"Topsy and Eva" — Rivoli

"Topsy and Eva," screen comedy by Catherine Chisholm Cushing, directed by Del Lord and presented by United Artists at the Rivoli Theater with the following cast:

  Every one seems to feel that "Topsy and Eva" was better suited to the stage than to the screen. But never having seen the Duncan Sisters, Rosetta and Vivian, in their extravaganza, we found the screen version rather amusing. It is a burlesque on "Uncle Tom's Cabin," with Vivian as Eva and Rosetta, the less beautiful sister, as Topsy.

  The two sisters appeared on the Rivoli stage before the picture went on, so we had a chance to see how they really looked. Vivian appears to be beautiful. However, her chances in the picture were not overwhelming. When she isn't smiling sweetly and encouraging Uncle Tom and Topsy to look up, not down, or reading the Bible to them, she is smiling sweetly, lying back on the pillows and dying.

  Topsy does all of the things a playwright, a scenarist or a director could conjure up for her to do: we couldn't begin to describe them! The supporting cast is good. Gibson Gowland, who was so fine in "Greed," is the fiendish Simon Legree. The noble Uncle Tom is played by Noble Johnson. Nils Asther, noted for his manly beauty, is the hero and Marjorie Daw the heroine. We listened to the comments as we left the theater, but the voiced sentiments did not sound as enthusiastic as the applause which followed the picture.

  "Not such a bad show," remarked one departing fan. "I've seen worse."

  "Yeah," replied his companion. "Where?" If he had asked us that question we could have told him right away!