The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 93

STAGE Ai SCREEN mm mm of week fa iPftxlairetpfiia Inquirer SUNDAY MAY 23, 1954 17 ON 'SHOW BIZ' Straw-Hatters Ready For Banner Season By Barbara Wilson ITH the curtain ready to go up on "The Moon Is Blue" at Bucks County Playhouse Saturday evening, it is a signal for you straw hat fanciers to don your summer chaneaux and head out on the theatrical circuit. There the devotees of Thespis are preparing a full season of comedies, musicals and dramas, as is evidenced iromi the listings that follow. I PLAYHOUSE SV mjETERJ JfmM 'm Nanrteokg Wilkes- 'yl 1:0 1 I grove Barra Mounainhoma ceiST mill l. ft old town llw jffMkJ Ti4 playhouse Ly IS PLAYHOUSE jm0T TURNPlKEp.J CLEABRELD WJAA Haleron Sroudsburg Andover 1 PLAYERS I I flofelX JL m-n A cuthwiuA (J -i, jryW PLAYHOUSE J- LebanoFiLSSeeadino laotU iiMC- New CrmetTon li. Utd6ank.I p- I jT is1 rtsrn HOTEL I lx MQgTON fcii'Mv For stay-at-homes and vacationers alike, there Is a bam or tent theater easily accessible by car, bus, train or foot, if you are the hardier type.

Routes and theaters are identified on the map to the left. During this straw hat season producers will try out plays with the idea of staging them on Broadway in the fall. Some candidates are A. B. Shiffrin's "A Burst of Summer," Calder Willingham's "The Automobile Man," and the Edward Eager-Johann Strauss musical "Waltz Down the Aisle." There will be encores for production that graced the New York boards this past season, like "Time of the Cuckoo," "My Three Angels" and "Lullaby." And of course, bolstering the schedules will be the perennial favorites such as "The Male Animal," "Private Lives," "Born Yesterday," "Carousel" and "Annie Get Your Gun." Stars appearing at the area's theaters will be Joan Blondell, Ilka 'V I I Jjj Chase, Uta Hagen, Elliot Nugent, Robert Preston, Betty Field, Zach-ary Scott.

Cornelia Otis Skinner and Piper Laurie. The third season at Playhouse in the Park Samuel Handelsman in the managerial post, while Michael Ellis assumes the producer's role at Bucks County Playhouse. Across the river from New Hope, St. John Terrell has become Lambertville's dual impresario, arranging his tent theater season there as well as at Asbury Park, POIGNANT ROLE is played by Pier Angeli in "Flame and the Flesh," coming to the Stanley Theater, Thursday. where he has Just purchased the Neptune Music Circus.

At Bucks County Playhouse, MUSIC aboutYown Jerome Cowan, last seen on local stages in "My Three Angels," will be the star of "The Moon is Blue." Featured with him will be Judith Hunter and Hugh Simpson, both of whom are active in television. For his second production of the season, Ellis has chosen T. S. Eliot's "The Cocktail Party," with arf all WHERE CURTAINS WILL RISE SOON ON ANOTHER SUMMER PLAYHOUSE SEASON 2 Requiems To be Given HereTonight By Samuel L. Singer star cast including Ilka Chase, ta Hagen, Edna Best, Philip Bourneur, Cowan, and Richard Waring.

The CAMERA ANGLES two remaining plays in June will be "Time of the Cuckoo," with Edna Best, June 21, and "My Three. Angels," with Cowan, June 28. Play's the Thing as Philadelphia Fans x-)EQUIEMS by two 6f the greatest 19th century HOLLYWOOD Stars Howl At Terms of Gable'DeaV The subsequent schedule is composers will oe given tonight by choruses in the "Fanny's First Play," July A. B. Shiffrin's "A Burst of Summer," starring Cowan, July 12; "Bandwagon," with Betty Kean, two Pajama Game' and 'Gull' Climax Broadway Season By John Chapman Special to The Inquirer NEW YORK, May 22.

THE Broadway stage season of 1953-1954 was low on quantity, high on quality and short in duration, having knocked oft about a month early. But it did end on a happy note with two admirable productions a star-filled revival of Chekhov's 'The Sea Gull" and the zingiest, zaniest musical of the year, Philadelphia area. Spurn 3-D for 2-D Version of 'Dial M' weeks beginning July 19; Tne Automobile Man," with Elliot The Wayne Choral society will close its series with VeYdi's "Man-zoni Requiem" at 8:15 in Radnor High School. Soloists will be Anna Moffo. of Wayne, who has won a Fulbright Scholarship to ances.

In all of these respects, it Nugent, Aug. 2: "Stalag 17," Aug. was blameless, ihe necessity or donning polaroids, however, re "Night of January 16," Aug. 16; "Last Island." Aug. 23; "Day Before Spring," musioal by Alan opera in Italy next winter; Howell mained to bedevil it.

