Variety (Apr 1941)

68 LEGITIMATE Wednesday, ApHl 30, 1941 Plays Out of Town Somewhere in France • . " ■ .Washington, April 29. TU.oali-c diillil . piTiieriljj tl\r,e>''-.nfl di'inin ty Carl. XttokinViJ'i'r. Aiid Frllj!..- ICortnor: sla'Ki'il i^v- WoHI'lnirlon Minor;- peitliij; 1>y WalMiiii. Wnn'iiU:' pVoOucl.toh KupeiylHi'ii. liy linwrcnc** I.ti.nKrn<r Anci- ThoiT.sn .H'Mbiirn.: At - llie - N'Miliiiinl; . ^WntlifiiBiuii, : ■ wijok. pt- Auril ?J;T^ '''i>v./V' ■■ .'. ' v .. ; .y. .Duiilfty UlKKf-H' .; .KiithVynV (Hvnoy ,. . AvIifniV. fc'rHneiij .Alt. Sill nil- .. Hbliert H'.. HiiTflij WuHor. sH'/.ftk .,'.. AU>(i)\ilei' rVCnox . lljfiirif.^Lrtjvlii Guslnve, MnrlKniie..• Olyiiiptt Mnripfiiiif.' -.'i. Ocleltc 'Mnl'iRiiiiv.'. • • I'lipn' Momcolio'si;..... J1i';tunii)nt. j.;.... v.. i. nuerzeiilch;..^ >'• • • • t • Merclerr...;. i..>.., Miirln. 'J yai-V. Tbery , .ililiQrs..... ...>...■.,„■. I ' . Aiinn .Mlnol i •SieiioKi . , .. ■ RlgflloHe...i-, .E.liiln.'-: ■ .Vnilersnn . Mario...,.;.... . ; . ;..: ..vKiircriv .Morloy' Jnt-cilii........... .Kriiiiiltl.vn "Viix F.leur,^......... .FlgVa i'juilpbcll AmIre'MnrlBniic.. '•Tncqu«!t de. linlxiureur Oi*(lon hance' C<irpor(i I, > managed \veU. enough with .the staging, too, rrterhbers of the crowds Nyhich ooGasiopally . get on stage never falling over each other.. • ■ Experimental Play • Filou;,.. Guhrd.;. i ■; ■. ■....;,...., .A(1jutnnl;'.!i.. Gdneriil Duffovt.'.v.;.,, . Goriiian f.'dloticr.. ■.'. v ^. .Oiermnii. tileutciiiint. Major H|mmetni((n.h;;', ItleiiterilaTit Mr'))Iinn;ri.. CRpttHli; Mll06r.. , Ipra < J1.I .Wesley Adily .; .vC'L-iy ■(•Ipiririit. . .Vtctoi- ■.•'lirlflluu. ,..V:,.. . ; Kick Cotiie ...,.Hurry. M. • XNi'nke .. i'.'. .Ziichftry- -Si'olt. v.,. vRohpTt. ITrtrrlMiii jack. MyloiiK.-Mlipn?, ....HHrald. nirtiiilpS' ..... i.. Victor Tliorlcj-^ ...'joljiiMlacKer' .... .Herbert IJprgliof • I There have been a nurtberof plays this season with neither thenie' noi^ message; , ; .just for variety per.- ha^s, hiere )s' '& message without a play. .■True, 'Somewhere: in^^^^-F^^ .dO.es. tesemble-dr^ma .1^^ many: r^- spepts:. It: is perjformed on a . theatre stagCi in a handsomely. Vohtrived set, by competent actors who often say words- with meaning. It even has. a . feW thektiric moments; ; But all • this and a particularlytop-notch; per- iormance by Dudley .Digges iri; cen- tral role, cannot hid the-fact, that it all adds up : to • little more than a dramatization, of ah «sjsay "on the Iririer French squabbles that <lr6Wned .out the roar of: the bncomihjg Nazi iriachine/. . , As .sueh ah essay, as one more re- port on 'what happened |n France,' it is interesting. . Arid the jjarallel between the; $tate ■ of mjnd of htahy. 6l these French people shown here, and that noted in miiny quarters in the U. S. .today, Is arresting! But it •till isn't a play. Failure seems principally to be a ponderous . approach. Stage, is al- most coiitihually populated With crowds, makinp it difAciilt to;deter-. mine just-what of interest is going on. Authors Zuckmayerrand Kortner also have run into difficulty oh a point of view. They have become so obsessed with the story they wanted to tell thkt they have spread a cross- section of it on the Mage without giving it dramatic conflict. Many of the characters are a conglomerate crew, all struggling for dramiatic importance. . There's a typical . French . innkeeper, : not •worried about, his 'friends' to the north nor by the running of his gov- ernment. He's interested only in his planned hotel and