Variety (Dec 1945)

52 I.M-ITIMATi: PftniETY W«><ln<\s<Iay, Deceiiibcr 5, 1915 Plays Out of Town II :•■••!«'I Boston. Nov. 28. Miflish'f TimI.1 niuiittriWni: of. Sh-V i'-p <i-'s dt mii i in 1\mi nils (l."> s.-'-.M hi. Sr i ' M.ini.-i' Itlvuns. Sta'-t'td li> lll'ul^i' S III lii'. «HIIns*. l''i .'d<'l'U'; Sluvt'l : aa_:.'u..d >. Ict'iH' SliarnlT; -inn-:,-, lirnji'r. AM .ai-,. A' i»i»mm House. Huston. Nuv. i;*, 'lii-j '$,1(1(1 Inn. H-in-iid., \\ il!'-iut \. ft' ■' Y\ i tii-iae ,. luhu Hi'. 1 Dili Mai'-Plllls . , . . Ali'Valld'-i l.miciv.".,) II.mhIo IVnlny ('«.-, <tn.»sa »>l IImiiiU-i'm :r - .'ll.l r. . .Vii-inr Tliurl.'y WosiliS-ltr 4-<»iiil«'iii:iii . .. Boston, Nov. 27. Ml .-lia. J 'I'i'ilil li'^i.lui l .on uf i-onioilv in IMH1 .• i. M -ii Suits ladiliy ci-irl,. wiiiKwl .1,1.1.1 li__,iiiiaj,v. siilinji, Hovviird. I in.. IIV In ll„. inn. Sin Mils',' MtWl c liaiii-.ln'i ,Vla «"j:«rVt.-t .... < 'I inditl* II.:!.1-1 <t ■IIMHl' 1 .'. 1' .'.mius 1., Ml" Onli,11:. )!-}loiWu ... ... Ii.. 'itcrniiu (;.iilii,Mt.4t''V.i IMtjrr Kttus VI l\ (Jlll-CU . . . I'l.v.M VillMl )•!,>•i l'nilii;',u<- I'*.»rl inl.ras K'Hwe^hni Captain. Of .'I'.ltUH.lH I ....ila-ut Ir'i- I'Kans . , . .. .■". ,1,111- I' nv.s . .•rflKHfiH I'll l"l r. ... . I'inViii 11 IIiu m.v ; Kimmc -a f:. :,i ... I'Ytiny. 15c«irll?* ii !Ihiv:iV,I Muni. IfUOlll IMI'IUJIM S'i>lnon Ivd'ili ... . lilum-lt? l-'itlllus Alan Dii'.i.i ii Al.a'n M-- " - I .">.n Sir vv -..NVtVliu l..'ia'i .. MnKoli l»n l>i>"-i (I.. I .mill*. . Sidd'em uml Altftdui) ' : Nm M"K»rl-n»l.' Jhn» Vl'ii.i. ..i -'i-i * - HoutMt n.Mjfi.: .lulin Ki;;anl. Alan |i„>*™, ('liluli* Ci.fi. J till" rl lii rm -. 1MI I,»vilt. l!"l..-.i I•;■>- •>-n<•. I'runli ll.iuil' >.. H.f VViilsivli, William W'.'li'r. Is-uuist.' (t.iotnln'ni.. Muii-i- in .li.iM.ialn. .Vlatluiuiilsolli' Vnli'i Stni:-.'i * . . . . : \l;i,ln!ll,' ,li,lli,|:i|n. . l-Vn.-in.: MusI'M-. . . . IVil'.„..,;iti, i- l-.u'i.r lij.ranl" I ...-ill,. .Iimi-iliiifi.,. cvi.-n- ;.. rie-nlt-' T.allui tl-o i-i,,ii.l iTniloi'' tnlisti" t».V Lull-*' :is .-' M.iruss.- At AVilliiu-; i; sti.'Jit i-.p. , llullV Si-iVin ........ .:. .Al.x l'1'Hlii'r ....... l-"i at Wal-iKM .. ...... . .Ann 'I'h.inias Itaiiil I'jlHu't ...... AllnM-t 1 loiltfot'son . H(ii)t4v I'lai-k Ktilll K.ijtlH'1- I tViustaiuV llt'ti^liain ,! Mary l-'v inria tto.lwln 1 Is I'll-ria. .lttM-Uia R^lnini*^ liirl MiivVi>ijfii Ki'SV-i-li- t'ciH-ini 1'tlili'i tlulli nrul' ...... I'lhlllVillV Whil lu\v I.enivavil Kill.ill Ii.'m llnilll ti.t On< rtl A lMiri-nl i. MaiMiiis | *,.! illll'll." r.'-sl.>r Town* . ..Itint- Knit^Ii4 Maurice Evnns 'scorns' sot tot- a solid run with his GI wi-si.iit of "Hamlet." .It's n sralp-tinsliiv« edi- tion ol this mitstL-iwoik. broutiht up to the Byronie era and geared for plot, action and methodical niJdn. ss ^ ^ Mre and L .)assical larce have not to mention blood, thundci and ^ ( , vt , nvhelmecl by a co lossal Hard to see how anything can throw this bizarre item oil' the beam. It looks like a burlesque wham, not only for Bobby Clark connoisseurs but fur the street trade. In its hew translafion—and nobody around here will deny that Clark himself might be responsible for the shambles—it's supposed to hew pretty lose lo the original, but Molieres a smidgeon of mayhem. Should draw plenty of customers who misht sidestep a conventional mounting. Main thing stressed is action, an emphasis due to Evans' experience with this piece before GI audiences in the Pacific. However, cuts. te% scopings and elisions are very shrewdly made and ifs not too easy to spot them unless one has a rather sounder background in the bard than most people have. Most ob- sppoftng. Result is outrageously low comedy. But. ?s M. Jourdain (Clark ) puts it. '.'never did