Variety (Jan 1948)

LE«;iTIMATli 53 Hays on Broadway Make Mine MunhaMain lei-ue in tw* acta. i»hetohe» and lyrlca by Rtaeefl ana llBMert l^y >Ia»«aLil Hliuit; .sel- flB«* FiMlwlck Pox; ohimiOKiyiihy, ).cc nhMUtan: costumen. »h)i'li>n Iluack; Bkt'l<;lu>a SiSetfir by'Stax Webman; music Jlri'ctor, oSenS «t Broaahuint, Jan. 15, '48; m\ lod ■ }3Km '«penln« »'K'>Q'^ ., „ ,., , "(Csf KW Ciiesar, Davul nmiia, Whcila Mo'ttd. Tommy Morton, .foshua Shelley, .liic k irlltv Kyle MaoPouncU. Kl»-ani>i' llaslcy, ■ t).inny Daniels. Xollo KWiiM-, JJ.nl J.inn.in, ' Anno Ji'iHls, lioulsi' Ffn-and, Ann:il«'llo fluid Illioda JoilliltniiDn, Ufitty I.ln.l, I'hyl- lAi>v». noloio.s Noviiiv, \Vllllii TJiunnci', Vnn'y (•N.u'rn'oll,'Wayne Ijunli, Hkij) itniir dalK Kudy Tone. Max Slioivaltei-, Mti-phanle TiieuHtluc, Joy Caivoll, Jean .f<iii<;j), 1-iiry farr Kd Chapnel, Hiff iJi'i'.ulifi. I'eriy Moii^in; Blchai'd Arnold, Joseph Melvio, . »iy MairWo"' StorUoB Made. Btoadway's crying "ced for a sock intimate musieal revue is answered with "Make Mine Manhattan." It is a crowded entertainment of bubbling youtb, some excellent lyrics and sketches by Axnold Horwitt, and has the overall staging acumen of Has- jart Short Plus Sid Caesar and Da^ vid Burns, a couple of comics who in ow their way around a stage, •There'can be no questioning the box- office strength of "Manhattan." Here is a show that has no stars ' and yet is peopled with performers, '£rom the top principals down, who Constantly statid out. It. has an abundance of good" comedy, some uprightly music by Richard Lewine •nd a general overall air of spon- taneity that communicates itself to the audience right at the very cur- tain-lifter. After the opening ensemble nuni- |»er, In which the entire cast greets the audience with "Anything Can Happen in New York," there's an smusing sketch that helps introduce Caesar and Burns. It's a UN bit in Which Caesar has a chance to show- case an'innate knack for; character 'delineations; in this case it's various typcs.of UN delegates. Burns also has a chance to display here his slow-bi^m type of comedy as an eatery operator- , ■ "Fhil the Fiddler" is a clever fan- tasy of song and dance, in which Jack Kilty sings the title tune and Hay Harrison fe the fiddler. . Eleanor Bagley has a cute spot m "Movie House in .Manhattan," m which she satirizes the trend towards plushy theatres that play British pix. Caesar, Burns and Joshua Shelley get some laughs out of a takeoff on drama critics. Shelley, who is, inci- dentally, a young comedian still to be heard from, has another funny bit in a satire oa a famed restaurant chain called "Tiaftz." "The Good Old Days,'!. With Cae sar, Bums, the Misses Bagley and Bond, is somewhat familiar. Jack Kilty and Kyle MacSonnell are a eute ronuntie couple as they sing "1 Xwift KUflw His Name," in a root- top scene, with the good-looking young pair displaying neat voices. Topper of the show's first act is the satire on-''Allegro,'* a cleverly writ- ten nttmber that brings on the en- tire cast, with Cae.'iaT as tlie young ■ dentist, Can^sar has another chance ^ to show off some of his virtuosity by narrating the trials of a penny gum ... laachin e that grows up to be a . quarter slot-machine. It's a special , piece of material written by Allan ■ •Hoberts* Caesar and Max Liebman. One of the really hilarious num- bers is the one early in the second »et ealled "Noises in li»e Street,"^.de- tailing the rounds of a cabbie, a milkman, streetcleancr, streetdigger i ^and' newsboy. It includes a lyric by Horwitt, Peter Barry and David Gregory. Caesar, 'Burns, Max Sho- " Matter. PetVy Ifttidkin and Joshua - Shelley «Ock it ovet, and it has been especially well staged. Sheila Bond and Danny Daniels click in a iitterbug n u m ta e r, and ■ there's a satire later on a Hollywood ;j!Voducer making , a picture in New strange llcdfellwws PlvllJu A. Waxmaii i)i'i)dui'i ion at ixiniMly in line* aqt» (Ave: (aionod) by Jj'lorrnco Ityei'noB and, ColIn riBmcnls. ICeatuiva Joan Tfltwol; John A.ri'Iif»i*, t'arl B»^nli)n