And that, plus the fact that 3-D seemingly has run its course as a novelty re Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. By Louella 0. Parsons HOLLYWOOD, May 22 (INS). HOLLYWOOD is talking about: Clark Gable's "percentage" deal with 20th Century-Fox which is sure to stir up a hornet's nest with other stars at this studio set-tins ud a howl for the same terms "The Pajama Game tricks. Consequently, either because of indifference or unwillingness to play games in 3-D, he treated the process casually, scorning to disconcert the audience or take its mind off the lethal action, by tossing objects in its face or lap.

Only once in this drama of a husband who tries to have his wife murdered and, failing that, undertakes to have her convicted and hanged as a murderess after she has accidentally killed her would- sulted in fans staging their own If I were to pick the highlight two weeks beginning Aug. "Dame Nature," Sept. 13; "Bern-ardine," Sept. 20. The following is a list of other theaters in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware: house, the old Yiddish Art Theater at 12th st.

and Second ave. The Phoenix has had four productions and three of them have earned my enthusiasm. (I didn't care for John Houseman's busy and noisy production of "Corio- nius Gable's added privilege of By Mildred Martin HAVING tossed handfuls of confetti in the direction of "Three Coins in the Fountain" and "Executive Suite" these past two Sundays, let's have a look at a couple of other contenders for fans' attention among the current and coming attractions. With nothing except Technicolor in common "Dial for Murder" and "Gilbert and Sullivan" will no doubt attract totally different types of audiences. Yet divergent as these offerings are in mood, manner, subject matter and appeal, both represent top-flight movie-making of a sort no fan with a reasonable amount of curiosity concerning what's going on in the film world will want or making as many films as he pleases for other studios.

The hie ruckus over Reno's Pennsylvania Zulick, tenor; Lois Bampton, alto, and Richard Sharretts, baritone. An orchestra of 40, including members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, will accompany. Sherwood Kains will conduct. "A German Requiem" by Brahm will be given at 8 P. M.

in the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown conducted by Albert B. Conkey, the church's minister of music. The choir will be augmented by singers from St. Martin-in-the-Fields and St. Paul's Episcopal Churches, Springside and Germantown Friends Schools, and Chestnut Hill Academy.

Soloists be assassin, did Hitchcock really go to town with stereoptical stunts lanns" but then, i didn't care for "Coriolanus" either. Enough others did to make it box office claim that Alan Ladd wanted gifts to go to Reno and accept the Silver Knur Award and Alan's indignant cf the period, I'd say it was the rise of the Phoenix Theater under the hopeful and sensible management of T. Edward Hambleton and "Morris Houghton. Over the years there have been scores of high-minded theatrical projects which were dead before they got started the American 'Repertory Theater, to name just one. But Hambleton and Hough-.

ton have done what they said they would do put on first-class, professional productions at low box office prices in a full-scale play ALLENBERRY PLAY HOUSE (Boiling Springs) The players, under the direction, of Richard enormously effective revolution. This corner saw "Dial for Murder" in "depthie" form and immediately recognized two things. First, that its appeal had nothing to do with optical tricks, that, the play was the thing, a tantalizing tale of murderous intent with the audience as a worried witness unable to lift a finger to aid the innocent or trip the guilty. Second, and perhaps more importantly, was the fact that Hitchcock, himself, seemed stumped, for all his ingenuity, in employing any truly effective three-dimensional As a concession, then, because success.) dpnial that he ever even spoke he is a canny craftsman not a dab bier in photographic stunts, Hitch North Gage, continue their season The theater began with the late tomorrow evening with "Candle- personally to the Reno Chamber -if rnmmprrp. Sidney Howard's "Madam, Will Light." The remaining schedule in cock piled his 3-D eggs in one dramatic basket for the big strangulation and scissors death cludes "Late Love," May 31-June Gary Crosby's plan to rib his Continued on Page 18, Col.

5 You Walk?" an Intelligent fan-Continued on Page 20, 'Col. 1 "Seventeen," June 7-19; "Night scene, with the hand of the gur Continued on Page 18, Col. 2 Continued on Page 19, Col. 1 can afford to miss. Continued on Page 18, Col.

1 Above and beyond the murderous This Week's Amusement Calendar thrills and high quota of suspense engendered by Alfred Hitchcock's translation of the Frederick Knott stage play into screen terms, "Dial New Films for Murder has spectacularly succeeded in bringing the whole process of 3-D to trial. ij.x -t .1 In an effort to insure their production's success, the canny Brothers Warner played it safe by producing "Dial in both three- Times Gone By (97 min.) 2:15. 4:20, 6:20, 8:15, 10:10. 2d week. STUDIO.

Rhapsody (115 min.) 2:20. 4:25. 6:30, 8:35, 10:40. 4th week. TRANS-LUX.

