Variety (January 26, 1955)

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Wednesday* January 26, 1955 LITERATI 61 Literati Morehouse’s Profiles Ward Morehouse, former drama columnist for the N. Y. World-Tel- egram and the old N. Y. Sun, has signed to write a hook of profiles of 50 theatrical greats, under the working title, "25 Years in the Theatre," to be published by Har- per’s. Manuscript is due next Jan. 1. Legit pressagent Arthur Cantor is assisting on the research. In Bad Taste—and Useless Pennpix, undergraduate humor magazine at the University of Pennsylvania, was discontinued by orders of the Committee on Stu- dent Affairs on the grounds that “it does not fulfill any particular need on the campus." Earlier in month Franklin So- ciety, which publishes several campus periodicals, suspended Pennpix for poor ta^te shown in Christmas issue. Staff Changes at Dutton William Lamed, formerly v.p. in charge, of the trade department and industrial and business book department at McGraw-Hill, has joined E. P. Dutton & Co. as a vicepresident. He’ll act as a mem- ber of the editorial board, will supervise sales to book clnbs and similar outlets, and will supervise and coordinate the sales, promo- tion and advertising departments. At the same time, Dutton added Sharon Baningan as editor of chil- dren’s books. A freelance writer for the past two years, Mrs. Ban- ingan was previously with Farrar & Rinehart and the Samuel Lowe Co. She succeeds Marguerite Vance, who will turn to writing after 15 years as children’s books editor at Dutton. Other changes R. H. Burnside, the famed op- erator of the Hippodrome of bright memories (my first Broadway memory as a matter of fact) died in 1952. Later that year four N. Y. Library trucks drew up in the driveway of his residence in Ridge- wood, N. .J, under the supervision of William H. Matthews and C. E. Dornbusch of our staff. Trunks and boxes of manuscripts, letters, musi- cal scores, programs, photographs, clippings and theatrical magazines were packed and moved to Man- hattan. It has only been in 1954 that, roughly, a quarter of the col- lection has been cataloged. It will take at least three years more to achieve the complete job unless a really bright angel walks between the celebrated lions on Fifth Ave- nue and hands me a thee* ear- marked for the Theatre Collection. Actors, authors, critics, designers, composers and reporters, students and historians would benefit Im- measurably from such a gift. The Actors Fund of America and the Episcopal Actors’ Guild ha\e contributed material and the physi- cal assistance of their organiza- tions. Mrs. Victor Morley, a mem- ber of tho latter group, contributes three afternoons a week to preserv- ing the Library’s precious theatri- cal records. The Fund augmented the Effie Shannon holdings consid- erably as it has for others for years. The efforts of the various theatrical religious organizations to preserve in tangible form the ca- reers of their former members has been notable. Canadian-born Basile Anglin, the niece of Margaret Anglin, present- ed photographs, posters, scrapbooks and promptbooks on the great ac- tress. Shakespeare and the Greek dramatists were Miss Anglin’s de- votion and her promptbooks are particularly important. Lawrence Phillips, executive vee- poe of USO Camp Shows, present- ed the reports and several of the soldier show scripts utilized be- tween 1940 and 1952. Doris M. J'nine, the close friend of the Ham- ilton Revelles, gave photographs of 1 ’ e famous Belasco star; Laurence Rockefeller, after demolition of t o Rockefeller Center Theatre, g‘ive scrapbooks and bound vol- umes of that celebrated home of i'eshows which was opened as a him house in 1933. Mary A. Wesener, sister of the ,aie stagedoorman, Joseph E. Wese- m »\ of the Hanna Theatre in Cleve- iind, presented us with photo- at Dutton include the promotion of v.p. John P. Edmondson to exec v.p. under prexy Elliott B. Macrae and election of senior editor Harry Shaw to a vicepresidency. Frank X. Heidelberger was upped to as- sistant sales manager of the firm. Dratler’s Novel Jay J. Dratler, novelist and film scribe, has sold Redbook another yarn on the basis of an outline. It’s called “Doctor Paradise.” In town to plug his latest book, "The Judas Kiss,” Dratler is also working on another novel. Like "Judas” it’ll be published by Henry Holt & Co. —%— Canada’s ‘Beastly Ballads’ "Beastly Ballads," half-verse half-picture book published by Burns & McEachern, is illustrated by Jimmy Simpkins, one of Na- tional Film Board’s top filmstrip artists. Text is by Stuart Hemsley. an Ottawa diplomat. Bennett Cerf quoted from it recently in Satur- day Review, remarking “Ogden must be gnashing his teeth.” One cpuplet he quoted was: The zebra’s just an ass who has Dressed him- self for Alcatraz.” Simpkins also has a solo effort out, a collection of cartoons