The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 32

32 brooks eagle, sunday, my Industry Is Something New Had to Be, Just Ail-Out Now in War Effort lOfYiune uiAie v-iick Mguui CANDID CLOSE-UPS The earliest morning arrivals at America's entertainment Industry is growing up, spreading out and heightening its effectiveness. On July 14-15 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel all branches of the industry surprised to find itaelf with the biggest list of actors, writers, musicians and physical facilities ever offered a warring nation for service. When the boys In overseas camps, in home camps, in war plants and anywhere else that entertainment Zachary Scott Finds Everything Just Dandy Still On Broadway Why, that was no lady, that waa my 'Yes, what was her name?" Helen What la it in That Joke has lasted 100 yeari and It must be good. The Jests In "Dixie" are of newer vintage; also, a half dozen of the songs, though Crosby and his troubadours expect to do handsomely by Dan Emmett's "Turkey in the goes to war give up louder huzzaha Paramount' Hollywood Studio during the production of "Dixie" were the minstrels who found they had to do a lot of rehearsing to put "Turkey In the Straw" over with the required rip. When they started the film, a musical biography of the famed blackface songster Dan Emmett, Bing Crosby thought "Turkey in the Straw" was so old it would seem new.

He learned it was will join hands In the opening conference of the National Entertainment Industry Council, designed for all-out mobilization in the war effort The NEIC is a simple Idea, and for better and more frequent enter i vc J. I tainment, they probably won't know that it all goes back to a quiet chat one night deep in the recesses of Actors Equity. But that will be it Just the same. The idea that was Straw," "Dixie" and "Old Dan Tucker." I 119 like many simple ideas, powerful. Its principle is to bring together the industry to make the chain strong as its strongest link, by offering the strength of the entire industry to any organization within it.

old, all right, but still very familiar, II Eddie Sutherland, the director, figures there ought to be some kind born then is the NEIC today. While the NEIC was still Just an Infant idea learning how to walk, President Roosevelt wired the organizing committee as follows: "It of celebration, it was exactly 100 years ago that Emmett, an ex-army fifer and circus roustabout; "Ham-hock" Whitlock, self-styled king of the banjo players, and two of their friends who played the bones and tambourine, got together at Em The NEIC will consist of delegates from nearly every organization in the entertainment field, each representing his own membership. By this means, the 60-odd organizations which have been go being used nowadays as the official tune to pep workers in defense plants and add color to ship launchlngs. When the rehearsals started, 50 (count 'em) minstrels cavorted, shouting the chorus and tripping soft-shoe in a circle, but they didn't look like minstrels. Crosby was dressed like a tractor-hand, and smoking a meerschaum pipe.

Billy De Wolfe, Raymond Walburn and others of the ensemble wore ordinary pants, pull-overs, sweaters, derby hats anything that came to hand when they got out ing down their separate war-paths mett's boarding house in New Yorlc and began rehearsing for a minstrel show. is a pleasure to send you this assurance of my heartfelt appreciation of all you are doing in the field of entertainment to support and advance the war effort. Entertainment Is always a national asset. Invaluable in time of peace, It Is Indispensable in wartime. By co-ordinating the activities of all those who are working in the entertainment industry, you are building and maintaining national mo This was the first-known min By ROBERT FRANCIS The scene la a dressing room backstage at the Booth.

The time Is 11:30 and our host, Zachary Scott, has just slipped out of the uniform of the "wolfish" lieutenant whom Virginia Gllmore breaks to double harness these evenings In "Those Endearing Young Charms." Bert Gould, Zach's gentleman's personal (valet to you), Is expertly preparing a couple of Thomas Collinses. It is a hot night. "So they've put you to prowling again," we remark. "Ha," grins Mr. Scott, "you're thinking of 'The Damask I wasn't really very 'wolfy' in that.

After all, I only compromised the gal by driving her around the park. And dont forget I was a nice guy right afterward in This A little aullen, maybe, but with high principles in the last act." There's nothing predatory about Zach Scott at the moment, anyhow. He's Just a pleasant guy with an infectious smile and more than a trace of Texas drawl. Possibly the fact that you get a little mad at his Lieutenant Trosper on the stage Is because he's a good actor. It could be.

