Variety (Oct 1945)

60 LEGITIMATE Wednesday, October' 3, 1-915 Plays Out of Town The ItiiggtMl Pnlli • Providence. Sept. 28 ■ Tii*. HiiwrtKius I'ii', iiviimiiTidii in 1 : U' •i - K SlK-i wmiil s din If :Si»lW. HiiiTs SllCI liV-(KlUiiln fSliiCott I •lirn'-vi umi iiKiin'ii■■!»• Vulenlln: re. I'riivl S|»rin:> in llray.il Boston, Oct. 1. d p,if llM> Tl II I !-"' .' I'i II |il In I'lllli,, ft. It.*,' Jill s. .lii'si'iOi II, ill Mncfiij) . Hi ■H-.iri.-l Viiil"! Hal I'lrihy.... Ktlirli" Hixvmnh (i 'msiiiKiiw-sm C'.il.ni'l Italiist )>,.. sl-nl M..i-y Vintriti.. 'J,- 4|! ;.II Mm I . << !»:'• -. . . . . . I'M- K 1.-I-.-.1..... (Ill li:i Fli-lli;. Alli.ik. )>lt.... KicV.ni! SiaiilVr 1 1 r.Ysi-in: .A. 1' K.,ll K.i> Tin l-lHlell, I.; II- <iii;n iili-l< l,,|, O .Nick IKninis Ilex W'lllinllls oihuV Leitvlii l.l'HUl Allii-lfs mlv CllHIllllMI . I. • I Keli; ilii •.•1'Vi'nnvtfi • Mi'.;..(..... tiij.ll.i TiiiriiJi... ; . minim. M>1,H 'Wiwi.! I'YiiilV- C!..l„ M. (tllvcl 1> >=..t:i.. I'esxy Sin iv'1,1 S itn CI vill 'IV Kliv; • l.i , Klt-l l>?Silvn lis. Tllin S.infciiil. Ueile I Vi e in,. Ayers. .lui .tin Sluir.i, li! Itiih.-lt Wu iilnllcet., liy ,\J if tliillve jliiiii-i-. . lil-s t.y Ti.'il Slim- ns liy llmvanl I inv It.■ Min-flli i llM-UUlf) Hill.', M mill (!i>i l-'leliilli KsliiVn ,1 .M:i inns!, ,ii l,.' SIllll.lT i.rijli i It'iil .in-- Alii ,l,m fill. Kill M.-|. ii-uWiy' Tim'iiimli Art.lisnii. I'iiil„lsii U'.Hl.i-.-, K.-tlle: u Hi. I l'e'„|,le , i:„m Ann.: Hull Hull lull.. . II.I I'l I'm- Imllri r JllivKfV l S.lHJIII* ill iHr.-eiiii' .■Ik-mimI umi i"nun i- Kay; lllif.licil hi ;-;.!«•«.' i. '-is-. .'• ..,..ltiiKi.|-,<>lia.r,li,.i'. <:,-iip Bliil.eltw , . .Itiiy Ariieu- ('(li in I ill,' AM: Kent K.hvnlils ..i.is..|iii .Vaiimla.* ....-. .Jack Mi I'.iilli?> '.luck Ken II ..•. '.-„ ..I:i ......'.I'll I In Kl> I'les Mu ilil cm im- ,M n Americans can see themselves. Play opens in an ante-room in the While House in the Spring ol 1945. shortly betore the posthumous award of the Congressional Medal of Honor to the widow Harriet Vinion (Martha Sleeper) of Morey Vinion (Tracy). Scene then flpshes back to June 21. 1941. when Morey Vinion begins to feel the letters of editing a paper whose onliry is geared to. the adver- tisers' wishes. His lackadaisical okay I bor. Many of what were intended to be its most striking attractions, both musical and comic, fell as flat as a tortilla before a house too deadpan to make possible a smash hit any- where. Milton Berle's clowning, reaching ils apex during a seasick scene, in a Clipper plane and again in a narrow escape from a cannibal's pot. did its utmost to provide belly laughs and. at times though too infrequently to the printing of an editorial adyo- ! succeeded. Rose Marie has done bet filling helo to Russia, his lack of fvht iiv defending his action and his s"bs:-quent resignation to join the Navy me all geared to the generally indecisive attitude Sherwood be- lieves is shown by America. stroyer which. ijr-tiVG.rttiaU.v~ strnk-f -tw"' whileon a mercy missio'- uii'tl as the ■ hr " on'y survivor, is tossed t.,,on a jungle ot'tpesi on one of the smaller Philip- pine islands. Much against his will he' is commis c ioncd a ' captain bv Colonel Rninsford (Robert Keith) arid gives his life while leading a task force of Filipino guerrillas. Despite the large number of scenes there is a minimum of delay, be ter in vaudeville and seemed to miss the same mike which would have made Berle happier. Music lacks inspiration, and only a f(»v of the songs have any chance of I* vering in the memory of those came. ...w.itn liiseb-hipes :aL,.