Variety (April 1932)

50 VARIETY I. E C I T I M ;4 T E Tuesday, April 5, 1932 Plays on Broadway I. LIFE BEGINS Dramn. In three acts presented at the Selwyn March 28 by Joseph Santley; writ- ten by Mary McDoucral Axelson; staeed by tlic producer and Itobert Sinclair, Mli^s Bowers.......Elizabeth Vpn NardrorT Mlsa PInty, .Mildred Dunnock Dr. AKrod Brett.,.. ..Clayton CoUyer BIneer Banks. Jed Sutton....... I'loreita Darlen.. Dr. Leo.......... Mrs. RlRKS... Grace Sutton Mrs. Paley . Mrs. West....... Dr. Tubby;...;.. Dr. Cromm...;.. Feeey Banks..... (Mrs. I>rown. Rose Tjorton...;. Mr-s. Potter...... Woman mta. .Richard Tabor '. .'Alan Bdnco ........Glcnda Farrell iGoorBe Henry Trader- .... . Antoinette: Rochto '. .Joaiina' Robs Helen Brooks '.Kleanor Hicks ..ii.Frank WllcOx. Lewis Martin Luclle Charles ........ Joan' Fullartoh Ruthelma Stevens Blaine Troy . ..Elton Lowe .Darley Fuller' Mr. Hamby-Smlth.'....Douglas MncPherson iMr.i. Hamby-Smlth..........Mary :Kay. Bell Mr. Potter;..-........;... Earl Redding Mr.i. Tubby Winifred Harris Estelle Thome. .'Valerie ZleElor We Are No Longer Children . Comedy In three acts, presented nt Ihd nooth, March 81, by William A. Brady. Jr.; ridaplcd by Ilka Chasb and'.William H. Murray, from. tho French, of Leopold Marcluindv , staged by the- producer and Le.sllo' Howard. A Man...J. Goorse DItl ..Edward Mendelssohn ...........Juno Walker . .Wallace Wlddlcombe .... .Harold .Vermllyea i. Georfrey Kerr Frederick Rolaiid I. .Frey« t^eieh .........H. N. Worth .....Gertrude Fowler ......Spring Bylngton WaltSr Bonn .'...........Diana Borl Waller........... npberte. Count, do Moreaii. Paul Verdier... ■.. Jean ."^ervln. Arlstlde .Breton,.; Ccclle Breton...., Plon-o.. Marlctte..'. Lisa Duval.,..'.;. Lo Vattler.......;. Maid...........;. In depicting embtloiis. the Stage has gone rather far, always "p'er- haps with the Idea there la a. limit. In 'Life Begins' it la a question whether, the ordinary clinical events constitute ' stag^ diversion. The' guess la that it isn't, even though maternity; la ever interesting. There la no more freauent human phenomenon than a blr.th. In tho drama murder goes on foriever. Mrs. Axelson; who wrote Xlfe Be- gins' which wa^ called 'Birth*, when first shown in Earl Hall at Colum-. bla U, at -least provides a change of pace ; in an attempt at glorifying: motherhood. ' The show i» not strictly, a play, being episodic. It ranges from ma». temlty to suicide and ends with surgical homicide;- Tiife Begins' In- dicates what every woman-knows .that a neVr mother enjoys a feeling, of exaltation not to he described by' words, atsoi that most women do not Buffer a:s much as suppoaed but that the huaband 'had no way of Andlhg- out and we get aWay with it.' Data-, is Introduced that only' one womian In-every 176 dies-in -childbirth, .That is told a . young yiitQ who triea to evade motherhood ..by feigning paralysis. She changes her mind and goes home ready to; fulfill her maternal duty. - - The action takes place In the ma- -ternlty ward of a city ..hospital and 'the hall adjoining. . Ward scene shows six or seven beds occupied iby various sorts of expectant mothers or those who have Juat be- come so. One is to have her sixth ibaby;. an unmarried night club girl, .caustic over her, bondltloh- especially , when told the X-Ray- sho^vs she Is to have twins sup- plies most the comedy relief; an- other Is married, but.