Variety (Aug 1939)

44 VARIETY SUMMER TRYOUTS Wednesday, August 30, 1939 MARRIAGE ROYAL Newport, R. I., Aufi. 24. Connelly In throe noiS' (four m-oiiom) by BtilKTi WallsUMi; fllnf;o<l by Akiium Mur- Ani); .lOllincH, ISnictlnc Clnrk Itnt'ho. mihi;, KU'hant.soii Mcyci-s; lyrics. )'Milli' Mt'>in.iii: pri'M'MleJ liy The .Vt'loi'H-Mli:i;iKiM'.s, Inf.. .11 lh(* Newintrt r.i.iinu ilieairo, Ncwjiiirl. U. I., ^^c(^k fif Aug. :i'J. <^.Tslnri> '. .. 1 .or'*.Hi-\i Jtiirou viHi Jlruetil.suMn yiwiiz I ... •<'7.-M-:l Jviill^t:ill'/.. . Al''M»»iil''i' N'li.'... K;irol '..... Y.>.inn;i l:-.itrii*t*. Miil.l-ln-\V:illlni;.. ].vt I<'o.uni.-\n 2U KouUnan. ' EtiK.ir Kont IMilllp TiinKx .. lU'Kitiaiil M:is«>ti Lui-llli- \V:il.<on Ulcluird \Varhiir :... )>orl8 DiilliMi . Ilpilicrl YiiHl OuuiV'.H Trt»\li'r IVt.^' Wilson ., Nnnoy Sin'n.-ri' .,.j.J:nniM Lirnio l.lnltfy OoorKf .Mai'KnIb-lil There's little. i>ew here, but Rob- ert Wall.sten has cleverly niiiigled tlie problems o£ age and youth in this combination of olden and pres- ent-day problems of royalty in this world of encroaching dictatorships, which will stand it in good stead as far as its Broadway and Hollywood future is concerned. The comedy depends considerably on its talky aspects, dialog is witty and play is paced well. 'Marriage Royal' depicts the problems faced by exiled royalty when the dictator of a neighboring country finds he cm use them to further his aims, and just won't take no for an answer. Plot presents Theresa (Lucile Wat- eon), whose tranquil exile is sud- denly shattered by threats of con- centration camps, etc., if her son, Crown Prince Franz Leopold (Rich- ard Waring), is. not married to Yoanna Beatrice (Perry " Wilson), daughter of puppet king Alexander VII (Herbert Yost). In return for the marriage the Queen's throne will ' be returned to her under the dicta- tor's protectorate. Theresa signs the marriage con- tract but Franz upsets the applecart when he returns from the university and announces he's going to marry Czara Konstanz (Doris Dalton), an actress.' That seques into further complications, winding up with Czara's sacrifice in giving up Franz and latter's marriage to Yoanna. Show is exceedmgly well cast. Excellent performances are turned in by Miss Watson, Yost, Philip Tonge, Waring, Miss Dalton, Regin- ald Mason, Edgar Kent and .Wilson. Miss D.alton's rendition of 'I Smile In My Sleep' is effectively done. V-'riod costumes are excellent along tvith Emeline Clark Roche's sets. Ably directed and - merits further consideration. Malo. WE THREE Gloucester, Mass., Aug. 2C. Oomofly-draina In three acta (C accnes) by Reginald L.iwrence, i>rcsehte<l by Bnfia Rocks Theatre; fentures Norma Tevrla: •taeed by KeRlnald.Lawrence; acttine. Pnul Cadorette; at Baaa Ilocka theatre, Glou- ceator. Maa.s., Aug. 23. '30. Donald BIng Sam Main' Nicole r,elln Eniat Leon - Blake Johnaon Viola rierson .Shorrard Pollan) Mnrle RoUK'.- Rosemary Carver* Michel..... :...C<ene Kern Mnilame Roux..Dor1a Bramaon Whltehouue Lady Grace ricraon Lillian Tonge Alexaniler Jamee, Ph.D.........Tanica Todd Meg James Norma Terrls Jack O'Mara Anthonv Ro.sa Vincent Tcrrlll .....i.Wlllla.n .Moivry Ninette Harriet Brown Dr. Folk i......Rlohard Wllaon With 'We Three' Reginald Law- rence, author of 'If This Be Treason' and 'Men Must Fight,' attains the stature of an impressive playWrtght. All this play needs is a producer and a theatre with plenty of seats. Title is not to be confused with the same one used in the film adapta- tion of Lillian Hellman's 'Children's Hour,' Broadway bit of several years ago. 