son. Surr.oundihg the innkeeper are the rest of this strangle assortment—a daiighter' who is a pushover for the Nazi ideology, the son who gets one of the help in that w.k. condition, the village idiot who saw the Prussians in -70 and. Insists they'll be along again, the factory owner who thinks he can make a deal with the Germans, the German wine salesman Who turns out to be a Nazi Intelligence oflicei- as. anyone could plainly^ see/ and others. Yes, many others. • _ Action, all of whitSh takes place at the tavern in a small villagie near Rhierhs, starts in May,; 1939, when ■war seemingly was far away. First act devotes itself mainly to setting: the characters, and since there are plenty of them it takes the whole Set to do this; With the second stanza it's a,year later and guns are rumbling. With much by-play, action wanders frOm word battle between young army officer» who believes freedom something to; fight for, and the mdustrialist, now engaged ih sabotaging.. tank production at his own factory, to the return of the innkeeper's son as a deserter. Son then turns murderer when officer ' atteinpts.- to arrest -hini..-, : Fihally cohie the Nazis;. in time to save the: son from execution only to shoot ; him themsjelves when he doesn t.want to be saved; to send the Innkeeper off to a. labor camp, to take the mdustrialist's factory right away ;from him. There is- a. message, ?u /iH^*iTfurther argument, that the Na?;is:can be dealt with only li t^Sf. ^n^^'j.^'^ ,''*^* ^ith them. But this isnt , the play, at this point. sdSt^^S**'*S^^?^^^^"iJ^-^ long' role which he LEND AN (PITFTSBUEGH PLAlfHOUSE) ' ;.;: ■ ■ v; - Pittsbargh,- April 26;: ■ lic.viie..In i\v,o licls -tiiid ■ 23 .k'encs; l iiioslc, lyrlca-'.titi.d- skeiclicsi :i)y t'liiirles -Ouynpr;- sliiKi-U ■ by Kredirlrk 'JIurli.'iKli Hnir'^Ouylior; dnnces ^ liy I.ftu' Stnri-. ':Noi"niu' .Slieit oiid. ..Slilrley .Hrowii: Se^tirl^{^'. HurlolBn: . co.s-- tuineiii ■ Jliiry, • .M. ■ Ajus-'Ji'*; »t IMtl.-'burKb Kisiylmu.ie (or. three -.weeks bcBlniilng. Apijl' 2(i'; ?r.ti|pV. .'■■ ■„:■ I'li.st-: ' .Slilrley --: liriiwrii AV.illlani, :Kythe-r Noriim-, Hlieii. Kd lluiil. . .Madelyn ' Wi.ird, -Hill SnilHi,'. lOsiflier- (■•ory.eil, Al/in FIst-lilor, .Shirley .Tat-kaon.' Tot'ir Wllnigt,-,-.Mnry Kvelyh- Uik-ey, -J'llin AV.ilter.-Mnry .Kraiici'S Aokcr-.. niiin, Eddie-.Mrainn. -Itobert KoUeriok. Jeai)-: Cpyne, lli-tH Mi-Keiiney, Dbrmld (Jcnjnniln,. Thcl'""-Nuthajr liiid. PAt iJe,ui^. This is the third brigirjal.'rei/ue Charles Gaynbr has written for thiE: iPittkburgh: Playhoii^e~ and soni'e of it is good enough flir a street 400. miles away from Pittsburgh.'; Broadway is the :5treet, of course, In maiiy re- spects, 'Lend an Ear'-' is supcrioi* tO' Gaynoi^'s other two.-'Hold Your Hats" (not to be confused with Al .Jolson's 'Hold On to Your Hats'), and 'Thank Your :Stars'; .oh the whole, however, it doesn't quite measure up to their, general excellence. / Author missed' one year locally, since 1938, when he was . tied up doidg thsi score fOr 'Finger. In. Pie,' - with Jt>hh. Moriks; and Fred Finiclehoffe.: Eddie . Dow- ling took- an option <>n that one. biil never produced it.^' ^ .' comedy sbng n^terial seems,to be. Gaynor's partic.ularNforte; it least it Is here.'