Variety (June 1950)

58 LEGITIMATE Wednesday, June 28, 1950 ic’s ’51 Jaunt The N. Y. Philharmonic-Sym- phony is slated to visit Scotland in 1951, to appear at the Edin- burgh Festival in from 12 to 14 concerts, starting Aug. 19. Orch won’t appear anywhere else, either in London or on the Continent, as supposed, returning early in Sep- tember for rehearsals for its own N. Y. season. . Orch is going at in- vitation and sponsorship of Edin- burgh Festival authorities, who will pay all costs—-transportation, housing, per diem rates to men, salaries, etc. Estimated cost—from N. Y. back to N. Y.—-is $140,000. Although a large part of this will be in dol- lars, for salaries, etc./ transporta- tion and other costs will be in pounds, as the orch will travel on a British boat, the Queen Mary or Elizabeth, Orch players are also expected to leave much ..of ttieir salaries as well as per diem dol- lars in England, for housing, gifts, etc. All these factors were dis- cussed, since it was necessary to get permission from the British Treasury to release the dollars. Negotiations were handled by Ian Hunter, managing director of .the Festival, and Arthur Judson and Bruno Zirato, managers of the. N. Y. orchestra. Dimitri Mitropoulos, the Orch’s musical director, and Bruno Wal- ter, its former director, will share the podium for. the concerts^ It’s expected that name soloists will be engaged for some of the concerts, with Festival authorities paying the freight. Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, as well as the Philharmonic board, have okayed the trip and terms. Minimum salary will be $125 a week, Other terms are: 14 con- certs in two weeks, if ordered, with a seven-day working week; N, Y. rehearsals at $6 per two hours Or less; rehearsals in Scotland at $10 per two hours; per diem expenses of $5 on board ship; $10 per diem in Scotland, and $10 per day while waiting for ship transportation to and from England. The orch’s 104 members will make the trip. The Philharmonic was last in Europe in 1930, when it played 23 concerts under direction of Ar- turo Toscanini. Negotiations for the Edinburgh jaunt started in 1947, but a hitch on expenses nixed a visit last summer (’49). This won’t be the first postwar visit of a U. S. symph to England, however. The! Philadelphia Orches- tra, under Eugene Ormandy, gave 28 concerts in Britain in May and June, 1949. Melody Fair’s ‘Widow’ Fair $9,550 jn Danbury Danbury, Conn., June 27. Weekend business gave Ben Bpyar and’ James Westerfield their I best , ipdex of the drawing power j of their new Melody Fair, the mu- sic theatre-in-the-round wji i c h opened here Tuesday (20) on the 90-year-old Danbury Fair grounds. After a pair of light nights busi- ness jumped with influx of Week- end visitors and gross hit,$9,550, about 20% under the capacity of the 2,000-seater canvas-top. Open- ing bill was* “The Merry Widow/ with Irra Petina of the Metropoli- tan Opera. This week Billy Gil- bert stars in “The Chocolate Sol- dier.”: Danbury isn’t a big centre Of population and stand must depend on drawing from Bridgeport, Nor- walk, Stamford arid other cities. Boyar, former Waterbury news- paperman , also counts on attract- ing pilgrims from the Naugatuck Valley, which he once covered. Theatre boasts One of the pleas- antest locations possible with park benches set on a mall for the audi- ence between the acts. Company is housed at Kenosha Lodge on Lake Kenosha, a half mile from the theatre. Play on B’way Pitt Femme Broadcaster Featured in Stadium Legit Pittsburgh, June 27. Florence Sando, one of Pitts- burgh’s best-known femme radio commentators and director of women's activities at the Hearst- owned station WCAE, has turned pro this week for a featured role in the Civic Light Opera Assn.’s production of “No, No, Nanette” at the Pitt Stadium,. Her previous stage appearances have been con- fined to the local community the^. atre, Pittsburgh Playhouse, where she’s done a number of shows, last One being the hit musical, “Fifty Grand,” Miss Sando took a week of her vacation from WCAE to spend in rehearsals for “Nanette,” with Bette Smiley the temporary re- placement on her daily programs. Goddard ‘Cleo’ Breaks Cpntiimed from page 57 Julius Caesar David Heilweil Sc Derrick Lynn-Thomas presentation of revival of William Shake-: speare tragedy in three ac'tsr. Stars Basil Rathbone; features Joseph Holland, Al- fred Ryder, Berry Kroeger, Horace Bra- ham, Emily Lawrence, Sarah Burton. Di- rected by Dan Levin. Designed and lighted by Ralph Alswang; costumes by Beulah Frankcl; incidental music and. songs by Hall Overton. At Arena, Edison hotel, N. Y., June. 20, *50; $3 top. Cassius Basil Rathbone Metellus Clmber ; Winston Ross Artemldorus.............,. Alan Dreeben Pindarus. .Richard Wilder Messala ................. ; Milton Selzer. Julius Caesar .Horace Braham Calpurnla ................. .Sarah Burton Antony.. .’Alfred Ryder Casca,.... .Berry Kroeger Brutus Joseph Holland Conspirator Cinna ........ Herbert Ratner Lucius... .. .Martin Newman Decius Tony Dowling Trebonius .'John Glendinning Portia ................ . .Emily Lawrence Servant to Antony ....... Charles Vocalis Poet Cinna:.... ..Howard Wendell Octavius:............. . ... .Kurt Richards Angel In the Pawnshop Westport, Conn., June 26. Lawrence Langner, Armina Marshall ahd John C. Wilson presentation of. com- edy by A. B. Shiffrin. Stars Eddie Dow- ling. Staged by Martin Manulis. Setting and lighting. Eldon Elder. At Country Playhouse, Westport; Conn., July .16, '50. Hilary Eddie Dowling Tom...John Farrell Danny O’Keefe............. Hugh Reilly Lizzie Shaw. .......... .Joan McCracken Drunk....... i............. . John Farrell Duke Jones . Willie Lewis Thomas Spangle....... .Murray Hamilton Joe Mandlebaum... . . ...... Robert Webber Young Man .Robert Whiting Priscilla Nash............. Elizabeth Kerr Lawrence Langner and Eddie Dowling jointly own this wordy whimsey which the Theatre Guild is priming for a fall production. In it Dowling, at least, is perfectly at home, for the mists that steep from fancy have long been his dish. Even though .his drama never takes on the dimensions of a good play, Dowling is completely at his ease. His ruffled hair; shambling locomo- tion and attire have long fascinated a respectable following, Dowling knows a Dowling part when he sees one. Here the former song-and-dance man is a gentle pawnbroker living in a property-man’s dreamworld. Bicycles hang from the ceiling at Westport and muskets sway in umbrella stands, An improvident musician comes in to practice Upon his clarinet long since in hock. A dramatist is permitted to Work upon his impounded typewriter. There is even one of those wispy Dowling heroines Who moves into the pawnshop, sweeps up the dust, renovates the kitchen and rum- mages: through the second-hand wardrobe to dress up like a proud empress. Early in the play there is the prospect of novelty when a gunman (Continued oh page- 60) Shakespeare is done well by, even handsomely, in the intimate arena-style presentation current at the converted Edison hotel ball- room. The declamations and rant- ings of “Julius Caesar” seem to suit the vis-a-Vis closeup setting, as husbands fondle wives* enemies denounce each other and conspira- tors seal their deals with hand- clasps. And as well staged and performed as it is here, this stock company production of the Bard is commendable stuff. Scenery, mass movement and crowds aren’t missed after the first few moments, under the -spell of the Bard’s lines and some superior enunciation of them. The tragedy is a drama of single men's envy, plotting and murder, and very apt for an intime presentation. The murder of Caesar by his fellow- senators is the more gripping for the close, naked brutality of it. Arena-seated spectators become a part of the play, and after the first few scenes of slightly Windy, wordy setting of the plot, are com- pletely absorbed in its progress. Thanks for this are largely due to the performances of an able troupe of mummers headed by Ba- sil Rathbone. Playing, in a sense, a supporting part as the conspira- tor Cassius—instead of such name roles as Caesar, Brutus or Antony —Rathbone invests