The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 36

1 6 TREND SECTION Of THt BROOKLYN EAGLE SUNDAY, MAY 31, 1942 Beverly Roberts of Girls High School PLAYTHINGS At one point during the action of "Uncle Harry," the season's new-est dramatic thriller at the Broad-hurst, a young blonde actreaa named Beverly Roberta has occasion to describe herself as "a very ordinary person." She la not, however, ordinary. Miss Roberts plays the "love-Interest," and her appearance with Eva Le Gallienne' and Joseph sides "Heart of a City" include tht ingenue lead in "Passionate Pilgrim," the understudy in "Girls in Uniform," the lead in the musical "Paris" at Newport and Tracey Lord in "Philadelphia Story" at Westboro, and Glen Rock, N. J. An enthusiast at swimming and deep sea fishing, Beverly has recently added modeling in clay and collecting music boxes and kaleidoscopes to her list of hobbies. Schlldkraut represents something of a reunion, for she first began her I stage career with a scholarship at MLss Le Gallienne Civic Repertory Theater, Beverly, who is brown-eyed and vivacious, received the She has a family history of which she can well be proud.

One of her ancestors, Edward Jenner, wa.i the discoverer of vaccine against smallpox. Another of her distinguished forbears was Roger Williams, famous preacher of Colonial who fled religious persecution to found Rhode Island. Beverly's father's family in America lived air' suffered through the Indian massacres, the privations, the stern demands of early frontier life alon; the Connecticut River. New Orchestra Pit For Center Theater scholarship together with a gold medal for dramatics at Girls High School In Brooklyn. "I made my stage debut at the age of 18 as an 80-year-old woman in Mis Le Galllenne's production of 'Cradle Song'," she says.

"It was only a two-line part, but I was thrilled." Journeying to Europe to continue her dramatic studies, Beverly found herself singing Instead In Paris at the Cafe Aux Noctambules, where her American songs were as popu- I mi null mc iiniiir.i ui iviwitptir- nasse as the French folk songs at 'Uncle a Murder Play Without Mystery but With Plenty of Suspense By ARTHl'R rOLLOOK There Is new kind of murder play In town. A little new, at any rs.te. "Uncle Harry" Is the unassuming name of It and the Broadhurst Is the theater at which It may be found. It does not entertain you by encouraging you to guess who committed the crime. You know who did It from the start.

And then you see him do H. It Isn't a mystery. The crime plays have been growing less and less like guessing games in rp-ont years. At first In the days of "The Bat," "The Gorilla," "The Spider" they were loud and frantic, Anything for thrill. Ghosts, trap doors, sliding panels, clutching hands.

Revive any of tho.se now and they would prove altogether too elementary to entertain anybody. But they started something, something better The English took up the murder drama and sobered It considerably, They heean by making their characters real, exhibited as criminals men or women who seemed on the surface ordinary people with no criminal leanings at all. And these characters they analyzed more or less closely, accounting eventually for their variations from the The surprises in the English murder plays arose from the fact that the murderers were nice people. Or else melodrama came Into the lives of people who least expected it. Now almost all the murder dramas are at least modest phycho-logical studies, "Angel Street," the past season's best crime play, Is a mystery for ft while, then becomes the story of how a criminal is tracked down and captured.

"Uncle Harry" is even simpler still. In It there Is no mystery at all, no pursuit and capture of a murderer. And yet the play has a healthy suspense. A man, as we know after the play has gone on for a few minutes, is going to kill some one. The luspense arises as we watch him as he goes about, the job he has let himself.

The murderer pursues his victim as we look on. The question Is Just how and when he will put his quarry out of the way. We do not even hate him, as no doubt we should. And yet it Is not a comic play of murder like "Arsenic and Old Lace." in which the two gentle ladles who kill make us laneh, too. We are lorry for him, hating his victims, two warped sister who have made slave of him, ruined his life.

And we have to feel sorry for him to the end, for the most troublesome of the sisters, the one he let live so that she would be hung (or the murder of the other, triumphs over him. She hangs, but he lives on remembering, reliving his own tracedy day after tier. The murder that was to set him free has not set, him free at all. The girl it was to win for him is lost to him forever. TbiM Is writing murder the hard way, A wise way It is, though, for It makes "Uncle Harry" different from the rct.

At the Broad-hurst Joseph Schlldkraut and Eva Le Gallienne are playing murderer and villain, Mr. Schlldkraut the harrassed and repressed brother. Miss Le Gallienne the vixen sister. Neither has done anything well in a long time. Mr.