$H.fil) head * alia '...who' ' endured some' borins^vBfev.yntil the grand finale. "Spring'' took pride in having a book, and what a book! It flew anarl like a 30-year-old flivver, which might not have mattered a great deal if the comic touch, the savor of the jungle and the gaiety of Rio had been retained. An ape and some man-eating plants, together with Ray costumes and some very good native tweeu them and each presents a dancing and choral work, did not go strikingly composed tableau. There far enough. Ss a George M. Cohan I wist to the final scene. Cohan used to wave the American flag; Sherwood gave it the spotlight in an effective curtain. ■ : In full justice-to the author and to company of players and techni- cians, an unfortunate combination of a 32d row low seat, which made -it Story deals with Berle's working in the Explorers' Club trying to pay oil' debt of his adventurer father. Joseph Macaulay and Morton J. Stevens, shown in the prelude as ex- ploring youths, have persuaded the club to publish their memoirs as old moil and start them off in Hqlly aim" t impossible to see the stage, ( wood. But word comes that a white JjhpVa d oid spot in the 3.200-soaj th hi ippearecl-in Rio from lands afi-e. ■wl iiih.maj ' c IM tirgt t wo si\' M W 'l >\ rh<H^Hiey-ctgtm-'to have penetrated an uninfovmative pantomime, .mat.. it imoos-ib'e to honestly' evalu.-te - the worth of the dialog and acting jr. fie first two scenes. Bv standin-'. i.at. the .r-?r ofi the theatre a little more w"s caufht! In line with the. general'theme, it Starts off slowly and pick< up a little more snood.and- interest just before the intermission. It never real'y rolls into hi'.'h rear hut that, teb; re- flects the author's be'ieC in the Amer- ican's manner of thinking on a world plane..' -i, ■ Tracv is given admirable support throughout by an excellent cast. Each carries out his or her role beautifully end all are worthy of cemmendati-m. Captain Renin's di- rection retains all the hesitant nu- ances called for in Sherwood's script and Jo-Mi-lzittev's setting and light- ing are ri 'h and in th" mood. Va!- entinas gowns are striking. Mn/o. fust. So clubmen. Berle and various girls all fly to Rio and turn up in the woods hunting the boy. Highlights of fun include Berle's scasi' kncSs in tin plane vhile fak- III "The Rugged Path" Robert E. Sherwood again turns his undoubted talents to a .missionary theme, and though the effort is a laudable one. it's Spencer Tracy who will: draw them in. '"'.' ■' ■ - It was -lather a signal return to Providence for Tracy because the last time he was here, nearly 20 years ago. he was "fired" from a show. His return packed the 3,200-seat Metropolitan for two performances, and he justified the draw in a role which fits snugly his naturally reti- cent type ot acting. Built-arid scripted along the ^'There Shall Be No Night" theme. "The j Rugged Prth" is a denouncement of j the fatalistic attitude and an effort ! to awaken America to. an awareness j of assuming a greater share in the I leadership of the world. In it. Tracy symbolizes the average American, willing to .fight and die because he fee's it is expected of him. but shy about assuming a leading role. His natural restraint in interpreting the . role which pictures the normal diance. including plenty of standees. American's general indecisiveness is with neither the brightness nor au- a startling revelation in which most i Iheritic quality ot our Latin neigh The .%WN»N«iilt New Haven, Sept M. I Mi, 27. Iii-I (ill IIS- llW'l" >rii- - lii-is. i>i«|ii 111 -S l-'liUUl Ui-li svi- Slml, ill 1!, ■if «1 I'l . Italpli S'niitt- •H,|IC|» !• Right now, Irwin Shaw has the script of iii.s newest dramatic effort about on the five-yard line. To carry the«S|felogv a bit further, it is in the )ast**Tew' minutes-of playing time that he seems to be juggling the ball, and it is those last few minutes.that will probably determine the differ- ence between a score or a fumble. "The : Assassin" has the stuff for a splid spot, in the legit sun if proper perking of final stanza is achieved. It could make exciting film fare of the action-packed variety. Play has several interesting mag- nets to draw attention.