Variety (Apr 1937)

58 VARIETY XE6ITIMATE Plays on BABES IN ARMiS : Dwlght eere Wiman muBtcal comedy ' production. in two acts and (ourte«n •cenea." Book, score and lyrics by Blchnrd Rod^era and Lorena Hart; staged by Robert Sin- clair; dances, George Balanchlne; aettlnga, Raymond Sovey; costumes, Helen* Pons;, orchestra, . -Gene SaUer; orchestrations, Hans Splalek; personally supervised by Wl? man; at sniubertr N. Y., commencing April 14, 'ST; $8.85 top <|5.B0 premiere scale), Cast; Mltzi Green; Ray Heatherton, Dulte McHale, Wyon- • Murray; Roily Pickert, Grace and Ray McDonald* Etfiel Intro- :p61di, Jere Delahey, -George E. Mackay,' Alleen Foe, Alfred Drake, George Watts, Kenneth Wilkins, Bob Flshdlson,' Dania Hardvirlck,. Douglas Perry, LeRoy James, Harotd; and Payard Nicholas, Aljan ,D« LoYlIle. Alvin Ken*. George E. JIack, Bob-i by Lane, Elenore. Tennis. Gloria PranKHn, Mitzi' Pahl; Jean Owens, Ted Gary, Don jLlbertOi Xiibby Bennett, Verna Cedcrs, Mickey Henon. MarJorlC' Jane, Betty Lee, Connie Leslie, . Audrey Pnlmer; Claire Har- vey. Dnvenie Watson, Stella; Clausen. Tania Clell, BleSnore FlRtfi, and Edgar' Falrchlld, Adam Carroir. at the' piano. ' 'Babes In ArmsMs p field day for a Hollywood tjaleht scout. Dwight Wiihaii and Rodgers and Hart must have combed the juvenile nitery,. radio < and vaudeville fields' of all the worthy young blood under 21 jahd presented it- intact in $3.^*^ mu- sical: comedy t fashion;- ;With: the taid of a .fertile^ Rodgers. and- Hart, sqore; bnd an engaging libretto, 'Babes In Arms/. with its galaxy of juvenile talent, is good value. That its weighty &edond>'act,: perhaps; needle^ssly en-^ : cumbers a highly favorable forepart; - impression - is ''chiefly - a-.processing deflpiencV 'which pruning and preeiv- • Jhg;sh6.ul4 well overtojne. * / ' ' iPpr the trade end legit produc- tion,, the :gei>erai versatility and im- mediately Appealing- tunefulness^ pf the Rodger^; arid Ha^t soiigs, mani- fests, the .transmiitatlon o;f the screen technique to Broadwi^. When they write *em lor the screen, the tune? must be immediately: fetching; little «f the.oid-schopl.]ideiB of writing-a score and plugging perhaps one: or two of the'ditties into slow hitdom. Already, to be<»in with. 'Babes* came in With a couple of the songs rather well in . the-air. That'^ the radio,- of course. But-apart from •Where w • Wheii' aiid 'Johnny One- 'Note,' which had been' aired around, as non-restricted tunes,'-the surprise lyrics of the other songs -impress- on first "^hearihg; Songs , like .'.The Lady Is A- Tramp*' 'All At . Once,' 'Imagine,* -'My Funny Valentine' and *Way Out West In West .EhA Ave- nue' are among those -which should : likewise -find favor; Mitzi Green, no longer a kid star, is the most prominent' ciast name, but, otherwise, hot distinguished-in the billing saver for her . own per- sonal charm airid inherent talent. Biit ' ii^oiie the 'less cfff ective -is Ray Heath- .«rton from the'radio- (who sings ' like ''a bombastic baritone on the air, but who*^s. otherwise d youngster). Then there is an' extremely fetching ingenye, Grac6 -'McDonald, who danced -with her. brother Ray in the varieties and niteries>. but who; is spotted in 'Babes'' opposite the jeal- ous Roily. Plckeftr Heir brother Ray is in a minor ' bit. (Miss) Wynh'. Muriray is one of the real stahd- .outs, a buxom, Katesmithei^que song.-, stress, who's 16 and just-out-of a Scrantoh, VS., church cholr^ She makbs much of her 'Johnny One- Note' and/'West End Ave,' song opportunities^ incidentally, ishe's cast as ex-Baby. Rose, the kid Star, who complains-she became pasSe-iii'pic- tures at the ripe old age of seven.. Duke McHale, not yet .20, is an- other who works' hard and very ef- fectively In the stand-out! G.eorge Balanchine ballet, in the second act. It's b^ilt around' the. 