The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 89

i. jnnisements inquirer Arts and the section SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 20, 1959 1 Comedy Moves Into Spotlight Fantasy Revue in Debuts a Mir yu ifej By BARBARA L. WILSON The theatrical season assumes a humorous aiv this week with the arrival of Marcel Ayme's comedy-fantasy, "Moonbirds," at the Walnut Wednesday, 8 P. and the Arnold B. Horwitt, Richard Lewine and Albert Hague revue, "The Girls Against the Boys," at the hr anppr Kanirriav HMfi i Ay me, whose "Clerambard" ct0Ar Michael was a Now Ym-v sn hls American stage debut as the headmaster.

In featured roles, Anne Meacham appears as one sistant's rival in winning the secretary's affection. "Moonbirds," adapted from the French by John Pauker, is a Leo Kerz, George Justin and-Harry Belafonte production, directed by William a skill and designed by Kerz. season, is concerned in his current play with a young portrayed by Wally Cox, who 4. of the headmaster's daughters, has the power of turning people 'frustrated in her love for the as-into birds. He practices his sistant because of his preoccu-special gift in his position with the problems of assistant to the headmaster of: life and the charms of the a French tutoring school, referred to by the author as "a service station for fixing human flats." The academy, counter- BATTLE OF SEXES In "The Girls Against the Boys," the battle of the sexes theme is carried throughout by stars Bert Lahr and Nancy Walker and featured players Shelley Berman and Dick Van Dyke.

It is related that the idea for the revue came to Horwitt about school's secretary, played by Phyllis Newman. Joseph Buloff is the police inspector sent to investigate the strange disappearances at the academy; Arthur Malet depicts the inspector general of the school, and Alvin Epstein is one of the more notorious students par of the American cram school, prepares students, several of whom previously have registered failures, for their en The battle of the sexes concerns (from man and Dick Van Dyke in "The Girls Richard Lewine and Albert Hague revue left) Bert Lahr, Nancy Walker, Shelley Ber- Against the Boys." The Arnold B. Horwitt, has its premiere at Erlanger Saturday. trance examinations to college. Oastarring with Cox is British for his failures and is the as-Continued on Page 4, Column 7 i I The Livin' Wasn't Easy, But fv- cPorgf Is Film Triumph By MILDRED MARTIN Samuel Goldwyn Is, as practically everybody knows, not a man to take discouragement lightly or lying down.

In fact, the screen's most distinguished veteran doesn't even i know the meaning of the word. If he did, there would very likely be no filmed version of "Porgy and Bess" today. For bringing the George Gershwin Orchestra folk opera to the screen was, to put it bluntly, no picnic for Goldwyn, who for 12 long years has kept his sights set Week's Calendar Of Shows upon the project. Between start and finish of the Tunes Up For 60th musical which will have its Phil adelphia premiere at the Gold man the evening of Oct. 7, Gold wyn has spent some seven mil lion dollars, cleared legal hur PLAY BILL By EDWIN II.

SCHLOSS dles with the estates of Gershwin The Philadelphia Orchestra Li'I Abner Panama-Frank-Mer- will open its 60th season in the' jand DuBose Heyward, who, with Dorothy Heyward, wrote the Academy of Music with the con cer-de Paul musical, with Jan Chaney, continues at LAM-BERTYILLE, Sunday, 6 P. M. JIIJA for The Gershwclass: odiuiudv evening, uti. ot emu Oct. The Gang's All Here Jerome Monday evening, Oct.

5 ORDEAL BY FIRE With details ironed out at last, Eugene Ormandy will be on the podium, inaugurating his Goldwyn ran into casting difficul Lawrence and Robert Lee drama, with Melvyn Douglas, Jean Dixon and E. G. Marshall, continues at FORREST, Monday evening. own 24th season as the Orches tra 's conductor and music director. As usual, he will The Miracle Worker William carry the lion's share of the sea ties, director trouble and, worst of all, fire which on July 2, 1958, not only completely wiped out the Catfish Row set, but the principals' costumes as well.

