Variety (January 1959)

EJEGITIMATE 261 January 7, 1959 Fifty-third 'Anniversary GEOBGE JEAN NATHAN TOM CURTISS * Showmanly Priest Paris. By UZ CARPENTER years, “One of the first and most Important things for a critic to learn Is Washington stock, c how to sleep, undetected, at the theatre,” wrote William Archer, ^ , p..j. George Jean .Nathan, our foremost critic, who died last April -was uring rehearsals at Catholic a no-doze man when on duty. No sleeping sentinel, he. He might leave University here, you spot him Nui a play after the first act, but when at the theatre whatever came before wearing a wild orange sunflower him had his undivided attention and he remembered everything he sports shirt as he directs a play. 1948I49 Sa^r 1. .... ,,, „ , . , , . , .. . He is the Dominician father and 1949-50 “I have a million-dollar memory,” he once told me. And it was true. . ,, “The very young critic, though he may write well and have some .her of the campus theatre, Rev. fresh ideas, must be taken with a grain of salt. When he tells you that j Gilbert V. Hartke. Self-confessedly ig52"53 some play is the best play he ever saw he may be honest, but one , still under the spell of show busi 1953-54 wants to know what other plays he has seen.” j ness, he was a child actor in Chi 1954.55 “Every critic has prejudices and the brave critic announces them j cago for George K. Spoor’s and 1955-56 boldly. But if he announces them or not they, are part of his point of ! Bronco Billy Anderson’s long-ago 1956-57 view and one must discover what they are to evaluate his judgment.” j Essanay studio. 1957-58 Nathan had many prejudices and some were bizarre, but all were ! Since 1937 Father Hartke has 1958-59 bravely announced and the man’s personality is to be found stamped headed Catholic U’s Speech and : Half-Season Total grosses ( .Coveting the first 26 weeks of the season, through Iasi Nor. 290 with co mparitire figures for the corresponding perioa in previous years, if available. The tabulation does not include off. -Broad way, stock, outdoor ciric operations, etc. > BROADWAY Number of Season Product 194748 . 194849 . on almost every paragraph he ever wrote. i Drama Dept. His records show 1948-49 . Saroyan was another of his discoveries, at least as far as the theatre ; 150 plays produced, 1,200 students ■ 1949-50 . went. Yet after reading some Saroyan script that he considered inferior graduated. Theatre names once j 1950-51 . he gave the author his blunt opinion. under his influence include Walter j 1951-52 . “I thought we were friends,” said Saroyan. and Jean Kerr, Julie Hayden, Bibi 1 1952-53 . “We are,” said Nathan. “But we’re not as friendly as all that.” Osterwald, John McGiver, Tom ■ 1953-54 . Nor could good intentions pass for good plays in his eyes, and while Carlin, Pat Carol, Rosemary Mur! 1954-55 many of his colleagues, praised the recruiting poster dramas that came ■ phy, Alan Schneider, Frances : 1955-56 along at a fast pace during the last war, Nathan dismissed them as ' Sternhagen. i 1956-57 worthless, dubbing them “the boom-boom dramas.” It was thanks Drimariiv to Wal' 1957-58 “Dramatic criticism has literally made over the American drama ter Kerr then a voune dfj instrue i 1958-59 from the mushklatsch it was into the approximation that it is beginning £1 that th? Universitv Theatre 1 _ to be. In order to continue the good work it is necessary for dramatic j ^ade its first sensational hft in criticism to show no mercy toward what still persists of the ignorant ! Vcm wJ?h the mnc£l\ old order ard to butcher it to death as quickly as possible with every j IfLnrJi M E S* means at its disposal. If, in the process, it bankrupts the theatre and i SrS? dnw SSmhJ? „f the men that stand in the way of its advancement, so much the better.” rfr,S And what he preached he practiced with a vengence. It made him 1 !fL!hLf S f h« few friends but it brought himmillions of admirers, and his criticism ' within n,3! +i° <n??e£S! won him respect at home and abroad. 1 F3tlie£ Hartke. Within the months ga/er d Nathan lived exactly the life he wanted. He once explained his that f°H°wed* . -I0113" neIped aP «ate pro philosophy as follows: ( prove the script and coach the i It was thanks primarily to Waler Kerr, then a young CU instruc j 1956-57 . ! 