Variety (December 1951)

WednOtot r Wl (Dear Memory) Paris, Dbe. 20 . jufien. ..•••• •••.•_• •••■*■• * Alix.. ........ V V;; c i»ude .Gensac Irene ; "" Robert Lijiaouriux Following a three-day in urnSels where it scored heavily, ?Sy has opened ausphddusly here with a sock advance sale of about $10,000, which is plenty for the house. ' ... Jacques Deval, who Wrote “Tovarich,” and. more recently “Read to Samarkand, 0 , which is currently playing, in Italy., has penned a comedy Which, partly^due tb the excellent casting oi Btob?rt Lamoureux in the starring part, gets plenty of laughs. The story ? s based on the fact that the wife of Lamoureux, supposedly dead in an accident in Egypt, hasp t really died, and comes to hi? house through a secret passage to play ghost and finally -win hhtt hack from the girl Who had taken her place. Lamoureux, who graduated, from vaude into legit via hm support of Edith Piaf in “Little Lih,” is an excellent comedian. He has tim- ing, authority and plausibility. His spare build, and clear enunciation as well as the funny business he acquired in vaude, make him a natural for comedy parts. It’s a pity he can’t speak English, or he would be a likely import for the U.S, Claude Gensac, who plays the wife, was a last-minute choice of Deval, When Claude Genia, who was to do the part, was unavailable. After only a week of intense re- hearsals, she stepped in for an ex- tremely good job, one Which skeds her for a career. The menace, Junie Astor, is also good in het part and supports her well. The play has been well directed by Deval, who thus gets maximum returns for the witty dialog for which he is famous. Producer Elisabeth Hijar has given it excel- lent trimmings, with a fine set by the antique, dealer Chalom, and Jeanne Lanvin* dresses beautifully setting off the two principal femmes. * ' The play is a sure bet for conti- nental audiences. For TJ.S.Y much will depend on who would be. east for the Lamoreux part/ Maxi. Colombe London, Dec. 15. Tennent Productions presentation. of comedy in three acts and epilog by Jean Anouilh; adapted by Dents Cannan. Stars Yvonne Arnaud, Joyce Redman. Directed by Peter Brook. At New Theatre, London, Dec. 13, *51; $2 top. Madame Alexandra ......Yvonne Arnaud colombe ................ .'.Joyce, Redman Jullen .Michael Gough Paul John.Stratton Emile Robinet Esme Percy Desfournettes..........;.,.. David Horne Lagarde .Laurence Naiamith Madame Georgea ......Rosaline Atkinaon Surette .....r........... Eliot MflVebnm . Whatever merits this play had in its original French, it has lost something in its cross-channel flight. There are fleeting mo- ments; of pathos, but the story .has a cynical backwash of disillusion- ment which Is rather untidily'un- folded. It has none of the gentle satire of “Ring Round the Moon,” tne core being harder and more de- pressing. But it should cash in on >he author’s fame and the drawing attraction of Yvonne Arnaud and Joyce Redman. As a Broadway vfen-- lu ^ e its chances may be just so-so. Ar the period when the Divine oarah reigned over Paris, Madame Alexandra-held sway on . a much lower rung of the ladder. After a tempestuous career, she has ac- 2? lr ®d a prima donna’s unenviable reputation, seven temporary: hus- bands and two sons. Story is set entirely backstage. With ap inner set on revolving stage showing the star s ^dressing room; The harrt* n< * e ? roughshod over every- ahd has a strong aversion to 85* «Mer sto11 * returns after a ui a “ se . nce to beg her to care for his wife and child while he is absent on military training. . influenced by her Adored young- inn 5011 sIje ®8ree$ and turds the mtie mouse of a daughter-in-law ■SJJ a s , po1 ^* promiscuous actress, ® e ' pld goats con- i 2*% , th * theatre, and *51 her illusions of the °f love. On receiving an anonymous letter, the husband ob- compassionate leave and Sjrl with neglecting . an ? oo Adulterous as- with bis half-brother. She ' v Vic *L hls eospioiong 'but shatters Si OT reconciliation^ when fie mslsts -on going to a party In- stead of Bharing his only free night; Yvonne Arnaud sails regally through her flamboyant role of the mother; less- at ease in a caustic mood than irf her previous whimsi- cal characterizations. Joyce Red- man gives a flawless performance as; tne transformed nonentity while Michael Gough registers alternate tenderness and grief as the disil- lusioned husband. John Stratton is suavely attractive as the philander- ing brother, with Eliot Makeham making a cosy little part of a sec- retary. The amorous trio of elderly hangers-on are splendidly acted by, Esine Percy. David Horne and Laurence Naismith. Peter Brook’s direction of the piece adds consid- erably. tonis reputation. Clem. Absences Continued from page 49 the show for both performances Saturday 422) and has played all performances since then. 