ill-id, Nydia AVoHtihjin, Jtiitlt AnuM, Jtiibln (rravfin. . StaKird ' by Jlt»iinr> Kclincldeiv .Sc»'nf'n' and llKhUnK, Rjiipli AlMwanj;; cos- tumes, Mot-ton Jtaack. Oiioisoil :it jM»i'osf;o. N. ir., Jan. ii, 'dS; .'jH.ijU toi> (Sltt oiioninff niKht). J.inK.. • Sen. William I'l-omwcll Julia *;rom\V(-*H. I)f>ulah.. Addle tiamptnn uillan Jiampton.... NifVey MrH. <<lml)le Mra. Woliey. lUrCord J,Iamj)tan... Vlnt'ftjjt Pembei'ton. jtlatthew tjiomwell. Tont Chunf; Van jW'nlon Ileid ..... .Jluth AI WW ... I.ptii BimysiM! ..Nydiii Wf'almiin Mary Kay. .Ioao« Hilly Ni'vavd .,Frit'da Altnian . ..Marion 'Wecljs ,,. .ItoJiln X'roven ....rbUi'liael Hall . John' AiTlfei' wood, with questionable chances for a Stage stay. Characters are about the rouglicst set brought forth within a genera- tion. Locale is a Missouri ranch town in 1865 just after the Civil War, scened in -the bar of the only los; hotel and the veranda of the Decker i-ancli. There, bitterness that has been simmering for years flares foi'th, and there's always the thi-eat of gunplay. "Sui'vivors" is a man's play, per- formance being given by an unusual array of talent. No doubt about it Inside Stuff-Legit iHsiplqw 31ynn Ci-omwell^^fnan TetKej S*f«. TtlUe Sparlcw.........,.:. '.Woria tlKh Alayor Ambiusa TIbbeil.,. •. .AiUMam J-oo Uirttt.vt,..... .liuth MJIfK, Ann Tliiiniiwon, Florence Rycrson and Colin Clements, whose "Harriet" was a veWnlc for Helen Hayes several sea- sons ago, have come up with an- other costume play in "Strange Bed- fellows." The new opus, a sort of "Life With Grandfather," has a promising basic premise and situa- tion, and two lively and laughable acts. But it lapses into exaggerated hoke in the third act, become. trans- parently absurd and ends on a disap- pointing note. Because of the com- edy of the first two acts, including several' broadly funny situations and numerous ribald lines, the show should be a moderate boxotlice suc- cess, particularly if skillfully ex- ploited. It also should have prospects for film sale, though it would require considerable adaptation, not merely to disinfect the dialog, butoto bolster the plot ending, provide more story strength and inject greater warmth into the characters. Although "Strange Bedfellows" is reminiscent" of "Life With Father" in period and in. broad outline, simi- lar in locale and date to "I Remem- ter Mama," it is greatly inferior to either of them in dramatic crafts- manship, plausibility, depth of char- acterization and emotional impact. For while there are lots of laughs in this newest piece by the Clements, there are no touching n;oments, and the ultimate reaction is unsatisfying. Possibly that is because, unlike "Father" and "Mama," the charac- ters in this play lack deep aft'ection for each other and therefore aren't endearing to the audience. The action of '^Strange Bedfel- lows" takes place .in the living room of a Nob Hill mansion in 1896, where the ooinionated, tyrannical ex-Sen- ator Cromwell is rampaging about the bouse, bullying his.^fanwy and ranting against' votes for women. When his Congressman-son arrives home with a wife who is a crusading sufFragist, the old windbag's wrath is enough to ignite his beard. There are some hilarious moments as the ex-Senator tries to bowl over the young lady with bombast and then connives with his son and the local political gang to thwai't her. But her calm logic makes his tirades sound ridiculous and her • resource- fulness (with the convulsing as- sistance of a Barbary Coast madam) has him hogtied for women's rights at the linal curtain. Which is vastly entertaining untU the third act, wh-?n the authors resort to a palpably con- trived "Lysistrata" situation and a clumsy \drunk scene. Under Benno Schneider's direction the cast gives what may be the noisiest and most strenuous per formance of recent seasons. Joan Tetzel, as tlie intense, young suf> fragist-wife, is technically imprcs sivc, but seems slightly cool and somewhat too selfrpossessed. Carl Benton Held roars through the part of the ex-SenatOr