-w'orried over her babe being red-headed and: there Is a . sorrel topped doctor In ^ the hosjpltal who la patently, the papa; an Italian woman whoae In-^ fant dies; another unwed mother Who plunges from the window when tetd her consort is ofC tb South America. Story centers on Mrs. Grace Sut- ton a young woman sent to prison' for 20 years, convicted of murder. She comes to the ward to have her child, while the anxious husband waits in the hall. There la no ex- planation of how this demure • woman was mixed np In murder. She la in the delivery room 30 hours .when the doctors tell the .husband that they can save the mother if nature takea it coufae, but can aave the child by a Caesarian operation; ■ The lad decides for her, but tlie. doctors apply'the knife and she dies. .Curtain finds a nurse placing the Infant in the grieving husband's arms. Joanna Boos la the unfortunate Mrs. Sutton, whom, the other women in the ward are. kindly considerate of, disbelieving her gullt for the crime. . Scenes between -Miss Roos and Allen Bunce, tho husband, were tender and effective. . . - But Glenda Earrell as the night club girl, Florette ' Darlen, rather runs away with the show..She pours booze, into the hot water bottle and Ijecomes nicely soused. She wants no part of. her.twins, but when they are about to be. adopted the ma- ternal instinct is too strong and when last seen she la mothering both. • , Oddest feature of this strange play Is that none. of the expectant mothers look that way. Understood that at Columbia the amateurs used padding or piUo-n's, but that was ruled out for Broadway. .Jtfost real of the charactera were the nurses na played by Elizabeth Van Nurdroff and Mildred Dunnock. Doctors too seemed natural- George Honfy Trader, Frank Wilcox and Jjcwla Martin. Ruthelma Stcven.s as a woman who doea not thlnl: husbands are necessary to mother- hood, also a stand-out. Joseph Santley Is the producer and has done an excellent job, both as to presentation, and staffing. Two sets, quite authefitlc and easily changed by 1>. Dodd AcUcnftan, a feature. ' . ■ ■ In- total a flrst class try, which happens to be quoistionttblc or ob- jectionable box oflW'c, JbCK. 'We Are No .Longer Children' Is quite the best play to. debut oh Broadway in the past month, both as to wi'ltlrtg and acting, but .that It will take a place among the suc- cesses is doubtful;: Seems it could have been much more gay. There la a spot foi" such, whatever the times; However, it brings the Junior Bill Brady back to production activity and show people look to the juniors to revive the stage. The play is an adaptation from the French. Probably the; original waa lighter. In the adaptation little of the frahknesa . appears to have been cut Still, the expected, kick does not develop,. : Clarity is not one of the play's vh-tues; The theme alms to prove that romance cannot be resumed where it left off, after an Interval of years, between the i^ame man arid woman. Perhaps that is conveyed in one of the good lines: 'Lovie lives on promises. We've only. re-, grets.' ■■■ •That youth can nev«>r be recap- tured is another and better known axiom. Yet the people of the play ;ar6 not far away from youth, .even though they are no longer children. Jean and Bunny (Roberte) are lovera at the opening. They are of different sbcial strata and mar- riage with her never entera Jils mind.. He has, however, decided to wed iand get down to business. The parting is not too difllcult, because Bunny overhiears a converaatiori be- tween Jeah and his fiancee, Ceclle, ■ Some years later in the drawing; room of his home they meet, un- expectedly for' him. Jean had in- vited a irian<with whom a business deal impends, and Bunny, who has fared fairly well, la' that fellow's wife. For. both it seemed the old love surges again. They algree that neither is really happy and they decide to go. away together. The .morning after the elopement, on tt cold, rainy day at Dieppe, re- alization comes to them. They try to convince each other that the old love , is aflame aa it used to bo. The truth starts to .intrude when Paul, onetline .close friend of Jeanis has his say. Paul.is a settled busi- ness man, with an occasional fling with a girl. Jean is already yearn- ing for his -Nvlfe. and young son. Bunny yearns for her well ordered home and comfortable husband. The letters each swore they had sent cutting