The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 97

STAGE, SCREEN AND MUSIC Tfte ITfiilabelpfiia Inquirer SO SUNDAY i FEBRUARY 12, 1950 a 21 i. o-; VJ. -7r: Vs 'r'rf if. -ri. A 7.c ''0 .) (Yi-.

a XX aaa -aav VV 0 i 4 A 4 vo THE CALL BOY'S CHAT Melodrama and a Revue Diversify Footlight Fare By Linton Martin Just what the doctor ordered, to offset deficiencies In our drama diet, has been met, in a measure, by the fresh footlight fare which came to town last week. For in a total of 31 stage shows i seen In this city since the start of the season, we have had not even one forthright, outright, made-in-America melodrama, and only two revues, before the arrival of "The Bird Cage" and "Lend contrasting categories 4 rl 0AA- 0AAJ Ir x. -a TEST PILOT MEETS SWEETHEART Humphrey Bogart romances with Eleanor Parker Chain Mastbaum Wednesday, 'STROMBOLP Ingrid Bergman, starring In ''Stromboli" at the Goldman, Wednesday. 'o A CAMERA Picture of Potent Appeal Based on Huey Long's Life By Mildred Martin -Any one who still insists movies are made for the gullible or for those whose intellects hover somewhere around the age of 12, had better prepare to change his mind. And in a hurry.

Incredible as it seems, you'd be surprised how many people who should know better stubbornly maintain this ostrich attitude, perversely, forgetting fine, thoughtful films, peevishly pointing out the tawdry A4V A KX- xl oVvXll 4 oX XX -o-t ai CL-- A o- aa I 'Si Si00ntSft iV i J- i rA-A'' isJ TT I 4 'A A A makers disappeared, and even with those who remained loyal to the stage for awhile generally harpooned by Hollywood's opulent inducements. Time was when several comedians of the caliber of W. C. Fields. Leon Errol, Ed Wynn, and Bert Williams, all cavorting in a single "Ziegfeld Follies, were taken quite casually.

Now; however, an enterprising producer counts himself lucky if he can capture even one mirthmaker like Bert Lehr. Ray Bolger, Bobby Clark, or any other, who happens to be -j Tinsel Varsus Talent Sheer surfeit and satiety un-doubtedy made for Jaded playhouse palates, and played an important part in killing or curtailing the revue as it once was, in its palmiest period. Even merit can become monotonous, if there is too much of it at any one time though, goodness knows, there has not been conspicuous cause for complaint on that count in any more or less recent musical shows which come to mind at the moment. When the musical revue was having its heyday, some producers learned, to their quite considerable cost, that tons of tinsel could never successfully serve as a substitute for talent. And that, of course, was what brought about the birth of the so-called "intimate" revue, which undertook to offer wit without weight, but did not always manage to make it, sometimes presenting neither in return for the customer's cash.

However. "Lend An Ear" should do much to restore the "intimate" revue to footlight favor. Indeed, it has already done so, during its successful run of more than a year (58 weeks) on Broadway. During any protracted' New York run of a stage success, some cast changes are virtually inevitable. Since its Broadway bow Just before Christmas, 1948, such players as Carol Channing and Yvonne Adair decamped from the cast of "Lend An Ear" to appear in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," in which they were seen here earlier this season.

But, happily, there has been no let down in the pep and pace of the performance now at the Shubert. Humor Is Hearty Spicy, smart, sophisticated, and saucy, are the adjectives which most succinctly and spontaneously trip oft the tongue or the typewriter in labeling the delights of "Lend An Ear." Seldom do satirical skits in such shows hit the consistently high level maintained in the tropical travesties that make up mast of the material in this lively revue, which is attractively, but not oppresively staged, wifh fresh and fetching dance routines deftly devised by Gower Champion, to punctuate the performance with still more zest. Various foibles and follies of today and other years are taken for a rollicking ride and ribbing in the sketches contributed chiefly by Charles Gaynor, who also provided most of the lyrics, and the agreeable if not especially original music. Potshots are taken at such tempting targets as dancing classes, the effect of highfaultin films, particularly the English Imports, on the speech of a couple of moviegoers, a retrospective slap at several stars of the silent cinema, grand opera acting amputated from the music, an inside slant at psychoanalysts as some of them may be, and with a breezy burlesque of the musical comedy of 25 years or so ago as the hilarious highlight, for the first act finale, titled "The Gladiola Girl." SOUNDS GOOD TO HIM AND HE LOOKS Richard Basehart gets an earful of Marilyn Maxwell takes rier pulse in world premiere of "Outside the Wall," GOOD TO HER! while nurse Dorothy Hart, Aldine, Friday. ANGLES sion and to the inevitable tragedy which, when it finally overtakes him, he still never quite comprehends.