re- printed from Maclean’s Magazine, called "Jasper” (who is an anthro- pomorphic bear). Lady of ‘Fashion’ "The Lady of ‘Fashion’: The Life and the Theatre of Anna Cora Mowatt," by Eric Wollencott Bar- nes (Scribners; $4.75), is an ex- cellent biography by a former ac- tor who for the past two years has directed the Amerika Institute at Free University of Berlin in West Germany. As Eric Wollencott, Dr. Barnes acted with Fermin Gemier graphs of theatre personalities which were signed for him person- ally. Emma Mills, in celebration of the 35th season of her cele- brated Book and Play luncheons, gave us her literary correspond- ence. The fabulous Emma can be said to have introduced the theatre to society with benefits to both. Charles A. Rosskam and his sis- ter, Shiela Jane Furstenberg, pre- sented an extraordinary collection of scripts, music, photographs, post- ers and other extensive materials relating to stock companies in the U. S. and particularly to the ca- reers of the late Charles H. and Gertrude Mcclanahan Rosskam. This is the most extensive collec- tion of this type of show business material that I have ever en- countered Lester Sweyd, an oldtime con- tributor to the Theatre Collection and his partner, Irving Strouse, of the Stage & Arena Guild, have do- nated promptbooks, playscrlpts, programs and photographs of their various Americaft theatre produc- tions. The Library’s devoted the- atre friend, Bernard Sobel, pre- sented letters and some of the cele- brated telegrams of the late great Flo Ziegfeld which was a choice addition to our records. Gilbert Miller gave tour cartons of prompt- books and typescript* That friend of the late Maude Adams, Mrs. Frederick Gore King, gave typescripts of that famous actress,* productions of 'The Adored One" and ‘The Legend of Lenore" with notes in Miss Adams’ handwritfng. Howard Smith, cur- rently featured in "Anniversary Waltz," gave the Interesting theat- rical records of his late wife, Lil- lian Boardman. Mrs. Howard Hooley, of Indian- apolis find New York, presented the considerable files of her de- ceased husband, an expert on the old Chautauqua circuit, children’s films, and radio programs produced by the Boys’ Clubs of America. There is a wealth of material here for researchers and historians. One of the latest and must sig- nificant gifts is the Nat Karson Theatre Collection, presented in November by his architect brother, Herman Karson. Nat Karson was one of the most distinguished de- signers in the American theatre or even in the English theatre as the records show completely. This is a great addition to the Theatre Col- lection of the N. Y. Public Library. at the Odeon, Paris; for Max Rein- hardt at Salzburg, and on Broad- way. Anna Cora Ogden Mowatt Ritchie was a phenomenon of the 19th century U.S. stage. She was a gifted amateur actress who made good as a star at her first profes- sional engagement, and who topped that achievement by writing "Fashion,” one of the most success- ful satires in American theatre an- nals. Premiered in 1845, the piece is still revived and it occupies a place in Arthur Hobson Quinn’s definitive anthology, "Representa- tive American Plays." Dr. Barnes writes an eminently readable, yet authoritative book. Anna Cora comes to life in his pages as child bride, actress, play- wright and human being. The era in which she moved is splendidly reflected. Barnes’ firsthand the- atre knowledge gives dimension and color to his work. Down. Who’s Paying Attention? Wilber Republican this year be- came one of the few Nebraska weeklies to not run a summary of the 1954 events. And Editor Stu Bohacek had a good reason. At the end of 1953 he inserted, just as a gag, a statement that dur- ing the previous July a baby with two heads had been born in their city’s hospital. “There was not even as much as a whisper of re- action, hence I concluded nobody was reading the summary,” Bo- hacek reasoned. Bentley’s ‘Event’ Eric Bentley’s individual critical essays cannot be sustained to in- clude a bookfull of his pieces (mainly taken from his articles in The New Republic!, as his “The Dramatic Event” (Horizon; $3.50) proves. The Columbia U. prof opens his “American chronicle” of 56 short entries with a reprint of Shaw’s 1894 protective blarney on the im- possibility of separating the critic’s personality from his writing. Thereafter, it is not clear what audience Bentley seeks. Referring to himself as “journalist critic,” he seems to operate on the assumption that readers will be concerned with his personal approach to dramatic events. Away from the hurlyburly of theatrical cocktail parties and literary teas, however, readers may be hard put to understand the Professor’s denials that he leads a special coterie or that he grinds personal axes in reviews. The professor’s book also badly needs proof-reading, for its many errors. Down. CHATTER Michael