low thoughts soar sothifih." Burlesque follows the plot line of this 17Uv century comic tomfoolery. M; Jourdain. a wealthy Parisian man- ufacturer of KOti-kilow-what. engages a menage of dancing masters, music teachers, philosoohers and so on to uive him the social accomplishments of the nobility, one of whose raein- vious is the omission of the poor | bers he supports in an.effort to make Yorick's skull department. Hamlet | » conquest of a marquise of the thus never learns of the drowning nobleman's acquaintance, of Ophelia but it works out okay, I , He is, ol course, given the works and the plot line never falters. I by everybody, including his wife and Chief noveltv. besides this si rong r narrative drive, is the mise-en-scene, Action of the play jump:; from the 15th to a vague time early in the 19th century, and the costumes Itibrne of Irene Sharaft's finest) seem mainly centered aiy>und the 1830 s. However, modern luggage appears. th» king is positively Edwardian. Ophelia wears long-flowing, lightly bodiced affairs resembling something out of the Ballet Theatre, and. there are plenty of inconsistencies, obvi- ously deliberate and in general ex- tremely effective in suggesting char- acterization along stylized lines. daughter, but he manages to exhaust in the process as formidable a reser- voir of gags. Jibes, burlesque rou- tines and comic inventions a come- di:.n ever, had a chance to display in one session. And he's on the stage a t-ood 80"; of the time. It's* the other 20% that furnishes cause for some concern. For here the mediocrity of the.cast supporting the comedian (rather than the nor-, mal slowing of the tempo which is to be expected) is evident. This de- ficiency was the only basic one in evidence at the opener, for the others arc obviously merely a matter of skill in routining and tightening! Only embarrassment is in the I Clark himself, as Is well known, al- swordplay. Otherwise, the period ch'jice seems a stroke of genius as the burgeoning of the romantic spiiH of the times gives added im- pact to the language and to Evans' conception of Hamlet as a man of action and of great emotional in* tensity, one who. assumes madness as a stratagem to trap his step-father, but is so intellectually sensitive he is harrassed by the thought lhaUhc really may be mad. It's an inter- esting and powerful conception, pos- sibly too high-strung at times, but almost certain to go over. As in Todd's simultaneous produc- tion down the street, "The Would- Be Gentleman." another embarrass- ment is a certain weakness in some key minor spots but unlike the sup- port in the Moliere farce, it seems more than likely all of the cast of "Hamlet" will plav in.during tryout on the road. Thomas Chalmers stands out as Polonius. making a booby but a lovable one of the char- acter: Thomas Gomez is an impres- sive king, handling the Shakes- pearean diction nicely and project- ing the increasing insecurity of the character powerfully. I_.ili' Darvas. hampered from time to time by her Continental accent, settles down as the play progresses and finishes strongly, and Frances Reid makes- one of the better Ophelias ways needs a fortnight or so to iron out his stuff, and there's no doubt he will. There is some doubt that some of the others can. Not a small factor in the total effect of this comedy solo is the fantastically luxurious Mike Todd production, which includes a silver-plated 17th century set by Howard Bay and an array of Irene'Sharaff's maddest in- ventions. John Kennedy's staging, though, of course, in the works, makes smart use of a periwigged quintet of musicians • who do an ar- rangement of the original incidental music Lully composed for the court performance of 1670. The