the role with power, bite and strong individual- ity, His reading of the familiar lines is a treat to hear. Other portrayals are in keeping. Joseph Holland makes a noble Brutus; Horace Braham an imperi- ous, though sometimes slightly un- sure Caesar, and Alfred Ryder a shrewd, compelling Antony. In smaller roles, Berry Kroeger is ah impressive Casca, although the lav- ender tints of his first big scene are a little disconcerting; and Her- bert Ratner, John Glendinning, Martin Newman and Tony Dowling are convincing as cohorts. Emily Lawrence, as Portia, and Sarah Burton, as Calpurnia, are dramatic- ally effective as well as decorative. Dan Levin’s direction and Ralph Alswang’s lighting also do much to give this presentation its lustre. Bron ,' Film rights to William Inge’s “Come Back, Little Sheba” have been sold to Hal Wallis for a re- ported $100,000, plus percentage . . . Producer Dwight Deere Wiman returned yesterday (Tues.) on the Nieu Amsterdam from Europe . . . The Elmer Rices (Betty Field) and the Robert Whiteheads (Virginia Bolen) arrived Monday (26) on the lie de France . . . Harriet Ames, an investor in various Broadway shows, has a substantial financial stake in and will co-present the Festival Theatre, organized by Sam Wanamaker and Therese Hayden, which Opens July 24 with “Parisi- enne,” at the Fulton, N. Y. . . . The next Lambs’ Wash will be held Aug. 8 at the Percy Williams home, Hyslip, L. I., with Arthur Vinton as Collie and Mickey Alpert as Herder .. . Pressagent George Ross injured his back last weekend, while at the shore . . . Actress Trescott Ripley to the Coast last week, and is due back east about Aug. 1 , Eunice Healey opened her own production office. U. S'. Ambassador Lewis Douglas and Herbert Agar, of the London Embassy staff, have been elected to. the board of the Shakespeare Memorial theatre, Stratford-on- Avon . . The Louis Jouvet acting troupe, of Paris, is slated to tour the U. S. next spring, under spon- sorship of the American National Theatre & Academy ... Frank Chapman, his daughter Buff Cobb and son-in-law Myron Wallace have optioned Patricia Coleman’s “Recurrent Dream” for presenta- tion in Chicago and ultimately on Broadway . . . Eddie Dimond, dis- charged from Medical Center, N. Y., after withdrawing from a strawhat Staging assignment be- cause of nervous exhaustion, will vacation at the shore for the sum- riier . , . Casting began this week for a third company of “South Pacific” . , . John Shubert is vaca- tioning on his boat in Long Island Sound . . . Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “The Medium” and “The Tele- phone” will be the next offering of the Arena theatre, N. Y., follow- ing the current revival of “Julius Caesar,” starring Basil Rathbone . . . Peggy Cass, Sheila Bond, Car- men Mathews, Jack Gilford, Scott McKay, Chester * Stratton, Pat Har- rington, Hey wood Hale Broun, Murvyn Vye, Charles Chaplin, Jr., and John Drew Colt have been cast for Garson Kanin’s “Live Wire,” which went into rehearsal this week under the author’s direction, for a strawhat tryout by Michael Todd. “Mister Roberts” will lay off July 17 to Aug. 14 at the Alvin, N. Y., to give its star, Henry Fonda, a rest . .... Phil Stein, stage man- ager of “Peter Pan,” has optioned Inez Karma’s “Send for the Moon” for fall production, posftibly under Jose Ferrer’s direction . . ; Wallace Ford takes over: the male lead, op- J posite Shirley Booth, in “Come Back, Little Sheba” next week, succeeding Sidney. Blackmer, who goes to the Coast on a film con- tract. Peggy Nelson assumes the ingenue part in the show this week, in .placer of Joan Lorring . . . Pressagent Sol Jacobson splitting this week between the Poconos and Truro, on Cape Cod . . . Paul Czinner, producer-husband of ac- tress Elisabeth Bergner, was tapped last week for an uncontested judgment for $341, brought by the telephone company . . . Newly- elected officers of the United Scenic Artists, Associate Members- Costume Designers, are Eleanor Goldsmith, chairman; Alfred Stem; | viCe-chairman, ahd Robert Byrne, i trustee. j More than 200 tickets