them off from" their homes, had nev^r been aent. They agree it beat • they do nbt meet again. She leavea with the sugges- tion that if a pretty face attracts hlm> not to turn away and ahe thinks that perhaps sometime some other man may meet her fancy—but it can never be Jean. June Walker and Geoffrey Ken- are again teamed. They are fea- tured but not starred, probably mindful: of the ill-fated 'Collision' of not IdUg past. Tlie perfor- mances of both arc on the plane expected of two such excellent players. They have Intelligent ma- terial and know how to handle It. The hit of the show, however, went to Spring Bylngton, on her single appearance. She is cast aa Lisa Duval, who had been .lean's dcceaaed father's mlatresa for ten yeara, a fact that astounded the young man, . She cornea to ask for aid iri establisliinr? a little lingerie shop and Jean gracefully agrees to do so. .. Harold Vermllyea scored as. Jean's best friend, especially when iiuppose^ to be a mature busi- nessman. Freya Leigh, blonde and gorgeous, was moat attractive aa the wife. Frederick Rowland also good as her father. Too. bad the play hasn't more fun. Still a good effort all arotind Ihce, it delivers as diversion, .except to those of saddlstlc natures. For the most part it Is .enactsd within ft'coal mine where t&e labor is done by convicts given an extra dole of punishment. Cast is all male. Four prisoners are colored and their fellow worker la a white convict. A yellow, brutal warden is tlielr boas, egged on by ratty truatyl Others are guards, v The four Negroes, working in a gallery are serving sentences for crimes ranging from rape to mur- der. Gypsy Kale, whose offense is not mentioned, is demented and be- lieves hlniselt to be God. The others heed his gentle Words and the'man even makes Warden j Davis . desist from some of his .brutalities, Gypsy; has secreted a stick of dynamite waiting for a. time , which he •will nanie as judginent day. . . Knox, the .white convict; facea .a; 20-year stretch. He plants escape and gets an edge! by assaulting the warden arid taking his revolver. When a .gruard emerges from the. darkness Knox kills him, Follows a. search for the killer. With his' colored pals it: is planned tb blow, up the gallery and trap the warden and his trusty. But Knox suddenly decides, to give! hiniself up. As he emerges from the shaft he is shot in the shoulder by the nervous war- den and theii brutally whlpiped—off stage. Gypsy, the batty one, car- ries Knox back into the min6. Wheii the 'virarden comes after them the diynamite is exploded-and the gal- lery sealed. Warden murders the Negro, and he and Knox expire of coal dariip. This subterraniean thriller starts Off with a strong first act. Second act . promises terror, which ' it- not entirely fulfilled In the lieist act. There have been plays with all-male casts which clicked, such as 'Jour- ney's End,' and to> a lesser degree The Last Mile.' Like the latter, 'Bloodstream' is of the lower strata and it is a matter of taste whether the characters are interesting. Frank Wilson, who has attracted, attentlpri in other colored dramas, Is the cuckoo Gypsy; Ernest B. Whitman la another good colored, actor, appearing as JUke Taylor, a husky killer; Clyde Franklin is the» warden, and Cecil Holm the dea- perate Knox. Sidney Harmon is named as the producer, but Ben Stein,' who haa heretofore gone in for myatery plays, is understood to be inter- ested. Reported, too, that show has a colored backer. Depressive plays have had a tough time this seaaon. No exception - Indicated here; ' • Ilee. BLOODSTREAM Drama In three acta presented .at the Times Square March 80 by Sidney Harmon; written by Frederick Schllck; staged by Sidney' SollCOW; ..William Andrews ....Ernest W. Whitman ...Wayland Kudd ....Frank "Wilson ;Cerll- Holm ,; Clyde Franklin ..Ilnio NorcroHs ..,.AiidrQw F. Hutchlns Unrt Cr.