stage music provides the back- ground for a vocal trio and a dance specialty by Harrison and Fisher; which, though amusing as a comedy adagio.,is hurt by what are appar- ently supposed to be funny grimaces. Both the trio and the dance routine are joined on the reprise by Clark Tor a straight comedy specialty, and cl'ck solidly. In the supporting cast. Bertha Bel- ir.ore as M. Jourdain's sharp-tongtied wife. June Knight the marquise. Rolfe Sedan the music master, Alex Fisher the dancing master and Fred- eric Pcrrson the philosopher, strike the proper note. Others in the cast cannot be especially complimented at this point. Some replacements are necessary and others need plenty of The rest of the cast., consisting to work to carry their small but none- some extent of ex-GIs who worked I theless important burdens The fact with Evans in Pearl Harbor, is un- is no character can be considered even, but the voices are on the unimportant in this sort of thi'n»-not- withstanding' its knockabout charac- whole excellent. There's one bit. by Morton da Costa that draws atten- tion in the last act. and another by Nelson Leigh as the Player Kin'-i that is outstanding The staging is at tfmes remarkable, especially the scenes involving the ghost, -Whi'o the final scene, in which Evans and Em- meft Rogers kill each other, is car- ried off with a masculine qualify nol often observed. Equally notable . is the big scene between Hamlet .and Ophelia, which in Evans' conception becomes a scene of great tenderness, not an opportunity to bat "her one in the ear. Cast and star got a nice .somtoff here, and should be getting good hands for_sbine time to come _____ fi'ic. let, because a bad spot only gives the audience time to wonder'what it was really laughing at in the good ones. It's a burlesque pure and simple— though actually, neither pure nor sim- ple—and rs such should catch on to the gravy; train. In any case, Bobby Clark s personal virtuosity is Cpi'tain to wow. Ej; e •\>lli«. Bly Philadelphia. Dec. 1. \al Kai-sim mi4 EMI? Cantor Drodurlim, niusii-.a] wnivHy in nl'ta (III scenes .-'.a s VUltmrii Olixlun and Vic-tm- Jl.ir.r. SAMUEL FRENCH SiSVK Will - "P\ay Brokers and Authors' |<cprcsenlaliv<>s SS M>*t «■"•»•» Slrprl. Ken r»rk *ll IVral Tlh Slwl. I.<|« Antfln. i.-aiM.Vs Aliii'llyn Jilnxwrtl ami K-n.-u V i-niifn. Sliijfcd hy Nm Karscnl. Book- liv lll-czlm lyi-JiM |»v Jollmiy rinrUo; mu- l»y J.-incn Van llpusen; inuslc-al «uiipi-- Inli. lo." ph T.illc.v; cllArcoitrn* liv, I'M iii .1 aiiin: (llatiij; dtret-leil by utatii- Mm- 'ili'hfktrii unrlcr dlta-alon i,t nniO"-. At i'-nrrcsl. lMilWdoliilila. I-.; *(•.-(! (,|icninK nlghC, I lil-iil,- I >.•(-. I It will take a great deal more than routine doctoring to put "Nellie Bly" in. the upper brackets: a major surgical is. in fact, indicated. How- ever, this big, sprawling, new musi- cal offered by Nat Karson and Eddie Cantor lias plenty of. assets. It might even llnd "greater favor in Hollywood than, on Broadway if a loo-premature opening in New York riucsn.'l ruin , its film chances.. ''Bly'' is another period or cos- ! tiime musicitl. Making all due al- lowances for overboard first-night length (curtain didn't tali until after .121, and mechanical mishaps in the I staging. "Bly" is singularly labored land routine. , In the Hrst place, the book, alter a good start, boys down even more 'mi.