1957-58 . j 1958-59 . umber of Half-Season Full-Season -ing Weeks Gross Gross 572 $12,144,400 $28,826,500 509 12,273,800 23,840,700 455 11,862.500 20,614,500 495 11,559,100 27,886,000 429 11.678,500 28,702.000 391 10.691,800 26.126.400 447 12,548,300 30,169,200 477 13,100,900 32.087,800 535 15.281,900 35.353,100 488 15.31 1.00Q 37.154.500 450 15,230.800 37.154.509 433 15,963,400 ROAD 539 11,136,300 23.657 .900 385 8.333,100 20,401,300 433 9,906,700 20,330,600 348 8,468.400 18,827,900 399 10.124,800 23,417.600 341 7.847,400 17.623.2G0 374 9,507,400 21,122,000 384 10,435,000 22,853,500 397 10.667.400 19,826,300 279 9.857,600 22,645,000 324 13.208,000 for the presentation of his life's Third Best Sport ; and baseball being the primary story, but he couldn’t say “no” to Theatre Guild presentation of three-act! pastimes >. It’s a real enough basis Father Hartke. Within the months I for a Pla-V tit's already been the that followed, Cohan helped ap ciate producer. Henry t. Weinstein; set subject of a bestseller, “The Cgs> prove the script and coach the \ £ng*. M“vin ?ei.ss: T costiunes. Michael , poratmn Man,” as well as various 1 , , — . __ , 1 Travis; Miss jriolm s clothes, Robert Msck : nifl(Tfl7inp ti-ppac1 student, Jimmy Graham, who ; intosh. stars Eleanor Holm; features An agazine pieces.-. “Mv code of life and enndurt is simnlv this; wnrlr hard r»Ta\7 frt fho Student, Jimmy Graham, Who : intosh. Stars Eleanor Holm; features An i ‘J? H. was therein, never do a friend a dirty trick, eat and drink what you feel like when . *ee nis llle story on °Pening Howard wierum, James ifciren. Joseoh , , drew Duggan, William Prince. Judson . The locale Of the COmedv IS the ' i Laire, Jane Hoffman, Parker McCormick, rrprichlv hiviiHnnc liv-ncr rnTn?n • \ Howard Wierum, James Karen. Joseoh ■ garisniy luxurious llV«ng room Oi a » Boland, Irene Cowan. Opened Dec. 30. ’58. , gl’OUndllOOr SUlte m a Miami j at the Ambassador Theatre, n.y.; $3.93 beachfront hotel, where a dynamic _ _ _ .. .. ... , , — , , , niPhr , uoiana, irene cowan, upenea uec. ju. as. , ^iuuiiuiiuui Mint m a Uliana you feel like it, never grow indignant over anything, trust to tobacco ; men,: ! at the Ambassador Theatre, n.y.; $3.93 beachfront hotel where a dynamic for calm and serenity, bathe twice a day, modify the esthetic philosophy j “Had we never produced the j . Spofford Boadle : engineer-executive is attempting to of Croce but slightly with that of Santayana and achieve for one’s self . George M. Cohan story, I don t ; Helen Sayre . Celeste Holm ; combine a delayed honeymoon with a pragmatic sufficiency in the beauty of the esthetic surface of life, | f think he would have agreed for j ^“®{.asRfSs . ■ his higWy paternalistic company’s learn to play one musical instrument and then play it in private, never I Warner Brothers to do so later,” ; Arthur Underhiu ' Howard wierum : sales convention. To make their allow one’s self a passing thought of death, never contradict any one ' Father Hartke speculates. j £my Underhill . Jane Hoffman point, the authors present the allow one’s self a passing thought of death, never contradict any one ' Father Hartke speculates. j u-5d?SiU •••••••'„ Hoffman point, the authors present the or seek to prove anything to any one unless one gets paid for it in a second big milestone came ' ”o1Sewa£?e?s .'.V.V.V. . . .' .rud£n ™ire : executive’s wife as a charming, m “ed> “* be ~ “■ ^ Beneath all itsstraining for com S22f ’Sad Sd ^ hta°bXlnand he had dlttSto teuWh?, I Universities asking for bookings as presented by the Theatre Guild SdhS “ilthth-l'rtf." stlvaf & though he still relied on tobacco for serenity, ffis “wafas “e» for* group °f ™ act0I% \ l\ the Ambassador Theatre, the the big dea! and ^lab^hing her and his conversation as witty as ever. Unable to attend the theatre he . N°w V* yfars °!d payers Inc. j Eleanor and Leo Bayer play seems with his ' individuality and OTlvp'?e as presented by the Theatre Guild ending with th? wife salvag’ng I at the Ambassador Theatre, the the b?§ d?a! and establishing her i Fi0,nftP tor, n„.0r eoomc snousf1 a s Hie comoanv kin<7Dfn, with his individuality and private follow’ed its activities by a thorough reading of the important scripts. ^ °^de.st continual repertory ; as synthetic as the hyprocricies it’s jife intact. The c He admired the writing of “West Side Story,” he was interested in I touring unit in the country. It ; eXp0sing The result is that it’s however, that the play compromises Tw-o for the Seesaw” and the future of its author, but he found some ' bas been to war — m Korea, toured neither funny nor genuine and is a its point and even its herome’s of the other highly-praised plays overrated. He also wras anxious to see Europe and South America. j dubious commodity for Broadway, character for the sake of surface the script of O’Casey’s new play, “The Drums of Father Ned,” and to What Father Hartke wishes now i Given a more legitimate perform: laughs. hear about what was on in Paris and London. ‘ is a permanent repertory theatre ance, it could be a passable stock On its own terms, if “Third Best His whole fife was the theatre and even in his last days it held his in some major city near Washing i item (it tried out briefly in straw Sport’’ means anythin?, its heroine passionate attention. He wrote, dictating, until a few days before his ton. No one doubts he will get it ■ hats Ja^ summer) and with skillful must be the .stra;ght-thmKm^ nor death. * e . 