There's good reason for the drawl. Zach hails from Austin, Texas, where his father is a surgeon and his mother's people are all ranchers. "They sent me to Texas he laughs. "Had me all scheduled for a doctor or a lawyer. But I caught the acting bug in school.

I quit at the end of two years and worked my way to England on a cotton boat. I got a Job in London with the English Repertory Players. Played bits for a year. Then I knew I never wanted to be anything but an actor." "And then you came back and broke into Broadway?" we prompt. "Not quite," he drawls, sipping his drink.

"I came back, all right. But I was a flop. But I had one grand piece of luck. I met Elaine Anderson and got married. And Waverley, our little sweetie-pie, came along next year.

That was in 1935. We were dead broke, so we tracked back to Texas. I got a Job in the oil fields for two years. Then I decided to go back to college and get my degree. can talk freely with each other, discuss methods, swap ideas, and use each other's resources.

Each member organization retains its own independence and its own command; the function of the NEIC is not to take away but to add to each organization's resources for doing the Job at hand strel show, as blackface comedians played solo before that, and, billed as the Virginia Minstrels, purveyors of refined entertainment, it opened with a bang at the old Chatham rale both on the battle front and on the home front. You are doing of bed at dawn. Half dozen of the minstrels were veterans who toured about, mostly a grand Job and I trust you will not weary of this good work until "THE MORE THE MERRIER," laughing its way through its second week at the Paramount, stars Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea. Co-feature is "Night Plane From our enemies are brought to their knees in unconditional surrender." in the Deep South, with blackface companies such as the War and Wade Minstrels who put on what was called a darn good show In those days. Their Jokes were good, for those days; at least they went Theater in January, 1843.

"Dixie" first was a walk-around melody, then became a song. In 1860, President Lincoln, visiting a theater, heard it for the first time. "Let's have it again!" he called enthusiastically from his box. And that same year "Dixie" grew to be something more than a song. It became the "Marseillaise" of the Confederacy.

It would seem that the entertainment industry is far from in the most effective manner. In addition to its talent pools, the NEIC will serve as a clearing-house for demands on the industry, best ways of meeting the demands, and general ideas for boosting wartime entertainment to higher levels. By pooling their talent and resources, the industry shouldn't be over. The best one was: weary; and we presume that our enemies won't like the NEIC much, because it's there to see that every Ed, who waa that lady you were walking shot fired hits the target. It Seems the Stork Brought There's a Family' to Ephrons Yes, Russia Eats With Flowers And Trusty Fills the Bill Max Gordon was the first pro Yes, the modern Russians do have ducer to option their comedy, flowers for their social and official When his lease on it expired John C.

Wilson took it up. But third and ultimate producer was John functions and when they were needed for scenes in "Mission to "Three's a Family," the farce-comedy at the Longacre Theater, owes its existence to Phoebe and Henry Ephron's 2-year-old daughter, Nora. The commotion caused by the advent of their first, and, to date, only child set the Ephrons to writing what turned out to be "Three's a Family," now in its third month Golden, who had been on the look Moscow," Joe Trusty was Just the out for a domestic comedy ever since his success with "Claudia." man who could supply them. did not provide flowers for Stalin' office or its anterooms. Severe simplicity is the rule there, tha flower man was assured.

When Ann Harding, playing the role of Mrs. Davies, held roses close to her face they were real roses, the best Southern California could offer. But the set pieces to be shown against a less beautiful background, were Trusty's fadeless reliables, beautiful to look at and to photograph but immune to the ravages of time and temperature. He looked it up. The Russians, he reported, use many roses, which "Three's a Family" has a plethora of titles.

It was known as "Three Cornered Pants," "It's a Wise grow in great beauty and some pro on Broadway. Possessed with a Child," "The Home Front" (peo- Elaine went, too to drama school and Waverley and the nurse used to spend the day on the campus. We all used to pack into a Ford roadster at 6 in the morning to make it. But we were still set on getting back to the theater." "And what happened?" we ask. "It was really very simple," he goes on.

"Just after I graduated In 1939 the Lunts toured through Texas. We met 'em. They wrote to Lawrence Langner about us for Summer jobs at the Westport Playhouse. We came on and he hired us. After that, of course, I got on Broadway in the Guild's 'Ah, Wilderness' and 'Yesterday's Magic' Everything has turned out all right ever since." The Scotts are continuously busy.