-orubly tlian. most mu- sical books at the s.art. of their careers. The idea of building a mu- sical around . the round-the-world jaunt of Nellie Bly. of the old New York World, to .tjeat the fictional record of 80- days set by philcas Fogg in- Jules Verne's romantic novel, is a good one. The further idea of haying James Gordon Ben- nett, owner ol! the rival sheet, the Herald, decide to give the attractive Nellie competition may ssem equally good. Even the business of httvin;; slick, go-getting Frank Jordan of the Herald choose an ex-ferryboat deck- hand (named Phineas Fogarty, by the way l to beat Nellie's time might si*cm auspicious, since Victor Moore plays Phineas, a tmid fuddy-duddy who is mixed up in Tammany Hall polities and hasn't the slightest de- sire to go on the trip because he always gets violently seasick. - However, the resultant complica- tions certainly don't jell. Even Moore, a tremendous favorite here as elsewhere, is only intermittently amusing as Fo.arty. He has a sea- sick scene that isn't exactly comical, and some of the lines given him. in- cluding a couple dealing with re- ligious faiths, seem in bad taste. . Much was expected of the Van Heuscli-Biirke score bill it, too, doesn't live up to expectations. "There's Nothing Like Travel" (show's opener I is about the best, with a couple of .Be-nay Venuta's comedy songs, and one or two by Moore, also good but not remarkable vocally. The lyrics, like the lines of the book, are run-of-the-mill. Marilyn Maxwell, of films, is a strikingly beautiful Nellie Bly, but lacking vocally to an extent that middle-of-the-house patrons can't, hear her. Miss Venuta is noisy and active, and generally effective, in a tough second femme lead. William Gaxton is serviceable, too. as the slicker from the Herald—a typical Gaxl/Hi role. Dualing with Miss Maxwell in the romance, he Is not so notable. There is plenty., qf dancing, with everything from-^s'o'lo specialties to ballet. Best of the' specialty contri- butions are those of the Debonairs, precision panlomimists, Lubov Rou- denko and Jack Whitney are out- standing in the ballet interpolations. As might be expected from the plot, the action of "Bly" wanders mightily. Its scenic investiture is certainly a noteworthy feature. Only studios responsible for painting and costumes are listed. There are plenty of good stage effects—or. rather, there will be if and when they gel the show oiled up and really moving. A marionet novelty to advance the action of the last lap of the round-the-world jaunt should be effective when perfected. '. As in some of the other period nvusicals, several actual historical characters are introduced, including Bennett, Teddy Roosevelt, the Tsar. Queen Victoria and Pulitzer. Philly's first night was, of course, terrific, coming after Army-Navy game locally, and following two-day postponement. Sinatra. Crosby. Raft. Colbert, among many other notables, were in the audience. Waters. A Milt for i\u- IBriuV Cincinnati, Dec. 3. .lutes .1. I.ev.'nlliat iimilurtinn (In HSHbt'ia- tinn willi ill** Sliulifi-lMi nf eonu-Oy. Willi, lililsir. I.y And! ">v Soil, and S. I:.-keti i.; adapK-d and Hl^yt-il Ijj Ifdwluiitl I.pish. Sun's l.iilstf It.-itn^r. . Sellliias*. Walsnn Hanall: mils-!'-. .I^iin Silla il ■/.: lyrh-s. Holland l.tdyli. ■ Al (.-'i.x. I iiu-innati, it\*Gn\nx life. :t. '1.'. Ili'ad yv'aiu-i IjpmVil* Allien 1-VrllMil II', I'mih.'I.'I . . A.Ie-Vlu'idfi- I'liii.-al.'i. , I'Jdni.nid I "m-n.'tvl... Adi-i.'iin,' I'tisjiicret". . Maid......' Jcin .lasi'jih Alli-e Ull.-n<-ii.'- .lulas \'ilh'n"iu- I'ien'M Viilt- iii»uvi» ..., »lad"l->l..<' Muiilet... IMrilllli Minilol It ilil'lidla Casl-'l, .... CilUlll l/'0a I'.wli'l. . Baron Clil-si-n. Yv'iitiin* (l t . in M.nic. •Madam- ,l„ ,1s Mult',. MaVii'd I.-■>!> Lurry Hu'lim....'. DoY'.lor Atiiliv. Mad:,liif All-he. .... I.llt I'nai'jil Tiny .I'.hnHon ........ liff Ti'llellilt Mil-Waft HfcU- Lutv* 1 Kalnt'r ... Wflls Ki.