. His finale, a condensed satire of typical operetta of the eafly !20s'called "The Gladiola Girl' is. a; howl and' the fiinnieist thing, of. its kind locally siiice Max Gordon laiiir pooned a .: typical revue in 'Band. Wagon.' It's preceded hy an, ah-; nounCement ;that - six Co>mpanies of IGirl' went out but only , five came back . and . the missing one has just been discovered. This is it.. Gosr tume&; musical .istyles, dialog, /de- livery, etc., are all done; in marihei: of 1920 and the 10-minute, burlestiue- would be a«clickerop in any settinjg. . Coiiple of other swell hiimbers are. 'Everybody's Got a Guy But I;' which kids the pants off the torch-carriers and right up the alley of a Fannie .Bribe,, and 'Between the A. & Pv and-, the Old Msetvey Place,' one of those corny hill billy laments that's-first-, rate laugh insurance. ' Where 'Lend An Ear' slows, down is in the sketch department.. Two of them are okay, one being 'Subway Girls,' discussion of.'art in its personal aspects .by twa strap-hangers^ and the other a radio bit; in which a dame comes up . to. offer a; testimonial, announcer wants to khow Jf .she's been solicited and she replied, 'not lately.' Others are rather, feeble.. Aniong .regulation/ musical' show tunes, Gaynor has come up with two that have definite possibilities. They are 'Awake My Love' and 'Where Have I Heard It Before?' They're catchy. and ..would: be even much niore effective with full or- chestrations. Accorhpaniment for 'Lehd An Ear* is by.two piano3, Gay hor at one of them and Ruth Levin at the other. Best production nurh' bers are .'It's Spring,' cute: idea in which the singing-birdie. season brings toigether both "Toid ahd Pairk Avenues' and 'Hot and Cold." They're ;staged effectively by Fred Burleigh, who. also pieced together the color ful decor for them. Talent In 'Lend Ati: Ear'.runs con siderably ahead of the usual com niunity theatre average because sev 'eral in company have had profes sional experience and at least half a dozen others, are. recruits from Carnegie Tech drama / school.. Shir ley Brown ha^ a corking sense of Comedy :that needs only a bit more polish; Norma Sheai; who has danced In vaude and niterifes; is ah attrac- tive hoofer who-can look after heir- self in sketches, too; Madelyn Ward, one-time priina at the Stanley and Enright theatres here, IS; about the best voice these Playhouse carnivals has- evier had, and Bill Eythe and Ed Hunt, are expert. handymen. In. either sphg, \ dance / or comedy.. : Pair. .of gals .in the cast. vvho' don't,^ have, njuch to do but^ havj promise writ- ;teh all over them, are Mary Evelyn Ducey ind Mary Frances. Ackerman. Show doesn't have a chorus;, per se, the principals for most part executing ensembles. Dancing, except for splo . specialties^ is just fair, due as much to limitations of Playhouse stage as to limitations of talent in legmahia department. • ■ . ; ; i For ; a community theatre, 'Lend An: Ear.' is. a sock show. For pro Uses, lot of ;if would have to be weeded out, ' but there's, certainly much material that any Broadway revue Could find'very useful. Cohen. NOT IN OUR STARS Comedy-In tliret tieui. Ity Ueorge Corey.: i'rodurllon stuff, J.iinea l''iiriie.<!.i,' Thorose \Vlitler, -U(d)Prl r<lndseyi- Ituih-\Vllk.. Toakn, l)l.i.Miri(;. .•-■rrt'.siMitcd liy. .Kxpi't-lliiPhtiil- TJio- ivlrpH, Inc.; nt Jtlltipore;. N,Y„ April 2n, '41.; AdiiilSflon by' Invltntlmi.. . ItONP Hoailtiah...;.;;..;.;.....Fraii<'es Tlt-ld .\|-ollle ilciulUian..-.Huili Thiine McPtvUl .lerry Quirt.-.....Clciiiejit O'Loulllon kevllri Hoollhiiri.. . , .Waltpr Iturke T-iiiimy lUordiih.,...r.ii;; .i il.eo Needhnm Plbliy iFl'ool lb:t n... -... i. i I In t old Vernillyea ..Jrinrps •.Furnp.'