'Imagine' song thenie, wherein set-pieces portray a dream voyage, to Hollywood, to .Europe,' to the African wilds, and back to. reality. It's a highly imagina- tive terpsiohorean conception under the skillful Bala'nchine creativeness. Roily Pickert and Alfred Drake'are good running mates with Heatherton. Pickert, only 17, does but a snatch of his stilts-dancing^ in a John D. mask, in the Radio City 'Imagine'; sequence, and is another hard-work- ing and ever-effective juve, The col- ored Nicholas Bros; from the hiteries —doubling with, the Cotton Club— piroved sockO with their terp taps and blended well throughout. . Mitzi Green, a conlely adolescent now that she's, attained her technical stage majority pf 16, is a seasoned but ever - ingratiating . performer throughout, taking command of the situation when libretto exigencies, demand it, but never assertive or neiedlessiy' obtrusive. Her handling of 'Where or. When' with Heather- ton; their constant foiling with Drake: their 'All At Once' duet; and Miss Green's whiammo With an Ethel Mermanesque delivery of 'The Lady Is A Tramp,' left but one deficiiency —the last encore necessitated a re- peat of the same verse, .which would indicate Rodgers and Hart might fortify her. with an extra set of choruses, just in case. It's a topical, ultra-modem' song idea which lends itself to constant refurbishing abreast ot the -headlines of the day. Miss Murray; too, besides vher. 'Johnny One-Note,' likewise had ia juicy spng assignment with her trieatment of ^Way Out West In WeSt End Ave- riUe,- i'. ;•', Tlie book, where the breezy dialog affords' the opportunities, is quite farcical; at Other times it's weighted down by its own- story-bookishness.' The' situation with the grounded French flyer and the mike duplicity in faking a broadcast got a bit :put of hand, but that should be adjusted with isome judicious efditing. AbeV . PENNY WISE • - , .-.*-.. • . % . Comedy in three acts presented at the Morosco. N.- Y., April 10, 'ai.' by' Juliana Morgan; written by Jean! Ferguson Black; Linda - Watklns, -Ir^e- Purcell and Ken- neth MacKenna featured; staged by Arthur SIrcom; $3:30.top: - _ ' - Jeff..... ................Bertrani Thorn Tina..;...-.;.....',"........ ....Irene Puree 1 Martha,'..IV.•;•-••»O**''•• •.'.Mildred Woll Gordon.Kisnneth MacKenna Penny, ... .Linda Watklns Katherlne; .;.. . .-Nancy. ShfeHdan Commlasioher Albert Bergh although neither tvas jiyfsice of the other's status* until they admit.it to themselves. ,; They're 'just a bit jealous and on learning the identity of Katherine, they go to work on her. A trip to Brittany is mentipped—just the Klace Gordon has promised to take er when the, new play is pro- duced, fina and Martha have the idea thait to save at break-up be- tween Penny and Gordon, Katherine will have to understand the situation and break off the affair. Instead, Katherine flguires that the only right thing is to tell the ihnOcUOus Penny the . truth, at least she thinks she does, for at the curtain the wife is the Unknowing winner. The best ■. tiding about Gordon is Peiiny and ias played by Linda Wat- kins there is a certain charm to her playing.: that makes the final act worth while. Kenneth MacKenna; a& the author, seemis to labor with the part. ; They, with Irene Rurcell. are featured, with Mildred Wall and Nancy SI eridan plaiying . the two other feminine assignments. , Ber- trarii . Thorn, as the brother who doesn't like work, is the part that should have been a better laughr getter. Ibce* Originally tried out. in a rural spot tWd summers ago 'Penny "Wise' seemed too chatty and that is stul the impression. Third act gets somewhere but there is a welter of tallc in between without enough laughs to leaven the perforniahce. It is a well-writlfen play though at -least one . chance to build up a comedy part was either passed up or the aujthoress didn't Work it out. - , . • ^ The lazy birother of a philandermg playwright, is the character which should have had more attention and might have provided enough giggles eveii though the