Variety (December 1950)

i.EGI’miATB P^^IEff Wednesday) December 6,<^ 1950 Plays Out of Town If You Pleas© San Fancisco, Nov. 29. Frank Fay production of revue in two acts (18 scenes). Stars Fay. music, lyrics, scenes and dialog by Fay. Dances, Marilyn Christine; settings and lighting. Richard Jackson; costumes, Thomas Charles Pratt; musical direction. Edward Ward. At Curran, San Francisco, Nov. 28, ^50; $4,20 top. , . Cast: Maurice Kelly, Fred Irving Lew'is, Esther Howard, John Ath^, Ceorge Haggerty, Barbara Torrance, Pat Button, Sharon Hennagini Pat Moran, Jen SiR' livan, Edward De Mattia, Ora Dale Puck- ett, Drusilla Davis, Lysa Baugher, Dottie Warr, Steve Kirchher, Irene Janis, inch- ard Beavers, Jon Shepodd. Johnny Kes- sler, George Foster. Bill Foster, Dwayne Ratliff, .ieanette LcVere, Barbara Calder, Monte Fraser, Suzanne Lovell, “round” magic with simplicity and authenticity and one is relaxed and “at home" with the actors. Spencer James, a new Theatre playing roles.. Coupled with this : ;50 jWt. has^doue a fine Harold Clurman and IValter Fried will present the new S. N, piaymg ^uupicu wini viixo, dirktion. under Miss Jones’i is the fact that they are somewhat Edwin bowled over by the importance of a'c the ptoducer, falls Behrman play, “Let Me Hear the the theme and feel they ap- . . ^ character and handles i Melody,” on Broadway next spring, i timing. Karolyn Ma.rtm, m her country second Theatre ’50 performance, | Britain’s'^® Canterbury “ Cathedral ’ dfsplay^lier* talent'' as^’Mar^' ® j “The Kidders.” by Donald Ogden letti^l of"-Itrstory%ls : with the JUtes and Danes who took ; P®“?Lp‘‘.‘tr’'rw?ro turns house-1 P'^y ‘he Fool in the Robert L. over the country from the earlier for^ Jhe produceri " .Tohn Joseph-Alexander H. Cohen re- Celtic Britoiis and whose gods^aie ic im/^sron no thA voiincitritrai nf- ‘.‘TCincr T.pnrstjarring those of Norse mythology. A fam- ■ ‘‘^‘"8 J.ear, ily comes S fSm a battle with i playwright.. Richard Venture, aJso j ealhern. He Succeeds TWf jKa“ new^ With th^ ^ i iEverett Sloane, who withdrew . . . A ‘Pf aS wi I With Carol, Channtag hospitalized Frank .Fay had an unfortunate accident with “If You Please." He , ^ stumbled over his own - ego, and • sp^re a Hfe take a prisoner. a Briton as a captive. The father of the household is in disgrace be- cause he was swept with a. strange weakness . which , caused him to run through Dec. 16, is doing well at the boxofficc; Berg. landed flat on his face in all the departments-^composcr and lyri- cist, M'riter of the sketches, scenes and dialog, director, producer and star—r-in Which he functioned. This revue is an unfortunate, un- salvagable bust—a $70,000 bust. Since Fay is the majority investor, in coin as This family head, Cymeh, goes from bad to worse. He breaks the last week for a tonsilectomy, Bibi Osierwald played the Lorelei Lee role in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" . . . Kent Smith will play Bolenbroke. in the City Center re^- Hen veil Ileln* tbe Ani^els Pasadena, Nov. 23. altar of Thor and listens with jh- ■ ?eovi,?*'sce'{2^^ ! wal of “Richard II," with Maurice terest to his captive, who had been Root.%ire?ted bv rjooh title part brought up a Christian but who Le.in. At Pasadena Playhouse, Nov. 23, :. Oscar Hammerstein, 2d, went forgot the details of It. . : .t yesterday (Tues.) for When Cymen is summoned to his Liz/ie Coiby .......... . Peggy Converse ; the opening of the George Gersh- ic'Tpga mainrirv invesuir i ruler hccaUse the monarch’s wife | jane Coiby ... ......... Francis Meehan ; Memorial Theatre workshop at w^lfa^eiTTt'^ahd title: i? .a ChrisUan and the new re- ' ' ... .. jack Lynn ; of tho forthcoming musical edition lip ^-lioiildcrs th0 entire responsi* • iiSion is to be suDStituted for woi^- jiomer Wciis • 11 • • . hfiitv. ship of the older gods, his brothers Mike o’Tooie . .......... Hal shaekiey , of “^nna and the King of Siam," but Fay’s creative contributions are °i Rera end d" vifIi;' iwMson Downs' is, Still forking .on the lyrics, for all undistinguished, to put it mild- their gods—rebuild the altar and Emma Moody .... . . .... ^ Seia Landon ; which Richard Rodgers will cora- ly. His music is a cacophony