-ine .....M. Cnatcs Webster Adonia Crusoe... Juke'-Toylor .vtoth Anderson,. Oypsy Kale....-. James Knox...., Warden Duvi.x.. (■■fCli Thurston.. J(m , Dewey.....,...... Juok.;... : 'Blood.strenm' Ha tho season's lirison dniin.T. It is trairedy' at .tipiuliint wi(h. n cevlaiil amount of iiUcn-vit, l.tnl f(ll•■•^!tli^iuil)l<^ wlictliev INTIMATE RELATIONS Comedy In three , acta by Earle Crocker; 'Presented' by Henry . B. Forbea and Julea La^^ren. Stars Blanohe Ring. Staged-by Edward Hartford. Setting by Louis Brom- berg. -At Ambassador, 'Nerir York, starting -March 28. ii top.' Robert lllar^han........;.joseT^ McCalllon Marie Marshall Mazlnie Flood Remblencc..' ;'........Gertrude Qulnlan Elizabeth Marehall ;Renah Homer Edna Proctor ..'..... Ruth Abbott Hoyte,Proctor Bruce -MacFarlane Patricia Proctor..............Marlon Burns Jane Maishall..... Blanohe Ring P<hlIIp Bradley........Robert Vivian Theodore Elliot Michael Bafr Mrs. Louise Billot.. .Julie Ring Maroni;,..... .Burton Hallory Hall....... -. .'.Hugh Bennle Plays Out of TowR Confidential Service Philadelphia, April 4. Considerable dllference of opinion about George M. Cohan'a latest com edy, now at the Broad, which Is touring this spring and doesn't get to Broadway until fall. Tlie ciitica were Uriarilmoua Iri liking it, and flrat night audience waa enthuaiaa- tic as have been aubaequent audi- ences; Dissenters are somo:. of the wise boya, and some members of the profeaaion. Several New York managers and agcnta who happened to catch it openly claim it won't do although ravirig about Cohan him- self, .':■.■ . Right at the beginning It should be Stated that It Is hard to figure how Cohan expects to put aomebody else in the part he's playing now. He not only gives one pf the -beist performances of hla career but his, peraonallty : makes of Mr. Daniels,' the private detective, a. character with Individuality . arid fascinating, appeal that would probably be lost by another actor—Mjven : a good one. In fact, getting down to brass tacks, 'Confidential Service* la'all Cohan. .: However, with Cohan it'a a bully, comedy and should have ati excel- lent chance of landing.. .Story conr cerns a young married couple who employ Daniels to investigate a-theft of the wife's jewels. He discovers that the thief is the hUaband and that riot only is he guilty of that, but has been carrying on ..with tho wife's beat friend. - Na,turallyi it'a a blow, but thanks to Daniels'- good advice she knows how to take. it and, at the detec- tive's suggestion, they consult with the other abused party,' the best friend's husband. A projected raid on the love nest of .the guilty pair falls when the lovers quarrel and break up before the raid can -be or- ganized. Again Daniels gives some advice which, this time, is that hia clients allow their erring mates to come horaie arid to give theiri no inkling th^at their little affair is Jcnown. This la done and the fact that the lovera themselves have quarreled gives plenty of chance for comedy in the subsequent scenes. At the 'finish the detective seea to it that ' the guilty couple pay a penalty and there ia intimation that the other pair -will eventually make a match of it. . . In addition to Cohan, 'Confidential Service' has the advantage of expert direction, hice backgrounds; ahol a good cast. Sam .^^orrest arid' Cohan directed, the eight scene charigea are achieved by the device that was once made famoua iri 'On Trial,' and as for the cost, Selena-Bdyle'as the wife, and Slaie Lawsori - as the friend, are outstanding. Charles Trowbridge' and Arthur Hohl are also good as the husbands. Waters, There's a lot of strength in Blanche Ring, star of 'Intimate Re- lations,' but too much weakness iri the play -written for her. Had the authors turned the piece into broad farce* with material ideal for that treatnient and Miss Ifting right there to play it, chances for a moderately aiiccessful run might have been guod; In present form, with the farcical, element thinly disguising what appears to be an angle on pos- sible, modem conventions, ariythlng but a brief stay on Broadway Is doubtful. Best that the play can hope for as a draw is the. box office vested In the title and tHe lure that may exist ariiong old aind young play- goers to see Miss Ring, one of the real legit vets. 