Variety (Mar 1949)

S2 LBCITIMATB WeilncBilay, March 30, 1949: Plays on Detective Siory Howard Lindsay «: Russel Crouso pro- duction of drama in three acts by Sidney Kingsley. Stars Ralph Bellamy. Meg Mundy. Staged by the author; setting. Boris Aronson: costunies. Mil ie Suthci- land. At Hudson, N. Y.. March ZJ. W. $4.80; <$!> opening night); _ Detective Dakis Robert Strauss ShoDlittcr . Lee Grant Detictlve Gallaglier Edward Binns Mrs. Parragut /Sf,"riihPrt DrteStI™ Callahan JP'tn^L^'SYH Detective O'Brien ionn Boyd ' Mr ■ Sims- .. ; '. i •.. ■ < • Les iremayne iSetectlve 'McLeod Ralph Bellamy A?th"r Kindred Warren Stevens Patrolman Barnes , ^Ki^^^^Zl 1st BuMlar Joseph Wiseman 2nd Buiglar Michael Strong Mrs. Bagatelle Michclette. Burani Dr. Schneider „ Harry Worth Lt. Monoghan Horace McMahon Susan Carmichael Joan <;OPeianS Patrolman Keogh Byron C. Halstead Patrolman Baker;. „Joe WlIIv ■ .,. .J.. iV > • • Carl Griscom Miss'^ Hatch • "•'"^If Mrs. Feeney Sarah Crablc -Mi'.'Fpenev i...- JimMynn Crumb-Bum Archie Benson Mr. Gallant*. r'="'"*\,^''^«v Mr. Pritchett ■^*'?f'^'^M.VJJni l5arv McLeod ...i... ... Meg Mundy Tami Giacoppetti Alexander Scourbv Photographer Michael Le\v n T adv Ruth. Storm Gentleman '. • John Alberts Mr. Bagatelle .Toseph Anemia Indignant Citizen Jacquehne Paige Broadway Sidney Kingsley has returned to the documentai-y-melodrama form of "Men in White" and "Dead End" for bis new play, "Detective Story." The result is excellent theatre and a boxoftjce smash; The show seems good for at least a year on Broad- way, plus a road company and, al- most certainly, a juicy picture deal. Th^ Kingsley reportorial talent this time recreates the look ; and sound and practically the smell of a Manhattan police station, with its gallery of detectives, uniformed cops and rag-tag of criminals, law- yers, reporters and crackpots; • The characters are vivid and lifelike, the dialog is tough and reaiUstic, and the action is taut and progres- sively stirring. The production, staging and per- formance keep the multiple .plot threads skillfully in focus. Thus, While the principal theriie concerns detective Jim McLeod, whose fa- natical hatred of evil ultimately' destroys him, there are numerous subordinate and interrelated sto- ries involving his wife, the other detectives, assorted law-breakers, a sleek racketeer, a clever mouth- piece, a philosophical police re- porter, and so on. Ralph Bellamy gives, a strong . performance as tlie ruthless and doomed McLeod -and-Meg Mundy, costarred with him, is believable in the difficult part of his wife. But in some cases the other characters are more colorful, so the support' ing performances seem more ef- fective. For instance, Horace Mc- Mahon is excellent as the lieuten- ant of detectives and James Wes- terfleld, Robert Strauss, Edward Binns, Patrick McVey and John Boyd are notable as other gum- shoes. Similarly, T.se Grant is striking as a shoplifter from the Bronx, .lean Adair contributes a brilliant bit as a nearby resident with de- lusions of atomic persecution (or something), Lou Gilbert is fine as the reporter, Les Tremayne is properly forthright as the mouth-^ piece. Warren Stevens is likable as a young thief who gets another chance, and Joan Copeland is ap* pealing as the girl who sticks by Wf"- , Also, Joseph Wiseman and Mi- I chael Strong suggest the rodent- I like qualities of degenerate cxva\- ' inals, Harry Worth is plausible as la sniveling abortionist suspect, I Alexander Scourby is good as the i smug racketeeri: and there are nu- merous arresting, lesser bits. Kingsley's direction not only keeps the various story elements in perspective, but paces the per- formance deftly up to the final, ex- ' plosive curtain. Boris Aronson's single setting projects the atmos- I phere of a Manhattan police sta- i tion, and the costumes of Millie .Sutherland look as if taken from \ life. "Detective Story" may not be a I great play, but it is superlative en- tertainment. Hobe. I l»th Hole of Kurope j Experimental Theatre's Invitational ' Series production of drama in three acts by Vivian Council. PirecteiVty Bill Ross^ i Scerierv, tester Polakov; costumes, FoTt I rest Thaver; music. George Bassman. At I Lenox Hill Settlement House. N. Y., I fude*^. . ^... .Margaret Wycherly ] Boriv Oswald Marshall , Woman with Child Ida Crystal ' Boot ... . i..... Bern Hoffman ! Nadn ..Barbara Ames I Bov Robert WyDe: ' Mark' .. Alexander March RufCians.. Charles Pratt. Jr., Sam Gilrnan Spiel Alexander ,lvo Woman with Plague Joan Bower lane ........... .. Nina .Varela Soldier ............... . Lee Marvltii pSnchus . „Kurt Kasjar Flor ..............Martha Hodge Airman..'