'We Three' has everything neces- sary for stimulating entertainment; from the players' angle, it's a.natu- ral. Laid principally in the locale of a middle-class Brittany inn and Its environs, the triangle theme traces the experience. of a happy, contented wife of a U. S. college pro- fessor. Until Jack O'Mara, a blus- tering, boisterous, young Irish ad- venturer sails into the resort town, Me.i; James asks no more than the rell'eclions on her eight years of placid matrimony and llie expecta- tion of resuniinu next winter's rou- tine with the college f:icuUy on a Michigan campus. Alex James, the professor, first meets O'Mara and his sidekick, 'Vin- cent Terrill, in the bar and he basks in Ihe siinsliine of their conviviality to the extent of lending the strang- ers 200 francs. When Meg comes to call her hiisband she flagrantly snubs O'Mara. Lady-chaser O'Mara bristles and impetuously bets his pal 100 francs that he will take her down oti. the high horse in a.most intimate ihanntfr. Brushing oft rebuffs with counter- attacks of Irish charm, O'Mara ul- timately triumphs. He then sails away in a storm and to apparent death, Meg being left to struggle with her conscience. Two years later the Irishman reappears in Michigan to tell Meg he had camou- flaged his real feelings for her, com- plicating the situation so that she plans suicide. Alex senses her dis- traught, condition and urges her to free her mind by telling him what he had intuitively known all along. Thus, Meg realizes that her repressed confession had been the only bar- rier to resumption of her former happy mental relations. On the fringe of this main, plot are a number of interesting and plausible characters whose move- ments skillfully dovetail and add much zest. Norma Terris plays with consistent conviction her Meg James and develops both serious and light moods with' equal finesse. Anthony Ross brings plenty of vigor and realism to the blarney Irisnman, a role that could be easily overplayed. Lillian Tonge excellently plays Lady Grace, James Todd's college profes- sor is very human ai'id understand- ing and Rosemary Carver's French maid is. bright and romantic. Miss Carver impresses as a young actress of intelligence, with good back- ground, firm footing and good pros- pects. \ The only miscaslmg was that of liichard Wilson, playing Meg's father, a personality some 40 years beyond his^ own age. .-This was ob- viously a typical strawhat problem occasioned by casting limitations. This is no reflection upon Wilson's ability, however, for he displays good understanding of his role, but simply could not always subdue his. youth to project the age of Dr. Folk, Fox. TWO BOTTLES AWAY Marble Dale, Conn., Aug. 26. Comcdy-drnma In three acta by Joan ArchlbuM Hansl; staged by Clcdse Rol>- nrls; acttlre. Henry C. Kllnper; prcflentod l>y and at Itieatre-ln-ihe-Dale, Marble Dale. Conn.. Aug. ii3-2Q, '3;». ICdnneth Warren CledRO Roberts CInIre Warren Marlbello RedneM -MHdrcO Cushlng ...Helen Bennnrd liruc^ Whltinnrc Keith Gunther Edwnrd Uarclay n.iymond Van Sickle <,'nM«le .Shelby Ruth Thei Ford C. B. Menrhor.. Ludtovr Hawthorne Mr. Ketcbuni C'ralff Lawrenco Joe J. Doufflofl GC99ford T,.eary .Richard Holden Maisie Patricia Maynard HILDEGARDE Currently Appearing SAVOY PLAZA HOTEL NEW IfOBK . Held Over Until October 19 OPENING LAMAZE IlOIJ.VWqOU NOVEMltEIC -.* Per. Mgr.—ANNA SOSENKO Ex. Rep.—JACK BERTELL Last summer, in its first strawhat season in these Connecticut back- woods, this outfit presented two try- outs and came out with a batting average of .500—onie possibility, one turkey. This year, in its single break-in, the fowl cops the full 100%. Author, a one-time trouper, has failed largely because of inability to spread a one-act idea over three stanzas. Actual playing time is only slightly over an hour; its chances are slim. Play contains flashes of merit, with interludes of good common- sense dialog relative to the modern generation. Story tells of a young couple, the Warrens, living far be- yond their means. It's the familiar case of installment-buying and when payments lapse, one household ar- ticle after another disappears via the collector's van. Wealthy Uncle Ed Barclay pops up and the kids try to work. him for a financial saviour, bjjt instead of coin alV they get is a lecture on not having the nice things in life till you can aiTord to