'Intimate Relations' la a perfect title for the story it identifies, scrvr Ing two ways. The shame la that a stronger play wasn't. fashioned along the basic lines involved, with the treatment entirely in a.satirical vein. As well as dealing with the per- fldy of a father who had been keep- ing a woriian on the side, the inti- mate relations side is strongly In- trenched through bickering among relatives; . While most of the play bears On family. dissension, it is written strictly for a mother role as played by Miss Ring, Essentially it concerns discovery by the house r hoU that the late father-huSband has a son by another woman and the legit widow's attempt to laugh It off by taking the illegitimate isdn under her wing. Her part also atterhpts to inject a gay demeanor into the widow's activities immediately on top of her husband's death, with heavy, party ing figuring. Had it been plaii-ier in the writing ,thnt the satirical wivs intended rather tli.iu a sei-lous attempt to BLUE MASK (Revival) Chica;go, March 28. Show opened per schedule Sun- day night (27) to a sale that was pitiful and a house that was thor- oughly papered with one pf the most impressive free liata seen at an opening in some time, the . riiajor portion of the invitations going to City Hall across the way. House gave it a |3 top for the uriveiling, with tho intention of throwing it into the cut-rates after a prelimi- nary test of the straight tap. Initial performance at the Grand of this Emmerich Kaiman. score, which had-been laid awa,y in moth- balls by the ^huberts five years a^r. waa raggedVfrom start to flhifliv Most of the speaking cast seemed to be under intense nervous nr^' sure, with one bUt-mufllnir tw other in the handling of the lines On the comedy end George Haa sell, Bernard Gorcy and Lorraine Weimar strove valiantly with a book that wasn't there, but bS- sheer resourcefUlnesa and imprw. tu . business. saved the situatioh from a complete washout In moqt of the scenes. ■ • Approval hpriors of the event went to the- hoofing d^artment, with Carl Randall, Barbara NewbehTr the Four Abbotlers arid the Meiriei Abbott Dancers, uricorking some of the, slickest and fastest pedal nyro- technics; seen here this season. Noisiest sendoflC, however waa scored ' by May Wirth and - her equestrian mob.. Miaa Wl)rth start- ed off slowly and . nervously, but .wound up in her usual whirlwind style. : But It takes more than a fiock pit good dancing and: a bare- back act to-put over an cieretta. ' Guy Robertson held up' the solo- ing spota nicely, but didn't seem to 'be able to blend himself \vith the ena.emblea for teamwork. Ensemble warbling of the. performance was at no tihie iriipresslve. Apparently the numbers in the score weren't able to furnish a punch ait for the finale, so they slappeid. in for . the final- fiourish one of the latest pop tunea from the GUs Kahn-Harry Wood merger, 'Lovable.' Arid that's the Chicago version of the operetta once known' as 'The Circus Princeias.! FIRST MRS. FRASER (COAST) Los^Arigeles, March 28. ..Grade George,, who knows more about acting than 98.