-hnrdwni .... .Sl-i)if hull l-ii-Ot ....... Kay (iii llnia .... I''ay Sam.inn-ton .....Hail Mfllohnld . I''"ia-fs-i Tayl.n . Jr. ......... Cut Ii Amos Mari.ni Itu'eii ... ■ Cant isayp ..... Ilav..df Hurs**.sM ,C>'i us siaohlr .... ..lean l'1-vrland ... Bern Bci'l ram Ul-oi'ffi? .lanon .., ..Adrii-ruif, Knvan i ".Claiiv Kvr.ns . .:l>Rgy I'aNf'nhani ........ ,,|ny Ui»iei ; « I.foiiatd rtacti ......... I.ona Fristfr . .CtiH-fii ilitniplireys Academy Award winner for "Great Ziftgfeld" and "Good Earth" screenings, and star of "Kiss for Cinderella" on Broadway. Luise Rainer likely will be due a wound stripe, at b*t. for her valiant effort in "Gilt for the Bride." which re- turns her to the stage after three years. Vehicle is offbeat for her talents. Support is fairish, and mounting and wardrobe are under par. . Show had one day in Youngstown before opening in Cincy. and prac- tically all hands suffered for un- familiarity with fines. Piece is com- edy with music written several years since for the Hungarian thea- tre. Locale is Paris and time is the present. Miss Rainer lias part of ex-gov- erness wed to pharmacist much her senior, and entire action covers night of (heir marriage. Wrong delivery of diamond ring and . amorous note, with other gifts, to their hotel suite stir jealousy of hubby (Wells Rich- ardson l.aiid exit of Miss Rainer in bridal dress to find sender. : Search leads to bedroom of jeweler who sold diamond to a masquerade party. There's a inixup of identities and wrangles between several couples. Three standout scenes are in bed- room of jeweler and his wife (Stappltoii Kent and Kay Du Boisl, fli'St-loVe embrace between Miss Rainer and Paul Kaj'e, and the linale Rainer-Kaye clutch. . Singing interludes are incidental and in talk style for most part. : Jean Cleveland and Roy Johnson do well iir minor parts. •" Kod. A Xiglit in Havana • Los Anye'es, Nov. 30. Poit Ainericiui; Converts presents tliree-i>urt milsical rcniie. Stars Lecnoiiu Citdafi Boys Orcheslru; jea- tni'ex Awiattu AiittUttr with Blam-u Batista. Carids and Isabella. Opened at Wiltshire Eoel', Los 'Angeles, Nor. 2ti, '4, r >; $2.40 top. From the moment that the curtain goes up until the lasi perforhtt'l' litis taken a bow. "A Nijjht in .Havana" is one of the .slickest, fastest-paced and most entertaining revues to grace the boards here in many mouths. Dispensing with an emcee entirely. "Havana" proves that the aforementioned gentleman is about as necessary as the itch when it comes to keeping a show moving. ; Lecuona Cuban Boys orchcitrn, led from the piano by Armando Ori- tiche, is a cdmbination of Enrie Ma- driguera. Fred Waring and Spike Jones musicrews. ranging from tip- top Latin tuning, through well- staged production numbers right down to low. conuidy_._jr_iae4iwill.V every man iii the group triples or quadruples instrumelitally, and all vocalize, dance and cavort in re- quired manners. Oritiche's planning is kept subdued but it's showmaniy, and he keeps the entire production moving under his hands. In the vocal department; one of the standout members of the band is Alvarado, who sings ballads or tricky sambas and congas with equal facility, and he gets plenty of femme appeal from the audience. Not only is ho good looking but he sings with little effort.- Amalia Aguihir . is . the featured femme dancer of. the show, combin- . i n ) g the wildness of Diosa Coslello with the sock appeal of Carmen Mi- randa.. She swings on her own with eye appeal and more shakes than a California earthquake and a mini- mum of costuming to keep the male following on edge. iter, turns serve as the wiudup rounds in the three frames. Blanca Bat ista. a-blue-eyed blonde, looks out ol place with th'> briinets. but she sings a fair sprig; Carlos and Isabella are folk'dancers, with Car- les carrying; the freight and Isabella going along for the ride. The boy does all the work. Hnts. Of All 1»4M»|»I<» Detroit, Dec. 2. Monle I'los.