- One is the fact that, although audience is fully aware of theme's historical back- ground, being the story of events immediately prior to and after the assassination of Admiral Darlan in late 1942. this foreknowledge of story does not detract from interest con- sistently maintained via the manner of unfolding details. Anotlier inter- estrcatcher is the matter of just how much of the script is fact and how much is the product of Shaw's imag- ination;. In aiiy case, whether it's au- thentic or not his Word picture of the intrigue, double-crossing, polit- ical conniving and treachery attend- ant upon the assassination is absorb- ing. Playwright has a large number of characters: so skillfully portrayed that even the bit players leave a definite impression. For his princi- pals, he has provided a variety of wordage that ranges from tender ro- mance to patriotic fervor. Numerous single phrases stand out in the dia- log, and a dissertation on the quality of men gets rapt attention. Martin Gabel has caught the spirit of this work faithfully and has done a good job in transposing his type- writer characters. His pacing is neat balancing ot rowdy action and pin- dropping silence in taut moments. Third section of the writingr.stag- ing-acling layout J*. well cared for by a first-rate cast. Making his American debut. Frank Sundsirom gives ample justification for his ace rating in his native Sweden. As Rob- ert de Manny, the young French Royalist who docs away with the ad- miral, he carries his leading role confidently. A certain boyish quality iiwiersonality is matched by mature ytuil M^U^K. iB»>us-,'Wrt Yd fjtr'Jli 2oe. pa rl it tilarty-femms*: between the eyes. David O. Sebv- nick has a nice piece of screen prop- erly here. Important support is given by Har- ojd Hliber. very much at home as a colonial plainclothesman: Lesley Woods, attractive and efficient as Sundstiom's romantic visavis: Karl Maiden, giving a sincere reading of a French underground leader: Clay Clement, as the French general who engineers the assassination; Guy Sore!, a Communist battling against Germany. Also adding good per- formances are Roger De Koven. as the admiral: Richard Keith, a French general: Henry Sharp and Carmen Mathews. Jewish refugees. Numer- ous bits completing a large cast arc noteworthy. . * A two-section revolving stage aids necessary s'oeed in changes of the several settings: . which represent' dextrous designing, from both eye- appeal and technical angles. Bone. Plays on Broadway n<»«»i» •iniil K|il hil l i.,i. in Aim* lln* IIooIm ii ii ini ii,. SI R,-il I..V . HlWI tiOHM IIRttil ll'l'l K'«> KM.i ■,l Hi I'Vln |i ($l,Sll |l|l|-|| \. v. i ir,.ii.' s in i jiuiii-, ' How .•I,I Mei- III i tc-f ttlll I .Mai lln ly-rt Klllii rlf-s Wal.lviili it-Mel Ifl-iUlKN •:il„,l Hilll.llliN ll,] Vhi'imIIsi-ii I.I.imI ISiiU'iill 11.•.,:>. l-i'i'Sli l»ivi>iti" ll'n » Itull mil II .A ii,I The social injustices accorded the minority Negro liave occasionally been subject for Hie theatre, but seldom has there been a work to dovetail flieir solution with reality. "Deep Are the Roots." which made its Broadway debut last week al the Fulton theatre, is at least a partial exception. It is a! times too theatri- cal but it has a timeliness and sig- nificance in its social consciousness li No. 3 Turtle' for Hub A No. 3 "Voice of the Turtle" com- pany opciis in Boston Xmrs. Harvey Stephens and Louise Horton so fin- set. Tiiete are coni'ianics current on Broadway and Chi. | in if-the Job of navigator, and his im- ■ personation of a medicine man to . save himself and others . from can- nibals' pot. As the white queen of | the savage tribe who. it turns