others, including three featured people, might hot have liked .it too well. Basic idea is not exactly new. In .'Nfo More Ladies' a wife invited the mistress of her husbarid for a week end . and cured, him of a tendency to philanderi but that -was a dis^ tirictly more amusing comedy. In ♦Penny Wise'- the current mistress of the . husband and two of his ex- affairs are all in the party. But his wife, instead of being brilliant and resourceful, is so utterly oblivious to his strayings that, even , when she is told that the fellow intends go- ing away with -the current girl friend, she naively believies it is to be a trip reSUy for her and doesn't mind the idea of a third party. Penny has heard her writer husband- speak admiringly of Kath, erine, playreader for -his producer. When she goes to the city to de-i 'liver a script. Penny hrings the girl back to Connecticut for the week end. When they arrive Tina .and Martha, the two others with whom I Gordon had affairs, are also there. I •••^•.•v.•••*'*N.^•••*'*••^.•*•*'*v•;,•••**•*•^.•••**''^.•?'*'*••^,f•••^•*^..•••V.?^.^ t: ■' ■ . ... ... • ,. V . , -J 'm lellet/ei if out ) Heeh t<> ik&u^ it! 13,75 ^ WEST 34lh STREET 562 FIFTH AVENUE |'MILL£IV^ 450 FIFTH AVENUE .1552 BROADWAY CLOSE QUARTERS PrincetOn,^^ N. J., April l'7: Brama in three acts 1>y W. O. Somin; English adaptation, Gilbert Lennox; pre- sented by Lee- Shubert; starring Gladys cooper, Philip Merrlvale; stagga by. Peter Godfrey; seta, Watson. JParf^tt; at Mc- Garter, Princeton, N. J., one nifrht, April 17. 'ST: $2,76 top. . • .. . : : Liesd Bergmanh:........... .Gladys Copper Gustav Bergmai^n.,..,..Phll'lp. Meriyale There have been many attempts to wind a t)lay arOund two fcharacters, and this is'just another pne. That it will be a success on Broadway is dpubtful;. it-is top. skimpy, too pbvi- ous and tbo> limited in appeal. Actually it isn't, a two-character play.' There are at least two other voices heard frPm the hall, and there are twp' other .important' characters, frpm ai stPry standpoint,, who don't appear. It would be a better play if one of them did appear, rather than telephoning or wi'iting letters all the time.' " Play, itsetf> is still another British phychological murder- a^air (there have been^five Of them on Bil^adway this season, none successful). \There is an important murder and the hus- band keeps talking, to the wife about it. . Audience immediately realizes that the wife is ithe murderess and the husband. gets hint after. hint, foe-: cause the wife keepis giving herself away, but doesn't catch on till the very end. Then he sympathizes with her. decides that.they can't get away with it. they'll he arrested,- so suggests a double- suicide... Finale has them go off into the bedroom, -two shots are heard, then the radidi, still on, blares forth that' the piolice have caught their murderer; some- one else. That trick finish is, of course, not enough. It's highly unsatisfactory and liable to be offensive to some. Also, it isn't strong enough theatre to be warrantable. Miss. Cooper and Merivale hand in excellent performances, latter being especially effective in .the type of role not usually associated with him. But that alone won't get the show business. ' Kmi,f. Nichols-Jones Snit Settled for $2,500 Following an examination before trial, the suit by Anne ichPls agaiiist. Mar.ti Jones, on a check from the latter $5,000 which bounced, was settled. ^ .Questioned check was to have been in payment for a share of 'Hey Diddle Diddle' which Miss Nichols tried out but which did not come to Broadway. Frederick E, Gpldsmithi iactihg for Miss Nichols, agreed to drop-the suit upon payment of $2,500, after tioijing Henry Olmstead,, partner of Jones, who is abroad. Jones, and Olmstead. are partners in the operation of the "yahderbilt theatre, N. y., trading under the name of the Vandelmiar Corp. The check drawn by Jones oh the Vandelmar account and Olmstead was, thereby^ involved. Wh^in de- posited it was tieturnedi Inside Stuff^Legit A train wreck ahead, pf the cars carrying; the prPduction of 'Red, Hot and Blue'to Chicago deliayed the arrival of the settings and caused the postponement from Tuesday until Wednesday (14) last week. Show moved out of New Vprk on Sunday and there was plenty pf time allowed to set the'show. ' It was hoped to debUt on schedule and the audience filed in; Wheri dis- inissed by Jimmy Diirante, first-iiighters burned, but Vinton Freedley de- cided not to permit the performance because only onie setting.was ready fOr Use. Helen Bonfils, heiress to the, Denver Post, wiioi is presenting 'Sun kissed* with her husband,: George Somihes, at the Little,-N. Y., was in town last Week, prihcipaUy to see. the Ringling, Barnum|& Bailey circus, she said, Woman publisher, is acquainted with people with the show and her late father was part owner of the.former Sells-Floto outfit. Miss Bonfils is apparently little interested in 'Kissed^' which has drawn mild biisiness. Oh a previous Visit she attended the preii\iere ahd iinme- diately returned to' her Denver Post desk. Laurie Leonard, a girl .scenic designer on- the staff of Joe Mielziner, aided in fashioning -the 'Suisan- and God' production; but was 'Unable to attend the tryout premiiere at Princeton because pf appeindectpmy. She was operated on at St. Mary's hospital, Brooklyni the day before the show opened^ 'Susan,' produced by John Golden, with Gertrude: Lawrence starred, and Bert Lytell featured, is in its second week in Philadelphia where it closes Saturday (24). Due pn Broadway early in the new season. Scale for'Dead End,' Belascp, N. Y., was cut in, half, top of $li65 going into effe^ct Monday (19). Manage'meDt tnade the slice after a proposed hew deal with. Lebiang's failed to go: through, cut-raite agency declining to guarantee the amount fixed by the show. * , ./No tickets have.been allotted to the agency, aill to be. sold directly at the box office. Understood the agency figured a sure weekly loss if accepting tfie 'End' To Raze Adelphia, Lyric, PhUIy; BcBcome Auto Park iiadelphi , AiPrii 20. Coiu't here was requested to grant permission for tearing down of the Adelphi famous'Philly legit hpuses. Request made l?y owner, the Thomas B. Wanamaker estate. Build- ings to make Way for filling station and parking lot, as Gulf Oil has of- fered to lease the site for $12,000 a year for five years. The Lyric de- buted in 1905, the Adeiphia in 1907. SWING PARADE San Francisco, April 18. .: Sfusical revue in two -acts (10 . scenes) presented, by the Federal Theatre. Project (WPA). at Alcazar. S. F.;' April !13i '37. Directed'' by Mas; M.- ■ Dill. , Book by -Max M. Dill and Richard Melville. Music; Nat Goldateln, Walter Smith and Joseph -Nelson; lyrics. Melville andr Ded, Foster; dances. ITvonne. Matjcllc; orchestra dircft!- tidn, Foster Cope; 'PiBter- Dunsworth. Paddy.. .Crowley, Jay Gorham, Jay Austlni,' Don O^Dell^_ Roalta Stone. Mdrta. Golden. Benjamin . Wooleey, Wanda Woolsey. Willis. West, Givenn-Lord, Leon Forbes.' . Robert Clarke,' Mae Harlce, Kay Pickering, Adele > ' Swansoii,' Solly Garter. Virginia KelsCy, Don Gray. Wil- liam Asbury, Walter Farhaworth'. Erheist Therian. Al Hutton, William.'Sherman, Elizabeth Voorhees^- • Meyer Guthcrtz; Charles Bryson, Flbrihe Cahill. Henry Sousa, Wilbur Johnson,' Albert- Larios. Joiseph Jacoby. Maxine Dill, James -Stott,. Frankle Tucker, ' Emily UJeck. - Marloria Kamoku, Pieggy Small,. Mildred Fry. Hazel Furtado. Lee Hebter McBrldge, Adai Cofrin; Edward Levynne, Frank. Bayihondi Georgette Arlan. Richard Allen. Genette »TateA. Maria Henderson, Willie Mae Davis, Joseph. Nelson.' Robert. FrenchV Theodore Underwood, Harry. Vila, Milton' Lovett, Walter Wesley, James Washington, Alvlri Swoetwyne,' Clarence' Cole, Everett Bou- cre. T'voniie Matejcik. Emily' UJeck, -Vir- ginia Kelsey,- Frankie Tucker, Marjorie Kaihoku. Constance - Cardillo. Hazel Fiir- tado, Mildred. Frye, Adele Swanson. Elma Simohl. -Lee Hester McBrldge. Margaret Small, Rosa Stone. The boys: Don O'Dell. Jimmy DeValerlei -Carlos Pineda. Robert Alverque, Ernest Therlafi, James Stott, Joseph Jacoby, William Sherman. 