The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 64

3 BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, NEW YORK, SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 1937 Royal Waitress Along the Primrose Path down here 'she patted a trim solar- Restoration Wisecracks A SURPRISING- number of the A epigrams in William Wycher-ley'a gay Restoration comedy "The Country Wife," now on view at the Henry Miller Theater, have retained a freshness that makes them as readily quotable as they were when the play was written over 250 years ago. Probably it is the acid quality, acting as a preservative. Except for a- certain elegance of style, falling strangely on the ear in these impromptu times. Wycherley could give a pretty good account of himself ai a 52d Street bar or at a literary tea. The sagacity of -The Country Wife" comes in good, quotable extracts, that differ largely, however.

Irom the quotations in Hamlet, which spoiled that play for the dear old lady who thought Shakespeare cheated by using so many of them. It Is wit rather than wisdom, though there is wisdom in it. "The Country Wife" is especially rich in the sort of thing you wish you had said, if you had dared. Horner's venomous reply to Lady Fidget's observation that "Affectation makes not a woman more ASTERN grandfather preached a sermon in a Church, and predicted that Mitzi Mayfair was on the road to ruin. If the theater has ever worked evil upon any one, it aaost assuredly is failing to do it in the cast of this petite, 20-year-old dancer from Kentucky, who is featured prominently in the new Vincente Min-nelli musical, "The Show Is On" starring Beatrice Lillie and Bert Lahr at the Winter Garden.

Mitzi Mayfair's first public appearance was in a church. She was the Spirit of Spring at an Easter Festival. And it must be said that despite years of show business here and abroad. Miss Mayfair could easily go back to that prim church today and be the Spirit of Spring again. She is known to the public as a delightful character who can dance with great skill and originality.

Having started while very young and stayed in the spotlight for over 10 years, she has become something of a "darling" to all who know her or have seen her perform. But she is no sheltered child, afraid of her shadow; waltzing down the street on a cold Winter day in a bathing suit and a few small mink accessories or perching on one foot atop the narrow parapet of the St. Moritz roof are examples of her spunk. And when the show is over, Mitzi has just started. At 11:45 a few nights ago, when almost every one else yas dragging wearily from the Winter Garden, she cavorted across the stage.

"I could go on for hours," she laughed, "if I just had an audience." It is something of a revelation to talk to Mitzi Mayfair. She seems to have retained a clear. Intelligent view of herself. Even after 10 years of success and great popularity, the crippling curse of overdeveloped ego has not taken hold of her. One of her great ambitions Is to sing well.

"I cant do it now," she says, "but I'm taking lessons and if my voice ever gets up from way BURLESQUE V.fed tkt BEST EE Anna Lubotce in 'You Can't Take It With You at the Booth Theater. The Stage Alzvays Comes First plexus), I may be able to." Any one who does work as punishing as Miss Mayfair's must naturally keep strict training. She doe. No drinking, no all-night parties, plenty of sleep. As for sports, she is an excellent rider, fair at tennli.

awful at golf. She doesn't knovr quite how her swimming should rate. "I can keep going for a Ions time, but I'm slow because my less are in the hahjt of flying all around and they hold me back." MiUl Mayfair's legs have beeu flying all around since she was a tiny kid in St. Louis. She lived next door to the manager of th Grand Central Theater and she used to start dancing whenever she heard music.

He took notice of this and put her in a revue with a lot of other youngsters. It was supposed to last a week, but it lasted 10, and Mitzi was largely responsible. Since then she has never been in need of a job. Gus Edwards was her manager for a while and he Is the man who named her Mitzi Mayfair. He was about to bill lier in a show but forgot her real name, remembering only that It was something cute, and gave her that one.

The name he forgot was Emylyn Plgue. Dancing constantly for years, sh never set a routine until her engagement In the last of Florens Ziegfelds "Follies." She'd much rather dance as the spirit moves her, which it does violently. But her appearance in "Take a Chance," "Calling All Stars," "At Home Abroad" and at the London Dorchester and the Miami Blltmore. not to mention her five numbers in "The Show Is On," prove that she can do almost anything. She Is going to keep at it as long as she can, and then, if possible, start a dancing school of her own.

She never wants to give it up completely. To see her now, one would think that she had little to worry about. Still young, lovely to look at and in perfect physical trim, she will probably be mortifying the Southern elders for many years to come. BROOKLYN I'O IN u. Production Clair! JOHN C.

WILSON vrrients GERTRUDE NOEL LAWRENCE COWARD TONIGHT EIGHT-THIRTY THREE PLATS BT NOEL COWARD NATIONAL, 41 SLW.atB'y. Mate. We. ea4 Sat. GILBERT MILLER presents Tovarich with MARTA ABBA and JOHN BALLIDaY PLYMOUTH W.