Elder. Scot thesper, is author of a children’s book, “Tony Behind The Scenes." Producer Max Gordon is collab- orating with Terry Morris on a book of his reminiscences. No pub- lisher is set. Gordon Irving, Variety’s mugg in Scotland, doing monthly piece for new film mag, Films and Film- ing, London. Constance Schrepel has a pic- ture story in Feb. Living For Young Homemakers which tells her personal experiences in the growing area of do-it-yourself. Luther Bichols, former drama critic of the San Francisco Chron- icle, has joined the San Francisco Examiner staff to write a daily book column, "The Book Corner. "Jewish Gauchos of the Pam- pas," by Argentina’s Alberto Gerchunoff, will be published Feb. 25 by Abelard-Schuman. The English translation is by JE^rudencio de Pereda. Matt White; London News Chronicle show biz columnist, has joined the Daily Sketch as show page reporter. Harold Conway continues at the Sketch as theatre and film critic. Albert L. Cole, general manager of Reader’s Digest and new presi- dent of the Boys Clubs of Amer- ica, main speaker at Albany Boys Club $500,000 building fund drive, Monday night (24). Charles Lucey, 49-year-old Wash- ington correspondent and winner of the 1952 Raymond Clapper Award (for distinguished coverage of the Eisenhower-Stevenson cam- paign), is by-lining The Backdrop, a weekly column of comment on current affairs, which the National Catholic Welfare Council News Service is releasing as a replace- ment for Father James M. Gillis’ discontinued Sursum Corda. Robert L. McManus, Bingham- ton Press, has been elected presi- dent of the Legislative Correspond- ents Assn, in Albany. He succeeds David H. Beetle, of The Knicker- bocker News. Vice presidents in- clude: John ^1. Greene, Long Island Daily Press; Warren Weav- er, New York Times; Henry Leader, Associated Press; Walter J. Mordaunt, Albany Times-Union. Raymond I. Borst of Buffalo News is treasurer; John C. Crary of New York Red Book is secretary. Treasure Trove at 5th and 42d By GEORGE FREEDLEY »♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»♦♦« (Curator of Theatre Collection, N. Y. Public Library) SCULLY’S SCRAPBOOK ; ;♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ By Fsank Scully +♦♦»»♦♦»»♦♦♦♦++:: Palm Springs. Maybe the Manchester Guardian, in trying to explain how radio and tv make the mildest opinions of statesmen reverberate like thunder, came up with the best answer as to why such mild stuff as Ed Murrow’a “This I Believe" seemed like the skirmish of Lexington stepped up by special-effects technicians to sound like Hiroshima. The beliefs 6t pundits, great on rpdio, come off in print about as world-shaking as a cap pistol. . In their time, these topdrawer confessions went over 139 radio sta- tions at home and 140 overseas. Vets in Korea got them sometimes as often as three times ji day. Voice of America translated the soul- searching credos into six languages. BBC took them up and substi- tuted some British names whose teeth could be ungtaed enough to let the booth engineers pick up some of the sounds. Columbia strung some of them on LP records. ^Some are even going into Braille for the blind. So now we have them in seeing, hearing and feeling ver- sions. Maybe the electronic engineers deserve most of the credit that* has been going to Edward R. Murrow, Edward P. Morgan, Ward Wheelock, Joe Barnes and, last but not least, my old lover of literature with a capital L, M. Lincoln Schuster. The sound-mixers were the bo^s that took all these tired old words and juiced them up so they vibrated like musical saws. But in cold type everybody from Barney Baruch to Oscar Hammerstein 2d read as dead as Oscar Hammerstein the First. Diplomacy vs. Sound Engineers The Guardian has the answer. Commenting on a recent speech made over television by one of Winnie’s cabinet ministers, which stirred up a hornet’s nest on both sides of the Atlantic, the Guardian pointed out that the spoken word can be a blunt instrument and when coupled with a loud speaker can set diplomacy back 1,000 years. Public figures are trained to use words to conceal thought and when asked to reverse their field and speak out their innermost beliefs in 600 words, “the personal philosophies of 100 thoughtful men and women in-all walks of life—20 of whom are immortals in the history of ideas” wouldn’t set a dry old Christmas tree on fire. You can take almost any page of Ben Hecht’s “A Child of the Century” and find more electrifying thought than in not only this latest collection of the Morrow seminars but in the first one as well. Hecht, incidentally, 'not among those whose beliefs were herded into this new series of “100 new beliefs.” Frankly, they are very old beliefs. In fact, I didn’t find a new belief among them. When 20 name-ghosts put their ouija boards on Confucius, Socrates, Dante, Da