Even an artist of Rossen's talent needs players to make his dramatic dreams come true. Fortunately, he has found them on this occasion and has had the sagacity to do his cast- ing careless of "big names" and potential box office drawing power. Visually and vocally and because, even though badly wasted by Hollywood since he played Lennie in the stage version of "Of Mice and Men." he is an extraordinary actor. Broder-ick Crawford is the ideal choice for the part of Willie. Almost uncannily, he succeeds in getting beneath the superfiscial aspects of the character, making him neither wholly evil nor too sympathetic, but a tragic contradiction.

The hope and affection Willie inspires in his simpler, earlier days is made easily understandable through the Crawford performance. While as he moves ever increasingly toward viciousness, drunk with power, debauched by liquor and women, a tyrant and a blackmailer and, essentially, a murderer, Crawford's Willi miraculously retains hisjiumanity. Impressive Performance It must have been dangerously tempting to overplay a role as full- blown as that of Willie Stark. But between them. Actor Crawford and Director Rossen never permit the role to assume more than life-size proportions, never lose sight of the fact that even a monster may have some reason, right or wrong, for his behavior, that nature never yet produced a complete villain in the forthright melodramatic sense.

Although Crawford dominates "All the King's Men," and properly, so. he has not been left to carry the film alone. Rossen has seen to that, casting every other role with the same inspired rightness, sketching in the hosts of other characters with the same care. Familiar and unfamiliar screen players contribute gorgeously colorful performances, with John Ireland and the stage and radio's Mercedes McCambridge outstanding as, respectively, the ex-newspaperman who painfully recognizes a fallen Idol, WUlie's secretary and mistress, who loves and loathes the man she once set out to frame for his political enemies. HOLLYWOO hi Review By Herb Stein trasn mat aoes Dusiness A picture which should set such folk back on their, heels is "All the King's Men." Certainly not designed for 12-year-olds, the Academy Award nominee at the Stanley is as vivid and vital a piece of craftsmanship as the most skeptical could ask.

Nor, although arresting as melodrama, exciting as headlong story-telling, does it fit neatly into any conventional pattern. Remarkable Realism Tough, and in a way terrible, this dramatization of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize novel is a combination of political and human tragedy, an unsentimentalized, yet compassionate, study of an honest man betrayed by himself, destroyed far more devastatingly by his own base lnstinats than by the assassin's bullet which at last snuff's out his life. It is, of course, no secret that the Willie Stark of the book and the picture had his real life counterpart in Huey Long. And the turbulent drama, while mentioning no actual names or places, Is close enough to recorded fact to be easily identified with the legendary career of the Louisiana "Kingfish." It is this sense of reality, this three-dimensional portrait of a man variously regarded as dictator or Messiah, this relentless study of good and evil and corruption, that lends "All the King's Men" its potency and its fascination. Crawford Is Capital Assuming the herculean triple task of producer, scenarist and director, Robert Rossen has fulfilled each of his obligations magnificently.

As producer he has perfectly fitted player to role without heed for the old, sometimes disruptive "star system." As adaptor, he has compressed the vigor of Warren's book into practical dramatic form which, if anything, is to the advantage of the original. And as director, he has underscored without over-emphasizing the slashing, sardonic sweep of the action, brilliantly balanced characterization with almost impersonal observation of cause and effect aa WiUie batters his way from dirt-road shack to Governor's man-' Tom Somlyo leaves for London in a coupla weeks to set American deals for Ralph Richardson, Robert Newton and Roland Culver Stuart Erwin returns to Broadway for "What a Day," a musical co-starring Bambi Linn Wrestling Is beginning to feel the bite of TV. Gates all around have been taking more falls than the contestants When Slgne Hasso winds "Crisis" at MGM, she heads for England to star in Ibsen's "Rosmersholm," first in a legit an Ear, in these respective and Both of these productions the former in its bow here before Broad -irar, the latter outward bound from Broadway, after more than a year as a smash hit on the Main Stem effer excellent entertainment in then own footlight fields. And they also raise the perplexing question of why such shows, that formrely bloomed in such prodigal profusion, are now fairly few and far between. -The Bird" Caste." particularly, thouid do much to restore melodrama of its model to its erstwhile For it Drings oon u-e.