4Atk St. Evi. Mallnres Wedneadaa and Batardaji at GILBERT MILLER prewita HELEN HAYES Victoria regina BROAOHURST. W. 44t St.

I I Skara MATS. THURSDAY aad SATURDAY at t-M Tlii blrreat baa aftlra attrartlea ta lawn ceatlnaea be -White Haraa Ian'." Oeorge Umi, IVorld-relraraai LAI'RENfE RIVERS. preaeata GAXTON CARLISLE In ERIK CHARRELI-'S WHITE HORSE INN Ef. Priest (lael. Sst) Sae ta IS 45.

wd Mat. Prises I5 ta SsL Mat. SSt ta 2 75 CENTER 4tta St. aa4 Ara. Ers.

4 IS "SEASON'S BEST COMEDY." Neu York.tr YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU hr MOSS MART A BEORSC S. KAUFMA4I BOOTH THEATRE. 45 Bt West af B'war Es. Mats. WEB.

and SAT. Bt :4) eSl Niaa im I I i LLA TT IS the security of it all, explains Walter Abel, who on leave of absence from the R-K-O studios is appearing with Katharine Cornell In "The Wingless Victory" In the Empire Theater. "My first visit to Hollywood followed the production of Rachel Crothers' "When Ladies I spent weeks, months out there drawing salary, but making no pictures. "After the success of "Merrily We Roll offers came from almost every picture company in the country. I always had wanted to act General Grant, so, when R-K-O became interested in this, I went to California.

We spent an eternal time working on the script and the production. The office limited tha budget to a certain sum; the producer found he must have more money. So eventually the film was LEGITIMATE THEATERS MANHATTAN odious to them (base fellows) than virtue," is a case in point. He said, "Because your virtue Is your greatest affection." In the same style, Horner, who Is chief of the wits in "The Country Wife," remarks on another occasion that "-Women of quality are so civil you can hardly distinguish from good breeding." For those who have just emerged from an "experience" and are trying to forget in the traditional manner, there is this, limp but fair enough in the circumstances, "Wine gives you liberty. love takes It away." Given an accent blended of bravery and despair, this has a kind of quiet elegance.

In the Union League Club, perhaps, drinking champagne cocktails (white tie necessary) it would sound pretty dashing to come out with this one: "But what a devil is this honor! lis sure a disease in the head. Men lose their lives by it; women, what's dearer to 'em, then-love." The only problem is to steer the conversation in the right direction. An entirely different mood on the tame theme is struck by "To talk of honor in the mysteries of love Is like talking of heaven in an operation of witchcraft." For these and a score of other reasons, "The Country Wife" Is drawing the town's sophisticates' to Henry Miller's Theater. BALLET MANHATTAN THIS AFT. and EVG.

8:46 11:45 "NEW PROGRAM SHAN-KAR and his HINDU BALLET Mats. Kit ta US 75. Eut. K5c ta SJ.JO MAJESTIC 44 SU W. of B'waa AM USEMENTS BROOKLYN BROOKLYN ACADEMY OP MUSIC Monday- Jan.

25, at 8:13 YEKHI 1.1 SAX NIMURA I KAY Nimura Greatest Dancer since Niiinsku" Tikets'ttew. Box Office. STerlinr 3-6709 BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC Thursday Jan. SI, at BURTON HOLMES "Beautiful Switzerland" llluslratfd in Color and Motion Ticket New. Box Office.

STerling S-67A0 HOCKEY MANHATTAN TUESDAY THURSDAY SUNDAY 830 mTm TONIG TONIGHT AMERICANS vs. BOSTON he Eur. 40 75 25 75 225 300 Hivcnc MIOUIIIU- MM.1.11) A Kenneth Koeers with Joyce St. Al "4 STMtS" MANTLE, Newt MAX MANHATTAN OPERA jth street at at a vcnuc abandoned before it went into production. "Only Katharine Cornell and Guthrie McClintic would think that an actor might be able to act and not merely repeat himself in the kind of thing he had been doing re cently.

After I acted 'I Love an Actress' managers offered me comedy roles only, and there had been the time in the beginning of the Provincetown Theater when I was labeled an 'O'Neill actor' and they only thought of me for serious roles. McClintic gave me my first real opportunity on Broadway in 'A Square Miss Cornell, he and I had been in Jessie Bonstelle's stock company in Detroit prior to that. So when Miss Cornell suggested I might be interested in Nathaniel McQueston in this drama, I was delighted to have the opportunity to appear again in a serious play." MATS. WED. and 2:30 REINHARDT'S HOUSE EVES.

tl.lO-M. WED. 8:30. SJ-2. SAT.