(,t ... ..Twlvn- IrelHPd , ;.iViirkP^ (Vl'^.on.iiPU Ai'diirniiiii. ;i(i.s.;' l>. O'ltiinnonLorliiB^.Siiilth Ti'lpplKiiie ^liiii^V; - • —. . '■I'l'tnoi liy ..-Glifriry. ...... .Mr, Cliiip'niiiii'. , fii'ufilri - Wllllo Ci)n(iriy..'.u:Hllniil IJodwor^h ■ •■ ■ -::,.'.G. S\viiiyne Gordon J Itoliprt: IJndsey (■ v Jolin Thoiiihs ■int ......... ■ . ;.TiiorciiP Wlll'ler All;'...;! lardy Fu nil lure'. Men.'. Of the thrCe plays so far priesentcd by the Experimental- TlVcatre, .this George Corey comedy, 'Not in... Our Stars/ is the only one . with comr mercial pbssibilities. • Gn.the basis of .its single:scheduled performance Frir day (25) afternoon,; the show;. has-Ob- ylbus flaws, biit appears to. have defi- nite prospects for. cdmmercial. pro- ductioh.^W-ith skillful revisions, :Suit- able casting and expert,staging,and playing, it could be turned ihto a hit.. . Most sel-ious faults, in the play, ob- V- usly result from eorey'.s unfamil-: ia. i'ty 'with the stage.-. As an estab-. lished radio: author, ■ he.'s used ;to writing short scenes, and without, re- gard 'for visual effects; Thus,' • his stienes tend to .open strongly, , biit then Wav.ef ihtb diffuse; repetitious talk.. Yet COrey has talent for . sharp "dialog, vivid "chai^acterizatibh and ingenious sitiiiation; / What his script primarily needs is tightening and- pomting^; As it novv. stands; sey- eral of the incidents are too obvi^ Ously contrived. The first apt. weak- ens toward the end; the.-second. is evexi: thinner, but the third builds' to. a. ;genuinely punchy climax; ,;; Casting' for . the tryout pierfori^- ahce was uneven. As the; bombastic, fraudulent •. head of the \. frenzied Irish-American household. Harold ;Vermilyea was clearly .wrong. His playing had variation ahd depth, but the part is a. natural for Barry Fitzgerald, Dudley Digges or some-. one else with a lighter comedy- style; Ruth Thahe McDevitt was hot quite suitable for the role of the harried mother, but she largely redeemed the fact by jiJtorceful and sincere peffofmance. Frances Held,. - with looks, 'appealing freshness and an ap- /pafent instinct for dramatic effect,"" was excellent as the daughter. ; Walter Burke hais the proper ih- cisiveness and vigor as the son, while Clement O'Loghl^n, Hallam Bosworth, Leo Needham and John Ireland Were believable and oc- casionally liaaghiable as. bewildered and-headlong sons of the Auld Sod. Other performances varied; No one was credited with direction. Edward Padula; a Theatre Guild production assistant, is understood to have done the, preliminary work, with Winifred Lenihan taking over toward the last. Net result was unfortunate. Hobe. T\;r,r,^ : ■• - - ".Ptablerdri^e; Dudw :pigges IS. especially -fine as the aiS liJttL 3 sfcUl . deserving of. a- flfmf sfWwg- Karen Morley • of Si^fLT^'Cfieastern stSe&St h^iicV "»ald :'seduced by the beinl Iwi i^"^' ihdkatioh of 5b ^k?m1° "Manage better things ^re others :p^ticSy"?r^itS^'' baS?5»^«'""''VP'^ settihg; the par and dining room of the tavern, is . excellent. Worthlnetoh Minof, hasbin ■was reportell in nobr. cotidition! / Wmi Dorbin Stricken ;/ .Rochester^ N. Y., April 29. William Dorbln, 60, actor,, suflfered a heart attack .here last Week the morning after playing in the Alex- ander Woollcott company 'Man' Who Came; to Dinner* at the Auditorium. Taken to Highland hospital, Dor- qdOK BOOK Miialcal comedy In tw-Q acts -(10 scenea); prexented by Kpeech .and drama department of Cathollq UnlveMlty of America? -writ- ten by Waller P.: Kerr and' Leo Brady; staffed fry Father G.llbert V. Hatt'ke. . Cant: Arthur Mgllen, Lionel