Schlldkraut has rid himself completely of the cleverness that has so often been his curse and riops his Job now with the simplest of means, characterizing carefully, playing thnllingly in the most dramatic moments. For the first time in the history of skating spectacles, David Men-loza will be able to conduct the orchestra for the new Center Theater ice show from the vantage point of an orchestra pit. Workmen are now constructing a pit, fronting the stage, which will be completed In lime for the show's rehearsals. The original orchestra pit at the Center was covered when the stage apron was extended to add ice surface. For the recent "It Happens on Ice," the musicians played from a box at the side of the stage.

the nearby Lupin Agile with the American tourists. Returning to America, she continued her singing career until it was interrupted by a Hollywood contract. Although Beverly was "discovered" by motion picture scouts singing at the Boeuf Sur le Toit in New York, she has never in her entire screen career been allowed to warble as much as one lyric note. However, earlier in this season, she made up for that omis.sion by returning to the legitimate stage in the ingenue lead of Gilbert Miller's production of "Heart of a Suffolk Philharmonic Eugene Albert, 11-year-nld pianist, and Robert Falk, ba.ss-baritone, will be the featured soloists at the fourth anniversary concert of (he Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra, Max Jacobs conductor, on Sunday afternoon, June 7. at 4 o'clock in the Bay Shore High School.

Eugene Albert, who will play the A Major Concerto of Mozart, was born in New York City and is now a resident of Brooklyn. which, while not a musical, permitted Beverly to sing a song or two as the particular star of the Windmill revue. She has played leads In 24 pictures, including "The Singing Kid," with Al Jolson; "China Clipper," with Tat O'Brien; "God's Country and the Woman," with George Brent; "Two Against the World," with Humphrey Bogart, and "Perfect. Specimen," with Errol Flynn. Beverly's other stage roles be RAY BOLGER, Jayne Manners and some girls in "By Jupiter," the musical come ers and Lorenz STACK PLAYS MANHATTAN dy that Richard Rorjg opens Wednes- Hart have made from "The Warrior's Husband," the comedy that gave Katharine day evening at the Shubert Theater.

Hepburn her short. It I Opening WEDNESDAY EVE. June 3rd WIMAN and RODGERS In association with Richard Kollmar Prtmt RAY BOLGER Constance Moore of By Jupiter' Has Got a Lot Done in 21 Years Two radio programs daily one at 7 a.m. and the other, Nhts" and her latest and still un-at 5:30 p.m. while attending high school; a bona fids moving' released picture called "Take a picture contract without a test which led to 21 leading roles Lettr.

Darling." in which she is within three years; an agent who started out to take her to with R(alind Russell and came rjp. Of course, then It was too and Johnny suggested continuing the conference at dinner that night. Connie thought it was the most brilliant idea she had ever heard. And it. must have been, 4 New RODGERS ft HART Mnicil Camtdy Htiti on "Tbt Wmritn'i HwW by Jmlim F.

Tbtmfim 'fc AIItTlllMI! IJAAHfi AA riiiwer and wound up by proposing, said proposal accepted But to get bTck "to Universal and exchanged for one happy marriage; one brand-new baby because that's where that aEam, daughter named Mary Constance; proposing acent came in. Connie bPca' the'" is considered BENAY VENUTA and RONALD GRAHAM Yti LORENZ HART Mmic by RICHARD RODGERS reeled hy JOSHUA l.OGAN Dantn by ROBFRT ALTON ningt iy to MIELZNER Coslumn Ay IRENE SHARAFF Ottbtilrt Dincltd by JOHNNY GREEN versal rirtures. spotted and sicned hadn't been in Hollywood any her, sans test, to a long term con- than it takes to order a set tract, with Universal. i of slacks when, like everybody else. hne was exacliy IB when she 1 she decided she needed a personal SHUBERT THEATRE Win 4tih Sc.

CI A-WO PricM Opening Night: to 1 1.10. Thtrnffcr, Fvn: 4.40, H.JO. J2.7S, $2.20. 11.65. $1.10.

Wed. Sit. Milt: 12.75. 12.20, tl.M, 11.10 'A HONEY FOR YOUR MONEY" WALTBt WINCHILL GEORGE tHOTT'S Hopr Muiitvf Hill fared her first camera in Hollywood, and during the following three years she sane, danced and mimed her way through practically everything that came off the Universal lot To be precise, she appeared in 21 of those dear old Universal Then, in July of lH4n. Connie decided enough was enough and she switched to Paramount, where, at last, she was assigned to some first-rate flickers including "I Wanted Wings," "Buy Me That Town," "Las Veens representative.

Inquiring around among friends and foes as to whom they considered the top ten percenter, the answers invariably sounded the same Johnny Mas-chio. So in due time Mr. Masrhio was invited to lunch. She meant strictly business and so did he. At least, they did until they met for the first, time In the studio commissary to talk over terms.