% of Holly- wood thrown into one bucket, ia demonatrieitlrig that talent In three weeks of 'The First Mra. Fraaer''at the Belasco. Patronage was not brisk even ori opening ^Ight, arid blame fbr this nieans' that a firie, sii.bdued performance, once valued, has been -swacked' on phe aide by the Gartio style qf celluloid ennui and on the Pther , by the Joe .E. Browji school .of .hpke legit. . - With. Mlas George in 'Fraser' are A. E. Mathews, who. at 70 looks 40, and will probably .'hear picture calls because he seems peculiarly suited. to emulsion, and Reglnaid Mason, ariother fine .character .actor, -who replaces George Grossmith of. .the original New "Sfork company. Further support. conies froin Johji Halloran,.a juvenile whose talent ia endangered by a tendency to shout; Keneth Treseder, -who iriakea him* self .quite disagreeable as an up- right young man; Mrs. Holbrpok Blinn as a piaid, .Virginia Eastland in "a I^iti -and Joan Carr a.s a. sin- cerely effective menace. As the wholesomely alert -Eng- lishwoman who loses- her husband when he feels the first false urge of second youth arid marries .a younger -woman—only to lose the second wife and be gently turned out when he returns to the first— Miss. George delivers a performanpe which could serve as a course in legitimate artistry were there any demand for such legitimacy. First night turnout In Los Angeles waa distinguished though frugally dis- tributed in the rear and side seats. Coast production by Belasco and Curran was a San Diego break-in* What follows is uncertain.. unduly 'respect an illegitimate son, \Vlth a romance as implausibly - de- veloping, the question of corivinclng an - audience -would not - have been concerned. It -will be hard to get any audience to believe that an illegitimate son would be taken into the fold, by the mother his father cheated ori, nor that a class gal'such as played by Maripn Burns WoUld go so implacably pii the make. Even an llleglt lad wouldn't take the slUrs hurled at him, nor would the amenities between, the two: women shared by the late Mr. Marshall be expected. Miss Ring is nearly the whole play, Avith Miss Biu-ns making the next important contribution. There are numerous laughs, some of theui surprising in view of some of the other dialog, which mostly Is very wordy. . . Julie Ring very competently dls- :charge3 the a.ssignment of the mother of the iilegit son, but her part is quite short and unimportant, it should never , have been there to begin with; except for the reunion at the. end, when everyone makes believe the son is lejgritimate. Ruth Abbott, a Iqoker, has a more or less unsympathetic row to hoe, as does Joseph McCalllon, Who plavs her brother. Biillt up fairly effect- ively ia the part handed Bruce Mac- Farlane, who does it to a turn. Rehah Honier was poor casting as a kid who dart.s. In and out of th-> action—\yhen there's action. BORDER-LAND Drama-In three, acts, - presentea nt tfie niltmore, March 20, by Philip. Gevton; written by Crane "Wilbur; staged by Frank McCorniaek. ' • ' Sam Sing........... Peter Goo Choiig Mra. Luckner;.Catharine IJoupct Bert Corilovan..: ......Alan Camr-Lell Maureen O'Uare , L,enUa L.aife llene Cordovan...'...'..-.....Xlober'. LoV'Ing Dr. Wolf Luckner..... Howard Lang Hugh Temjilelon...- .Lester, k aU Brother John.......... Edgar Barrier Tilalacnl Fuller Mi'lllsh .Short cast, .one set play which indicates economy , in production- That -ft'ould not affect .shows chances if the content were worth- ■vvhlle. Little chance indicated. 'Border-Land' is something of a mystery play into -\vhich is jinjecteu that form of spiritualism which has to do.with communication with the dead. A physician somewl'-at skeptical at first .believes the mediuni when making the supposed contacts with those In the be.vonu is in a slate of iself hypnosis. . Two young men, Bert and Gene Cordovaii have inherited an e.-itate; and the actipn is scened withnv their hunting lodge. Gene had been present Just after a former fi'iciu. had murdered his wife and h\» tcstl- nioiiy had .sent the man to the ^riil- lows. A pair of wanderin.u Ju'V- nvits in monki-sh garb make a .'iiid- den appearance. One, Malnchl witii a long beard', is dumb o'nd t:ilKS through his companion lii-otlier .John. .c-!ene la warned of itnp' inl- (Coiitlnued on page o'J)