amusingly while John Archer is competent as his. Paul Douglas, male lead o'f ''Bom Yesterday," one of Br<).adway's longrun shows, has just become a senior member of EcLuity^ Comedy wiirpass the two-year mark this month, and the required number of weeks for a junior Equltyite to attain voting status i.s 50 weeks. Douglas, formerly in radio, was in another legiter but it folded fast. Judy Holliday, the femme lead of "Born," is now al-so cliRible for .senior membership but it seems her application was misplaced. She was also in a short-lived play,"Kiss Them For Me," prior to "Born " and was awjirtled a piize for her performance in "Kiss." Both Douglas and Miss Holliday were given featured billing this week. Usually producers with backers on the limited partnership basis get approximately 50% o{ the show lor their services in accomplishing th* presentation and it's not usual tor ihe manager to invest his own irhoncy. One exception is the latest Bi-oadway musical click, "Make Mine Man- hattani" presented by Joseph M. Hyman, who was literally forced to take a bigger interest in the musical than he anticipated. Shdw was budgeted for $175,000 but Hyman was shy around $60,0(ii0 which he raised, s<>-that his share is figured around 66<^i, Understood the actual production cost was arbnd $15,000 under the budget, which was a further break for the being tense and interesting, 'oK'-Vnt I young manager. "Manhattan" is a revue, liaving 12 principals and a liin- for portions of the second act. Peter i ited ensemble, so the profit possibilities are, exceptional^ Continuous box- Viertel and Irwin Shaw are skilled , office lines were in evidence at the Broadhurst Friday (16), day after the dramatists who point out the futility 1 s'.iow opened, although the show did not get a 100% good press, of violence and feuding. That both . <» the hero and villain are killed at the end is inexorable. Steve and Morgan Decker come back from a rebel prison camp where they were mistreated, having been captured when their regiment re- treated. They lilame Tom Cameron for having them incarcerated and when Morgan dies from brutality, Steve expresses the hatred of their clan. The feeling is heightened by another brother whose cattle cannot reach the river because of Cameron's fence. That conniving rancher hires a roughneck to ambush Cameron but the <ellow shoots the wrong man. It's Steve who is asked to rub out Cameron but Vincent Keyes, lawyer and friend of the Deckers, pursuadc.^ the lad not to commit murder. His ringing exhortation is one of the play's best interludes, then right afterward the two' men shoot it out. There is another :scene in which Steve's mother dramatically protests against killings by her kin. Co-stars are Louis Calhern, Hume Cronyn and Richard Basehart, and the latter's part as Steve is the lead. There are several . scenes between him aiid Marianne Stewart, who wa.<? his sweetheart before the war and still wants him, but he dominates the performance in the tougher passages. Galhern comes through with ringing speeches as the lawyer-friend. Cro- nyn is the elder Decker,' a fellow who had killed his man long ago and crows about it. Most of the characters are whisky- drinking men of pioneer stock and Mai-tin Gabet has diifected them'with authority. It's likely: thai none has played similar characters. Anthony Ross is the villainous Cameron; G. Marshall plays the conniving Decker; Kevin McCarthy is the most bitter of thel Deckers; Russell Collins plays the barkecp with misgivings; Jane Seymour as the mother has one tell- ing scene, and others including Neil Fitzgerald and Marc Lawrence also count. "Sui'vivors" offers a full eveninj; of melodramatics by a cast that re- quires more than average patronage. fbee. Power WifitAiit GBory John <'. ^WILsoii and .BhulKM'ts. i>ro(lu*.tioti of . mt»lodr;^nub in tl»ree acta (on« siM> \\y Air('h.-.iPl f^Uryton JTuHon. Staged by <"hlt;i> C!ibat)ji, Wet r)y Charles KLson. ()Mun»,''t :il Booth, .V. r., Jun. j;!, 'iH; ^i.m top. ^!'Ulr' ^.........Joan .N'f'weU IVfaKKfe ■ • • • ..