Variety (Feb 1947)

WRCtTIMATB Wednesday, February 5, I947 Hays on Broadway All My Sons Harold Ciurman, Kltft Kazan ami "Waller I*'rliMl production, In association with Her- bert M. Harris, of drama In three arts (out 1 srem-i by Arthur Miller. Features Beth Merrill. Arthur Kennedy. Kd Begley, Lois Wheeler mid Karl MaUlen. Staged hy Ka- zan; setting by Mordoeai Gorelik. Opened at Coronet, N. Y.; Jan. 21), '47: $1.S(I tun. F„l HCffiey ........John Art-Govern ......... .Dudley Sadler .... Pefcuy Meredith ......... Hone Cameron ........ Arthur Kennedy ........ Eugene Steiner Beth Merrill Lots Wheeler ...........Karl Maiden Joe Keller. Br. Jim Bayllss.. Plant; imhey.. Sue Ba.v'.isa. Lydia Lubey...., Chris Keller...... Bert .' Kate Keller .. Ann Deever George. Deever... It Takes Two George) Abbott and Jtiehard Aldrioh pro. duclion of llnye-not (one .scene) larce com- edy by Virginia Faulkner and Dana Stiesse. Stars .Martha Scott.; features Hugh Mar- lowe. Anthony Ross and Vivian Vance, .staged by Abbott; .setting !»- John Hoot. Opened Biltmore, N, Y,, Feb. 3. '47: $4,20 top Connie Fraxier,... Mr. Fine Atrs. I.oosbrock.,., Bee Clark......... Klevator Boy Todd Frazier...... Monk Kathhurn... Comfort Cilisou... Bill Renault This is an acid postwar drama, most vibrant anent the home front, but so bitter in aspect that the draw is likely to be limited. Here again is an instance of his- trionics and direction seemingly bet- ter than the play. There's not a weak performance in the cast. Some Characters are not clearly written but they're so well performed that the onlooker may even admire a couple of the play's, people who are sup- posed to "•; slimy. "All My Sons" is bound to evoke a difference of opinion and it's indicated the nega- tives Will be in the majority. There have been many grim as- pects of the second World War, the mistakes, chicanery and treachery on the home front revealed in the dailies, and there probably will be more lurid revelations as time goes on. New play has to do with one deed of knavery that involved two families, the heads of which had been next-door neighbors, also business partners. The author did a generally good job but a surer bell-ringer about the war is still to be expected. First act is talky, but the second delivers a' dramatic wallop, with the third almost as stronf!. Keller and Deever supplied casings for plane engines and were'cleaning up until the Army caught up with them for delivering cracked cylinder heads, which assertedly caused 21 crashes and the dei„th of that many young pilots. Both were indicted and Dee- ver. given a long prison term, but Joe K v. thoi:ffh equally guilty, was nV}. ?it the factory when the cracked e a;««i;s were welded, and thus eseS&'AJ incarceration. Plot- is plenty involved. Larry Keller, one,.son who was a pilot, crashed in ;£hina and although re- ported raising , in action three and one-half years ago, his mother Kate refuses to believe him dead. Chris, • the other soifc, was a captain in the Army, and is now in business with his dad. He l»d invited Ann Deever to visit thenf, the family of the im- prisoned mart .having moved to an- other city. He. intends marrying the fill although 'She wa? engaged to ,arry, because of which Kate op- poses the match. She is not con- vinced that he? other boy is not alive until reading the last. letter from him to Am telling his inten- . tiori of crashing filter learning of the scandal involvinS his father. When Chris realizes that his father is as guilj" '>i the other man, it is the dp'«<» punch of the play, but it isri t ea| ' to believe his family's affection for the old man. Joe de- cides to take what's coming to him and refers to those lads killed be- cause of the defective engine parts as all Bis sons. He takes the short way out by suicide. Beth Merrill as Kate is accorded top feature billing and deserves it, for she is giving the ton perform- ance of her career. Joe Begley is old man-Keller and plays the part so well that he gets audience sympathy although it is established early in the play