While Zach is currently "wolfing" it in "Those Endearing Young Charms," Mrs. Zach Is stage-managing "Oklahoma." The apple of the Scott eye, Waverley, now aged seven, goes to the City and Country School down in Greenwich Village. "Have you got any special ambition on your mind?" we ask. "What more could I want?" he counters. "I've got my family.

I'm working." The last of the Thomas Collins slips down the Scott throat. "And I've got Bert Gould, the all-firedest, best drink-mixing gentleman's gentleman in Harlem." Bert gives us a big grin as we leave. He evidently likes to work for a Texan. sense of humor and a theatrical pie mistook it for a war play) be fusion in parts of Russia; cyclamen, the national flower of Syria; primroses and other native flowers not much different than those which fore it emerged under its present background that included stage manager for George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart on the male end, nil I and secretary to Gilbert Miller on the distaff side, the Ephrons know the.

theater. That an infant could create tur moil in a household tickled the grow in America. All of these Trusty could find in his stock of prepared flowers at Warner Bros, or could make with one hand and his eyes shut. Trusty's flowers are manufactured in his own storerooms on the Warner lot, of paper, cloth, paint and what-have-you. They are warranted not to fade under the hot lights of the set or to droop from age when a certain scene is delayed or has to be made over several times.

Relying upon ex-Ambassador Davies' first hand report, Trusty For the Lltvinov banquet scenes of the picture, Joe decorated the tables with garlands and clumps of the flowers mentioned. The meat shortage made it advisable to show the banquet sans heavy food and this waa accomplished by timing the scene so that only the last few minutes of the final course were pictured. Coffee cups without coffee and empty or half empty wine glasses showed clearly that a banquet had been held there without any unnecessary display of rationed food. funnybone of Henry and Phoebe, so they decided to write of their experience. Probably no play was MAUREEN O'HARA and Kent Smith help depict what happens in a Nazi-invaded town, in "This Land is Mine," now at the Albee Theater.

"Jitterbugs," with Laurel and Hardy, is the second attraction. cognomen. The comedy has started the Ephrons on what might well be an auspicious writing career. At present the young couple, plus baby and loyal maid, are en route to Hollywood, where they are under a year's contract to Twentieth Century-Fox. Both are native New Yorkers, like another husband and wife writing team, the Spewacks.

Phoebe graduated from Hunter College, Henry from Cornell, and both were active in dramatics. They have been married for the last nine years. Henry started as a walk-on and call boy in "Merrily We Roll Along." served in a similar capacity with Kaufman and Hart in "I'd Rather Be Right." "The Fabulous Invalid," "The American Way," "George Washington Slept Here," "Mr. Big" and ever written to such a rigid schedule, Henry was stage manager at the time for George Kaufman and Moss Hart's comedv. "Georee Washington Slept Here," and Phoebe was engaged as a mother and busy wife.

Monday was wash day, so that was out as far as writing was concerned. Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m. they could work. Wednesday was a matinee day. Thursday was the maid's day off.

Friday was o.k. Jean Arthur Makes Lo-o-ove While Armed Forces Look On irom z-5, and Saturday was another matinee. Every other Sunday the maid had off, so they "Junior Miss" also used his valuable stage managing talents. For a year and a half Mrs. Ephron worked as Gilbert Miller's secretary before retiring to have a baby.

The baby starting her parents wrote furiously alternate Sundays when the maid was on duty. Even so It took only three months to complete the farce. off on their writing careers. On the RKO Radio movie set in Hollywood all was still, as well it should be. For Jean Arthur and John Wayne were playing a love scene.

Now, when stars play a love scene, especially one so unusual as this for the coming Frank Ross production, "A Lady Takes a Chance," everybody on the set stands silent and fixed, so as to cause neither sound nor movement to get in the mikes or to distract the players. Moreover, only those with press Remember 'Tenderloin First Talkie? Conrad Nagel Starred listening to the lovemaklng. And all by her express invitation. So it might as well be told. She likes to give the breaks to these lads in uniform who have a few precious hours in Hollywood and then are back to desert posts or off to overseas battle fronts.