-i- and Wali.'i- l!..l. li.'l.n- |irn- (iHi'llmi of coini'd) in iliii'i* nt'ts (.'i sifn.'s) liy Itulpti Sla'lii"*. l'-.Mllii-'s Hat Wli"'li'i- and VVllIler Oallidl, Sriliu;;. Sl-wnl iMiii'nQy. At S*rtiln-ri l,-it''i\,n t". D*'Cadt oiipnlnif-li»» .riisppii Oliver I) ilav- Hlolta Mr. SuKlM-illHli. Mllflns .... Miss Tfti'ftu, . . . I'tdKar ftrlnKi J l'. Mill" M.'lllllrp.. Julius Si-iinsi Ian Xliss l'anull Stifiai'ii.aii (Hrlii Aie.v :...'...;;., SentlilM' M;n .stl Danny flftierul llalliawaj. 4 .. Mr. C'liiavin I-'KI Mvn Ppmni'i'lilti' llnslfind.. ])eiiHUM-utif' \Viff KeflUhHCftU Husiiand . . R>pulilU'Hri Wife Brigcs lluKlnalil Mason ll-iiulil (Iran (lloriti Slui-y Kllltlv l.awr^nr.' Ii.lia lltirulon Tom Kvvoll I.., u I'-.it-lt|,-'r Milt 11.1 Min-lH-ll . . . Urtl "i> Ml'l'arl.m,' W .li"i Cnilfll IVi i Wli. i'l.'r .... Ii'l'.tlliai.a ('tail li's I I'atti Mnr^liu Klpl llnuov.'i' ... ' U"t"n S'-a llloli - Kllllb .1,<WBl| I'jrtltll*.' HoZ- ,, .t-..la iii.'s l\';ilk^r .-; 'I'.iyloi- HfiluiPs ... Ailiiur h. 'aii.'o lollll l.i'Mli:' ..I aid FHHfV . ( Ki.ink Mal-i irinrti's Bakrr I'li.ail.'s Hun.I t.iu.» iti'iitr.n .. . . .MMlirttKni' hlltli '.Marian Wflelif . . . Ri'tiin ('.iiinauKlit No decent self-respecting ghost would be caught - in a theatre haunted by "Of Alt People" in its present form. Show has some bright bits, a good second act. a tail- ending, and "a first act that gallops fast in all directions. The story revolves around two ghosts—Walter Catlett. of Caesar's time, and Bert Wheeler, a mere 400 years dead. They live in a mansion in Washington whose owner has re- fused to permit the Dumbarton Oaks conference to take place there be- cause she is afraid the diplomats might not understand Julius and Sebastian. When the play opens, the home is being turned into a rooming house, for reasons unex- plained, and this brings in an as- sortment of characters, ranging 1 from a show troupe to reconversion cx- neditors and a Congressman from Texas. First act turns into a Washington--. set version of "Room Service" with a burlesqued finish. The play then settles down to some political cracks lair but spotty situations, and for- gets the "Room Service" pandemo- nium to get involved in a broadcast by Catlett which- threatens ti, turn the whole natiqn into the Demo- cratic party, since only Democrats can see this ninth wonder of t| le broadcasting world. The effects,of the broadcast are shown via a news- reel which has some line iriovio work done by Wheeler singing 1 j)j\ e Sinatra. Plot is solved by the Con- gressman getting FCC to. ban n le ghost broadcasts because he believes In.' the two-party system. President Truman congratulates his political acumen and he is invited to a White House luncheon, which ties in with an early prediction of.Julius that lie will be president some day. and there the piece ends. Trouble with the comedy is that it is neither consistently burlesque subtle, dramatic, humorous, or logi- cal. Its remarks anent the Washing- ton scene have no point in terms of the whole play. Still, with a. good scalpel something might be made of i(. For instance,, a whole section, wherein Julius and Sebastian re- member their former days, had bet- ter never be uttered. If the author would tie in a little topical satire, give the ghosts a reason and pur- pose lor being and keep the whole production at a taster, racier pace, it .might catch on.