II.H-J3. nenat sua ukw iuii 7-424 LAST I TIMES DI0T 'S DELIGHT a new nlaw ROBERT E. SHERWOOD with ALFRED LUNT LYNN FONT ANNE SHt'BERT 44th W. af B'jn En. 8:45 Mats.

Thars. and 8:45. Seata $1,10 POSITIVELY LAST WEEK! I CEII En.S Ufi Matt. tot A 1 :34) A at Sensattonal Maaieal Caaaedj Hltt ON YOUR TOES MONTH KAY TAMARA GEVA CH. 4-3141 BO l.tirlt GEAR MAJESTIC 44 W.

af I VINTON FREEDLEYS STAR-STUDDED Ml SICAL BIT RED. HOT AND BLUE ALVIN THEATRE, W. 68 St. COI. B-4II4 :3.

Btia Wd. aad :34 SAM B. BARKIS present Stage door a-t, GEORGE B. KAUFMAN aad COMA FERBEB MARGARET SULLA VAN MUSIC BOX 4Kth W. af B'wa? Eth.

Mata. THUR8. 4V BAT, at tif LAST WEEKS! GILBERT MILLER Bresenta RUTH GORDON ta The country wife "Tlrklea aaa Inmeaaelr." Geo. J. Nathaa HENRY MII.UR'R Theatre, 184 W.

43 St. En. Mata. TBL'RS. amd BAT, 8:4 Cast of 5024 Beautiful Gir Midnight Maw Beery SatwrdaFt Tnirklii" rintt r.vrrr Tnnndaj! NEW YORK'S MOST CONVENIENT TMfTR LEGITIMATE THEATERS MANHATTAN "The arasan'a neat Ide-apllttlnr.

aaalent aad (enalnelr aatiaf7iC aaaaical." John Maaon Brown. Pait MESSRS. SaVBERT present Be.trle. LILLIE Bert LAHR la VINCENTE MINNELLI'S N. Mmleal The show is on Rrrlnald Mital Pal GARDINER MAYFAIR HAAKON WINTER GARDEN.

S'vay aad St) St. EM. 1:3 Mate. THURS. aad tl ta 2 I SHARP SaMial Mats.

LlacaU aad Wasklattsa's Birthdan KATHARINE CORNELL presenta aire 11 Anderson WINGLESS VICTORY Staced br Guthrie McClintic THE Settlaaf Bad eastasire br Je Mielsiner "rkit WMk. Br Reaaert, Taars. tx Bst. EMf-LRE, B'y 40 St. MaU.

Wed. Jaa.87 MAX GORDON presents THE WOMEN A New Comedw bu CLARE BOOT HE CAST or 40 ALL WOMEN -THEL BARRVMORE W. 47 St. M.t Am Matiaeea Wedaasday aad Satardar 8:4 JAMES BARTON Tobacco road AT 1 YEAR Bsl. Ma aad Ont.

tl 50 tvlns taxi Parr eat B1ats.WadASat.l:4f JACK CVRTtS pretentt EHIND RED LIGHTS bw Samuel Shivman and Beth Brown MANSFIELD W. 47 St. BR. 4SM Ers. Mala.

Wed. aad Sat. at Bo ZD YEAR SMASH HIT i MEETS GIRL GOOD BALCONY SEATS II and CORT THEATRE. 4 St. E.

af B'vur. Ex. Mmtincn WED, and tMe ta ft ist yeabTkmash bit Hera-a Fan." Mantle. New Brother rat BILTMOBE W. 47 St.

frv Matineti WED, and SOc ta The Theatre Oalld vresentt tbw arrangement with Sidney Hirata) Rut For the Grace of God bv I-rapald Atlaa OTILD TBE ATBE. Std St. nil af B'wr Mn. and E. NORMAN BEL CEDDES present! DEAD END 2Va.

DT SIDNEY KINCSI.ET BELASCO 44th E. at wT Ets. :4. afata. Taai'w aad Sat, at John Cielgnd Judith Anderson HA Ml FT POSITIVELY "L1 LAST TIMES Arthur Brraa LIUi.a r.ish ST.

I AM ES. 44 W. B'r. Mats. WM.

St. CUTHRtS MCCLINTIC vretente HIGH TOR SSSk1 Rurrni Meredith realty Aaheraft MARTIN BECK THEATRE. 4STH STREET H.aiAia. Mau. Wad.

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