Booth, Karl Schmitt, Leo Hrudy, Peter McClure, Kay Becker, Lolfl Barlow, Prank Spltzlsr,. James UrahAm, James Copgrove. Marlon Plem- ^nK. ><ed 'Vclhmcyer, . Mary'Margaret. Bd- monnton, Cbnhy Madden; -Emmett Murphy. James .Graham, Walter Glpprlch,- Mary Jane'Wyble. Thomas Hanley. Inspired .by last year's hljghly suc- cessful .'Yanjcee Doodle Boy,' CathOi; lie University's spefech. and drama department has turned out; ah even more entertaining original niiisical in .'Cook Book.' Last- year: the. de- partnierit introduced a hovel, idea by Way of its .'rhusical biography'_jDf George; M. Cohah. story of the shbWr man's life set to. the music of his hit shows. ; -So / successful : was the venture.: . winning: sorne. hatioh-wide ^notice /from, ^howfoik, .plus .photo- graphic layout in Life mag, that Father Gilbert V. Hartke, head of the' diepartment;. felt a seqjael, or sequels,, should ; iollowr. ;;. This season, after, considerable pondering over Selection of a central flgure, Joe Cook, the funster from Evansvillet Ind,. was chosen as the subject for I941's 'musical biography^ Walter/Kerr, instructor in- drama at C; U., ahd Leo. Brady, advanced stu- dent ;there, co-authored 'Cook Book,' which ends ' an. eight^day run to- morrow (30) night. • Resiilt shows the playwrights hot Only /as ;ible: tech nicians but xahny students of . their siibject as well. Th'ey have captured the Cook manner neatly. / Searbh for, a player to fill the/lead- irig role ended the day Brady turned up so attected by : working on the script .that he. was talking and act- ihg just like. Joe CbOk. Cook, in town several dayis ahead of a vaudeville date, was In flrst-ni|ht audience, roared at the gently .affectionate characterization of himself and "Ipimed that. Brndy, not only looked Hub Transcript'! Survival Fight Hopeful of retaining; their jobs by locating' a. - buyer for tha * Boston Transcript before the : Jll-iyear-bld, shieet folds tbday (Wednesday) as scheduled, employees . last / /w e ek, formed .a 'purchasers, 'contact: com- mittee.' /Group, ■ under chairmanship, of Alfred; G; Diffehbach, religion, editor,, is serving as ah -interniediary to bring prospective' purchasers and the board . of diriEictoi's together; : in the' eyertt a/./prospect is un- earthed the employes committee; is prepared to publish at; least a . Oner page; shieet- each:,day to. ke^p.. the Associated Press franchise ali-ve. Frahchise passes, otit of existence the day . the Transcript actually , ceases puhlicatioii. . . khiockout ;blow leading to discon- tinuance of the Transci-ipt was the passing of many /iadvertisers of pro- ducts .'made .solely for 'the: sheet's Back;; Bay-typ/e; audience. Sheet viras always -geared for - this, conservatiyie element ^ihd folded father than.-iri'-.: clihie towards; a cojmimbh appeal. Among the alumni of the Tran- script are E^rooks , Atkinson, New York "Tirnes. drama; critic; John P. Marqiiard, Robert Benchley, "Gliiyas Williams and. Lucius B^ebe." ; Bostoniahs./ were ;invited ; by the mahagenientjn a. front-page Trahr script editorial Saturday (26) to do- nate/- at lieast/ $500,('0O in cash; gifts ^representing an ihyestment in de?. mocracy.' Publishier Johnson stated that/lhe sugg|estiOn was reafl that of sorrie of the .ripiadersj who had become- roused by anhounbemeht of the fcild; He suggested ;tha/t:i /1.0()b subscribers doriating; ;$500 each Would make It .possible toj carrjt, on-. ;.,. No pyrchaiser ;in sight BQ far. Nine .