that he knowingly released defective plane material and later he admits it was for money. Arthur Kennedy's Chris stamps him as a young actor of authority, especially when he berates the old man for in- directly killing Larry and was re- sponsible for the death of the others who crashed. Kennedy is in "Boom- erang," eastern-made picture direct- ed by Elia Kazan, one of the pro- ducers of "Sons." Lois Wheeler plays Ann and is an attractive, promising young actress. All the others give effective performances under crack direction, and if the drama misses it won't be chargeable to Kazan nor the actors. Ibee. ......Martha Scott Julius Blng .........Beta Shaw ......Vivian Vance . ... .Robert Kdwin Hugh Marlowe ......Anthony Boss ......Temple Tcxa« .....John Foreythe or?il el ; e are not en °ugh laughs in It Takes Two." known at tryout as Apartment 17-B," and its chances are weak at the b.o. When George Abbott directs he is adept in bring- ing forth the full comedy content, if its there; but it just isn't there 1.1 Two." Seeming as much in error is the atmosphere of bickering that per- vades each act. Audiences seeking amusement are not likely to react favaraoly when the leading charac- ters devote most of the evening to verbal battling, mostly over trivial matters. Latest farce comedy is localied in a New York apartment into which Todd and Connie Frazier have iust moved. The place is littered with barrels and boxes. They have been wed four years, and he's only re- cently out of uniform. The couple find it tough to find living quar- ters, like many others these days. So they haven't really lived to- gether, and as they start arguing immediately after he returns from the office their marital, association is set. back further. .They decide to try separation but because of the housing situation they remain in apartment 17-B, he using the guest bedroom. With the arrival of Monk Rathburn, Todd's pal at col- A- g ?\, l? cal implications develop. A tall blonde drops in looking for an apartment and Monk goes for her having the use of the hall. Connie goes off to spend the night with her c ? u «n Bee and there's a very liquid night at the Frazier menage. Connie returns in the morning to find the place well scrambled up, then de- cides on Reno when the blonde emerges from the bedroom in her S g !f- 2 hen she learn s that Todd slept it off on the living robm .divan, the battling ceases, for papa loves mama and vice versa Martha Scott, back from Holly- wood who's appeared in several Broadway shows but is better" known on the Coast, stars as Connie. It isn't as attractive a part as might be but she gets away with it fairly well. Hugh Marlowe plays Todd, the young husband, who while carrving-a hang- over takes a jealous poke at another tenant and gets- smacked down Vivian Vance's part as Bee isn't meaty but she scores when getting a chance. One of her suits gets a laugh because of the way some fur stuff is draped half way around ber midsection. Anthony Ross plays the amorous Monk rather friskily. Tem- ple Texas is the big blonde who likes to take her shoes off and guzzle gin: She was a model and showgirl here- tofore. Reta Shaw plays a stuffy anartment-renting pest and gets a i 8 " i John , Fors ythe is the socking tenant, and pretty good. fbee. a hand, Trevor finds a former sweet- heart, Patricia Gibbs, engaged to a tennis pro who is about to swing a deal involving backing for an exclu- sive club. The" ghost backer is an oil magnate who has an eye out for Patricia and who is about to join her in a biz trip. Labor troubles at the 'refinery postpone the trip and Trevor shows up just in time to con- vince the girl that the tennis champ is just using her to acquire the nec- essary bankrolling. Cartoonist's own ideals hit a com- promise snag when he is about to accept the syndicate ultimatum on changes, but he rebounds to the old frame of mind when Patricia -agrees to resume a nursing career that had been interrupted by the easier money of modeling. Curtain finds the pair headed for a new campaign to serve