are sold I for the Show Train for “Kiss Me, .Kate,” although the date isn’t un- til July 21 and the New Haven - R, R. announced the sale only a! week ago . , . Sylvia Sicgler, who ' ( has ju^t started a new r^it-order 1 I (Continued on page 59) j imenting with a new setup. House has been on a star policy for a number of years, but this season Harmon is banking on a strictly resident group and has slashed prices to offset the absence of “names.” Spot opens Saturday (1) with “Clutterbuck,” which runs through July 8. Followups are “Two Blind Mice” (Juiy 10-15) arid “Pygmalion” (17-22), Edwin Phil- lips is set as the season’s director. At Ivoryton, Milton* Stiefel un- veils the new season next Monday (3) with Nigel Bruce in “Yes, M’Lord.” As in recent years, Stiefel will stick to the name policy, with a top of $2:95, Number two on the lineup is Shelley Winters in “Born Yesterday” (10). Stiefel toyed with the idea of tent music- als at nearby New London for this Summer but plans . caught a crab and the project failed to materi- alize. At Norwich, first attraction at Herbert Kneeter’s summer theatre, newly air-conditioned, opened last night (26). It’s Kay Francis in “Goodbye, My Fancy!” Also work- ing the star pattern, house will follow with Eve Arden in “Over 21,” Franchot Tone and Margaret Lindsay in “Second Man,” Laraine Day in “Angel Street,” Victor Jory in “The Spider,” Nancy Walker in “On the Town,” and Edward Arn- old in “Bishop Misbehaves.” Plans call for an 11-week season. V Giving nearby strawhats a bit of competition is. a local non-pro troupe, the Hamden Players, which is offering a six-week, sked includ- ing “Fatal Weakness,” “Ten Little Indians,” “Kiss arid Tell,” “Blithe Spirit,” “Claudia” and “She Loves Me Not.” Chatferton Ups Chevy Chase Chicago, June 27. Ruth Chatterton in “Little Foxes” broke the Chevy 1 Chase theatre record by $100 last week, Record for engagement, which ended Sunday (25), was attributed to Miss Chatterton as a new straw- hat name here and publicity from her book, “Homeward Born.” lari Kieth opens iri “Play’s the Thing” today (27), . Martha Scott is set in “Another Language” the week following. Imogene Coca is next in “Happy Birthday.” Comedienne has been set for two weeks due to unprece- dented .demand, for tickets, all' traced to her TV stint. Reed Spurts Bucks New Hope, Pa., June 27. With Florence Reed in “The Royal Family” providing one of the best-liked bills in the history of the Bucks County Playhouse, busi- ness took something of a spurt last week, but was not up to what it should have been. It was the best gross, however, of the first three weeks. A year ago, Miss Reed played in “The Circle” arid did a sellout week. Reason for the slump is some- thing of a puzzle, although the first two days of week were chilly and cloudy. As the week wore on, trade picked up and showed its first real activity of season. Dorothy Sands is playing the Grace George role in “The Velvet Glove” as the current attraction, Will-O-Way $2,100 in First Detroit, June 27. The Will-G-Way playhouse pro- duction of “Light Up the Sky,” with Gerald Harrington, George Hunter and Delores Rashid, grossed $2,100 in its first week at Michigan’s oldest strawhat. Play remains another week. All tickets for the 323 seats are $2. . Next presentation will be “Three Blind Mice,” with Teresa Way Mer- rill and Juva Beeman, July 4-16. Bill Merrill is director of all the theatre’s productions. Princeton’s Prime Start -Princeton, N. J., June 27. Herbert Keriwith’s Princeton Summer Theatre (McCarter thea- tre) got off to a good start here last week with Shelley Winters in Garson Kanin’s “Born Yesterday,” Producer - director K e n with, whose initial bill of the season enjoyed an excellent press, said more than 100 persons were turned away Monday and Tuesday nights. Business throughout the Whole week was excellent, he said, with a gross of $12,000. He estimated the operating nut at approximate- ly $9,500. Evening scale is $1.20 to $3; inatinees on Wednesday arid Saturday, $1.20 to $2.40 tax in- cluded. ■Kenwith succeeded , in obtaining the