$500 subScriptiona have - been re- ceived. Bmpldyees have voltihteered pay; cuts ranging from 5% to 35%, to; keiep ; going one or /two weeks/ inbre. Not accepted, however, unless directors flgure developments make Jt ■•justifiable/ ; - ; Wlnchell/inc., DlssOlyes ; / The Walter Winchell Corp. of New York, a personal proposition for the columnist formed sohie y.ears ago, was dissolved in Albany, yesteirday (Tuesday). Back in 1934 or '35, Win-, chell tried to dissolve the corpora-' -tioii! but / dissolutioh papers were held up because of tax matters that have since been straightened .Out. :' On a couple of; occasions at least, Winchell . set his. deals through the corporation; latter signing biitside cbntfacts and. then sighihg Winchell. lip until the time that the Govern- ment tabooed such practices, niany; large wage-earners^ , especially in Hollywood, formed personal corpo- rations for the purposes of lower- ing .their Income taxes, : Latin-Amerioon Bralllt Maf First publication of its kind. / in Latin America; Braille. 70-page . rhagazine, has/beeii issued by the ftitronato Naciohal de / Ciegbs iiv Buenos Aires. Aim- is to increase cultural relations among. S. " A.; na- tiohs, ;• ;.■ ': I'irst ; issue has. a literary supple- ment including music by Argehtini /coniiposer Albierto W.iUiams and' m^^ with / Braille, references, Hope to nn.akp-jn^azine; a regula^ affair; ' ■ . :;'''LITERATI-:pBn'S .Charles E, RusselI,.8i3,/form'er/New York newjpapei: editor,' Chicago'pub- lisher ,aiid'polit};cal refbrhiei-i died .April 23 in Washington, t). C, Iti 1910 he,was the iinsuicCessful Social- . ist candidate for goveirnor of Ne\v -York.,; .::;.• ;;■.'/■- ■ \-'-.- ..\.' : '■■ Fred A,/Afaliery, 80, veteran newsi. papermah who for some 31 years was with the staff of the old N. Y. Eve- ning :J.ournai, died;. April. 22/at hiff- home; in Passaic, N. Ji ; He retired in ■;i928. .-y.^;-'-- ' ■.•'/'■.. =■/■■/.■■■.; ;•.■.-.. -^l^trlicK Cj»sey,; 48;;.a^ Francisco- newspapermanf -died i heart attack April 25 ; at his home in SausalitOi Cal. ;A former president /of/ the Sari Francisco-Oaklahd' News- paper Guild, he had -also -worked/ph the. Paris edition, of the N; Yi Herald Ti"ibuhe.: ;;; :'-,; : Herman - idrnet, / 42. edjitor of the .Urbana. O., Citizen, died April 26 in •Dayton, 0,; "of a heart attabk. ■ CHATTER ; Lillian. Eikler. Wat son has /Written a tpme on- advertising being piublished ; ih May^'-. -- ■ ■ /■-'\ ■ ; Add / draftees:: Don Graig; "drama editor/of the Washington Daily Newr and cb-VARiETY inugg ih P^C. / . Tarleton A. Jenkins^ city/editor of the Fort Worth Pre^ss, 5cripps-How- ard, on.May 1 will become director Of publicity of the Fort Worth Cham- ber of Commerce. .Lois iSyensrud has been appointed motioh pibtuire editor of Your Charm, fan mag formei-ly known as Pictur* play. ; She formerly; was Coast rep for Modern Screen; / Ralph Eckhardt, former^ Chicago; and . Cleveland newspaperman ■ and feature -writer for NEA, kter;Of the RKO press department, has been as- signed to: public relations office of' the Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, n: j;.. .