Location:
Theater:
Date:
Type:
Porter J. White performs the sketch,"The Beggar," written by his brother, Oliver White. Porter must hold his audience's attention, telling them he has gone blind and regained his sight, all while in a few moments, during which his wife has fled from him with her former lover. She only fled after the doctor told her to after she informed him her husband was a faker. She only told him this after her former lover came to take her away because he thought her husband was broke. But he didn't want to go broke, so he struck a graft with coin in it. He became a blind beggar, with his eyes wide open. These kind of beggars are truly pitiful. That's why Simon Guest (Porter) claimed he was such a great artist. He was getting so much money this way that his wife detested him. She said that he was not a real man. One day Dr. Orkus dropped in a ten dollar gold piece by mistake. He called that evening to casually mention his oversight and examine the blind man's eyes. At this time Simon knew his wife's lover was in the room. The wife squealed on her husband and the doctor told her to leave him. Simon fell on the sofa and let out a cry. He could not see the light and prayed that his sight would be given back to him for just once chance to shoot the wife's lover. He regained his sight but did not shoot, he rushed to the door and his wife stood there. She claimed she heard him calling, which of course she did not. There was a mental telegraphy showing that the former lover does not have the mind to make good coin. The other actors include Harry Stephens, Edward Wenn and Adelaide Fairchild.
Oliver White wrote an impossible tale, but it is told rather well. His brother, Porter, does even better in the acting. The big fault of the sketch, the ending, is saved with Porter's acting. The philosophical parts are interesting for a while. The ending is perhaps bad enough to keep it from going far on the big time. While Miss Fairchild looked like a distressed wife, whether or not she acted like one is open to debate.
Source:
Variety 23:13 (09/02/1911)