humanity. John Beal gives considerable cred- ibility to the role of Trevor. He han- dles very well the obstacle of a prop artificial hand. "His emdtions are Well mirrored in the various stages rang- ing from bitterness to optimistic de- termination. As Patricia, Diane Chad- wick reads her lines capably but lacks the sparkle and the physical attributes required by the role. Bert Lytell plays a syndicate sub-boss amusingly in a semi'-drunk exposi- tion of the character. Polly Rowles is play's Chief laugh-getter as a pseudo-cynical blonde with the bright answers. Kendall Clark is good as the tennis star. Major fault from scribbling angle, as of premiere, is a marked tendency toward overwriting. Various inter- minable passages find their points, lost in their own wordiness^ More" than one sequence seems better suit- ed to the lecture platform than the legitimate stage. Lengthy philosoph- ical mohologs cause audience unrest that makes it difficult for the good portions to put their full significance across. Intermittent flashes, however, are provocative and writing in gen- eral reflects considerable preparation in its development. Staging is erratic in the sense that much deadworid has the play limping where it should be trotting. As in other similar cases, this may be due to the author-director's being so close to the forest he doesn't see the trees. Physically, production is attractive, representing adjoining apartments in an urban court. Bone. Hays Abroad The Devil's General Zurich, Jan. 20. Drama In three acts by Karl Zuckmayer. Directed by Hans Hllpert. Scenery by Caspar Neher; technical direction. -Ferdi- nand Lange. At Sehauspielhaus. Zurich. General Harras Oustnv Knuth Jju ttjohann .Armin Kchweizer Korrlanke Hcnrich Gretler B'rledrleh Biters Robert Fralfag Ilartmann ...Robert Biehler Slgbert von Mohrungen Krwin Kaiser Baron Pflungk Siegfried Schurenbei-g Dr.. Schmldt-Lausllz WUfrled Seyferth Oderbruo.h........................ linns Holt Anne niters. .................. ..Irene Naef Waltraufc v. Mohrungen. .Anne-Marine Blanc Oltvla Getss ....Traute Carlsen Dlddo Betas....•' ..Elisabeth Mailer Buddy .Lawrence,............Lutz Altschul The great war play from the Nazi side is yet to be written. Zuck- mayer has made a good start here, although laying himself wide open to the kind of slugging Steinbeck's "Moon' Is Down" aroused for its de- piction of something good in individ- A Dangerous Woman Schenectady, Jan. 25. David Lowe-John Huntington production of farcical melodrama in three, acts by Ueorge Batson and Jack Kirkland. Staged by tKirkland. Setting by Charles Bison. At rafie. Schenectady. Jan. 23, '47. Smiley .........John Gerard Joey I,ee Sanford Emmett Lavery's new play is themed around a Greek opportunist and is said to be of the same pattern as "Born Yesterday." SAMUEL FRENCH. SINCE. 1830 Play, Brokers and Authors' Representatives MS West 45th Street, New forfc 811 West m Street,'lag &„ B ele» HAWTHORNE PLAYHOUSE GLOUCESTER. MASS. Available for J947 season. <H>0 seats. Drawing capacity BO.OOa. located in large popular Summer hotel. Excel- lent proposition for reputable pro- ducer. , : tvnte Hawthorne inn (IWCWRBK, MASS. Plays Out of Town «'*«•©< and Club New Haven, Jan. 30. f Jl I , m % erz ' Jr " Production of drama In two acts (tour scenes) by John Wexley. StarsJohn Beal; features Bert Lytell Di- rected liy the author: settings by Frederick I?*-,. .?'£?«' 111 New Haven Jan it, $3 lop. Patricia «lb., a :.\\\\\\DianV J S? 1 adwS Avic i revor. , t John Bp'iI R !S'«!' h Mensenwr....'