pay for them. Barclay eventu ally repents and offers to square the family debts if the couple will settle down on his Vermont farm and op- erate the place. The pair are about to accept when the mail arrives, bringing a circular advertising a world cruise at bargain rates, and curtain finds the kids abandoning the bucolic plans and slipping back into their old ways by trying to work out a scheme to finance the world jaunt. Play gets its title from the younger ganeration's method of reckoning distance by checking the amotmt of I liquor normally consumed while driving from one point to another All of which is a rather ambiguoiu ' idea for a title. I Production offers only a mild I workout for the cast, with little i meat in any role. Maribelle Red- I Held, .the lead, is a looker and has I a nice voice. Ruth Thea Ford car- I rics the few laughs capably and { Cledge Roberts, who staged, has a lukewarm time with "the lukewarm ' part as the young husband, Bone. GASLIGHT Saratoga Springs, Aug. 23. Mfl>i.1i-.-^nia 111 thi'ci> liy l':ui-li>k Ilaiiiltlon, iinv-^i'nUMl by Jului WlhlbcrA: fealurOH Olituilia- MnrR lii, Ji4in KiiuTy. A. V. K:i.ve; H(;i'|i><l bv ('lii'.i'or l-:i'.sKln, iit tbo •Sp.-l Un'.'Hri*. .S:ii'aln^.;j .S|Hin(;.s. N. Y., ll't: Auk. -JI. Mil. Mis. MtntiilnubiuM i'I.-mkM r A(<>rf;.'\n Mr. Maiinln^bniii. ..J.ilin Mlliory Mr. KoiiKli' - y- 1*. Knyo .\;inf\- I''l>ri»ii«",» SuDilslntiu mil.iliolll.. ■ Jllry Wllilca Despite local opinion, 'Ga.slight,' imported from London, is not a Broad- way possibility. Short-cast play, « one-setter, is billed as a thriller, a type of meller which- has rarely clicked in the U. S. Fied Ellis and Hope Lawder, oporators of the classy theatre, did well by John Wildberg, however, in furnishing the production. 'Gaslight' is a psyclioloqical drama; stemming from, tlie British playwrit- ing vogue created when "Night Must Fall' first gained prominence over there. If that play, though a popu- lar stock drama, and one or two others similarly imported could not get across, it's hard to figure how this new play can ring the bell. It's not well written and much of it is unbelievr.blc. StOiy unfolds in the living room of an English home, that of the Man- ninghams, man and wife, who with maids and a Scotland Yard sergeant are the characters. For years the Yard had been working on the solution of the wife's murdered kin despite the insistence of the husband that the women died in an insane asylum. Throughout the play he instills In his mate the idea that she, too, is losing her mind. Manningham is finally disclosed as an assasshi. His purpose, in marry- ing the girl was to get possession of rubies, secreted in a locket for a time, but which had been removed by the wife and placed, in a vase, apparently with no idea of their value. Business of opening* desk drawers and finding the locket and the gems seems crude detective work, while the supposed rubies are. so small that their announced vialue seems incongruous; Villainous hus- band is taken to the pen after, a phoney attempt to escape. John Emery as the sinister hus- band is given to strutting. There are prolonged scenes between him and Claudia Morgan, who plays the suf- fering wife to better effect. Same goes for the interludes with her and A. P. Kaye, the detective. Latter spoke too low in Act I when caught, and later appeared to need further rehearsing. Florence Sundstrom, as one of the maids, makes the charac- ter somewhat attractive. Play gets title from the room lights, which grow dim at times, in- dicating that someone is prowling in search of the jewels. Play's draw in London was to modest money, hav- ing a low operating nut. Script is being revised and current date is In Newport, R. I. Ibee. WITH ALL MY HEART Ogunquit, Me., Au^. 2B. Comedy by .