of unmelodic sound; his lyrics a jiim- . hie of meaningless rhyme. His sketches, scenes and. dialog are. witless; his dh’^ction is static, and his \ production epntribu- tion.s are as. poor as the pror crucify the British captive with • George . . ..'r....... ... Gorffob Meagher ( pose the music. The show, which "u/hrim rivnoPTi'iB rlaiicfhfpr hart . •' • • • • • • • * • • ^ whom Cymen’s daughter had fall- , • en in love. ' Adding a certain ■mysticism to ' ’ . Ralph Whiting i will go into rehearsals in February Stuart ciroup I with John van Dnitcn staging and Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Bryn- . . , Henry Senber is pressagenting the tour of “Death of a Salesman.” An additional dividend of about $15,000 will be distributed next week on the Kermit Bloomgarden- Walter Fried production, bringing, the profits to more than $200,000, split between the investors and producers. That means that the backers will' have received a 100% profit on the $100,000 ven- ture . . . On one recent week, the Rodgers-Hammerstein produc- tion of “Happy Time” earned aii operating profit of $6,742 on a gross of $26,236. Gertrude Lawrence returned yesterday (Tues.) from a two-week , vacation in Naples, Fla., with a stopoff on the way back to look over St. Petersburg, site of the musical teiit to be operated by her husband, Richard Aldrich, in asso- ciation with St. John Terrell and Laurence Schwab. She was ac- companied by novelist-playwright Daphne du Maiirier, who will shortly plane back to England after a brief visit . . , Arthur Mar- getson, ill with pleurisy, is still turning down all stage offers, ac- cording to word from London . . . Jose Ferrer and Gloria Swanson . will co-star in a revival of the Ben Hecht-Charles Mac Arthur hit, “20th Century,” for a limited run at the ANTA Playhouse, N, Y., opening Dec. 24, with Ferrer stag- the story is the reappearance of j The; familiar .siory of the ntil- ner in the leads, will reacti Broad- I ing . . . The musicians’ union has an aged nian. Merlin, who was the 1 lionaire who is thoroughly hated ; way during April. With the Lon- classified “Ring Round the Moon" wizard of King Arthur’s eourt [ by his fellow-townsmen gets an- i don edition of “South Pacific” due and “Relapse" as plays-with-music, Ceen in mnnv 1 V'hen^^ Still .controlle(i other going ovcr m J:his new Lynn I foi' the following fall, the author- I requiring them to employ six men speaks with great Root script. Tlic results are only j producers won’t be able to attend I at increased scale B5»Tbara Bel VQar.s. For a bigtime performer, 1 ,, ... he showed incredibly small-time poetic wisdom and with the, wit taste in the selection of. cast, cos- ! notable in Fi’y s \york. This IS no play for a commercial tumes and scenery. mildly amusing at best, giving Root 1 to the contemplated . s e c 0 n d ' Geddes and Donald Gook will co- a possible strawbat or community I “Pacific" touring company until a > star in F, Hugh Herbert’s “The ■ theatre vehicle, but one with no. 1 year hence . . . Playwright Garson i Moon Is Blue," to be presented ,by Prior"*to the sfand here “if You [ P^'O^^ction, hor vvas it written for'. Broadway possibilities. | Kanin says he's literally working | Richard Aldrich, Richard Myers, Please" had a two-(iav ’ break-in I ^uch a purpose. However, it has 1 Root has chosen to give the plot | a i6-hour-a-day chore at the Met i Julius Fleischmann and Otto date in Santa Barbara; Since this | stiikmgly beautiful 1 is Fay’s home town, the opening • it could be a worthwhile evening of theatre if played in a lighter, | ment, dishing his hui^r S • Naomi Riordan has taken over drier fashion than developed by . heavy hand. As a result, Angels j.Qjg of the ingenue in “Cbun- Leo Brady, who directed the com-1 is just too slapstick for wide ap- | ^j.y Girl," succeeding Nancy Stod- ^ , .J - , 1 dard, who withdrew to take a part Plot revolves around the fipal 10 - ^ Tattoo," Cheryl Craw^ days in the life.oi Cyrus^ P; [ ford’s production of the new night was obviously sympathetic at the start and prepared for “l.ocal- boy-makes-good" kudos.