.Thomas Hume S5S.i "JJ W Kendall Clark Stanley Moore. Kendall Clark ..Bert Lytell 'Carrot and Club" will probably go down in this season's book as a sin- cere effort that falls short of its mark. In its embryonic stage, play attempts to cover too much territory and lacks the scrivening seven-league boots to accomplish its - purported mission, In brief, to coin, a mala- propism, it's a case of too many irons in the fire spoiling the broth. When the excess substance is removed in the brushing up process, it is ques- tionable if the shadow that remains will be sturdy enough to excite suf- ficient interest to stand up against current Broadway traffic. .Laid in Los Angeles, Script tackles the problem of a returned vet, Kit Trevor, who finds an America steeped in bigotry, false ideals, sub- y,? rs iY. e ,.,P hiloso P h y' acceptance of World War III inevitability, and a general What's-the-use attitude. Tre- vor is a cartoonist whose creation, Johnny Vet," is catching on and is about to be given national syndica- tion. However, the head of the syn- dicate insists on selling the feature as entertainment rather than from its crusade angle, and Trevor balks when he realizes that demanded changes in his approach would ener- vate the strip. On returning from the war, minus Professor Harriman. Captain Winkle Ulory................ Candy.., Cordelia Tuttle Todd Amity Haines PrisciUa Haines,.... Lon Da t?et t......... Mrs. Hodge........ Boston .Bennie...... The Deacon ■ • .Bruce Adams Paul Lipson ..Phyllis Defeus ......Nancy Hoadley ZaSu Pitts ..... Frank Lyon ... Ma rsaret Callahan .Jean Carson Gordon McDonald ......Valerie Valalre ......Anthony Rivers ..........Alan Tower This farcical melodrama, an ex- tensive rewrite of a more serious play, "Cordelia," which was given trials in Boston and Philadelphia last fall, looked rough and weak on its premiere here, with a dud indi- cated, - However, Jack Kirkland, who won fame with "Tobacco Road," thinks the piece could be whipped into a satir- ical melodrama with Broadway pos- sibilities. It was not ready for Sche- nectady, nor for Detroit (where "A Dangerous Woman" was to open at the Shubert Monday (27) for two weeks). But bookings had to be hon- ored. The production will not be brought into New York until and unless the backers and Miss Pitts think it has a good chance of click- ing. Task of Kirkland and George Bat- son, the original author, however, seems to be herculean. Play situa- tions are telegraphed; lines lack zing; acting is broad to the point of burlesque and sometimes uncertain; flow of action is uneven. "Dangerous Woman" has the aspects of a 30- year-old farce—the kind which might find favor with high-school actors and audiences. Miss Pitts, who had been ill with laryngitis for a week prior to the premiere and went on after receiv- ing penicillin shots, doesn't appear perfect either in her lines or timing. Her voice is also indistinct at times. Yet she holds the stage most of the way with her fluttering, gesturing, nervous type of acting. The patrons, for the most part, found her-amusing. Dangerous Woman" is being con- stantly rewritten, which makes an appraisal of the play and acting dif- ficult. The second show was said to be better than the first, which went on almost cold. Some o£ the cos- tumes, wigs, etc., had not yet arrived. Show is a low budget affair, in one set and enlisting the services of 14 people. It is set in the early 1900's, at Cordelia Tuttle's boarding house on the North Shore of Massachusetts. S?, 0 . 4 is peopled with a group of fa- miliar characters; an eccentric inven- tor, formerly a college professor, whose, machine loudly explodes at various points in the action; a re- tired sea captain; two girls reared by the proprietress, who is also an un- successful dressmaker. To the house is brought a cache of $100,000, which Boston Bennie took from two guards m Boston. A pair of femme crooks. posing as school teachers, have the hundred grand in a suitcase. They and the deacon try to double-cross Bennie, while Miss Pitts and several of her boarding house crew work to grab the money, turn in the thieves and collect a-$10,000 reward. It's a case of cheating cheaters. The money repeatedly changes hands and positions, usually winding up in the back slit of a* clothes-dummy. Guns, mallets and gags are freely used. The action turns into noisy slapstick in the second act. The whole business is completely improbable and impos- sible, having neither rhyme, reason nor subtlety. The cast desperately reaches for laughs—and at the per- formance