out. '; has Berle's fali'ir preserved . in a i tihy casket. Christine Ayers is dec- i brative. A Latin carnival queen. ! ! Bcrnice Parks, keeps her vivacity I : t hroughout, And. of course, the white I boy turns out to be Berle's brother. . played with some, excellent Tarzan dance, effects by Ray Long. .''Little 01' Boy." sung by Rose Marie, and her duel, with Long. "New : . Woi-MS, have a fhnnce. The tliomo- 1 song. "Spring in Brazil," did not go ! [ over bi^!. having synthetic qual : ties. ; i Don Arres puis across something i | which seems really Brazilian. "Chi- i ! R.i-Qtii-Chi." ' . There are a good many eorn\ jokes. One of the situations eagerly su',zed upon by a partly bored audi- ence "in the first act .had Berle puH- ■ ing a hat-size tag out of Irs. too 1 piece while drawing lots to see which . : explorer would lie away the Drif^r- j I nity of the mystery boy. Dame. 1 Mr. C<M»p«»r*M I4.f1 Hand Boston, Sept. 25. •1 h.-l M C: iili. AI...V nil I M,li„(l f llii'i'i' .Sliil-s i!li:il:i) llio.lv . Disappjinting is. this unduly com- plicated, shallow: Clifford Gol*mith conv-dy. .which even the expert George Abbott direction can't save Ironi falling apart .in the third act No I'atill of an excellent cast here The thing in its present sttige just won t hold togelher. - ' Opus, neatly set. deals with a nit- (Contrnued on page 62) nmancLJiiteresl. II deals with the Negro soldier returning from the wars. Controversial in ils miscegena- tion theme, most of it is well-written. There doubtlessly are maiiy raised eyebrows that such a play has been endowed with sufficient courage , to be . presented on Broadway. And coinage is the word. Bui there can be no denial of an author's right — even duty—to discuss such a prob- lem. ■ II exists, it's vital, it's real.- "Roots" should be a .tremendous box- office hit as a play though its theme negates it for pictures. '.. This is the story of a young Army lieutenant, a Negro.who's been mus- tered out and returns to thejiome of a southern senator where he has been reared and where his mother has long been a servant. He has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Highly principled and well-educated, in the Army he has been made to feel an equality between white and black. His atti- tude when he goes home is gov- erned by this thought and his desire not to return to the scheme of things as he knew them before he went into service. But he must stack up against the old senator with his deeply- rooted Negro prejudices. The sena- tor ignites the fuse of a witch-hunt in which the young Negro is framed in a watch theft and railroaded to jail. The statesman's two daughters are divided in their allegiance to the Negro, the older when she learns of the love for each other of the younger sister and the soldier. She ignores her earlier liberalism toward the latter and aids in the I'rameiip so as to get rid of the lieutenant and thus not disgrace the family,, At the end. when the senator is exposed, he vows to carry on the light for the "superior race." Meantime, in or- der to help salvage the Negro's faith, after he has vowed a hale for all white people following the framing, the younger daughter offers herself in marriage to him but. shaken and feeling that such a marriage could not succeed, he refuses. The authors have turned .out ex- cellently written first and second acts, but the play's weak spots are apparent in the third. There seems to be a too-wide diffusion between should,Jijt w ,„tii,e / ^a>';!tor's characlew.ation at the. pia.v 4. begi.nnin.g ...a.n(i. the., end. flf -.ieems to have some suggestion of humaneness al the start where none exists at the final curtain. It's out of sorts with the "great man" that the senator is supposed to have been. At. the end. when he storms out of his home to join his "allies" in