Vinci, Shakespeare, Franklin, Jefferson, Bolivar, Faraday, Emerson, Liqcoln, Nightingale, Victoria, Elizabeth (prima), Tolstoy, Addams, Curie, Rogers and Roosevelt, the parlor tricks came off with even fess life than the confessions of the living. "This I Believe—For Radio.” Among the living I personally know about 20?o and if the rest played their beliefs as close to their chests as the ones I know. I can understand what killed this particular cock robin. A fairer title would have been "This I Believe—For Radio.” Even beliefs have to be adapted for radio. It isn’t because of the time factor. The Gettysburg Address was delivered in about the same time it takes to run off one of these transcriptions. But it was not boosted by sound-engineers and a public address system. Consequently, it died. It took the magic of print to resurrect it—the same thing that killed these latter-day believers. These talks of Baruch, Berenson. Bunche, Cantor, Douglas, Durant, Gunther, Krutch, Landon (no kidding, Alf Landon!) Hammarskjold, McEvoy, Michener, Noyes, Oursler, Sanger, Stevenson, Toynbee, Tru- man and Zeitlin, to pick a few, are the droppings of name-droppers. When told daily to “listen to Murrow tomorrow" I listen. I’m get- ting a little tired of the play on words but I listen. He knows exactly how far to go. I mean on radio. His delivery makes a straight news item seem as profound as Plato. But his voice is as high as fidelity can go. On radio. He makes pitches for fair play and free communication, and nobody, Winnie included, does better. But none of these notables, at least not the ones I know, talk around a fireplace, holding a highball, the way they do for Murrow. When he is their father-confessor for world consumption there are few atheists or agnostics among them. Thii may be true of them in foxholes, or before microphones, but it is not true of them before fireplaces. For radio they’re all as refined as powdered sugar. And this is an enigma that becomes more baffling with the years. In my time the stage and the book worlds have widened their doors to all sorts of beliefs and modes of expression. But radio, pictures and tv, though talking to the same persons who read books and see plays, act as if they are talking to Helen Hokinson’s club women, and nobody else. Even Sgt. Joe Friday talks like no cop ever talked on any police force anywhere. Two Sets Of Ears Coming Up! Why is this? Is the ear that listens to recorded sound converted, too, from the ear that listens in a nitery or around the home fireside? George Orwell wrote a book some years before he died called “1984." It caused a little stir. Recently, however, BBC put it on tv in play form. The British papers professed to be horrified. These papers print every day the harrowing details of some one’s private grief, but one man’s picture of what the future is going to be like if the trend toward totalitarian- ism Isn’t stopped at home as well as abroad is not taken as a warning but as an affront to the refined tastes of Sunday television viewers. Radio in America never got over Orson Welles’ version of H. G.’s "War of the Worlds.” Peasants presumably were scared stiff because they thought it was a genuine invasion of Martians. Would the reaction have been less terrifying if the listeners had been told in advance that this was nothing more than an adaptation of some early science- fiction? Listeners were told beforehand in England what "1984" was all about and that much of it would be terrifying. Did they turn their dials and listen to a commercial from Luxembourg instead? Of course not. They stayed glued to their screens and when it was over dashed to their desks to write to the Time* protesting how the calm of that particular Sunday night was willfully and maliciously destroyed by the bogeyman of BBC. What Gobs Believe So I guess Murrow knows what’s good for us. Spiritual soporifics hurt nobody and might even help a poor wit here and there. His collection is supposed to represent all walks of life. Actually, It repre- sents none who work with their hands for a living. At Christmas time he released to tv a gob-side version oi what enlisted men think of patrolling the China sea to keep Chinese from killing each other. One gob said he’d rather be home swabbing latrines. Others were pretty brusque in their beliefs too. None of these working stiffs is in "This I Believe." One 16-year- old girl is in the senes and she’s still shopping for a belief. Will Durant is just sitting it out with no hope for a future here or else- where. - One time Jim Tully invited to dinner as odd a collection as I’ve ever seen. The talk became pretty wild and beliefs flew around like tumbleweed in a sandstorm. When it was all over, Jim looked at the guests departing from his Toluca Lake manse and said of Henry Arm- strong, the fighter: “He was the only philosopher in the bunch. All he did was eat his pork chops and say ‘Goodnight.’"