Did all this faze Goldwyn? Certainly, not, although many a less highhearted producer might have Gibson drama, with Anne Bancroft, Patricia Neal, Torin son on his own shoulders, conducting 23 of the 28 weeks in the Thatcher, Patty Duke, contin ues at LOCUST, Monday. 2959-60 perod. This year's six guest conduc given up in despair and called Heartbreak House the whole thing off, Bernard Shaw's drama, with Taking notions and tempera Maurice Evans, Pamela tors will include one especially distinguished visitor who will come as no stranger to Academy audiences. Leopold Stokowski, making his first appearance here ment in stride, he eventually talked the players he wanted in Brown, Sam Levene, Diana Wynyard, Alan Webb, Diane Cilento, Dennis Price, continues at SHUBERT, Monday. to the roles for which he wanted them; switched directors with I in nearly 19 years, will conduct I four concerts at Broad and Lo- Marcel Ayme's "Moonbirds," about a young man's power to change people into birds, involves (foreground, from left) Michael Hordern, Wally Cox, Phyllis Newman and in rear, Joseph Buloff and Anne Meacham.

At Walnut Wednesday, 8 P. M. Moonbirds Marcel Ayme's conv I cust in February a Friday afternoon and Saturday evening out too much pain all around and, making certain no one had been injured in the fire, set about rebuilding Catfish Row in all its pair, one of the Monday evening Lore, Hate Akin Early Season Pulitzer Vision edy, with Wally Cox and Mich' acl Hordern, opens at WAL NUT, Wednesday, 8 P. M. series and one Pension Founda I tion concert.

He will also con solid, serviceable, colorful Point of Departure Adaptation duct the Phladelphians in one of Jean Anouilh's "Legend of quaintness. VISUAL 'KNOCKOUT' Where others might have la 'Miracle irker in Fast Company Lovers," with Robert Stattel and Joy Dillingham, opens at bored to the limit of their skills HEDGEROW, Thursday, 8 P. M. and have still brought forth a By HENRY T. MURDOCK atrical brawl we have seen since movie mouse, it may happily and The Girls Against the Boys Ar Theater 'Carpers' Saluted By WALTER KERR NE.W YORK, Sept.

19. It has A contemporary theatergoer Kellers In an Alabama town.lting juvenile delinquent little who, a few months after birth Helen Keller has become, is revealed as blind, deaf and; STERLING PERFORMANCE Bill Farnum fought Tom Sants-chi in the first movie version i concert of their Carnegie Hall series in New York. FIVE OTHER GUESTS Stokowski will share honors as guest with five other eminent conductors during Ormandy's six weeks' winter vacation. The visitors will include Georg Solti, Eugen Jochum, Charles Munch, Pierre Monteux and William Smith. Munch and that distinguished octogenarian, Pierre with admiration be reported that Goldwyn has delivered triumphantly.

Dramatically, his "Porgy and Bess" has all the vaunted told us that in her ever-loving theatergoing career there have been four times when she didn't of "The Spoilers." Penn's tim nold B. Horwitt-Richard Lew-ine-Albert Hague revue, with Bert Lahr and Nancy Walker, opens at ERLANGER, Saturday, 8:30 P. M. MUSICAL EVENTS mute. With love, but anguished de ing here, as well as In the other humor, pathos and excitement of tachment and with no sense of the Gershwm-Heyward classic.

communication, her parents let want to hear any critical jabber-wocky when the last curtain fell, when- she just wanted to sit by herself and cry and laugh in her Musically, it sings and dances, chuckles and weeps just as it was Newpo.t Jazz Festival Concert We have mentioned the rousing fights between the two; the title suggests the impressive ending. Along the way, the performances of the Misses Bancroft and Duke are just too good for conventional adjectives. Two flaws in this premiere have been noted. It is long, and her grow as an untrained little animal. There is no hint of the Monteux, are of course well stars George Shearing, Thelo- intended to do.

