Talk:The Blue Flame (play)/GA1

GA Review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · Watch

Reviewer: J Milburn (talk · contribs) 22:50, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

Happy to offer a review, but it will come in parts. Josh Milburn (talk) 22:50, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

• Perhaps you could incorporate a few more characters into the plot section?

  Unfortunately, because the play itself is unpublished (as far as I can tell), I can only describe events and characters that are described in other summaries.

• I assume it has never been performed beyond the initial run? It was never published? Do any of your sources mention these things?

  That's a pretty safe assumption considering the reviews and its reliance on Bara as the box office draw, but I don't know of a source that says explicitly.

• "Theater historian Ward Morehouse described it as "one of the worst plays ever written"." I think this would be a great addition to the lead; it would also make a nice DYK hook if/when this article is promoted.

  Added to lead.

• ""The Blue Flame". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 25, 2015." For what reason are you citing this? My understanding is that it does not qualify as a reliable source.

  Unlike (for example) the Internet Movie Database, the Internet Broadway Database has editorial oversight. See discussions at WP:RSN here, here, and here.

• If you can find it, you could upload the music; it was published in the US prior to 1923, and is thus PD (as far as both the English Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons are concerned).

  OK, I just uploaded the images of the sheet music from NYPL, although perhaps some better way to do that for sheet music?

  Apologies; I've just realised how silly my suggestion was. I was imagining the release of a record, not the release of sheet music. Josh Milburn (talk) 01:44, 5 February 2017 (UTC)

That's what jumps out at me from a first look! Josh Milburn (talk) 23:06, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

Thanks; initial replies above. --RL0919 (talk) 00:57, 5 February 2017 (UTC)

• Sorry to be a pain, but the PD claim on File:DeWitt Jennings.jpg is a bit lacking. We'd be looking for evidence of publication prior to 1923 for the PD claim to hold up (as is provided, for example, at File:Theda Bara in The Blue Flame 1920.jpg).

  Replaced with the provably PD File:DeWitt Jennings - 1919.jpg.

• What do you think of Category:Dreams in fiction and Category:Science fiction theatre? I would also normally ask for categories for the playwrights, but, given that no one has written articles on them...

  Good suggestions, but I used the more specific Category:Dreams in theatre.

• The sources all look very good.

Latest replies above. --RL0919 (talk) 18:05, 5 February 2017 (UTC)

• There's a rather funny review of the play by Dorothy Parker reprinted in this book; perhaps it could be incorporated?

  Added. The book is from self-publisher iUniverse, but since the original would be acceptable as a reliable source for Parker's opinion, the reprint should be OK as well. --RL0919 (talk) 17:33, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

Great stuff. I'd be inclined to say that the article is a little on the short side, but it is well written, well-sourced and covers the major aspects of the play. From my cursory search, it seems like most mentions of the play in the literature mention it in the context of Bara's work, and are especially keen to stress that it was a bad play. The article does a good job of expanding on both of these aspects. As such, I am happy to promote at this time. Josh Milburn (talk) 02:47, 8 February 2017 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.