It's a funny thing, too, because she has the name of being one of the shyest stars in Hollywood, hasn't granted a formal interview in four years. Down at Lancaster, in the Mojave Desert, when the company was on location, she toured the town one night with a bunch of air cadets from a nearby flying field, dancing with them in turn to juke. On another occasion, she hitchhiked a ride into the town with a couple of cadets, then hosted them at dinner with the company. And as to closing the set for the love scene when there were soldiers to be entertained, she wouldn't hear of it. "I can stand it if they can." she i ing business on the set usually are admitted.

Many a star with such a scene to play Miss Arthur, the New York white collar girl vacationing in the West, and Wayne, the rodeo champ, strolling through an auto court while fumbling words draw palpitant hearts closer yes, many a star, playing this scene, would have asked Director William Selter to close the set to visitors. Instead, Miss Arthur asked no such thing. On the contrary, here were 20 soldiers, passing through Hollywood, gaping at the scene, HUMPHREY BOG ART, Raymond Massey and Kane Richmond keep the action rolling in "Action in the North Atlantic," hit film now in its fourth week at the Fox. "It's a Great Life" is added. BLANCHE SWEET and Dean Harens in "Those Endearing Young Charms," which Max Gordon is presenting at the Booth Theater.

said. "Le them see how mnviAar Remember "Glorious Or Any one who professes to be even a sketchy student of motion-picture history will recall those two productions. They were the first talking films ever to be made. They weren't "all-talkies" Hollywood was not to scale that dizzy peak of volubility until "Lights of New York" came along. But in certain sections of each picture the conventional musical sound track would give way to an ominous whirring, and then, to the awe of the pewholders, the characters on the screen would begin to address each other with thunderous noises that occasionally passed for words.

Starred In that pair of pictures was a young man named Conrad Nagel, who had been quite a figure in the industry in the silent days and had been able to make the switch from "silent" to "talking" because of his earlier stage experience. In fact, that stage experience led the moguls into working him to a frazzle during the following two years during that span he made no less than 31 pictures. Just now Mr. Nagel is back on the stage, back on Broadway for the first time since 1933 when he appeared here in "The First Apple." He is currently involved in the Pulitzer prize-winning "The Skin of Our Teeth," Thornton Wilder's comedy at the Fulton, in which he plays Mr. Antrobus, inventor of the wheel and the alphabet.

He succeeded Fredric March in the role. The actor made his Broadway bow in "Forever After" after having served the usual apprenticeship in stock. The career of that play was temporarily side-tracked during World War and Nagel went into active service on the U. S. S.

Seattle. The war over, he returned to "Forever After," then was summoned to Hollywood where he promptly became one of the industry's leading stars. For the past ten years or so Nagel has not made any motion pictures, has chosen Instead to devote himself to the stage and to radio. Three seasons ago he appeared in the title role In Max Reinhardt's production of "Faust," in the Hollywood Bowl, and has also done quite a bit of touring throughout the East. made.

It'll be something to talk about later." George Abbott Lifts Talent From Broadway to Hollywood Actor Lloyd Nolan Went Up George Abbott proved himself one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's In Lights the Very Hard Way most successful talent-pickers when he assembled his cast for the stage musical, "Best Foot For ward." This show ran a full season in Thee I Sing," "Anything Goes," and. "Fifty Million Frenchmen." One of the characterizations that seems certain to have movie fans buzzing is that turned in by Virginia Weidler. It seems Just the other day that Miss Weidler was a child actress, in pigtails. Now she Is Lucille Ball's romantic rival in this fast-paced story of adolescence. The musical score of "Best Foot Forward" had theater-gners whistling and dance orchestras working New York to enthusiastic patronage, and five of the youngsters re cruited by Abbott from nowhere and everywhere were transported intact with the script to California, 'Chauve-Souris 1943' to Begin Rehearsals July 12 Rehearsals for the new edition of the all-Russian revue, "Chauve- overtime, last year.

Some of the best-remembered melodies, to be brought to the new musical are "Buckle Down Winsocki," "The Lloyd Nolan is an actor by choice. With many successful roles behind him he Is purrently appearing in new picture "Bataan," describing the last stand made by 13 expendable Americans in the defense of the Island against Jap Invasion. Nolan has always aspired to be an actor, he says, even though he nearly starved before reaching his goal. He was born in San Francisco of non-theatrical parents, and after completing public school there, enrolled at Stanford University. He flunked at the end of his freshman year "because I never got around to attending any other class but dramatics." His first stage venture was in a vaudeville sketch staged In a small theater in Stanford.