■..•■•■■>.... Murjorie rttiink'X Kdiih . ^**«« Helen .MiWMu r ICdtlie .Le^vla Stn.r>^».i- .\mii I..>.ni\ilry l.idilWI ClvU ^....... r... Peter Mnri'M y John - 'rvtjvuL- Wiinl Dollar shortage in England may explain why the D'Oyly Carte operetta troupe traveled second class on the .ship that brought the Gilbert and Sullivan specialists to New York for Ihtr current high-grossing, engagement at the Century, N.Y. Cast of "Power Without Glory" (Booth), also a Brit- ish import, came first cla.ss but it's a much smaller groin>. However, John G. Wilson, who presents the meller . with Lee Shubcrti gave each pta.vcr $100 upon arrival, aware that the visitors had virtually no money, because EnglishjCitizcns are not permitted to take more than a pittance oijt of the country. Understood the allowance from Wilson to the "Power" players was not deducted from their salaries. Collections for the March o£ Dimes will be held in legit Broadway the- atres for an eight day period from Jan. 24 to 31. Managers have arranged for volunteers to seek donations in the lobbies, former system of passing coin boxes within the theatres after an apiteal speeeh being eliminated. Coin boxes will be turned over to each respective house manager and treasurer. Richard Watts, Jr., of the N. Y. Post, is now rated the richest drama .critic on Broadway, He has been bequeathed $300,000 by his late uncle, Andrew Murray Williams, a New York contractor. Total bequests amount- ed to $700,000, a large {tart. Of which goes, to Catholic charities. York, that has its element of humor, Congr^nan-son. As a semi-con- *ith Caesar and Burns as the prin. cipals; Bifms has another chance to really come into his own with a funny bit- in which he's a customer out to buy a fduntain pen. Frederick Fox's settings, , mostly against background drops, are im- aginative, as usual with his designs, and Lee. Sherman has neatly handled the choreography. Morton Haack has designed the costumes with an •Wft to neat color schemes. The mu- sical direction, b-y Charles Sanford, IS especially notable; his ability to bridge the multiple musieal cues is considerahly responsible for the sharp pace of the showr. Kohn. Caravan Records Buys Merrie-Go-Somid Juves Merrie-Go-StoiinB Records, chil- dren's disk outfit headed by Ted Cott, WNEW program director, and Henry Sylvern, organist and an'ang- er, has been sold to Caravan Rec- ords. Latter bought 14 kids' masters from Merrie, on a perpetual royalty arrangement. Caravan is going into special di- Mct dealer selling on the records. They've picked a midwestetu city as a test, where they'll try scH disks in non-record spots (guch as air- Ports, newsstands, etc.). All records are to be made in vinyiite. Larry '-'OUld is prez Of^Garavan. scious idatron, Kydia Westman gives another of ' her , daily portrayals. Ruth Amos is acceptable as the wise and patient wife and grandmother, •and Robin Craven is believable as a pompous. son-ih'laWi * Ralph Alswang's rocoeb living room set is the most atmosphere- creating element in the producti;)ii, and Morton Haack's : costumes arc notatdy helitfui, . Hobe. The Snr<riv4»r«i Bernard Hart and Mai'iill IJabel prOiblo- tion oL' melradi-ama in thi-pe at-ts (twti frt- tiilifs) t>y Peter VtevteV and Jnvin Mh;i,iv. Stars T.oais Calhern, Hume (■'roiij'n, Uii»b~ arfl HsiSehart: .featupea Anthony Ito.s.s, I*!. (3, Miirsll.-tll, Marianne .St^-wart, .Tane Sey- mour, lliiMfSOU Collins, iVfare Ijawi'iMii't'. Staged by ijabel. ..<(iM'nei?y by Iloris Arnr*- wti. Openett at Playhouse, N; Y., Jan. ta, Buewm Hedwe.... i, i Man- Tj-ito-wu Hoy <;ienietwi..... Uhk.wIJ ('olltn« AU.«>tt .Neil It'EtssKoraUl y'TuIiiy Ueckt-r..... I'J. '1. .MarNhaT! VinrPnt' Kpyes... 'Foliil t'amernn.... .Stt'Vn JJd.kr'r MorRjuT I)et.|rer... Jane I)wli:er J.ucy t)nime..... .Fiuline Derker... Sliirrus Iteii),'" r.ei:)nayd Uawkrfi. Reverend Ho.