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Comic dialogue.
George Le Maire, first time in Chicago since he split with Conroy, did his Conroy and Le Maire act verbatim with Clay Crouch, who is billed as "assisting," only. Crouch, made up much like Conroy, loses the resemblance there. He lacks that very first quality that made the old two-act a knockout, and that is not a sense of comedy. Crouch has that, and he gets many laughs. But he hasn't the winsomely pitiful personality that used to feed the aggressive, roaring Le Maire. When Le Maire fights Crouch, Crouch fights him back, making of the act an argument rather than a massacre. Since the material was designed for the yielding, weakkneed Conroy, it doesn't fit Crouch, who therefore cannot give to it what he hasn't got, another man's personality. Crouch is an able comedian, Le Maire is a powerful vendor of wit and character. But Crouch must either learn to wilt, or Le Maire must get situations in which Crouch car give and take. There were many laughs, but the applause was lacking at the end, after the operating chair scene. A new line is used for an exit, which is too
abrupt and, while a strong line, does not fit, being a gag and not a finish. The line is "Yes, but death is so permanent," on which Crouch, having spoken it, walks off, and Le Maire walks off after him. The finish got a flash laugh and killed the hand.
Source:
Variety, 54:4 (03/21/1919)