The experience whetted his appetite for more and he Joined the Pasadena Community Theater. Here he studied and acted with Victor Jory, Helen Brooks and others who have since Souris 1943," will begin on Monday, Three and "What Do You 1943" has been arranged and composed by Gleb Yellin, well-known Russian musical director, who will also conduct the orchestra. The settings, already in work at the Eugene B. Dunkel Studios, have been designed by Sergei Soudeikine, who has been assocated with the "Chauve-Souris" tradition from its early days in a Mowow cellar to its epoch-making run under Morris Gest on the Century Roof in 1922-23. Think I Am?" They are supple mented by some new and equally tunes.

July 12, according to an announcement by its producer, Leon Greanin. The premiere has been set for Thursday evening, Aug. 12, at one become famous. Miss Brooks ia now starring on Broadway in "Arsenic and Old Lace." After a bit part in "The Queen's Husband." which starred Edward Everett Horton, Nolan decided the time was ripe to try Broadway. He miscalculated, however, for in the months that followed he never knew where his next coffee and cakes were coming from.

Finally he got a part in a road company of "The Front Page." When the show closed he played stock wherever and whenever he could land a job. After a second season on the road he was awarded the Juvenile lead in "Reunion in Vienna" starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Thus at last he made his debut on Broadway. The big turning point of Nolan's career came In "One Sunday Afternoon." It played 43 weeks in New York and provided the magic carpet that took the actor to Hollywood. His first picture was "Stolen Har.

mnny." since, he has plaved in 43 other. Nolan Is one of the few actors who can pnrtrav "heels" and heroes with equal facility. Off screen Nolan is as inconspicuous as an old hat. His hair Is prematurely gray. And he admits to no particular hobby, although he rides, golfs and swims.

The tunesmlth who presents these musical confections is Harry James, now ranked as leader of the country' No. 1 band. Arthur Freed, who is responsible for some of the leading musical attractions of re for the new movie musical version of the production. These young players are Nancy Walker, June Allyson, Tommy Dix, Kenny Bowers and Jack Jordan, Lucille Ball had the feminine starring lead in this contagiously gay story of a Hollywood movie star Invited to be guest of honor at a Pennsylvania prep school, and the amusing complications that result. Miss Ball recently completed the feminine lead In another Metro musical, "DuBarry Waa a Lady," so to date she has two of the prize roles In the batch of a bakers dozen of musicals on the 1943-44 schedule at Culver City.

William Gaxton is Miss Ball's high-pressure press agent, who stumbles on some unexpected and personally discomforting complications in the new story. Gaxton is one of Broadway's best-known musical comedy troopers, having registered hits in "Louisiana Purchase," "White Horse Inn, "Of cent years including "Babes on Broadway" and "DuBarry Was a Lady" is the producer of the new picture. of the Shubert theaters yet to be announced. In charge of the dance numbers in the revue will be Boris Romanoff and Viacheslav Svoboda, both of whom were introduced to this coun. try by Nikita Balieff in the course of the original ten-year cycle of "Chauve-Souris." Both of them are alumni of the Imperial Russian Ballet, Romanoff having come from the Marinsky Theater In Leningrad and Svoboda from the Bolshoi Theater In Moscow.

The music for "Chauve-Souris In addition to introducing the Willamette Wins Again Salem, Ore. (U.R) For the fourth straight time, the Willtamette (University) Collegian has been scored superior by the Assooiated Collegiate Press, official rating agency for college publications. Scoring 21 out of a passible 26 points, the Collegian was rated the only All-American of Its class on the Coast. quintet of new, young performers from the New York stage to mo many moons. A long and careful searclv was undertaken to find new faces for this production, and some of the hoofers and chorines may find their names on studio term contracts not too long after the film finishes it run at the As-tor Theater.

PAUL MUNI, who begins tomorrow his last week in the successful revival cf Elmer Rice's "Counselor-at-Law" at the Royale Theater. Mr. Muni has to get back to tion picture audiences, "Best Foot Forward" is said to have brought together one of the best young song-and-dance group of Holly wood boys and girls assembled in.