'At “Guys and Dolls,” Robert Alda ; mlisSed both" shows Saturday (22) because of a ptomaine attack after.'Sam Levene, the other top male le&d, had returned to the cast after being, out' about a week on account of illness. Ih neither case were there refunds, and" the gross continued at the standee limit, Gloria Swanson, who had been out of “Nina” for several perform- ances the, previous week, also missed the Monday night (17) show, but in that case there were no reported refunds and no per- ceptible effect on the boxoffice. In the case of “King and I” the boxoffice drop was more than offset by the amount of salary saved by the management. Miss Lawrence gets 10% of the gross, so ber loss of gix performances, plus the smaller amount lost by Brynner, actually meant added profit for the producers. But Fonda’s illness, in- volving about $1,500 in refunds, was. not covered by his salary loss for a single performance. Since no b.o. drop resulted from the illnesses of Miss Swanson, Levene and Alda, their absehces resulted in 'clear profit fbr the managements in- volved.. ^Substitutes for, the various ailing players included Constance Carpenter (for Miss Lawrence), Bartlett Robinson (for Fonda), Marta Linden (Miss Swarison), Leonard Graves (Brynner), Tom Reeder (Alda), and Sammy Schwartz (LeVene). Continued from page 50 couldn’t continue to work with the director,, either as opera manager or contract negotiator. AGMA claimed there were abuses of individual artists, breaches of artists* contracts, oral and written, and violations of the union’s basic contract with the company. It advised the hoard to appoint someone else to negotiate With the union thereafter on be- half of the troupe. Center board had had its mind made up on the Halasz case, with the AGMA resolution as climax. Halasz has a contract which expiresj Dec. 31, ’52, said to be for $12,00(T annually, and the hoard reportedly offered to pay him off if he’d re- sign. When Halasz refused, he was dismissed, the Center board calling. a special meeting for this. A year ago Halasz almost quit when the. Center refused to stage a new operfl, “The Dybbuk.” Board claimed then it couldn’t afford the cbin. Some of the technical staff planned , to quit with Halasz. This matter blew over, although it ran- kled with the board. “The Dybbuk”. was done this fall and. proved a boxoffice hit. Joseph 1 Rosenstock,: one of the conductors of the company, has been named as director pro tem. Opera company’s spring season will go on, as skedded, in February. ‘ Halasz stated Monday (24) that he considered himself still head of the Company. He called his dis- missal “a quick and very clever move” ton the part of his oppon- ents; and. said he refused to resign because 'he “did hot wish to sell the 7 (ruth for $12,000.” He denied charges that' he had .been auto- cratic, or rude; had used foul lan- guage, or made the company feel “insecure,” as management claimed. • He* also stated he had letters from 45 members of the company^ supporting him against management; (AGMA later daimed- these letters from its members were procured before Halasz’s dis- missal, via duress.) Halasz also felt the opera com- pany; and himself, had been jeop- ardized by the $50,000 losses the adjunct troupe, the N. Y, City Bal- let Co., had allegedly sustained a season^ ago in England. “I vigor- ously protest having been found ‘guilty,’ of unnamed charges, with- out even a semblance of a trial,” Halasz • said. He plans seeking al counsel. Defaced Continued from pace 49 on in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, as well as Cleveland, and other road cities, are the scene of efforts to “revive the road” by luring new customers. This drive is costing much coin—$7,500 was contributed by the Council of the Living Thea- tre in Pittsburgh. Managers feel that efforts to arouse public sup- port of show business are not-be- ing helped by the sale of mutilated souvenirs in the lobby. The souvenir book is usually a joint enterprise of producer, press- agent and printer. In the book in ’question, a New York pressageiit has the cohcession, and is reported to have profited handsomely. One report estimates profits ton the book to exceed $50,000. New cuts for the book would cost in the neighborhood of $5 to $15 each. Careful printing of the souvenir book—limited press runs —would avoid necessity to peddle remainder issues with mutilated faces. As changes odcurred, book could, be photographically edited up to date. Book in question is not only annoying customers, but has the troupers up in arms. Aldrich Tag Continued from pace 49 