~ But if all that were done, we'd be reviewing a dif- ferent show. Gatlett and Wheeler do very well with the material given them. Tay- lor Holmes as Senator Marsh is an- other bright spot in the evening's wtitching. Tom Ewell as Elk'uts. the Congressman, also deserves lop men- tion. Murr. A »l« t v Fori'vi'r Buffalo. Nov. 28. - .l-tf.'viiis i-ljivli) rind Aivliie* dlli'lif'll ol' cnmaly dn Ith't'P in M.'i 'dnu'or. Slurs (Illy Kil Di.mthy Sand*, .Nirludas .li.y. and llrnnii' ,Mooia>. Ilirta't 'plltllUrm; in'otturlIon UoHiK t\v I'li.ant'y; uuiun-rlaed liy Ait-liii KrtauK**i ; . Itull'tilo. N\i\. yS. Tina JKrllli tt..nj...iiiiu \ iliuk tun ViitiiiK Han (lid Dan ('iiil.si'ui.'e ^ti.'rnuui Ilanl.-n.i K;imi's Artllld' Itarrlniruin niluial Atl.iui IviilH'S M.idid.... .' I'll: llll Tin m is I... V in .'in y .Man. Ax-Islam IVIIv Ml-x .Dayf.U'ttl. . I...i i.'H Sod. Ii I liy .it*'«iiinlil ,1 hj Slt>»'irt 'I'lll.lnaou. At I.-.: ton.. I> tin Sauil.s rlr.il.-a l.al'l'iu . . ,*(lu> l\il.l.c« W'illl iin .Niiiiu : .M.-l ti Arnold mini* Kioai'r .I.... i.-a Smith . .Nl.-ln..!:.* .I(.y . . Itiillllt Maiii'l' . I i.'tin!■■ M.n.i ,• .III. • I:..:./.. jr. .,1'V'd Ktiiuld . . .I.ii. i-.n S»'tf .. ,i:.,.t.s t-;..|.,,n New production firm of Davis & Thomson has dredged up this mi lit- n'icniiored, uncertain character com- edy starring Guy Kibbec into which ii has quite visibly injected a liberal "transfusion of heavy coin. Dtivis will be remembered as the sponsor of the ill-starred "Rhap- sody" on Broadway just one sea- sons ago. and Thomson was an asso- ciate for many years of the late Harry Kaufman. This is the first produced play of author Vincent Mc- Connor. a CBS (.N.Y.i stuff writer, a former script dealing with the Roosevelt family having been shelved alter casting, following the death of the late President's mother. In its initial showing. "Joy" revealed it- sell as possessed of a number of well- written episodes but lacking neces- sary cohesion and sweep, and failing to jell on the whole. The story deals with an aging ar- tist, long thought dead by the pub- lic, wlio is rediscovered in the play living as an eccentric recluse in an up-river studio barn, presided over hy an elderly, saccharine ex-model housekeeper. The slight activity stirred up by the plot deals with the happenings to the household (which also, but for no discernible reason, includes a hero-worshipping, teen- age girl disciple of the master) when art critics discover his whereabout* and appraise his lifetime hoarded canvases at $1,000,000. with a result- ant scramble by various persons to acauire some or all ot the same. The artist solves the problem by the simple expedient of giving away his 'paintings indiscriminately on a first- come, first-served basis and return- ing to' penury and ostensible happi- ness. .Excellent character projection- by Kibbec, who is on the stage through most of the three acts, and an honest, straightforward directoral job by Reginald Denham serve to carry the story over most of the thin spots, An outstanding cast proves an in- valuable asset to the play's accept- ability. Dorothy Sands is the house- keeper, whose old-ladylike sweetness rather belies her earl v stage career as described in the script. Nicholas Joy is convincing as the art-critic friend, Loring Smith turns in one of his usual incisive tycoon delineations of a wealthy and impatient depart- ment store art patron, and Dermic Moore, as his wife, continues to be strikingly pictorial. • ', The- Stewart Chancy production, which includes settings and cos- tumes, is notably colorful in concep- tion and/execution. The whole trou- ble is that the story never quite comes off as repeatedly threatened. However, a general tightening and some stiff revisions should shape it into acceptable entertainment • and mild success for a not.-too-discrim- Inaling road clientele. For Broadway it. appears highly questionable, .Tot .pictures, as is. and mostly because of itslack Of action, the verdict is no. Burton.