\ii9tln Parker; urtiented by Oeunault Playhouiic: sLir.i Giendn Farrell: at Playhou3t], OffUuQult, Me., opdnlnff Aug. 2*, '30. This seven-year-old, written by the late'Austin Parker, might better have remained in coffers of his es- tate, for as produced here it has lit- tle merit. It's too pre-1929 In situa- tions and dialog for Broadway, while unhallowed theme nixes it for Holly- wood. Well-paced staging and one or two good performances keep it from being a total loss. Damian O'Flynn plays an expatri- ate American composer, illicitly bunking in Paris with a femme painter from New Bedford, Mass., latter played by Glenda Farrell. His Boozy pal (Boyd Crawford) arrives to announce that the Cleffer's pre- viously accommodating wife is in town on the remake, and predicts coinplications. Balance of play is proof that the bibulous loafer didn't know the half of it. It all ends with O'Flynn set to convert Miss Farrell Into an honest woman. Sudden ar- rival of Miss Farrell's New Bedford parents effects the switch. Plot is trivial. However,'a line or two still shines. O'Flynn fails to impress favorably, while Miss Far- rell is out of her depth here. Craw- ford does well with the best lilies. Others are adequate. Tour sets are mediqcre. Doiu MAGAZINE PAGE Westport, Conn., Aug. 28. Revue In two a<:t« <'2'2 flrenps)^ proncnte'l by Wc3tpi>ri Season of 1030, Inc.: teaturea Sliella Barrett. John lloyaraiU: hlaKed by .John HUKKott; at Wealport Country play- house, Westport, Conn., week ot Auc. 28. •30. °. ■ ' Cast: .Shi'lla Barr»tt. John Hoy.irailt, The Hoviicra, Pranols CarlyK Ofno ICelly, Hll- •lenanlo HalllUay, John O'Connor, Mlml Doyle, As a new departure, the Country Playhouse put on its first' intimate revue Monday night (28 > to a gen- erally favorable reception. Mechani- cal miscues marred it considerably, but, despite this, the production con- tained much entertainment: Pegged in the cafe society manner, revue had its moments, both good and bad, over a two-hour period. Sheila Bar- rett and John Ho.vsradt fcatuired the small troupe's offerings, which in- cluded mimicry to magic. Hoysradt and Miss Barrett, alumni of ihe Rainbow Room, in Rockefeller Center, register i..dividually with their suphisticatod satire. They put over, in parlieiilar, a neat tea skit called 'Uncle Ton\'s Coward.' writ- ten by Kay Kenn.v. Hoysradl's bit on politics is easily his best routine and wows the audience. He also does football and Lueiiis Becbe niimbers. Miss Barrett is on four times, twice in each act. Spotting of her 'Speakeasy Girl' in act 2 llts at a vital point and brings her her best plaudits. Mimic is still among the toppers in her particular.field. Miss Kenny writes most ot her ir terial. The Revuers t.')\ mixed troupe, recently at the Greenwich Village iN. Y.) Vanguard, offer a wide va- riety of ."Jkits, all 'original' material. Two of their numbers, 'Joan Craw- ford Fan Club' and 'Picketinu the Fair,' are standouts, lyrics of latter being particularly clever. Gene Kell.v, doing tap impersona- tions; is smackeroo. Lad has per- sonality plus dancing a!, ility that should land him in the upper brack- ets. Francis Carlyle introduces a couple ot magic novelties, plus the now-familiar trick of picking light- ed ciggies from the air. Does this last very smoothlv. Hildegarde Hal- liday clowns through a couple of sneezing routines and John O'Con- nor, of the Westport statT. m.c.s. He co-authored, with John Haggott, a skit using Miss Halliday: Haggott staged with an e.ve to cafe society patronage, and in view ot limited preparatory period, did okay. Bone. LITTLE WOMEN Harrison. Me., Aug. 24, Musical vcmlun In throe aetH. ailapted from the Loutsa Ma.\' Ak-ult novel by John Ravohl. music .nnil lyrics Geoffrey t)'-Hara anil Fred Howard: prcscnte.l by the New England Musle ramp; stagt^d hy Ravold; at the Deertrees theatre, Hariison. Mo., Auk. 2>, '39. Jo......... Gynia Gray Meg,' Rleanor Knapp Amy Dorothy Baxter Ueth... ICoiTy Stuart Maniiee iMargucrlte Sylva*- l,aurlc-. Donald Rogers John Brt>oke -..... .Kverett Crosby Hannah. .Bertha llebert Fred VauRlian .'