reviewed, with some suc- cess. At the final curtain, Cordelia discomfits the crooks, has the money and earns the reward. -. ,- ■ Jean Carson,- as a tough, curvaceous tramp-camp, flashes the only out- right sex appeal of the show. This role could be built, so could that of Smiley, a naive, moronic crook. John Gerard's characterization of this part misses by a wide margin. Valerie Valaire plays a WCTU leader broad- ly. Anthony Rivers, as Bennie, doesn't ring too true. Gordon McDonald,'as Lon, and Nancy Hoadley, as Candy, make appealing young lovers. Bruce Adams has moments in the role of the inventor, Jaco. Craig's Wife (REVIVAL) Wilmington, Jan. 31. Gant Gaither production of revival of play In three acts by George Kelly. Stars Judith Evelyn, staned by Kelly. DeaiKned by Stewart Chancy. Decor hy Jensen's. Presented at the Playhouse. -Wilmington, Jan. 31. '47; $2.40 top. Miss Austin Kathleen Corne K ya Mrs. Harold viola Roache Ma»e -.. .Dorlha Duckworth Mrs. Craig., Judith F.velyn lithel Landreth Virslnia Dwyer Walter Crnlg- Philip Oher r?. 1 ;?- ira?ier Virginia Hammond Billy ^Birkmlre Herschel Bentley Joseph Catelle HuRh Rennle Harry... A1I( , n Nourse l'.ugene Fredericks John Hudson George Kelly's 1925 Pulitzer prize- winner remains grade-A theatre and there is no reason why it should not repeat its earlier success. The pro- ducer has given it an excellent pro- duction and Stewart Chaney has contributed one of his better living room settings. This biting, dramatic study of a woman whose real love is her house, is as timely today as back in 1925. The Kelly dialog is fresh and lively and the characters are drawn with such convincing realism that the dramatic situations involving them never become theatrical. Briefly, the plot deals with Har- riet Craig whose consuming passion is her domicile. She drives away her husband's friends because she doesn't want them cluttering up the house. She is even willing to involve her husband in a murder scandal rather than endanger her own se- curity. Selfish, arrogant and. basic- ally cruel, the wife rules all around her with a dominating hand until her husband has his eyes opened ana stages a revolt epitomized by smashing a prized vase on the mantlepiece. The ending finds Harriet alone with her house, the husband and servants having fled. Finally real- izing the tragedy which her selfish- ness has produced she wanders in a daze scattering flower petals around the once immaculate room as the curtain falls. r ^l a i tin ? is topnotch all the way. l udl & Eve ,lyn wins top honors in the title role—played in the original production by Chrystal Heme and in films by Rosalind Russell. The star Bives a sharply etched portrayal of a definitely unpleasant character arid even wins sympathy for the wife in the end. As the husband, Philip Ober is convincing and as the house- keeper, Viola Roache gives another fine characterization. . Virginia Hammond 1st impressive in a small role of the gossipy neigh- bor and Kathleen Comegy S rVirginia Dwyer and Dortha Duckworth are ?ir i L n ^ ood form in supporting roles. With the exception of Ober, the rest of the male contingent does little more than supply background. The author directed with an eye for SSW, ^ lth the resul * that "Craig's Wife ' m revival form stacks up as superior entertainment. K(ep. via] Nazis. Wa curious that a lain ^fugee from a Germany w w* Hit entes Zuckmayer cannot help hating, should choose to write a pretty solid drama around a Nazi Luftwaffe General who i s basiS a good egg and who doesn't like the Nazrs nto the bargain.. The kraut general, obviously written with overtones of both Goering and Vrm Richtofen, expresses himself at one point as having been equally willin» to fight on either side. He just fflw! war. The.fact that he knocks W self off in an offstage airolanfi propeller while the SS fs closing & on the sabotage ring he has fostered in Germany's airplane plants doesn't do much to dispel the wonder of how such a human chap, with sympathy for Jews and contempt for Hitler ever got to be a