........,. .>.... • • • Sam Oilman Plays Out of Town EARNED «47,687«» .That's wbkt W.D.UIchfttl h ft ■ BB »d • ■ ino* 1044. Bxcaptionftl, bat shows th* (Treat opporr tunjty .opan ' to a*«r mani : Tall Proparty Owners Heavy-Duty ROOr COATING Best money makinemobthii just starting ...tremendous deiDatid everywlmrcfor this sensational products Cuts esuentiul roof repair and maintenance costs up to .76 %. Every building and property owner yourprospect. ZonttHMvyDuty Coat- - ins used byU. S. Government, Navy and. Amiy and thouBanda of satisned buyers here and abroad. Amazinor demonstra- tion (i:etu orders easily. Oniy six avera^'^ ordara a weak par you over lllHI.OUt Gunran- taad 8 rears. Complete PREB Sallinv Outfit Includes erarythinr reu oaad to mnlca biic money from tha start. If you'ra oyer 30, THIS MAY BE THE BIRGEaTOPfORTUNli'V OF YOUR LIFE. Writa TODAY.. tall us about roursuif. Address Jack Canalnr, VI(!a Prep, ZONECiMiuiv p.o.Boxres.PoDt.si-c Fort Wsrih I, Tex«J Unusual Opportunity for Summer Stocit Sliows li'Arire :stone. ISiirn for rent, no smtill l>ereentnK:e IidhIh. in jVloiirue. N. V.. 40 inllrs Gen. W. iCrdK.. on heHiitifiii SOO acre. eHtalev^nd summer ]Mmi;alow nolon}*. ' V«r nppt. to itee> cull: TRa- talcar T-»fS!!. . "The Nineteenth Hole of Europe" may be the sort of play the Experimental Theatre should pre.sent, but it has little interest for the commercial stage. A grim fantasy about the breakdown of civilization after the next war, it is a wordy, repetitious and static drama that fails to develop its pro- vocative theme or hold up as the^ atre. Moreover, in this Instance »it is miserably produced. Vivian Gonnell has become fair- ly well-known in the trade on the strength of this play. The script has been lavishly praised and ,has been under option to at least one Broadway managemeiit. Because of ItS: subleqt matter, it's easy to see why "Nineteenth Hole" should arouse interest. But on the basis of its writinj; there seems little justification for enthusiasm. Sher- wood's "Idiot's Delight" is still a more timely anti-war play. I "Nineteenth Hole" is suppo.sed I to take place some time in the fu- I turc; when war and pestilence I have turned Europe into a plague- I house forcibly auarantined by the I rest of the world. The few remain- ' ing inhabitants fight off hordes of i rats and bolster their nerve, by \ swilling rot-gut booze. The char- i acters are the obvious assortment: I that is, an ex-king and queen, a I regal nurse, a former nobleman, a ! "businessman" moonshiner, a rov^ I ing ex-soldier, a strumpet, a I pacifist, the inevitable girl who i only vaguely remembers the old world, etc. I Although the pacifist apparently I represents the-author's tliesis that (reason must ultimately replace i war, even he presently resorts to i violence to maintain some sort of i decency and ' justice. . Otherwise, ] the play seems little more than an I attenuated series of monologs about I life and death, religion, politics, I morality, ribaldry. It lacks move- i ment or drama. I Under Bill Ross's slack direction j the performance'is an ordeal: It 1 has little variation, tempo or con- i viction andv except for sporadic I outbursts of vehemence, the actor.s ' merely stand about and intone the i pretentiously brutal or philosophv ical dialog. Only Bern Hoffman, I as the evil booze peddler; Alexan- der Ivo, as the ex-nobleman: Kurt I Kasznar, ;as a priest, and Martha . Hodge, as the strumpet, achieve a I degree of credibility. And Lester Polakov's scenery has reasonable atiTicsphere considering the meagre budget, Since "Nineteenth Hole" aroused so much di.scussion it's probably .lust as well the Experimental The- ■ atre has produced it. But that should end the play for anyone but the artiest little theatre groups. Hobe. ~ Continued from page SO sa Magnolia Alley adopted daughter, in love with the pug, but who doesn't get a tumble from him. The errant daughter returns, begging forgiveness, and eventual- ly sets up a phoney deal for the fighter to do a comeback with a string of setups. A contemplated doublecross by a light promoter, whose marriage the daughter had wrecked, backfires. Play ends