Somehow, thouch. they were halfway through the dessert before that unsentimen'al subject ever one 01 me nappiest. marriages in He'lywrmd even though they never did get4 around to signing that actor-agent contract. In fact, word around 'Sunset and Vine has it that Charlie 1 Feldman, who is now Miss Moore's) agent, is continually working oven time trying to keep Mas-chio from getting for his clients the roles, Feldman wants for Con- stance. i But (neither Feldman nor Mas- chio hri anything to do with Miss Moore's) present chore in "By Jupiter." 'Chat's really all the doing of Constance, who! appeared! upon the scene about six months lago.

If she hadn't arrived 1 at the proper time, mother wouldn't have to-en convalescing when Dwight iWiman flew to the Coast last rait And if Constance hadn't been convalescing she probably would rfcive been working; and If ftestfbotfbrwarcf Zi wild JOY H006IS MARTY MAY and a featured rnle in a grade Broadway musical rnmeriy without ever setting foot on a legitimate stage before all before her 22d birthday That, mesrlames et messieurs, is a partial list of the minor i miracles performed bv Constance 1 Monre. who is featured in the new Rodgers and Hart musical called "By Jupiter." which comes to the Shubert Theater next Wednesday evening. Born In Sioux City, Inwa. but reared since the aee of one in Dallas, Texas, Miss Moore the aforesaid daily double bv the simple expedient of talking a doting godfather, who owned a rham of Texas drug stores, into buying an air program for her. That's not exactlv the hard wav to win ether but she proved it only the well-known means to an end, be-cmre immediately after the drug store time had expired, she was luted to sing with the station 'KRLD of C.

i nrchrstra. And it was while appearing with this that Rtifus Maire, then the executiv talent scout for Unl- "7 M.niM.Aili i inn ii.iii fcV3.iyT I) 3r ky JOHK CECIl NOIM Mull, tyritt by HUSH MARTIN RALPH HINt BARRYMORE Ihv.w47.s5t. e. sun. Stufdy Sunday 40 75 Ns P.H Thf STAGE PLAYS BROOKLY'N STACK PLAY MNI.vn BBOOKm ID MOtO iiaqe PtflVS NEW PLAYS Wednesday "By Jupiter." a musical version by Richard Rodger-- and Lorenz Hart of "Warrior's Husband," play by Julian Thompson.

At the Shubert Theater. In the cast are Ray Bolger, Constance Benav Venuta, Ronald Graham, Margaret Bannerman, Bertha Belmore, Maidel Turner! a play by Curtis Cooksey. Library ThVer, 135th St. and 7th Ave. A Negro play with a cast including Stanley Green, Fred O'Neal Clare Leyba.

Ruby Wallace. WEEK. Beq TUKBAV IT CRL III she hari been working she'd probably neiK-r would have met Wiman. And If Wiman had never met Constance he probably would never have her in "By And that's a'O there Is to that, I I v. "Thff arasnn'R first mnh hit." Life VINTON FRFF.m.KV.I Afri.irul Senjofton DANNY KAYE TET'S FACE IT! Ru HFRRFRT nnii DOROTHY FIELDS fv Rmny Mary Jdni Eilith vtvinn ARDEN BAKER WALSH MFISER VANCE COLE PORTER SONGS IMPERIAL W.4S 81.

CO. -7RRU. Evi AIR-CON niTIONFD Mntlnf! WED. and SAT. nt Mil.

(I if, lit feiv. kflllllflfU TOM TULLY, the villa in Poul Vincent Carroll's new ploy, "The Strings, My Lord, Are False," at the Ryalo Thenler. OIIAT I WAY CMt II I WAY CAST I Wtrw YACHT CLUB BOYS I eves I I MATS I I Wt 0 INUDl I I snr sun I Leila Ernst Is Back Where She Began-ln Abbott Show tEONONC VICTORIA "A PERFECT COMEDY Atktnmi.TtmH Life with father lib HOWARD LINDSAY. DOROTHY STICKNEY UMPIRE. B'wty nd 4n St.

$1 in Air-Cmirl. Evi. -in. M'M. Wnil.

anil Sat 2:40 Ti IEMMON CORDOVA Whn LpiIa Ernst siens a contract Massachusetts she managed wangle a few appearances in to the 2 PERFS. TODAY: 3 and 8:40 MY SISTER E'LEEN rnn-LM SI'COND I.AI fiH YEAR BILTMO RE 471n way. Cl.l-153 STm: pi.avs Manhattan "Instant Hit." Pnllnrlr. Eael Angel street I Vlnrrnt Price JurtithFTflyn IeoG.r.rrnll TONIGHT (SUNDAY) at 8:30 (iOLDFN W. 45 St.

