Elmer is here again. In case you haven't been following Ring Lardner's epic of baseball's biggest swell-head. Elmer, whether on screen or stage, has for years and years been Joe E. Brown. For those interested in statistics, his mouth has stretched exactly one-eighth of an inch, which only makes his smile the more enticing and allows him to shovel down ham, doughnuts, milk and pie in an increasing ratio throughout the play. Between these two processes, Joe E. is as human, lovable and Laughable as ever.
Not that he doesn't have his troubles building "Elmer" into something more than a story from "American Boy Magazine." Ring Lardner has offered little more than an obvious plot and some run-of-the-mill dialogue. But Joe isn't interested in laughter of the mind. His purpose, stated in a beautiful little speech after the last curtain, is to hit the audience around the heart. "Elmer The Great" may be a simple play about simple people but it is fine refreshment in a troubled world.
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