- Ardor, however, cooled quickly and con- siderably. When the curtain went up, the house was about 75% filled; at the first Curtain a good number of the audience was lost; at the finaP cur- tain a small audience remained. As producer, it was not only Fay’s decision to pick his own ma- terial, but also the cast and man- ner of the billing. He evidently first decided not to cast anybody who might dim his own lustre, and then decided to bill only himself— even on the stage. Where he wasn’t billed, he made sure to write scenes that would call for portraits or statuary of himself. He made it Impossible for anybody to lose track of the fact that this was Frank Fay starring in a Frank Fay show. . . That nobody else is billed is okay, too, since nobody has any- thing to do deserving of mention. George Haggerty, a deadpan come- dian who stooges for Fay, gets nowhere A with the material writ- ten by Fay; Jeri Sullivan is a fair singer made to look and sound very badly with Fay’s songs and lyrics; Maurice Kelly is a young hoofer who finds it impossible to make much of an impression with his rhythm dancing against Fay’s music. There is an assort- ment of mediocre actors and ac-- tresses who look and sound even more mediocre playing Fay’s sketches and to his direction. As for the star himself, he does not resemble in this show the once bigtime Frank Fay. He’s in sev- eral sGCnes and doesn’t improve his own writing. He. does a ballet routine, which is sophomoric and in bad ta.ste, since he strips down to a display of a lot of imglamor- ous flabbihes.s. He works in one early in the show, and in white tie and tails at the end. By that time nothing he ooiild do would count. No reason to comment bn any of the songs, since there isn’t brie that's going anywhere beyond the final performance iri this show. ' Pay plans taking this show to St. Louis, after a possible four-week ruri here, and then to New York, pany. The outstanding performance is turned in by Bill Callahan as Mer- lin. He handles the difficult chore of portraying this aged, witty man in a fashion that makes it one of the best performances turned in on the Catholic U. stage in the past few years. The lead part of Cy- men Is handled competently by William Flaherty. Generally the male parts are considerably better presented than those by the women. The setting, a Jutish farmstead, and the lighting have been done with great thought and are strongly effective. Lowe, Another Darling Cincinnati, Dec. 1. stage, Inc., presentation of comedy in three acts (six scenes) by Zoe Akins. Directed by Paul Fielding. • At Art ' Mu- seum theatre, Cincinnati. Nov. 20, *50; $2.30 top. Fashioned by Zoe Akins, "’An- other Darling" was given a sin- cere try by the Cincinnati Civic Theatre group. Tryout was for production consideration of Rich- ard Aldrich & Richard Myers, in association with Julius Fleisch- mann, who were in the first-night audience. Story, about a girl of 17 whose ga-ga for men gushes anew to match the characteristics of each whose one ambition in life is to. hit the $1,000,000 mark before he dies. Main character is far too brciad- ly drawn to be at all credible ah(i the play's other people vary between the stereotype and the sappy. Root’s decision to direct the play himself doesn’t help the situation, the seven scenes being devested more to posturing than pacing. About the only cast member who manages to give some life to the role despite the direction is Peggy Converse, who is generally credi- ble as the sister. Thomas Browne Henry, in the lead, apparently was responding to instructions to give it a “Lionel Barrymore-Uke’' read- ing. As usual at Pasadena Playhouse, Scott McLean has contributed an okay single set, complete with pay telephone—old Cyrus having been too much of a skinflint to pay for a regular phone. Kap. Off-B’way Show Tiiriisdile . . • 1 /> lM(ax Coltlert production of drama in. j one she meets, is remindful of a ; two acts (three sccno.s) by James A; Chekhov short piece, “The Dar- ; C«?van. Star^ s.ylvia Markcy, Michael Barr. ling. It goes round and round , jac^ Coyne, Fred Seoiiay. Directed by ione for Julcs Munshin and Mary and winds up at the starting point 1 Cavan, sets and liChLing, James Clark Tennessee Winiams drama cur-? rerttly in rehearsal under the di- rection of