the fight against the black race, he be- comes almost a caricature. And at the play's finale the authors seem to say that bigots such as the sena- tor will always continue to exist, which may be, but it tends to depre- cate an honest popular belief that there is a chance to build the faith oi the Negro or that of any minority. The playwrights' have given .some- hope for the achievement of that faith, but the solution is not so ef- fective as to relegate their more obvious suggestion—that the road can never be fully-traversed. Major factors in this plav's com- manding .interest are the superlative casting and direction.by Elia'Kazan And a new star has emerged in Bar- bara Bel Geddes. With only a couple ot Broadway roles to her credit prior to "Roots." she is now an assured actress with a native ability to read lines. Hers is. the finest performance ot the season to. date—and one that will be difficult to beat as the sea-' son gets into high. As the younger daughter of the senator, in love with the Negro..she makes the part more believable than indicated by just the script. Gordon Heath is the colored soldier, giving in the beginning a ,i quiet, restrained performance, and towards the close an incisive por- trait of vihdictiveness. Charles Wal- dron is the senator, and he alone of he cast suffers by the writing though he gives a generally commendable performance in the first two acts. Carol Goodner gives an expert characterization as the older sister Lloyd Cough, as an author who at- tempts to temper southern mvopia with a. native northern perspective is likewise efl'ecfive in the secondary romance, with Miss Goodner. Evelyn Ellis, as the boy's mother: Helen Martin, as the colored-maid tramp, and Harold Vermilyea also lend able support. Kazan lias paced the drama deftly though there is a distinct Uncertainty in the story's development in the third act—a fault of the direction as well as the .scripting—when the sen- ator, is revealed as the plot's per- petrator. A couple of other situa- tions could be less theatrical, notably the development of the then plot Howard' Bay has evolved what 'to the mind's eye would appear to be a southern mansion's living room. A coiiple. of seasons ago the au- thors had considerable to say— aiid they stated it well—in re-convertiug a Nazi youth in "Tomorrow the World." If they fail to achieve a solution as did their predecessor place Hie blame mainly on the fact thai the roots of Negro prejudice aire more deeply imbedded. ' . - Kali 11. 1 ii Vou T«»H4'li«*«l >|«»! Cull,1 I- M.I'll.ill,- |H|i,|il,,lli,ji, i„ „ S(i t lull Willi I., ,' SlnU'ii'l l . in' i-iilli,. m-ls (six si-i-iii'Sl (iy •|Viin,. s s,-i, Willi: iin.l Dutmll) Willill,:,,,,. SIIHK,-.-!',-.! |,y slll.ft. Sl.ny In 11. .(I. .I.:,M,-„||,'|.. |,-,Vlliil-s lii. i.Mili.l ;il»(.|in. Muiimnn,,.,,, CHIT.-»'r Wlllllisl. :.SI:, f ..V.| l») .Ml-Clillili-I Hi.riiim li» .Vl.,ll,-y. (lii.-iivii 111 llinil'li: N. v.. Si-ji|- •I.-,: *(.^(i 1, hi ilfil Hi," ulslii 1. Miiitw.r. ii,«i,ii-> .M.ii.iiiiin,. si,-,., in Kniiiiii- it I,-.- ...(•.■uiiviiM... wai.1,,1 I'll, if li- .'.,,......\,iinfi.nmv:ii-,l IllHlliiiu: .....Al .niu..,|.-i, (Uilt (',u'li.,|lns lluiUI,., ...|,:,li„,ii„l tivu'mi ■rin- Iti.'V.. HiiDiliUinl: Mel Si'll |,'ilvi!;..,:il,| A i'i,li,.,.|ii:in. . ... . ....... I.',,,., „ ll:i(iiiiiii(i.] . -.Mi -. )'; .■■<!..(H Willui I K11 f.y 111 ll*. v.Ali- Uo.s. ...Rtimrl I' rin.' Alex: .. .1.11111:1 . ,H..