....Jack Wray Ballle .Gnrdenler....' D.ipliiife Sylva Irene Gardenler '...M.irtia Sylva Mary Gardonler Vlina' tjrosby Aunt March , Ulaiu-he .Seymour Mr. Marcl'i HarrtSiin Bnickbank Professor Bliaer RlobarU Reeves Several previous re-workings of the folksy Alcott classic proved to be money-makers, but this new mu- sical transmutation won't join the coin roster. Production as seen here impresses as one ot the most gro- tesquely inept theatrical efforts ever witnessed outside a high school mask-and-buskin society. Why was it ever produced? Opus was engineered and cast by members of a music colony with summer headquarters at Sidney, Me. Theatre here was rented to the troupe for night when N.Y. radio date of featured performer in hat's regular prdduction made it avail- able. Advance publicity gave principals credit for solid reputations in a num- ber ot entertainment fields. How- ever that may be, the "all profes- sional New York cast' did nothing here to enhance their standiiigs. Geoffrey O'Hara's music is buried under a heavy layer of productional claptrap and general mugging. Set- tings are tmbelievable. Audience' reaction had its interesting . side. Strawhat fans, at least some of whom had arrived epecting to watch Rudy Vallee in 'Max in Posession,' took it all without a murmur. Don. HELP YOURSELF Cumberland, R. I., Aug. 23. Musical comedy la three acts by Ken- neth E. Korstenbader: presented by the I.lppitt Players; staged hy Ge.irge Rldi- ardson: . nettings. Dick Burjef^s; at the I.lppitt Theatre, Cunibe;-lund, It. I., week Aug. 22, '30. John Austin George Richardson Mrs. Austin .\ike Hepburn Horace neglnabl ISipiey Don Lee Mabel Brown..'. Grace Hanley Barton Randel Trunk Mosler Hope Austin Marlon Thomp.son McGulrk..; Ijiuren Kenyon Woods Stevona.. Dick Burgess Sylvia WInlleM , Eve Rene J'nny Virginia Fair 2t".'; Kdward llamel S''"!* • • • Bul.ar.l Mills ooh""' Duck Burgess Kenneth E. Kostenbader borrowed the hackneyed poor-boy, rich-girl theme, threw in some catchy songs and garnished the whole with a leg chorus. 'Help Yourself,' neverthe- less, falls short and is just another candidate for the' mothballs. First act flounders around intro- ducing fact that social-clithber mama, Mrs. Austin (Alice Hepburn), IS trying to got her daughter, Hope (Marion Thompson), to marry Hor- ace Reginald Ripley (Don Lee), an upper-crust English artist. Daugh- ter, of course, loves Bartan Randel (Frank Mosier), who's just too poor to be taken into consideration. At the first-act curtain Randel has talked Ripley into backing a 'Help Yourself book on the pretext that Ripley virill have a whole chapter in which he may discuss art for art's sake. Second act is meatier, but again, another old-timer is pulled from the mothballs when a fake robbery is planned to obtain some publicity. Plans go astray, a real robbery is pulled and the unwitting Ripley captures th.e real article. Randel writes the book under a nom-dc- plume and when Mrs; Austin learns the identity ot the author ot the book she has enjoyed so much, she becomes reconciled to her futurn son-in-law. " Show has some sprightly tun« among them, 'Who Cares If He'.s Not Rich,' 'Waiting for a Sweetheart' 'There Is Something Nice AboiVt Them,' 'Take the Time Dear' 'Heln Yourself and 'I'm Going to Set th» World on Fire.' ^"-i me ! Production difficulties current when strawhatters attempt a show of this sort were present at the preem. Show is a trille short and attempts to stretch it out with siiner- fluous scenes. Malo. LOVE AND ALL THAT Skowhegan, Me'.. Aug. 2G. Faroe In three acts by t^vv.^n l>avTi- pre. sontvd by the I-akewond Players: r.'aiurc. Margaret Callahan anil Owen Davis Jr'. «lage^l by Melville Burke; »i>itliig.