La Ronde (82 min.) 2, 3:40, 5:20, 7:05, 8:45, 10:25. 2d week. TRANS-LUX WORLD. Films on the Way The Caine Mutiny Stanley Kramer production or the Herman Wouk novel, with -Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, i Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray. RANDOLPH, tentatively scheduled for last week in June.

UNDATED: Demetrius and the Gladiators Cinemascope sequel to "The Robe," with Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Debra Paget, Jay Robinson, Anne Bancroft. FOX; Witness to Murder Suspense drama, with Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, Gary Merrill. RANDOLPH; The French Line Comedy with music, with Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland, Arthur Hunnicutt. TRANS-LUX. dimensional and regulation or "flattie" form.

And at Jack Warner's insistence, we are reliably informed," it made its world bow via the Randolph's split bill on Tuesday and official opening on Wednesday complete with 3-D and polaroid-wearing customers. The first audiences proved to be a jury which not only could make up its mind, but could make it up in a hurry. In exhibitors' own terms, "Dial literally "died." And after just four performances on Wednesday, some long-distance telephoning to report complaints, the increasing skimpiness of customersa good many of them making no bones of their dissatisfaction permission was given to throw away the glasses and hastily switch to the 2-D version. Where-jupon business at the Randolph took ja turn for the better. If Warner's purpose, as one sus-Ipects, was to test audience reac- tion to 3-D in general and specif i-jcally via a film which used the process with far greater smoothness than in the past, that purpose Johnny Guitar Nerves and violence in old Arizona, with Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Scott Brady.

GOLDMAN, Wednesday. Flame and the Flesh Romantic sizzler, filmed in Italy, with Lana Turner, Pier Angeli. Carlos Thompson, Bonar Colle-ano. STANLEY, Thursday. Gilbert and Sullivan British-made musical biography, starring Maurice Evans, Robert Morley, Eileen Herlie, Peter Finch and the D'Oyly Carte Company.

STUDIO. Thursday. Prisoner of War Korean war drama, with Ronald Reagan, Steve Forrest, Dewey Martin, Oscar Homolka and Highway Dragnet Murder drama, with Richard Conte, Joan Bennett, Wanda Hendrix. STANTON, Friday. The Long" Wait Mickey Spillane mystery, with Anthony Quinn, Charles Coburn, Peggifc Castle, Dolores Donbon MAST-BAUM, Saturday.

Current Films Executive Suite (104 min.) 2:20, 4:20, 6:20, 8:10, 10. ARCADIA. This Is Cinerama (120 min.) 2:30, 5:30, 8:40, 34th week. BOYD. Three Coins in the Fountain (102 min.) 2:25, 4:35, 6:50, 9, 11:15.

FOX. Playgirl (85 min.) 2:15. 3:55, 5:35, 7:15, 9, 10:40, 12:20 A. M. GOLDMAN.

Beachhead! (89 min.) 2:30. 4:20, 6:15, 8:10, 10, 12: 10 A. M. MASTBAUM. Knock on Wood 41QZ min.) 2:10.

4:10, 6:10, 8:10, 10:10. 5th week. MLDTOWN. Dial for Murder (105 min.) 2:15, 4:15, 6:15, 8:15, 10:15. RANDOLPH.

Casanova's Big Night (86 min.) 2:40, 4:30, 6:20, 8:10, 10. STANLEY. Massacre Canyon (68 min.) 2:25. 4:55, 7:25, 9:55, 12:25 A. M.

Battle of Rogue River (71 min.) 3:30, 6, 8:30, 11:05, 1:30 A. M. STANTON. Summer Theaters The Moon Is Blue F. Huge Herbert comedy, with Jerome Cowan, opens at BUCKS COUNTY PLAYHOUSE, Saturday evening.

Future Summer Shows The Chocolate Soldier Oscar Straus operetta, with Janet Medlin, at LAMBERT-VILLE MUSIC CIRCUS, June 4. Coming Musical Events Jan Kiepura and Marta Eggerth "Night of Opera" recital, auspices Philadelphia Civic Grand, PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK, June 3. Philadelphia Music Festival All-star show, auspices of Philadelphia Inquirer Charities, MUNICIPAL STADIUM, June 11. has certainly been fulfilled. The answer, so far as Philadelphia film goers.

Is an uncompromising and rousing "No." man Wednesday. At the right, Tony Curtis and Mary Murphy are pictured during a tense moment in "Beachhead!" a film saga of Marine gallantry in the South Pacific now playing at the Mastbaum. With "Dial 3-D's increasing unpopularity can no longer be LOYIN' AND FIGHTIN' At left, Joan Crawford, as a gambling house proprietress, and Sterling Hayden, as a gunman-guitarist, team up in a romantic scene from "Johnny Guitar," coming to the. Gold blamed on trashy stories, imperfect projection or indifferent perform.