|li-l 1 MllKilllii N . .Pllill CiimVI I'. ■An .ll, II III Tennessee Williams hasn't dupli- cated his "Glass Menagerie" success with the comedy. "You Touched Me!" which he and Donald Windham fash- ioned out of a'D. H. Lawrence short story of that name. The play is too lightweight for Broadway. Neither Williams' prominence nor Edmund Gwenn's acting ability is likely to keep it on long. There are some humorous mo- ments and tender scents, and occa- sional flashes of poetry and .social significance. But none of this is sus- tained in a tenuous play where com- edy isn't consistent, where plot is brief and action almost nil. and .where the poetic writing is generally confused. Speeches about a brave new world a-coming are frequently long and misplaced. The play is slow getting under way. actually not earn- ing to life until the end of the first scene, when Cweiin appears, and •thereafter never moves fast. The story is set in an English rural household- dominated by an acidu- lous spinster. Her retired sea-cap- tain brother is taking to drink: his timorous daughter becoming neurotic under the aunt's arbitrary sway. The captain's foster-son. a foundling, re- turns alter a five-year disappearance to an open-hearted welcome by the captain and more open hostility from the aunt. The aunt, however, is powerless to eject the lad. or prevent a love-alfair between girl and boy, which leads eventually to the eman- cipation of captain, daughter and foundling. The story at times has charm, as in one or two scenes between the young lovers, bill mainly in those moments when Gweuil holds the stage. His fat part is played to the hilt—and sometimes beyond it. The scene wherein Gwelin describes how a lady porpoise propositioned him pne-e when he was shipwrecked i* s:-perb fim... t|VbU in 'desiiPfOmjf If' fox s-itrtd on his henyard is'aTso.very good, though a little overdone. Gwenn's bibulous role can, however, become a little wearing at times, possibly because stage drunk scenes, as such, have lost their novelty. Catherine Willard apes the self- righteous spinster admirably, though bringing the role closely to farce. Montgomery Clift is good as the boy, while Marianne Stewart is a little stylized, especially in the early scenes, as the girl. Neil Fitzgerald makes a satisfactory rector. Guthrie McClintic who presents the play with Lee Shubert. has also staged it not too animatedly. Mot- ley's set of combination living room and captain's study is striking and one of the play's assets. ;Brd?i. 4'jtrib Song (Jcorut- fiiaiitoh iiioiim-iiiin „r musical lilijy hy Willhini AiclliUalil.:. Sims Kiill.- i-rliie tddiluiiii; Cciiliiri's Avufi' Lima. W'il- lliini Vm'iuYliii'. ii:iiii„i 'jhicfcmiii. Miisle liy Hlililwln HeiKlMsiilil hlies. Aivhll,:iUI. Sluued liy Miss flifMmin ':iml M:il-v llnulcr. . Miss Hiinli-I- nisi, iliiv, ili, x ji«ik;' b«nJ .t* Mii iziiii'i : eusiiiiiu-s. m,,i |,.\ :. eh, iiumiihy. Miss riintlmiii. Musii.nl in, umi.. CMniioiin liiiyciiimi'l: niThpsIrations.-• tcrt ltiij;il. x. v.; wi-iu- sr. '4.-.: nlKlii Kpi-llfll 111 A.lellil Sl.su l,,|, ($ii niii-n Tin- Sii.«er..,,... Till- Ki icnils. . ... ,. .11:, •11.. Kiil.ili.-I llUP.v ■ im-l M-iry l.i-ivls M11I1I11 SiiiifMril I .••*!» Mi-'ri-'-iieH llilfwri Willlnili |.-mnl.lin . . . .Avun I. ■'■IT ..K-illi.-iim- l>illili:ii'l ...... KIsi.- nen.iuuiiu .......1!, 11.11 I'liHH-i- ... .I.M IlllSII DjHlllUta Ti.niiiiy Ilunie* ...,, .Viuinyi- Atlci ; "i. '.'. l.llr'lfle. K'li* VilliiRf. Ki ieiuls: r,n, illi- Kilis. ItM'l 1 l'.,.-ler. I.lilivi e ' hiBTiihi, Itieliiii.le"^ .tm-ksiili'. .Kiirilm-.KliK Obi T;,-:,k. M-n-/ l.i-wls. rilditii Militi-ll l-illliiliW ft'l-V. I'rfciclllll Sleieils. Kniil WlHialll.1, .l:n,.efl Ai.i-MiiiilHi-. VaUW CI.iv. Kin 111:1.1 .(Niki-r. Hv lint -t'itllei-, .lii'lin TlimtS. .less.' Ilawkitm. .lull.. Menilrz. 1,(-nwiil.il Munis. Kiiuem- 1.1-9 ItiiMnwui, William r*. Hinltli, C(i»'W ■I'lio ,Fnl Wi.ii 'I'lie T.i 11 \V(i The Hiiabmrt Ttie l-'lslii-iiii:. The Vi'i'iiium. The f.'lsinrimi Th|.,AliiilniM > Tin.' mutual Sin,Ice |»„||(.,., si.iiiim, j),„„.« Tin "Carib Song." William Archibald's musical play set in the West-Indies, has atmosphere, a quaint charm and (Continued on page (52)