with the off-color daughter clearing out again^ leaving tlie field to the adopted one; the eccentric maid being courted by a middle-aged colonel; and Laura herself, after a fated romance with a wrestler who had died, setting, her cap for a new roomer. Tried out last summer by Jessie Royce Landis in. the strawhat en- virons of Skowhegan, it is easy to see why the actress felt the play was worthy^ of donning regular season millfnery. Bole of Laura offers wide latitude for emotional display. Miss Landis .cashes in on her flip lines^ as well as registering in several dramatic sequences. It's a good part for her. - Jackie Cooper, lincjd up for his Broadway debut with the role of the young fighter, finds his :assign- ment largely of routine content. He does okay by it. There's good support by Julie Harris, as the maid; Bibi Osterwarld, who wrings plenty from the prostie role; Anne Jackson, as the pug's wife; Hildy Parks, his eventual romance; Fred Steward, the colonel; Brad Dexter, fightpromoter; Frances Bavier; welfare worker [in a subsequent performance. Miss Bavier : was taken ill while the play was on and the v role was . continued by understudy Johanna Douglas], - An attractive "SCitUng establishes good working, atmosphere in a combined living room with front yard view. ,'. . . - Bone. Plays Abroad Contliiued from page'50 , WANTED Information to .wItereiilioiitH of Jielrcf of late Lnnf^don Alitciiell itiiil Marlon Slltcllell. .-American Ploy Company 522SHiA«K Naw York City Larry Douglas succeeded Dick Smart in "All for LoVe," at the Ilellinger, N Y The Lambs will hold their 75th anniversary Gam- bol April 23 at the Astor hotel, N. Y Richard Rodgcrs and Os- car Uammerstein. 2d, have already turned down 400 first-night appli- cations for their "South Pacific," which precms April 7 at the Majes- tic, N. Y. Hamlet Baltimore, March 26, Barter Theatre production of tragedy by William Stiakespeare in two parts. Directed: by Robert Breen. Production and lighting by Nat Karson; costumes by .led Mace; ..music by Arthur Kreutz. At Maryland Casualty Co. Auditorium, Balti> more, March 26. '49. Claudius....... . ■.Frederic Warriner Gertrude. •.... ......Josephine Parker Hamlet .................. :Hume Cronyn Polonius ...'. ...Leo Chalzel Ophelia ..Jerry Jedd Laertes ................. James Andrews Horatio ..................... Ray Boyle Ko.<;encrantz. .Mell Turner Guildenstern ..Ernest Borgnine Francisco .Robert Paschall Marcellus .............. Robert Pastene Bernardo. ...'..v.. ...Ernest ^orgnine Osric Mell: Turner Dancer .......... .■..Mit7.i Hyman 1st Servant ...Ed Davis .2nd Servant ;.. Andy Bernard Player King ,.... . . ... Rolicrt Pastene Player Queen ......... . . Kathenne Green .Lucianus: James Andrews Prolog . . .............., Mell Turner 1 ■ — ' — ' This touring production of the Barter Theatre's "Hamlet" (but not the cast) will be sent to Elsimore, Denmark next summer, to take part in its annual festival.' Robert Breen has: directed and is set to play the name role for the Danes. Current production has Hume Cronyn, on leave from writing, directing and acting chores in film.s, in the lead, and he gives it an-intelligent and sensitive read- ing.. As a matter of fact that about sums up this production, which was originally devised for touring by truck in areas which rarely see live itheatre;. Hardly a soul-stirring experience marked by distinguished playing, moving drama and compelling mood, this offering is a few notches above a first-rate college or reper- tory attempt. Scenes have been trimmed and realigned and the entire playing takes place on a central platform with costumed prop men in the manner of the Chinese theatre moving tables and chairs to accomodate the playing. The cosumes are in good taste and the lighting adds much to the overall effect. Best part of the doings is an original musical score piped in to highlight and point the action. , The best word for the cast would be "adequate" and Cronyn makes up for lack of stature physically and emotionally with well-parsed phrasing and a good feel for the magic words at hand. Leo Chalzel plays Polonius as a doltjsh old codger and James Andrews gives same dash to Horatio. Most effec- tive scene is the watch, when 1-Iaiiilet meets the gho.st Of his father and the combination of musical background and amplified lines spoken by an unseen spirit builds to impressive dramatic; force. Bvrm,. Fifth