\t... HherllT BoBley... Broadway hasn't seen a western melodrama for many yoars and while "TliG Survivors" is not horse opera it's akin to it, which indicates I the play is definitely fare for Holly- There'S' a missing element in the latest murder play of the t>;pe ttscially descrik>ed as a pyschological melo- drama that seems to keep it from ringing the bell. Acting and; direction are excellent in'•"Bowrer "Without Glory" (Its single setting and seven character ca.st were brought from London). Indications are for limited appeal. "We read about such things in tho' papers but didn't think it could hap- pen to us," is the way bewildered John Lord takes the family's predica- ment, when he learns tl;at Cliff, one of his sons, has murdered a girl on the Thames embankment nearby. The lad admits the homicide to Anna, his fiancee, who lives with the Jiimily in the drab, lower class Eng- lish home with a store in the front, so there is no element of m.ystery. "Power" is interesting because of the subdued excitement of the main participants, whose perfdrmances are skillfully keyed by Chloe Gibson, tlie directress. But there are confusing interludes in telling the story which is supposed to cover only a. few hours. Anna" swears her love for ' (ilifl: even after she learns of his afi'air with the other girl, which is i hard to believe under the circum- stances. Clilf says he didn't mean to kill her but she taunted him. There 'is another brother, Eddie, who first loved Anna, but when that boy was at war, she became enrap- tured with Cliff. It is'the play's chief complication, one which could lead to bitter exchanges though none occur. Instead, Eddie's devotion to Anna Ls such that he is willitig to take blame for the murder bnt that , .. _.. idea is not pursued. Towards the end r.niii.i camern ft becomes clear that the police will ... Anthony Rdsfi summoH Cliff iot questioning, for his Vcev'in .vh^r-irihv lost handkerchief is a telltale clue. Jane sey'riDu'r The end of the story is left to the M.irianne Stewart imagination, perhaps one of the au- thor's ejfrors. Latter has con.structcd his drama cleverly enough but the third act impresses as a letdown. The romantic angle is hardly tense con- sidering that the. brothers love the same woman. The author knows how to write dialog but his handling of wordasie. including the title, seems better than the situations created. Hilary Liddell gives a fine per- formance as Anna, who gets little chance to express aflection usually expected from a girl in love. Peter Murray, on loan itotA J. Arthur Rank,: portrays Cliff, whose capital offense hardly permits sympathy go- 'ing to the part. Lewis Stringer is a" veiT goml Eddie, but too restrained for a youth back from combat to fiind anticipated happing bla.sted. Joiin Newell, sister virho threatens to tell the cops but doesn't, has an emo- tional scene that wins the best plaudits. Trevor Ward's lather is best toward the end. Helen Misenor as a slattern provides the play's scant hu- mor, and Marjorie Rhodes is the harried mother. Cast with one exception is not the .same as seen in London but it prob- ably is just as good as the one witli which "Power" attracted some atten- tion last season. Best chance for the import appears to be that it costs, lit- tle to operate, ibee. that may be blamed on the property man. ■ ■ Shirley Booth is Maggie. She has done .so much better in other plays that there's no comparison, besides which she had a cold. Margaret Hamilton plays a comic maid but doesn't get much chance to be funny. Neil Hamilton seems best of the males, while Doris Dalton and M'art'a Linden are Uie lookers. Helene Pons has designed some fetching duds for them. ibe^i (Closed SatxrAa.'ft iXl) after thre* performances':') Broadway Toppers i Continued from pa;e 49 Reed repeating the dinner .scene tfom "Sharighai Gesture," and another for Helen Hayes, Clarence Derwejot and Ian Martin in a scene from "Victoria Rcgina." After the intermJssion, there were .