Word: holte
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Ivan Lee Holt of St. Louis, urbane and gracious retiring president of the Council, struck the meeting's keynote in appraising the Mission. To his 300 hearers, who represent all the Protestant unity there is in the U. S.-a cautious confederation of 23 denominations with 24,000,000 communicants-Dr. Holt said: "It must be perfectly evident that the appeal of the Missioners has been that of united Protestantism. . . . American Protestantism faces reorganization or disintegration. The Federal Council occupies a more strategic position for leadership in this reorganization than ever before in its history...
...which the role offered by Sardis Lawrence, who brought out all the irony, all the spirit, and all the easy-going-live-and-let-live character of Madge's aged and indigent composer-father: the top performance of the evening. Another competent oldster was Frank Thomas as T. Rogers Holt--up from below, the "survival of the unfittest," as father Graham puts...
...meaning which the play may carry is to be found in the line spoken by Ann Holt, bored daughter of the nouveauriche T. Roger Holt: "Damn a social system which produces rich fathers, smug mothers, droopy sons, and finished daughters." This of course is pretty sweeping; the Country Club set should feel thoroughly chagrined. But then the affair wanders back into comedy pure and romantic in fact these often charming and often rather bewildering oscillations between comedy and comment set the tone of "Life's a Villain." In the long run it's the plot that counts. The author...
Vivian Taylor, who is fresh from Vassar or somewhere and uses her knowledge as something to throw bitterness at, is given a convincing portrayal as a young neurotic by Evelyn Dorn, once you've tumbled to the fact she's meant to be neurotic, and not just sophisticated. Ann Holt as the wealthy daughter, who might have been fresh from Vassar but has really just been disgorged by a finishing school, is well handled by Louise Kirtland, a beauty with a figure. The male juveniles are not so good...
...total effect of "Life's a Villain" is somewhat bewildering. The title, the first sight of the sophisticated crowd which serves as a background for the main story, the first blares of commonness from nouvelles-riches Mrs. Holt and Mrs. Turner; all lead one to expect social commentary rather than sentiment, for surely these people are not here just to be amusing. But then you do get the sentiment. And it's often quite nice. One only wishes that he did not get that disturbing feeling of something not quite said...