annual Festival of Con- temporary American Music, spon^ soi-ed by the Alice M. Ditson Fund, will take place at Columbia Univ., N, Y., May 9-15. • I^iin Quarter stuff, climaxing with "Toast" bit, it's a standard in burlesque for years. ..... Georges Guetary, remembered for his success in the Gochran- Vivian musical, "Bless the Bride,' gets a big salvo for a couple of numbers, "Night of Romance" and "Casa Casino." He delivers hiS: big- gest hits in the second part of the sho^. These are French numbers "Clopin-Clopan" and "La Bas," rendered bilingijally. .Willie Shore, unknown here; except by those who spotted him during the war in USO-Camp Shows, hits the high spot, despite being badly served with material. His intimate style grows on one and it seems assured once he gets going, he will become a favorite in London. But sock of first half is certainly the Charlivels, who close. They have a varied .' assortment .. ■ of dances, including- Russian fast- stepping with some almost impos- sible twists and turns accomplished with perfect nonchalance. Show's • second half is much weaker, with Andre, Andree and Bonnie in statuesque dance poses proving one "of tlie highlights.' "Full Fathom Five," with Durant as cus- tomer, fails to register, despite it's being one of the best bits In "Make Mine Manhattan." More worth- while is Alan Melville's skit, "So This Is Soho," with Miss Day, Durant and Willie Shore, waiter; with lastrnamed getting most of the laughs. Show is reported to cost $200.-' 000, which takes a lot of getting back,especially as overhead is well over $15,000. But it's understood advance bookings are heavy and at 12 shows per week, house can gamer around $3S,000 per, with management expecting to run till Christmas, swhen house will stage its annual pantomime. Meanwhile, to bolster .up com- edy shortage, Gil Maison and Co., who scored big hit in Val Par- nell'g London Palladium panto- mime, . "Cinderella," have been added to cast as of March 28. ■ . Rege. -. Harvey Vienna, March 23. Theater Die Insel production of comedy in five scenes by. Mary Chase. Stafs Oscai* Karlweis; features . Adrienne. Oessner, Hannes Schiel and>Hans Thimig. Directed by Thimig: settings by. Max Meinecke; translated b.v Alfred Polgar. At Die Insel, Vienna, March 22. Elwood P. Dowd....... Oscar Karlweis Veta Louise Simmons. . Adrienne Gessner Myrtle Mae.................. Eva Peyrer Omar GafTney.. .. Hans Starlcmann Dr. William R. Chumley .. Hans Thiinig Dr. Lyman Sanderson...: Hannes Schiel Betty. Chumley........ ;..Hennyi Minersk.v , Ruth Kcliv ^ Eva Zilcher ] Marvin Wilson . .. .', . Arthur Popp 1 Mrs. Ethel- Chauvcnet-;-, Laura Zeller I E. H. Lofgreen .. Helmut Janatsch I Mane ... . Gertrude Kirchsteiger Preem of "Harvey" in Austria yesterday (22) was the event of the season, with Karl Renner, Presi- dent of the Republic, and the cap- ital's bigwigs, present. 0.scar Karl- weis' portrayal of Elwood P. Dowd is head-of-the-class thesping. His interpretation of the part is hand- led with conviction. The audience i of 500 responded to his six-foot imaginary rabbit with the .same understanding andienjoyment that made "Harvey" .-so. popular in America. ■ <■:. - . I The supporting roles are handled admirably by Adrienne Gessner, who came from Salzburg, where she was making a picture, and Hans Thimig, who is making his first stage appearance after six years of directing. Also notably cast are Hannes Schiel as Sander- .son, and B^va Peyrer, who gives an excellent performance as Myrtle. Hans Thimig's staging is marked by particular accuracy in depicting the average American home and the modern psychoanalytic Institute. The production by Leon Epp, with settings by Max Meinecke, /sur- passes all expectations. Alfred Polgar gave his adaptation a com- petent, translation' into German, but he was stymied in a few in- stances, where the brunt of a joke emplo.ved certain Americanisme unknown here. Mass. Feeries el, Vwlies Paris, March 12. Paul Derval production. oF revue in two acts (40, scenes) by Michel Gyarinalhy. Musical adaptation liy Pierre Larrieii', Songs by Larrleu, Jo Bouillon. Georges and Andre Tabeti Ha.ios, Fred Freed, Hdr- nez. Wandep. Direction, .sets, costximes and choreography by Gyarmathy. Stars Josephine Baker: features Colette Fleuriot. Veronica Bell, Luska, Monette Lerier. Line de SoU'/.a. Gisele Colline, Yvonne Menard, Madeleine Levster, Eli- <m« Mervyl. Jacqueline