•still mere cheers as . Willie and Eugene Howard brought back their "Rigoletto Quartet" buries q u e, Judith Anderson played a scene from "Come of Age," Dorothy Stickney brought a lump to the throat with a bit from • "The i'ront Page," John Gielgiid read the soliloquy from "Hanilet," Viyieimf Segal sang"Be- witched, Jiotitered and Bewildered* from "Pal Jdey," and Bert Lahr .SOlig the hilarious "Woman, Spare Hiftt Tree" from "The Stiow Is On.." Another storm of applause fol- [lowed the performance by Katharine Comell, Maurice Evans, The Men We Marry . Kdgsir JS*. y.ticTcenbac'ii prnrfupti'itn ol' e.>fti- i^iVy in three at^t« (on© seitlnH:> by l?l!i..i;«i»"rh t'obb and .llem'hel Wl'UUirns. I0e.,ivurt'.< Slilrfey TiDOth, Jv'eil Hnwllton, Dorl.s Ditl- lun, Mnrlii Jandr<ii, .John WtTlfatUH :iFrd .\far- fiaret HamUtrin. .staged by .Martin. Man- uli.M. Set. by X><maUl (icnslUKer; curttutnt-s by Helen Vtain, OpeneTl at Slansfiolil. .N. Y., I .[rbtr. Its,. '.|S: f4.m toiv . MaUKie Weleh... I l.'bitliii WariTu Thrm*kmdrton. tlw'pttnle. Dr. Alan .[.anibert... .lulift .Mani.MoD... Mttvk Kmnieott Hj^h Mallard N'ed S'li.vU'r .Vlary IVter V. Shirley Bduth; , ...l>;i.vt4 AudersfjiL . ...liobcrt Wlri"j Mars^aret Ha«Jiiu>a .... .iScU Jlaavlllyrk .\tarta F.tndK'n lolin WHIramt .Utll'lH Uttlton ,..JiLsej^l Alien. Jr. Anno Sarfff'ni .,.. flume f^rotiyn ,iCil\viu M. Hn»i-e . . .K"nrl^'tIl 'i'nbey lily .\lbury ......Tom IloiPr Doubtless the season's gabbiest play, this one has chance despite the services of some pretty good players. The yatta-yatta-yatta. mostly be- tween women, with an assist from the men, seems interminable. They talk and scheme about matters con- cerning .themselves only, except when trying to run the affairs of their hostess, a novelist who's hav- ing a house party in a fashionable section of Maryland. Producer is Edgar P. Luckenbaek, one of tlie wealthiest, of a.spiring young producers. He has provided a rich interior and is said to tie paying goodly salaries to the fairly wcH- knowns in the cast, but there is no play. Loolts like the kid got the wrong steer from an agent, unless he selected the script himiself. Maggie Welch is the middle-aged writer, and she has a daughter Mary who is sweet on a medical student. Assorted femmes down for the week- end don't think the lass should waste her time, on the impecunious lad and set about trying to break up the match, in between accepting or making passes at the male week- enders. Maggie herself plans wed- lock, with a doctor around her own age. All hands get on each, other's nerves after guzzling cocktails but when men walk out the dames go after them, rain and all. were some Godfrey Tearle and Kent Smith in the epilog from Shaw's "Saint Joan," and the show came to a' tumultuous close with the "Oklahoma" company -sing- ing the title song from that musical. Among the numeroi^s other stand- . outs during the evening were Hal Sherman in a dance from "Music Box Revue,'? Libby Holman singing "Body and Soul" from "Three's a Crowd," Cliff Edwards singing- "Fas- cinating Rhythm" from "Lady Be Good," Alfred Drake singing "Ho\V High the Moon" from "Two for the. Show," and. Jane Cowl, Reginald Mason and Robert Chisholm in a 'scene from ''Smilin' Through.'* Also, William Gaxton "Thou Swell" front "Connecticut Yankee," Tilly Losch doing her "Dance of the Hands" from "Wake Up and Dream," Jack Pearl and Cliff Hall in a Munchhansen bit "from the "Follies," Donal(* Richards and the ucFaUi" eh0i"Us siilgiiij' "Tlie Wliif- tenpoof Song" as done in "Winged ■Victory," Jimmy Savo singing "River Slay Away From My Door," from "Mum's the Word" and Buck and Bubbles doing "Ain't Necessarily So" from "Porgy^and Bess." O.^car Serlin van in charge of pro- There were some first-night [duetion, and his as.'iociate-'i w^re giggles, mo!5tly. from friends of the Cheryl Crawford, Oscar Hammer (Sist. Direction isn't any hotter than '^ti^m 9A vintr^n Tr^«»,n«„ oi-u the play but it's doubtful if any I stager could put aero.ss "The Men We Marry." There is a bridge g^me or something like it, different colored backs on the cards being noticed, but stein. 2d, "Vinton Freqdley and Rich- ard Rodgers. Harry Horner did a superb job of readying the settin,gs and Max Meth capably batoned the orchestra. Hob*.