Nazi general It may be taken as a defense of' the regular army Germans, even the general staff as against the Nazis' in the SS, Gestapo and party itself But here in German-speaking Switzerland, where the people lived inside a Nazi ring for most of the war, it's hard for the critics and customers to reconcile themselves to Gen. Harras. It would be harder to swallow on Broadway, where there's a well-founded belief that there's not likely to be much good in any Nazi-, particularly in a general. Categorically the play's dramatis personae and Circumstances don't sound like-much. Played to the hilt though by Gustav Knuth as the gen- eral, and believably supported and directed, it makes a nevertheless absorbing glimpse into a neutral- colored Nazi world about which most people on the other side have had a lot of curosity. Not that Zuck- mayer's information comes more from the inside. He sat out the war in the V. S. . The lead is a heavy load for any actor. Knuth is on stage for practi- cally all of the piece's talky three - hours. First act runs 100 minutes and the whole play could stand a lot of pruning. Sets are admirable and the male cast turn in solid perform- ances. The female roles are neither believable or very important. A good bet for Broadway—if someone's willing to take a chance on the rap for humanizing a big-shot Nazi. Isra.' Main Buenos Aires, Jan, 9. JSspeetaculos Ga-Uo production of drama by John Colton and Clemem-e Randolph, from story by Somerset Maugham: translated into Spanish by Francisco J. Bolla. Staged by Dulcina de Moroes. Set by Saulo Bsna* vente. At Aatral. Buenos Aires. fciadie Thompson Dulcina Moraea Mrs. Davidson AnKelea Martinez Mrs. Macphail Carmen IJiiinbl Ameena Horn.,, Maria Ksther Coran Rev. Alfred Davidson Santiago Arrleta Dr. Macphail,..,. Sergeant O'Hara. Jose Horn,. Bates Corporal Bill Griggs . .Bernardo Perrone ...Miguel T. Beban .Camilo da Passano Ollmplo Bobble l'ablo Varma Alberto Irizar It is never an easy thing for an actress to tackle an exacting part in a language which is not her own, but to attempt the part of Sadie Thomp- son in Spanish "is the very consider- able feat accomplished here by Dul- cina de Moraes, one of Brazil's (Por- tuguese-speaking) leading actresses, who has also staged the production, bringing the Maugham Story to the Argentine boards for the first time. Mme. de Moraes puts over an ex- cellent performance in spite of all the handicaps and the play has caught on, in spite of sticky hot weather conditions. Santiago Arrieta is disappointing alongside the Brazilian player and only manages to give a very smug portrayal of the frustrated mission- ary. On the other hand. Camilo da Passano is a natural as Joe Horn and together with a three-year-old tod- dler, Luis R. Meilan, who seems born for the stage, almost steals the show. Show is also good from the produc- tion angle, but seasonal gimmicks may prevent its running as long as "My Dear Ruth" or other translated plays which went over big in 1946. Nid. Le Crime Be JLord Arthur Savile Paris, Jan. 22. Marcel Herrand and Jean Murehat pro- duction of Legh Clowes comedy In three nets (four scenes). - French adaptation oy Paul Modave. Set by Marcel Decamps. Alex Chovreux. Directed hy Herrand. At The- atre des Mathurlna. Paris. . Jenks »arcel Herrand Lord Arthur Savlle Bernard I*"?"*' Johnson Reno Vidal Dean of Chichester Bertlo Duchess of Woaming...Madeleine Lambert Lady Goram Y ze "» Sybil Merton Marv Dasmn Podger Bonvdllers Herr Winkledorf. 0'Brady Boris Gabriel Axej Justin Marco Behart Peter Chrlijlan Sim™ Piano Tuner Teddy Based on a short story by Oscar Wilde whose very English humor adds up on the stage to-little more than a farce, this English import has been nicely produced but isn't likely to draw very long here. Marcel Herrand as the butler who tries to help his master commit a murder so as to get it off his hands before he marries has a part which becomes mor6 repetitious at each unsuccess- ful attempt. What comedy is sup- plied by Bertie as the cleric ana (Continued on page 62)