Marcy, Dandy, Frederic.'Key, Jean Luthy. Includes Fo' I'esJBcrgere showgirls, models, dancers. At Follcs Bergcre. Paris. ' practically one long bore. Wh»f could interest tourists—visual stuff and nudity—has been minimiVBi to the limit. Excepting one s^e»e the gals are as chaste as cherulw. Show is estimated roughly tn cost a little over $100,000. Therft are a few colorful costumes and three or four sets worth noticUiB but the show has been poorly nnt together. It's often interrupted bv unsatisfactory blackouts. LUHp money has been squandered on tal- ent. . ■ Josephine Baker, glad to stage a comeback from cabarets, has been turned into a clothes-horse. She's onstage over half of time in end less numbers, and apart from some oldies has no new tune to .sell There are a couple of sketches bv Dandy, the perennial comedian but they are long and tedious A girl named Luska is made to recite long dramatic monologs that also drag. Colette Fleuriot, who .sines and dances, does so with telling et feet. Luckily for the tourists, the one good number, "Crystal Parade" despite the poor lighting prevalent throughout the show, is very beau-" tiful. Number is without other prop than a black backdrop and shows the girls in black tights dressed in black and wliite plastic materials, which is very effective. There's no music worth mention- ing and no catchy new tune. The show is extremely local. There is nothing to appeal to the tourists except the name, Folies Bergere. Daphne Laureola London, March 24; Laurence Olivier presentation of com- edy In three acts by James Bridie. Dii rccted by Murray Macdonald. At Wynd- ham's, London, March 23, '49. Lady Pitts.................. Edith Evani Sir Joseph Pitts Felix Aylmer Mr. Gooch.... ...Frank Pettingell Ernest Piaste Peter Fincli Maisie MacArthur,........ Anna Turner Vincent Peter WiUiami Waiter ............. . .. .. ... .Martin Miller Spiv Billy Thatcher Mr. Watson Mark Stont Bill Wishforth..... ....,..Robin Lloyd Helen Willis '. Eileen O'Hara Bob Kentish. Alexander Harris Theatrically-contrived plot of this latest James Bridie opus strains credulity to its limit, but is nontheless entertaining. Due to artistry of Edith Evans, its highly improbable theme is. acceptable. Play would need similar glamorous star to carry it in America. Star plays a periodic dipso- maniac of mature years; who is re- trieved from a small foi^eign res- taurant by her chauffeur-attendant, whose, watchful care she has elifded, ' While chain-drinking brandy, which has loosened her tongue, she tells a fake life stoiy- to all within earshot, whom she then invites to call at her home for tea.: Scene switches lo the lady's res- idence, where she is closeted in do^ mestic felicity with her aged, titled husband. The seven guests duly arrive, to their hostess' embarrass- ment; she having no recollection of them- nor the details of her binge. Ensuing happenings are amusing. Play's success will depend on Miss Evans' drawing powei'. Of.a generally good supporting com- pany, Felix Aylmer is outstanding as the gentle, octogenarian hus' band, grateful for his wife's affec- tionate companionship despite her pathetic affliction. Frank Pettingell is perfectly cast as the provincial business man, and Martin Miller is distinctive as a waiter. Peter Finch, discovered by Laurence; Olivier in Australia, Is duly tem- permental as the excitable amoi' ous student. Cteni. New Folies Bergere show is con- siderably disappointing. With the one exception of a very .beautiful scene, tilled "Crystal Parade," it's The Three Bruises re.ioined cast of "Howdy, Mr. Ice" this week. Ken Parker, of the same show, is using his Monday nights off to ap- pear in dramatic plays at tlie, Cherry Lane theatre, N. Y.. Me- nasha Skulnik propositioned by 4^ee Shubert to star in a new edi- tion of "The Ziegfeld Follies" next fall . . Allan C. Dalzell, p a. for "Carousel" until its recent closing, has taken over similar assignmeni for the Theatre Guild touring "Allegro".. Helen Gillette planed to Norfolk over the weekend to take over the pari of the nurse in the Joe E. Brown company of Ha'" vey," succeeding Mary Cooper, wno left .to undergo an operation • ■ Anne Woll off Friday for four- week trip Via boat to Guatemala . . . Herman Rosse's design won competition for the Anlomette Perry awards medallion this yeai- "Tonys" will be awarded at dinnei April 24 at Waldorf-Astoria, N. Jt'