Trenton Transit’s cooperation in having Trenton-bound buses ic*ave Princeton at 11:20 instead of II p.m, # as an added convenience to Trenton theatregoers. The in- stallation of a new amplification system as well as an airrcooling system now in operation at Mc- Carter will definitely prove a strong boxoffice., hypo. A bonanza biz is expected this week with Franchot Tone in “The Second Man,” supported by Mar- garet Lindsay.' Advance sale is ex- cellent. Good advance is: reported also for Laraine Day in “Angel Street” (July 3) and Eve Arden in “Over 21” (July 10). Blythewood’s ‘Check* Preem , Uhestertown, N. Y , June 27. Check arid Double,” a new farce by Morton Krpuse and Leonard Plato, will open the Blythewood theatre on Loon Lake, four miles from Chestertown, July 2. Blythe- wood producer, Leon J. Bronesky, has optioned the play for fall pro- duction. Plato, co-author, is man- aging directo rof the strawhatter. James Winslow will direct “Check and Double,”, slated for presenta- tion July 2, 9, 16 and 23, in a repeN tory setup. Others slated for the series are A Night of Chekhov (“Marriage Proposal,” “Harmfulness of Smok- ing Tobacco” and “The Boor”), and Moliere’s “A Doctor In Spite of Himself.” Another new opus, “Mourner’s Bench,” is slated for production toward the end of July. Two other new plays will be select- ed, Plato said. Resident company comprises Sheppard Kerman, Jorie Wyler, Lisa Fillman, Tex Fox, Bill Reid, Lou Clarke and Michael Grimes. ‘Norway’ Perks Lambertville Lambertville, N, J., June 27. “Song of Norway,” the Music Circus’ third production of the sea- son, last week drew the best press yet. Consensus was that it adapted itself better than previous vintage Works to arena staging. Company also drew plaudits with Arthur Kent as Grieg; Dorothy MacNeil, Howard Ross, and Winifred Heidt in other top spots. Audrey Guard, Robert Feyti, Fred Harper and George Lipton were also cited. Robert Jarvis staged with Edward Hunt in • the pit and William Jonson as choral director, Charles Evans' designs for the circular stage again merit- ed attention from all the review- ers, proving that Suggested settings can be important to the arena style. . Annamary Dickey is guest-star- ring tonight (Tues ): in “Rio Rita” through Sunday, with David At- kinson singing opposite. Worcester’s Doldrums Worcester, June 27. The first of the numerous stock companies in this area to encountfir financial troubles is Guy Palmer- ton’s well-established company at the Playhouse here. He announced that beginning this week, he will cut all seats to $1. If that doesn’t work, he'll shutter. He blames the general tightness of money. The fact that a half- dozen other companies are operat- ting isn’t an important factor, he says, because biz was bad with him even before they opened. Red Barn, Westboro, is doing the top business in central Massa- chusetts. Newly-opened Theatre-in-the- Round on the Speedway here had a good opening week, mariager Alan Gray Holmes reports. Second bill starting tonight (27) is “Jenny Kissed Me.” Haden At Stockbridge Stockbridge, Mass., June 27, Sarah Haden, wfio played Aunt Millie in the Hardy family film series, will make he* first appear- ance in legit for some years when she takes the featured role in :W. Somerset Maugham’s “The Sacred Flame” at the Berkshire Playhouse in Stockbridge, Mass., week or July 3. Barbara Brady, grandaughter of the late William A. Brady and Grace George, and ^William; Roerick will make their first appearances of the current season in the drama. Roerick, co-author of “The Hap- piest Years,” which producer Wil- liam Miles tried out at Stockbridge in 1948, was co-featured last sum* mer with Francesca Pruning arid Lewis Martin in “The Heiress” at the Playhouse. Quebec Straw’s Sked Montreal, June 27. The Brae Manor Playhouse, un- der direction. of Marjorie arid Fil- more Sadler, opens its 15th sea- son July 5 with “Mifanda.” Straw-, hatter is situated 60 miles from Montreal at Knowlton, Quebec; and is oldest outdoor theatre m the province. . Future plays On list include “The Winslow Boy,” “Goodbye, My Faycy.”