Billy's Mother

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

An absurd melodrama. Fortescue on his ranch believes his wife & child to have been drowned, whereas they had been saved but the wife’s letters were kept back by Brenda, a wicked woman who lived with Fortescue and was his “suite”. When he found out the truth he joined the U.S. army. Meanwhile in England his son, Billy, has just got a commission in the R.A.F. His captain Beecher is a villain & wishes to marry Billy’s mother, Lucy. Fortescue, now a captain in the U.S. army arrives in England but Brenda does so too & prevents a reconciliation. Then Brenda and Beecher join forces and (1) drug Billy and prevents his going up to repel an air raid only his mother takes his place and brings down a Gotha & (2) when he has become a private and is in the fighting line Beecher shoots him in the back. Fortunately Lucy has warning of this in a vision & Fortescue, sent by her, arrives in time to secure the bullet, with which ultimately he convicts Beecher, who also is shot in the back by Brenda. The only objectionable thing in this farrago of rubbish is that the villain should be a British officer. But we have had officer villains before and though this is a bad case (in point of depths of villainy) the whole thing is so childish that nobody could be offended. Nor could any American, I think, be offended by the comic American figures, which are meant to be sympathetic. Recommended for Licence. G.S. Street