anri with sure-fire, xootiuni feet, the sturdy, lnaesirucwuic s-aples cf the good old ten, twent twn- idlers. It also introduces Melrvp Doug'-as in a new kind of character: a suave, slick vihain of a inost despicable sort, dynamically different from his customary comedy roles. thouRh Just as smooth on the surface, and with plenty of persuasive charm Wantonly Wicked Wally Indeed, only an actor of the utmost charm could make plausible the part provided by Arthur Laur-ents the playwright, for Douglas in -The Bird Cage." which takes its title from a fancy New York night club where all of the action occurs, aided bv Boris Aronson's most ingenious 'and resourceful settings. As the utterly unscrupulous, slippery; proprietor" of the place, Douglas is super-sadist who makes the moustache-twirling, plug-hatted villains of old fashioned melodrama seem as bland and benign as Santa Clans in comparison. He is a dastardly doubie-crosser who frames and blackmails one partner, maims another, tortures his wife whom he has driven to drink, and degrades and debauches the women who work inr him.

It Is amazing he isn't murdered by any of ms victims long before the end of the evening except, in that case, of course, there would be no play. At one point wicked Wally is described by a stooge as "a winner ho would knife his partner in the back and sell his entrails in the black Market." From which it may be surmised that the conversation is crisp and wise-cracking. It is all of that and more and much of it is too pungent to repeat in print. What matters it if "The Bird Cage is a melodramatic draught right out of the old hokum bucket, thoush served from a shiny new dipper? It is tense and exciting, despite a woefully weak ending, and an assured success, Rollicking Revue Quite in contrast to the rip-roaring days of a quarter of a century or so ago, when successive editions of "Ziegfeld Follies, "Passing Shows," "Greenwich Village Follies," -Earl Carroll Vanities," "George White Scandals." and many more such shows fairly fell over one another's feet, until the tired business man was utterly exhausted trying to keep up with the crop, musical revues recent seasons have been relatively few and far between. The dearth, but by no means disappearance, qf this type of entertainment, has not been a mere matter of chance circumstance, but was undoubtedly due to a combination of fundamental footlight factors, economic, artistic, and others.

Skyrocketing production costs, mcng the external aspects Involved, reached a point where they became prohibitive, with few exceptions. Scarcity of topflight talent, especially first class funny men, was slso an important element, with few really ranking replacements stepping forward as the veteran mirth- PLAYERS IN Alice Thompson, in Street," at Walnut; Melvin (''r- i If. -t r- BACKSTAGE Actor Douglas Returns in A-New Role By Marion Kelley Melvyn Douglas is back in town playing the lead in that new play at the Locust, "The Bird Cage." It is as vastly different a part as he por trayed last year in ''Two Blind Mice," as one can imagine. a ruthless night club owner his six feet two frame lends itself admirably, yet Melvyn is far from that type when he steps out of character. In the heat of rehearsal, however, he admitted he often iound himself climbing into the personality of "Wally Williams.

off t-tage. This phase, he explained, only lasts until he becomes thoroughly familiar with his man. We remember him telling your reporter last season how much fun he had doing comedy roles. This time he spoke about how much he was enjoying himself depicting the other side of life. Wondering what manner of man he was, we questioned further but discovered Melvyn does not possess any frustrated Dr.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. This play merely presented a challenge to his acting ability. It is a type, he explained, he I has not played for years and it took him but twenty-four hours to say "yes" when they called him from New York to his Hollywood home. At the time he was toying mentally for weeks with two other scripts.

Role Is Challenging "There is something very satisfying about climbing into the person of a man who comes into power via dubious routes and keeps but a pace or two ahead of the law," said Douglas. "That kind of guy acts differently when he has the feel of money and what it can accomplish than the man who earns it by conscientious toil and saving. The gang ster's expression of greatness is many sided it has flashes of kindness and moments of savagery and vindictiveness never any solid emotional balance. I lose out in the end. I don't reform." He made no comment as to whether or not he thought the play would be a success, but did venture the statement that he felt it embodied some of the things today's theatergoing public wanted.

He believes that audiences and the trend of the times decides what kind of plays you see. For example when he played "To-Continued on Page 24, Col. 1 4 x-s FILM TIMES TODAY What Picture Houses Offer; Coming Bills ALDINE "Woman in Hiding," drama, with Ida Lupino. Howard Duff, Stephen McNally, Peggy Dow. 2:30, 4:25.