with the Olney Theatre in nearby Maryland, Richard Skinner, who had managed the Olney barn for several seasons, disclosed that he might return to .Washington to manage a: musical circus tent this coming summer. This is presum- ably the operation to which he re- ferred. Last year Olney considered opening a music tent, to forestall outsiders coming in here. A sur- vey at that time indicated to the Olney management that an invest- ment of $70,000 to $80,000 was called for. Aldrich was sounded out on the proposition. He offered to provide advice and attractions for a percentage of the take, but he indicated he would not make a cash investment. No Aldrich Tie Richard Aldrich, currently serv- ing as a Commander in the Navy, has no connection of any kind with the Washington teht theatre proj- ect, according to his attorney, David Marshall Holtzmann. The Broadway producer and operator of several Massachusetts strawhats has not* been active in legit while in the service, the lawyer adds. Although Aldrich has been ap- proached several times about be- coming associated with summer stock ventures in the Capital, he has nixed all such propositions, Holtz- mann says. Moreover, he has never “solicited” financing for any of his operations, the lawyer as- serts. Aldrich’s only Washington plans are, in association with his Broad- way partner, Richard Myers, operation of the National Theatre there next season. Although he is not actively involved in the proj- ect. while in the service, he and Myers have arranged to take over the Capital legit spot next summer, when Marcus Heiman’s current lease expires. Paramount Story tdHor Alan Jackson warn whimsical (■ a placa titled Give Me et Crofts With My Somerses a bright bylfat tartar* In tka 46th Anniversary Number Rodgers Sc Hammerstein Blog Chappell Music (Max and Louis Dreyfus) is tied in with Deems Taylor’s proposed “Rodgers & Hammerstein” biog as a joint ex- ploitation venture, Taylor, in turn, wants to set up a magazine seri- alization before closing for any book contract. In effect it will'be a two-in-one biog, since Taylor .plans also to deal with the Lorenz (Larry) Hart story when Richard Rodgers col- laborated with him, before team-, ing with Oscar Hammerstein, 2d; G. J. Nathan’s ‘World’. Due “The World of George Jean Nathan,” edited by Charles Arigoff, arid with a long introduction by the latter, will, be published by Knopf early next year. Nathan, who will be 70 Feb. 14, lays claim to title of longest-lived drama. . .critic, . having been at it since 1906. Nathan was still co- editor of the American Mercury, when Arigoff joitied the mag, arid continued as its drama reviewer for years, hence the tolose and long tie between the two men, Hedda’s. Lecture Tour HeddaHopper, syndicated Holly- wood columnist, starts a ; three- month lecture four next March un- der Clark H. Getifs’ management. . Cities on Miss Hopper’s upcom- ing itinerary are Detroit, Omaha, Chicago, Cincinnati and Buffalo. Bradna’s ‘Big Top’ Due “Big Top,” panorama of the Eu- ropean and U, S. circus since 1890, written by Fred Bradna and Hart- zell Spence, will be published by Simon & Schuster in the spring. Bradna, who is 82; retired recently as equestrian director of the Riqg- ling-Barnum circus, after a 45-year affiliation. Bradna’s story was started by Humphrey Doiileris about eight years ago. Project would have taken a year arid a half to do, arid Doulens dropped it after a time, due to pressure of other work. He turned it over to Spence, author of “One Foot In Heaven” arid a close friend, iri July, 1950. Spence only finished the book DeC; 1, ’51. Dou- lens, a Columbia Artists Mgt. exec, is also personal rep for Lily Pons and Dorothy Kirsten. ] Laurie Hails Dr. Scully Dr. Frank Scully is his title after reading his new book, ‘.'The Best Fun in Bed” (Simon $ Schuster), because Scully has writ- ten a prescription for invalids as well as well folks. It’s a prescription containing the best-select ions of cartoonV games, puzzles, short stories and gags, that will make labor pains easier arid make one forget about operation costs. It’s not a book-*-it’s a tonic, containing the best, laugh medi- cines by such great professors of humor, as Stephen Leacock, Ring Lardrier, Ogden Nash, Robert Benchley, Frank Sullivan, Walter WinChell, Henry L. Mencken and even Shakespeai*e, This book made me laugh so much, I think I’ll have to see a doctor. I wonder— is this Scully guy writing this stuff on commission from doctors? He has you coming and going. It makes Invalids well and. makes well people sick from laughing, Joe Laurie, Jr. CHATTER Leo Guild’s compilation of humor o u s Broadway-Hollywood anecdotes, “The Bachelor’s Bedside Joke Book,” bought by Avon