Way Down East, a “b’gosh” Drama – By Peter Milne (Picture Play Magazine – 1920)
Way Down East, a “b’gosh” Drama – By Peter Milne (Picture Play Magazine – 1920) Picture Play Magazine – Volume XIII December 1920 No.4 The Screen in Review By Peter Milne DEEP-ROOTED in the traditions of the American stage is the “b’gosh” drama. This type of rural play, headed by such classics as “Way Down East,” and “The Old Homestead.” and runningdown the line to cruder copies of these, was prominently in vogue a decade or two ago. The term “b’gosh” was fastened on these plays rather condescendingly. It implied more than the mere expression of the amazed squire who exploded “b’gosh” at various moments throughout the play; it implied the squire’s false whiskers, the villain in riding boots, the simpleton hero, the barnyard scene with its painted backdrop, and the becurled ingenue whose manicured finger nails reflected the footlights. It never was great art, but it had a deep and abiding appeal. It has remained for the motion picture to eliminate some of the “b’gosh” element from the r...