-■ ^ ■ ■■ The board of directors of the G16be:Dem6crat Publishing Co.j pub- lisher of the Globe-Democrat, thi- bnly a,m; rag- in . St. Loiils, has de^ -' clared the regular quarterly divideiid' of. $1.75 a share on the preferreil!, stock, payable June 1 to. stockholders' qt record May 20. R. Wilson Brown; 31, a former re- pbrter in Mexico, Mo., and St., Louis, and instructor of journalism at. the New Yorlt Institute for the Educa- tipn of the Blind since 1938, has been appointed . .superintendent of ' the MlsSburl School ■ for this Blind in St. / Louis. "The; position carries. $330 monthly salary and living quarters. like Cook but played the part better than he (Cook) could have. ; Only fault of 'Cook Book' Is over- length.. There's a tendency to drag occasionally as the two acts and 19 scenes take Cook from the Evans- ville 'hpjfie grounds to -Sleepless Hollowv* Pruning or some, musical numbers, which slow the paCe could be accompilished with advantage and no loss of favorable effect.. Most of editing could bast be done in early •stages of second act,; where teviie becomes too much the conventional muisical iafter the swirling madness, of the first stanza.. Entire show has been staged elabo- rately by Father. Hartke and/set dCr signet Ralph Brown has done a yeo- .mah job; of arranging his 19 scenes for both effect and pace. . Revue .picks Cook up at the Evans- ville / circus lot .in .;1898( / goes frbni/: trierw to ^the 'Ititchen of/ the Goofci home,! to .the Evansville ferry, to the Cook barn, to the stage of the local theiaitre, tOntihiies to New York,,' ah .agent's bffice, a cbstume shop, the stage door :6f a smalKtime vaude hoiise, finally/to a New. Year's party at Bert Swot's in San Antontb' In 1912. It's all ill the first act. Second stanza ;i$ slow until it ar- :rives :at Earl CartbU's •Vairiities' Of ;jl^923, with/ one of those .'Jnad Cook indentions, this .involving, a derrick, an Indian, an ape/and siindry . other wild Cbokiana. . Continues/throiigh 'Rain or Shlrtie,*. 'Fine and ;Dandy,' the first Cook film venture, flnally to legendary 'Sleepless.Hollow." / Score pirepared by Frank Spitzig Includes tuhes from / show's • men- tioned, plus original : numbers by Spitzig, .Betty Healy and William Coleman. ■ Players standing out. In addition to Brady, include Spitzig, who sings niuch' Of his own and the pro. music; Marion; Wolberg;. JMary. Margaret Edniohston, Jimmy /Graham (last year's.Cohan), -William Hatt and Lois Barlow. / Interesting'note on production of Cook Book was assistance given by stage, staff of local Earle theatre, house where Cook is currently head- ing vaude bill. Cooperation included training of 'Junior Rbxyettes,' high school graduate; students in drama at C. U., by Earle's Roicyettes, and re- hear.si.rtf of choral groups by Joe. Lombardi, Earle's pit conductor.: vAnblyn ArCten, Earle Roxyette in- structor, and Nancy Raden, captain of lihCi even had kids doing Gae Foster stilt and baU-walklng^rou- tines. /. .. JwJns. and stated yesterday (Tuesday) that he will call a ./hyddle as vsoon possible with the theatrical agents , and their associations. ' It was hi- tihlated that.. the license: depaftiment was now .bound to enforce the state law's stipulations on commissions; heretbfbre loosely policed .because . of the old deqision, which / then in- volved a New Jersey labor employ- ment agency; '--..' . Coast agents, in. the very lucra-/ tive fllm business, will hot suffer as jnuch as the N. .Y. ageijcies because Of the decision. The California law, it is understood, liniits agency fees ;to 10%, with the ^gents' agreement with Screen Ajctbrs Guild also en- forcing this. : V - - ' The Artists Representatives Assn., of N. Y., yesterday (Tuesday) stated that an immediate general member- ship meeting would be: called to study the situation. . ■' Out '*of . this may come:; a . coirtihittee to call on Commissioner Moss to apprise them-. selves of his department's plans to enforce the N. Y.; State, statute.