Pock- et Books. Maurice Zolotow, who resides in Hastings-ori-Hudson, N. Y„ has for his “office” a suite in Glenwood Lodge, Yonkers, as a more private writirig retreat. Flora Rheta Schreiber, director of Adelphi College AM-TV Work- shop, has< penned ariicle, “Crime in Hometown America,” for new U; S. Crime mag. Paul Denis, former N. Y. Com- pass columnist, has been named ed- itor of Academy, organ of the In- stitute of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences. Slated for March publication by Little; Brown is “How They Elect Presidents,” an account of political conventions compiled from the writings of the late Will Rogers. Arthur Kober nixed a WB bid to musicalize an old Howard Lindsay- Damon Runyon script in order to remain east on the final touches of his new Broadway musical, “Wish You Were Here.” This is his col- laborative musical ization with Joshua Logan of Kober’s play suc- cess, “Having Wonderful Time,” B’way Originators in Pix Continued from page 2 OUT NEXT WEEK face the necessity of conducting extensive tests. Timing also plays an Important part. The sooner a play is coii- verted to the screen following a Broadway run, the more readily available are the stage cast mem- *bers. If a play Is placed on the shelf for several years, it often be- comes physically impossible to re- assemble the creators of the roles. Other Factors Other factors contributing to the use of Broadway players is their familiarity -with the roles, which results in the saving of consider- able shooting time, and the desire of producers to use new faces. Except for Vivien Leigh, who plays the role created by Jessica Tandy, Warner Bros.’ screen ver- sion of Tennessee Williams' Pulit- zer Prize winning play, “A Street- car Nairied. Desire,” contains al- most the entire original Broadway cast. In addition to Marlon Bran- do, these include. Kim Hunter,' Karl Malden, Rudy Bond, Peg Hillias, Nick Dennis, Aim Dere, Richard Garrick* Edna Thomas and Wright King. Paramount’s film adaptation of Sidney Kingsley's “Detective Story” features most of the original supporting cast. Except for Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker, in the roles created on stage by Ralph Bellamy arid Meg Mundy, the film offers such Broadway players as Lee Grant; Joseph Wiseman, Hor- ace McMahon, Michael Strong and James Moloney. In the selection of the leads* Paramount evidently believed that Douglas and Miss Parker would be stronger to.to. ' at- tractions than Bellamy and Miss Mundy. Stanley Kramer’s picturization of Arthur Miller’s “Death,of a Sales- man” has a strong Broadway cast tinge, although Fredric March re- placed Lee J. Cobb aa. .Willy Lo- man. March had originally been offered the Broadway role but turned it down. Supporting March are such veterans of the Broadway cast as Mildred Dunnock, Cameron Mitchell, Howard Smith, Royal Beal and Don Keefer. Kevin Mc- Carthy, who portrays Biff Loman, created on Broadway by Arthur Kennedy, played the role in the London stage version. Kramer's ‘Wedding’ Also on Kramer’s slate is a filmi- zation Of Carson McCullers’ “A Member of the Wedding,” with the three ; Broadway ’ principals-—Julie Harris, Ethel Waters and Brandon De Wilde—skedded to repeat their stage roles. Kramer also 1 b making a film version of “The Happy Time.” Although Charles Boyer and Linda Christian* who were riot in the stage play, will be seen in the leads, Kramer has signed Kurt Kasznar* who played the. role of Uncle Louie duririg 829 Broadway stage performances, Warner Bros, recently completed in England a film version of the musical, “Where’s Charley?” with Ray Bolger, Allyn IVJcLerie and Horace Cooper repeating their stage roles. Robert Shackleton, the juvenile lead, took over the juve pari on Broadway after the opening. Paramount will use several mem- bers of the original stage cast when it converts “Stalag 17” to the screen. - Signed are Robert Strauss, Robert Shawley, Robinson Stone and William Pierson. Hal Wallis has tested Shirley Booth and Sid- ney Blackmer for the re-creation of their roles in “Come Back, Lit- tle Sheba.” Twentieth-Fox has Ethel Merman all set to duplicate her success in ’’Call Me Madame,’’ and Metro, dusting off “Jumbo,” would like Jimmy Durante to repeat the role he created many years ago. . Perhaps the most outstanding success in the re-creation of a stage role lri recent years was that achieved by Judy Holliday in the portrayal of Billie Dawn in Co- lumbia’s ♦ film version of Garson Kanin’s “Born Yesterday.” After prolonged testing of many act- resses* Columbia finally settled on Miss Holliday* who promptly earned an .Academy Award .for; duplicating on the screen the ri>le she portrayed on the stage for sev- eral years.