<. i lVirlM Perkins and I'lareneo llenilerson: ' it the' Lftkewood theatre. ."SkowlieKan, .Me on^u. Ing Aug. 21.20, '3D; »1.10 top. ■ l a Winnie... Kalhrjn r.lvney Cynthia Virginia Jlinnihig Aunt Esther.... Di.rolliv H,.rnar3 •'"''>'•• .Marisiirel Cillnllnn Amnnda.. Jessiiinlne N'iMNi>ni„i,^ Judge Van Dyke.. Jerry Stockton... Jane Loxvell l\>etor Cooper.... I.ogan ■Jitterbug. Peg Leg .V. li. Viin ltur,>n Owen Dnvi.s. jr. ..........Fa.v Wray ...George Ma^'rontly Gram Mills Ivponan Wyna ...... .Hume Cronya This is Owen Davis' 408th play in order of writing. It's been given excellent direction and some niove- than-adequate acting . which briiigs it up to a point where it consti- tutes fairly tolerable strawhat fare. It won't go beyond that, though. It's brevity (80 minutes) and manner of ending militate particularly against the play's chances. Plot is weakly inspired. Judv (Margaret Callahan), a screwbail daughter of wealth, is set. ot a rainy morning, to marry Jerry Stockton (Owen Davis, Jr.). a well-heeled nit- wit whose outstanding character- istic is a strong dislike for firearms. Ceremonies to unite the couple had been called off on three previous oc- casions when the gal's newfangled ideas on trial marriages, feminine.in- dependence, etc.. had intervened. Also, an eccentric aunt (Fay Wray) has been kibitzing for the celibate life. Of course, the self-tagged victim- to-be again reneges, this time re- nouncing the world to take up resi- dence at the misanthropic aunt's place, which turns out to be a secu- lar nunnery where no male save a dreamy doctor (George Macready) is allowed to enter. The showers ot the morning.have developed torren- tial aspects, and in the alarums at- tendant to the news that a flood im- pends, a masculine contingent ar- rives, led by the gal's repulsed groom, who's still smiling, and wacky father. Then a Clayton-Jackson-Durante trio of mobsters hurtles in. after which- there ensues several minutes of higli- grs|de.clowning, with the boys prac- tically tearing the house down. Having spent two and a halt acts planting his people and brewing a flood, David suddenly manipulates his characters into a scries of un- motivated changesof-heart, which appropriately coincide with a fair- and-warmer forecast by the weather bureau. Nothing at all is said about . the future prospects of the mobsters, who Join In the final rina-around- the-rosy at a time when the police are looking for them on charges in- cluding murder. ' The wit throughout Is decidedly tired. At one point, when Hume Cronyn has been warned to take his feet off a sofa, which once belonged to Queen Anne,' the comlcker re- marks, 'Gees, evei-j'thing in this dump-fi second-hand.' Spicy dialog, too, falls flat Performances, with Davis, Jr., A. H. Van Buren and Cronyn as stand- outs, are uniformly good. Miss Wray is still long on looks, but isn't given much of an acting chance here. Miss Callahan is dealt some very dubious lines. Keenan Wynn shapes up likeably, showing considerable tal- ent for dizzy comedy. Sets (2) by Charles Perkins and and Clarence Henderson deserve a more auspicious occasion. Don. THE ODD MAN ElUcott City. Md.. Aug. 24. Comedy drama In three acts by Pnniels. Burr and Kenneth Fertig, Jr.; presented by the Hilltop Theatre: staged hy Gregory s. Mooney; aettliigJi. Edwlu Smith, at lh» Hilltop theatre, Elllcotl Clly. Md.. Aug. 22. '36. ., Mr. Moon Thad .Sharretls Mary Moon .Mary Jane Stockhnm .<!u»an Jean rrhe Delia Clara Ccdrene Nick... Kenneth Kcrtk, Jr. Harry Allan Dale. Jr. Gwenn Fcrnll Moor» Pyle mil.-. i Jaolt Kli kivn.iil Tom Georgo llTrlck iKiulsa Ili>leii Khi.ller Policeman....-. Don swaiiii, Jr. This is the second attempt thi-; .■sea- son at a new play by tlie Hilltop Theatre, pioneer local strawhat ag- gregation under the direction of Don Swaiin, Jr., and W. Ramont HamcL Production and presentation are con- siderably better than the script. 'The Odd Man' has only slight motivation and con.sumes three brief act.i I'J tell a thin storv that could easily bo ac- complisheti in a one-act sketch. Mary Moon (Mary Jane Stocb- hnm) is a romanticist living near the big jail house at Ossining, N. Y. Pi e- paring to entertain at bridge one night, her plans are almost upset by a last-minute disapixjintment from (Continued on page 4G)