'Swing Parade,' a home-grown mu- sical production by Max Dill and Richiard Melville, is used by the Federal Theatre Projiect to reoipen the Alcazar^ new . home of FTP here. Since' its premiere, -considerable work has been done on the show by Diir and Melville in an effort to eliminate- a number of- dead spots. Also several off-color gags and one skit, 'The Stork Derby,' which was vulgar -and unfunny, have' been tossed out. 'Chinatown Now and Then,' a long, draggy^ melodramatic sketch which brings the two acts and .19 scenes to a close, has had the shears used on it to good, effect-. Dill didn't forget the old days when he was with Kolb in planning 'Swing .Parade.' He has loaded his latest effort with plenty of catchy songs, dances and comedy and has given it a local flavor. The Golden Gate Bridge^ Alcatra^ Prison and Chinatown pro-vide setting for six of the scenes. .. ; Sixteen pedpie. appjear in the pro- log ■\vhich has nearly every one of the group going through some sort (Gpntihued on page 63) Cast Pisagreement Folds 'Marching Song' 'Marching Song'. lasted but one week at the Baiyes; N. Y., unde^ the co-operative arrangement made With the assent of Equity. Show was .to have moved from the roof spbt to another theatre, expensies of which were to be guaranteed by ah outside party. When a share to the latter in return for tlie guarantee was disr cussed, the players were dissatisfied and the resultant squabble brought about the drania's iting. Theatre tfnion ori inally produced 'SphgV under the iion-profit set-up by which it operates,. Union has been permitted to use tax-free tick- ets and the Scale was $1.50 top. When the co-ops realized that, ordinarily, the scale would caU for $1,65, in- cluding the usual 10% tax, they upped the price to $1.60. , GHARELL WANTS W TO TOUR NEXT SEASON rik Charelly the fpreign stager of 'White Horse Inn,' which closed at the Cente-,, N. Y., was almost in tears when he learned that the pro- duction -was being destroyed on a Long Island lot. He claimed to have, plans- for tou'ring the operetta next season, but neither the Warners nof Rowlaiid Stebb'ins (La-wrence Riviers, Inc.) are interested.in any such pro- posal. Picture firm. paid most of the $253,000 production cost. 'Inn* lost arbimd $130,000, which is What War- , ners actually pai for the picture rights, it had been reported that Wfirners purchased the rights in ad- vance .for $150,000,. but. the arrange- ment with Charell called for the pic- ture end to owii such rights in con- sideration of the show's backing. 'Inn' earned-back $120,000 and the Rockefeller' interests got close to $100,000' from the theatre's share. The settings Cost $53,000 and cos- tumes totaled $65,000. There was a small bid for' the wardrobe, which was rejected. If Charell goes through With the. idea he will doubt- Hessly use the costumesi TPROA to Meet and Elect liew Officers Theatrical Press Representatives -if America, tlie old association of p.a.'s, which exhibited signs pf life when a new p.a. group was recently formed, held a meeting last week for the j)urpose of electing officers. It was found that a nominating com- mittee would ;have to be named first. Also decided tP make some changes in the by-laws. Meantime, the newly formed New York Theatrical Press Agents hud- dled and adopted its constitution. Next session, ■ Thursday (2i2), will conisider a basic contract. Cjroup is of N. Yi . agents only, while the. old association, takes' in . the road. Hedgerow's 14th Anni Hedgerow theatre, - Moylan, hear Philadelphia, celebrates ' 14th birthday tonight (Wednesday) witii opening of its liJst ^production, Andre Obey's 'NoaTi.' "Red, Hot arid Blue" Cohan'* Grand, Chicago