And visually, in scenes is little short of superb. TRIBUTE TO PRODUCER The producer's role is, of course, always nebulous as far as the public is concerned. But above and beyond the duty call of collecting backers, Fred Coe great Helen veller who will be one day rev id throughout the been perfectly clear to me for some time that the world is in a confused state addled, upside down and contrary but it was Continued on Page 9, Column 4 Continued on Page 5, Column 4 Continued on Page 3, Column 1 beer and savor the wonderments of the play just seen. These plays were "The Death of a Salesman," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "The Diary of; world. The task of finding the spark buried within the child is given haj not only reunited a previous sometimes the mechanical yesterday that things came "voices" which tell Annie's past to a head.

are either strident or unintel- The first thing that happened as- to Annie Sullivan, a girl redeem- Anne Frank," and-the inspira- ana tinn fnr tho fWUratinn "Th sembled a notable cast, but ed from blindness herself whose ligible. They are such minorwas that I picked up a newspaper, Miraclp Wnrkpr Pas sponsored an intuitive and past history, including poor-nrnhlAm1 wp rprpt lhpir in. This nuts inst about a snort al thoroughly eloquent set rearing, is filled in this otnerwise ecstatic wue. recuiuueiise, bracket around William scneme oy ueorge jenKins. new drama at the Locust as we The storV of The Miracle she has a wit, a great heart andj As custodian favored grana siuDDornness, mac is Worker is as follows: In the 1880's, a child is born to the ready to cope with the unwit- Continued on Page 5, Column glanced at the television column, and there discovered that a forthcoming production of "Murders in the Rue Morgue" was to feature Edgar Allan Poe's great detective, Arsene Lupin.

I started to black out, but regained control. Turning to another, possibly more stable newspaper, I read that the publication of Peter Ustinov's new collection could design. It lists the play! among its heart-rending peers; it suggests the emotional depths plumbed in the story of the salva tion of Helen Keller's inspiration for the world's afflicted; it indi cates the rapt bemusement of the MlAKfT of short stories had been moved audience which, on opening FORWARD from Sept. 9 td Sept. night and ever since, has alter nated between breathless silence i YfifOr 26.

Muttering, "Forward, turn forward, Time, in your flight!" and spontaneous applause. I gave up reading for the day and I ilJI OS r1'ilh PRIZE CANDIDATE visited some friends. THE PRAS AND COS We add this exuberance: The LIU itAti This was a mistake because I Worker" to the Pulitzer Prize will be one worth waiting for; ran smack into what used to be called a paradox and must now be considered clear common the annual awards which over look the performances of Anne Bancroft and 10-year-old Patty VVV "CH Jf i f. Ac? I 1 fi in I I r3 yiKkd A it Duke will leave a bitter taste on the palate. 7 sense a topsy-turvy truth that had been bothering me" for years, but that I had pretended not to notice.

Various people were talking about the theater and as they talked I realized, and re Playwright Gibson, star Ban croft, producer Fred Coe and i nx un .,1: director Arthur Penn collab orated last on "Two for the See membered that I had realized saw." Gibson-Coe-Penn had before, that the society I know is been (and apparently still is) a healthy TV team: with Miss divided into two camps people who love the theater, and people who hate the theater. Bancroft as Henry Fonda's co star, the combination's first It is possible to tell these peo ple apart, and within a few min joint stage venture became 'a 'rousing success. utes of meeting them. The people who hate the theater are the peo In "The Miracle Worker," the fire of inspiration has really descended upon them. For Gibson ple who go to it.

hTe people wh love the theater, or announce most loudly that they do, are th people who don't. (whose play has been only the second of our new season) we are already touting Pulitzer You may not have noticed this. in your hurry, but it's true. When ever you hear a fellow inveighing 11 1 ikuJi caustically and with some passion honors. In his writing, he has imposed a wide field of dramatic action on director Penn which includes a second-act fight between Miss Bancroft and moppet Duke which is the most exciting the- againstthe institution fathered by Aeschylus, he is always bellowing Sammy Davis, watches as Leslie Scott and' Pearl Bailey try to comfort crying baby by crooning "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing" in scene from "Porgy and Bess," Samuel Goldwyn's production in local premiere at Goldman, Oct.

7. Tab Hunter, playing soldier on leave, waits to renew his acquaintance with train companions Sophia Loren and Barbara Nichols (right) in "That Kind of Woman," romantic drama due at the Randolph Wednesday. (Preview Tuesday.) Continued on Page 5, Column 1.