6:15, 8:15, 10:10. ARCADIA "The Heiress," drama, with Olivia de Havilland, Ralph Richardson, Montgomery Clift, Miriam Hopkins. 2:05, 4:05, 6:05, 8:05, 10:05. BOYD "Battleground," war drama, with Van Johnson, George Murphy, John Hodiak. Marshall Thompson, Ricardo Montalban, James Whit-more.

2:45. 5:10,7:30.10. EARLE "Samson and Delilah," Cecil B. DeMille spectacle, with Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, George Sanders, Angela Landbury. 2:40, 4:55, 7:20, 9:45.

FOX "12 O'clock High, war drama, with Gregory Peck. Dean Jagger, Hugh Marlowe. Gary Merrill. 2:35,5:05. 7:35.10:05.

GOLDMAN "Dear Wife," comedy, with Jean Caulfield, William Hold-en, Edward Arnold, Billy DeWolfe, Mona Freeman. 2, 3:55, 5:40, 7:25. 9:05. 10:50, 12:30 A. M.

KARLTON "The. Red Shoes," 1948 Continued on Page 25, Col. 1 swimming Van Heflin is resuming his studies at UCLA; wants a masters degree Evelyn Keyes and John Huston are almost a steady deuce at the track, day in and day out Irving Hoffman's in Cuba on a quickie. Jack Durant Is back from three 1 version, then in a picture to be made there also Anthony Beauchamp, British society pho tographer and son-in-law of Winston Churchill, is here to fulfill a Life Magazine assignment to shoot a selected number of film stars. The French Tourist Organization expects a record number of Americans visiting France this year, perhaps 300,000.

And they tell you that the daily cost of room and meals in Paris averages between seven and 15 bucks. Jerry Lewis will go through most of "My Friend Irraa Goes West" with a chimp as his partner real looka-likes, as you'll soon note in the news-reels We hear Esther Williams miff at Director Stan Donen goes back to the time she drove on the lot with a new car and he cracked, "Have enough room in back for a ix i i I i hi 5f years in London Jerry Hor-wm just sold MGM a yarn called "This Is News," which concerns a LA Newspaperman They're talking Loretta Toung for "Eu-ropa" at MGM, but nothing definite yet. Janis Carter is getting up a song and-dance routine for her forth coming p. a. with "The Woman on Pier 13," formerly "I Married A Communist." Zoe Alkins is rewriting her play, Evening Star," for Florence Bates to do at Pasadena next month.

It's based on the life of Marie Dressier and will hit the road after the Pasadena run. Charles Hoffman's first indie production will be his own "Malice in Wonderland," which is a take off on Ilka Chase, Joe Schenck and Continued on Page 25, Col. 3 THE PLAYBILL 3 Shotvs Stay, More to Come Three plays stay on here this week with the promise of Reveral others opening in the near future, "THE BIRD CAGE," a new drama by Arthur Laurents starring Melvyn Douglas, goes into its last week at the Locust. In supporting roles are Eleanor Lynn, Sanford Meisner, Larry Hugo and Maureen Stapleton. Here Douglas appears In a new role, that of a ruthless night club owner.

-LEND AN EAR," musical headed by John Beal with Dorothy Babbs, Ellen Hanley, Jenny Lou Law, William Skipper and Gloria Hamilton is in its second week at the Shubert. "THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET," romantic comedy presented by John Kenley, starring Susan Peters with Brandon Peters and Robert Carroll, is starting its last week at the Walnut. Plays scheduled for later dates include "Tobacco Road." coming to the Locust on Feb. 20; "What A Day," booked for the Forrest Feb. 28; "The Consul," listed for the Shubert on March 1.

and "The Silver Whistle," coming to the Walnut March 6. -v A Ls i J' Jo III yy y- -v j- I A vTN ry: y-, I 1 i CONTINUING THEATRICAL ATTRACTIONS HERE THIS WEEK "The Barretts of Wimpole playing at the Locust, and Dorothy Babbs, featured Douglas, in "The Bird Cage," r'Lend An Ear," et the ShubertTheater. THIS IS WHERE THREE BECOMES A LOT OF PEOPLE Blonde Marilyn Maxwell seems to be doing very Well with Clark Gable to of Loretta Young, in "Key tcrthe City," Randolph, Wednesday..