Location:
Theater:
Date:
Type:
Comic dialogue.
"Keep Smiling."
Una Clayton wrote "Keep Smiling" and probably staged it, and to Una Clayton belongs all credit for whatever success the skit attains, for it carries a rather light foundation in story to support the accompanying scenic investiture, not to mention the presence of its creator, a rather popular characteristic in vaudeville circles. The scene shows a room on- the top floor of a Greenwich village studio. A playwright, in evening clothes, is brooding over a rejected manuscript. Enters the chambermaid (Miss Clayton) full of song and gaiety. After trying to cheer up the writer for several minutes she finally interests him and while telling a story gives him an idea for a finish for his play, the story being supposedly based on her idea of the outcome of their acquaintance. There are some good comedy lines, all handled by Miss Clayton and productive of laughs, but the turn lacks a body "kick." It's pleasing enough
throughout, but Miss Clayton's inability calls for something a bit stronger. A song is interpolated as part of the theme and fits. Herbert L. Griffin plays opposite the principal, looks good and carries in addition to a musically inclined speaking voice, a measure of personality. "Keep Smiling" can serve Miss Clayton for a single whirl around the circuit possibly.
Source:
Variety, 54:8 (04/18/1919)