6 ; adaptation might be acceptable ma e^t person she s. f rst portrrved. Some found his conversion to Catholicism Inconsistent with his' Warwick R I Federal tax I teSt .£oJ picUFeSo When she disrupts the crucial busi writine Thev must have read him in consisienr with his : Warwick, k. l. — uederai tax “Third Best Sport,” it’s ex ness deal, jeopardizes her fcus b^ Ar?her Hi^ hfe and hfc wnr^ th 1 stateu recommended liens on the property of the War plained in the dialog, are company band’s career and endangers her (ntprpq^inL fnt,?rod hS fc 6 a qUest and he W3S always wick Musical Theatre, Inc., were ; sales conventions and. by exten marriage, rfie's obviouslv in a interested m the future. |filed Dec. 23. ‘ sion, office and career politics (sex sobering jam. — -f i — . — i . ■» I. i ■ — — mm ■■ i ■ i : But even at this moment the i : authors, the director and the actors j go for broad comedy. Instead of j plaving w5th intense seriousness, J which might make the situat’on bei lievable and Diwd-1 genu;ne comI edv, the script and the performance j lapse into s’ap^t-'ck. As entertain< ment, the effect is disastrous, j Celeste Holm, starred as ti’e ■ sophisticated and gracious h ?lp} mat'3 surrounded bv ranmavmg i Babbittry. is an attractive, talented , actress seemingly betrayed by | heavy-handed d Section and her i own comic inventiveness. She looks stunning in an assortment of Rob¬ ert Mackintosh clothes, and she has undeniable sfvle and pr^-enee, but she indulges in enounh “takes” and hokum antics for a circus ring. Andrew Duggan is a mcd^raMy straight man in the roV of hecareer-mmded husband who f:nai’v grasns the idea of personal in¬ tegrity. while William Prince is ! reasonably plausible as a college \ professor with a critical apprecia| tion of big business mores, and i there are caricatured performances ; by Judson Laire as a corporation Simon Legree, James Karen and Howard Wierum as bulldozed junior executives, Jane Hoffman and Parker McCormick as com¬ pany-minded wives, Joseph Boland as a domesticated customer and Irene Cowan as his bullying wife. Michael Howard has staged the 1 show, presumably with a baseball \ bat, while Marvin Reiss has de | signed the suitably tasteless set % I ting and Michael Travis has sup \ plied the costumes. Hobe. % The production staff for the up| coming off-Broadway presentation of “She Shall Have Music” includes Solis, but the $1 admission was Louis MacMillan, director; Julien too high for Uruguayan pockets at TIATHJA A IV TIT? K W Stein, musical director; Fernand this time and advance booking was tv Nault, choreographer; Benue Jcy, weak. Now starring in “Two For The Seesaw” on Broadway costume designer, and Don McGo When she disrupts the crucial busi i filed Dec. 23. DOLLAR-TOP TOO HIGH FOR MONTEVIDEOANS By NID EMBER Montevideo. There are 10 theatres operating In this capital city of Uruguay, 30 minutes by airplane from Buenos Aires. Only one of them, the an¬ tique 698-seat Stella d’ Italia, is commercially operated and avail¬ able for what foreign touring com¬ panies come this way. The small Solis, the 671-seat Verdi, the 750-seat . Odeon are operated by the Municipal Theatre Board, which also runs the Drama¬ tic Art School, of which Spain’s Margarita Xirgu (borrowed this year by B. Aires’ National Comedy Theatre) is the guiding spirit. There are about half a dozen Little Theatre groups, and this year these produced such foreign plays as Terence Rattigan’s “The Deep Blue Sea,” “Wozzeck” by Buchner, Deval’s “Mademoiselle” and a Steinbeck play. “The Diary of Anne Frank” has had a long run at the Municipal Solis, in Argentine playwright Claudia Madero’s Spanish transla¬ tion, directed by Antonio Larreta, with an Argentine cast. Perform¬ ances are given six nights a week, with additional matinees at 6 p.m. on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sun¬ days. (Tickets, 25c) Last August the -Teatro Stabile di la Citta di Genova was booked in Montevideo for seven performances at the Solis, but the $1 admission was boo high for Uruguayan pockets at this time and advance hooking was weak. DANA ANDREWS Now starring in “Two For The Seesaw” on Broadway