Daniel Mann, with Maureen Stapleton and Eli Wal- lach as leads . . . “Let’s Make An Opera,” the Benjamin Britten- Eric Crozier audience-participation musical which opens next Wednes- day (13), will have a weekly sched- ule of five nights and three mati- nees, in deference to its expected moppet appeal ... Rita Cahill, of- fice assistant of producers Cy Feuer and Ernest H. Martin, back at her desk after an attack of flu . . . Robert Garland, on sick leave as N. Y. Journal-American drama critic, is expected back on the job early in January. Meanwhile, John McClain is subbing and Jim O’Connor continues as ahfiUsement editor . . . After making an ap- pearance Friday night (8) on . the “Pulitzer Prize" tele show, legit and film actor - director - writer Hume Cronyri goes to the Coast to huddle on several picture deals and lease his house. He’ll return ;in time for. Christmas, bringing his (and his actress-wife Jessica Tandy’s) children. In the mean- while, Mrs. Cronyn will have taken a house in Greenwich, Conn., from which she’ll commute for her star- ring part in. “Hilda Crane.” Two more new comedy songs, Kesselring’s Are 48.” with nobody catching the brass' ^ Lane tiieatre. n, y., Nov. ring. Action unfolds in the liv- Johnny Wade .....,.,... Richard Garth ing room of a San Francistio apart- -Raud OConnOr Michael Barr ment belonging to the central fig- | ................ ure’s cousin and her husband. Set- liiner Ralph Conner ting is bigtime. Paul Fielcling comes through • • • • • / • • • • * ••••*••,• • with splendid direction of a fine ; joh^ Bandioi .......... Boiiy Haneii cast which shows nary a sign of ; Maid Dorothy Lowe being non-pro. Nancy Todd in the ^ leading role, is particularly im- pressive. Koll. A Play for Mary Dallas, Nov. 27. Theatre *50 presentation of comedy in three acts by William McCleery. Directed Which, in oomparison, had it during the hurricane. Scho. iCiosed Saturday (2) after six perfnrmavccs).\ ThiM*. AiijijHs _ . WaRhington, Dec, 1. Catholic U. Rpeoeh & prama Dept, pres- of draijia in two acts by Chris- Marshall Yokleson; costumes, Kenn Barr. At Theatre *5(i Fair Park, Dallas, Nov. 27, *50; $2.50 top. ' Mrs. Vail ..,,..... .Betty Greene Little Sewell .....,... Richard Venture Milo Brooks ■ Edwin Whither Mary Gregory ... .Karolyn Martin Neal Price John Denney Author William McCleery has I ' by Leo Brady. Set and . spiked a rather shallow plot with uKhtinR, .James Waiincr; co,stumc.s, Joseph cKarn Hiainn^ anrt wiftv nuinR Plav Lewis; coach. Josephine McGarrv Cnllan. ■ snarp QiaiOg.anq Willy quips. At Univctsiiy ibeatie, D. €„ Dec. 1, *50. ccntcrs around a ptoducer Wno 15 . ^ ^ ^ V to wrap up a deal for his Chnstopher Fry, who made it to’ young leading lady to make a has now made it to i Hollywood picture. The big ob- Catholic U.’s wcllkriown speech stacle is a young playwright and anq drama deparlmcntv with an his devotion toward the star, plus appropriately religioMs play oh the a scheming housekeeper who is pegmnmgs of Christianity in Eng- also on the side of young thespian Jand.^ Unfortunately, Father Hart-; love. ke s talented kids can’t quite make I While the plot and situations the transition to Fry’s verse drama.' are rather light and fllppant^ they Every so often they seem to say make for good- stage quipping, to themselves, “Gpsh, this is Play is fast moving. Producer poetry”; so they recite instead of ' Margo Jones has again applied her I “Turnstile" hews too closely to the psychological pattern of recent Hollywood gangster;^lms. Dealing mainly with a psycliotic mobster, play also touches on war’s effects on combatants. Though some good bits are ofTered, yarn Wears thin as it goes along: Story center<5 around a two-bit gangster, who’s about to pull off a big caper, but whose attitude towards his associates indicated an unbalanced mind.; Michael Barr handles the lead role of the gang- ster competently, Weldon Ballagh is good as a medico lush, who after successfully operating on the mobster’s kid brother, decides he’s ready to start out anew. Sylvia Markey, as a moll, turns in an adequate portrayal. Fred Scollay is good as one of the gang mem- bers, as are William Jackel and Richard Garth. Jack Coyne