expressed the burning indignation of Walter Lippman, the late Frank Cobb's successor as editor of the World, that such things could be.

Perhaps "Ladies of the Evening" would have been a sensational box office success even if the World's editorial had not appeared. In the nature of affairs, there must be many theatregoers who do not read the World's editorials. But at any rate, capacity audiences have been the rule at the Lyceum Theatre since the denunciation was printed.

"A Good Bad Woman" opened and, with derisive and unstimulating comments from the critics, was well on its way to the storehouse. The Comedy Theatre, where it was shown, has a small seating capacity, and yet on the second night of the play's run tickets were to be found in large numbers in the cut-rate offices.

Enter, at this point, Arthur Krock, a member of the editorial council of the World. Mr. Krock previously had been assistant to Col. Henry Watterson of the Louisville Courier-Journal, and later, as an important aide, helped Mr. Will Hays in his activities among the movies. His official position now is "Assistant to the Publisher," Ralph Pulitzer.

Mr. Krock sent to William A. Brady's office for the manuscript of "A Good Bad Woman" and read it, one hopes, religiously. After the ordeal he wrote an editorial, "A Warning to Broadway," which was duly printed.

Pardonably mistaken in the matter, Percy Hammond of the Herald Tribune credited this evidence of the World's sudden high morality to the guiding hand of Mr. Swope was another innocent bystander, the new policy having been decided by Messrs. Lippman and Krock while he was suffering at home from bronchitis.

At this time the news department of the World began to regard statements by William A. Brady on the dirty nature of his show as excellent news copy, to be rewarded with front page head-lines and pictures. Variety, the recognized authority on theatrical box office matters, on February 25 published the following illuminating paragraph:

“Although he withdrew 'A Good Bad Woman' at the Comedy after playing it two weeks, W. A. Brady made money on the engagement. ...The three days following the open-ing performance there were plenty of tickets in cut rates. publicity created a big demand, how-ever, and from then on the show played capacity, with the last week's takings $11,500."

Mr. Broun, in his column, "It Seems to Me," had been observing that the World's editorial and news campaign was bound to lead to results, of which, conceivably, the World itself might not approve. In order to have fine plays, it seemed to him in his column, it was necessary to have as complete freedom as possible. Better, it seemed to him further, a few dirty plays than a policy of suppression that would take away fine plays too. (District Attorney Banton, as might