puts over some comedy lines. James A. Cavan, directing his McCarty and the other for Mun- shin, were inserted Monday night (4) in “Bless You All," which is trying out in Philly. Another new sketch was also put in. the Herman Levin-OIiver Smith revue produc- tion last week. And Jane Harvey has replaced Joan Merrill in the east ^ . . Jack Shanley, N. Y. Times (irama reporter who became fathei of twins last week, is taking a two- week vacation . . . John Krimsky has optioned tlie American rights to “Dr. Krock,” niedical satire by Jules Roniains, which he plans to present on Broadway in the spring ; . Another payment to the back- ers of “Silver Whistle" is duo in January,, from proceeds of the film sale, which brought $100,000 for the rights and .$50,000 adaptation, fee for author Robert McEnroe . . . With Willard Swire, assistant executive - secretary of Actors Equity, serving as temporary executive- secretary of Chorus Equity, meetings of the latter union’s executive committee are being held every Wedn^esday morning, instead of once a months as formerly . . . Final accounting of ‘’Now 1 Lay Me Down to Sleep" reveals that the Elaine Ryanr Ludwig Bemclmans flop of last season lost $141,000. Next membership meeting, of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers will he held Dec. 21 ... Carlson Spear, house own play, keeps it going at an ^ . even keel. James Clark’s . one-• manager of the Shuberi' NW room hotel set is convincing. Haven, has been called back for Gros. I Navy service as a Lieutenant j. G. Helen Hayes has cast Bethel Leslie in the title part in her re- vival of Sir James M. Barrie’s “Mary Rose," which she will present as part of the ANTA Play Series, The star has not yet decided whether to play a siriall role In the produc- tion ... Warren Munscll, in charge of the N. Y. Convention Ticket of7 flee, will be general ritianager for the Playwrights’ Co. production of Sidney Kingsley’s “Darkness at Noon.” Warren, Jr., currently company manager of “Golden State," will have a similar assign- ment W'ith the new show. Mean- while, Munsell, Sr., is still plan- nirig a production this season of his son’s play with music, “Cornin’ Through the Rye,” based on the life of Robert Burns . ... Producer Chkndler Cowles has sub-leased the East Side (N. Y.) penthouse of An- thony Brady Farrell, who is finally moving into the home he bought last spring in the east 60's ... Czech actor-author George Vosko- vec, noted for his anti-totalitarian plays in Prague until he was ex- jielled by the Nazis and for a short time after the war, until he gluded the Soviet secret police, has been detained at Ellis Island, N. Y.rfor the last six months, by Order of the Dept, of Justice, Borah Burman, son of Variety’s B a 11 i m ore correspondent, has joined the legit department of the William Morris agency ... A George Bernard Shaw memorial theatre will be built in Welwyn Gardens City, a suburb of London . . . Robert Downing is returning to New York after directing 12 weeks of the win- ter stock season at the Pent- house theatre, Atlanta, which closes Saturday night (9) . . . Now that his production of Sam- son Raphaelson’s drama, “Hilda Crane," is set for/ a run at the Coronet, N. Y., with Jessica Tandy starred, Arthur Schwartz has gone tb an undisclosed resort in the south to finish composing the songs for “The Brooklyn Story,” the George Abbott-Betty Smith musical version of the latter’s best seller. Dorothy Fields is supply- ing the lyrics for the show, in which Shirley Boothris tentatively set for a leading part, following the windup of her current toqr as co-star of “Gome Back, Little Sheba” ; , . David Pardoll, - Casting director of the ANTA Play Series, has a Small part in Columbia’s film version of “Born Yesterday,” due for release shortly. Gloria Hjye, ingenue lead with Malcolm Attrirbury’s Playhouse company in Albany two seasons ago, rejoined it for the current “See Hoy They Run.” Roberta Jonay, who appeared for three weeks in “Haryey” and had the feminine lead in “For Love or Money" for two weeks, returned to New York to rrijbin her hus- band, Judson Pratt. Pratt played opposite Judy Holiday in “Born Yesterday” for three weeks in Washington.