CI. 1-6741). El. -41) 1 'Johnny 2x4' At Flatbiish Rowland Brown's melodrama, "Johnny) 2x4," following its Broadway run, comes to the Flatbash Theaterion Tuesday evening as the seventh) presentation of the season. Composed mainly of the original players, the large cast is headed by the Yacht Club Boys.

Jack Arthur, Leonard Sues and Virtorla Cordovw, with others on the raster inrlurilng Helene Heigh. Low Eckels, Ralph Chambers, Douglas Dean. Ann Brody. Jark Lambert, Russell Conway, Tom Conroy, Eddie Hortee and Wilma' Drake. In this production, Leonore Lemmon will make her stage debut as the singing hat check girl.

Wall. WED. and A I R-C00LE 7 Cfiraa (1F.RSHWIN and PuRnt HEYWARD'R "So funny none of will evrr forfft II." AKjri DTCC Alkltmnn. N. Y.

Timn ll I AINU 0 3 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Mr.AKnhHTSMil.hKSACnnilrlnr Knr Kurloff, imfphlim Hull. Jn Artnlr, MAIFSTIH, 44 SI, AIR-C0OLEO Purl. Sun. Jnhn Alutntidflr. Clinton 8imrihrg.

Frigr StMill vi. Mfitt. WED. and JllO-SSf) FULTON, WMt 4(ith t. A I R.C0N I ION CI.

Evi. :40. MttiW. nnd 3 ShoW8 TodaV 2:30 I II I I KI.K VI. 1 i.mi wiiiir phii Cllflnn P.y L-nnra ilrfr.d HOI.T7, HOWARD RAKER DRAPF.R WEBB WOOD CDRRETT NATWICK PRIORITIES RLITHE SPIRIT 4fiTHST.THEA..W.at8 y.AII Sfall Ratarvat) NOFI.

Rat (omrflT booth, 4Mb st of i MAI. and tVU. iHOWS TODAY air cooi rr 0LSEN JOHNSON MATS. WED anrl SAT. at II N'w SONS 0' to Bpppar in Oorep Abbott production, feels like house-! wifp renewinc her lease.

For allhoush she is new to "Best Foot Forward," thp muvial romeriy hit at the Rarrymore Theater in which she ran now he wen playing Mln-en-a. the advocate or bariTl-houe music, she Is not unfamiliar with i the manacempnt. As a mailer of fact, the only plays in wlurh Leiln has acted on Broad-; way have been Oersp Abbott pro-, ritictiotw. so that she is mi old friend of Jerry Whytp. chief of Hip Abbott stase manacers; of Charles Harris, company manager as well as of those stage hands who are regularly attached to Abbott Indeed the heads of the carpenter, r'ec'nrnl and properties department consider Ieila a good lurk omen, for she worked with them in "Too Many Girls" and In "Pal Joey," both of which piled up a very fancy number of performances.

Leila's quick rise to a position of importance on the street called, nrnadway, would make a perfect success story. In slightly more than three years, this vivacious blonde actress has accumulated rewards lhat many twice her age havp soucht. unsuccessfully. Born In Boston's Rack Bav. she was bred to take her place a colnnv of carefree debutantes While she was at fuvhini srhonl RcHPrCmiMiv Pa Pcnonl and ihen Dana Hall in WINTER (iARnFN.

Broadway and Mllb St. LAST 3 WI KrvS lm nriilnnl faai plays. Then In 1939 she Induced her parents to send hpr to the dramatic school connected with a cow-shed theaier at. Gloucester. Mass.

Conservative Mr. and Mrs. Ernst thought the outdoor life would provide a healthy Rummer for their only daughter and that the hard work would cure her of the disease known as stage-strut-kitis." Like a good many other parents they were only half right. She came back home at the end of the Summer blooming and sun-tanned, but more ambitious than ever about a career as an actress. Through Kciriie Bracken, one of Mr.

Abbott's bright, discoveries, tcila gained an introduction to the producer nnd a job as understudy in "Too Many Girls" in 1P.39. By the time the show opened In New York she had been promoted to a speaking part, the rnle of the southern flirt Tallulah Lou. Having made good In that, long run. it was no surprise to find Mr. Abbott signing her for a bigger part in "Pal Joey." By this time father and mother were proud of her.

As the "cood little mouse" in "Pal Joey." Iila not only did a good job of actinc but she also sang one of thp hit sorgs of thp show "I Could Write A Book as well as the dut. 'Take Him." with Vivienne Fejal. In 'Best Foot Forward' Leila TONIT.HT 40 Al1 fv, i fiOl.nFN Surri-sa CLAUDIA ST. I AM FS Thfa 44lh nt B'ay, LA.4-4M4 Matlnrra Win. and SAT.

SI. Ill TOP AIR-CONDITIONFn Mat. TODAY TONIGHT "But Ameriran play of Srtnnn" The moon is down nh OTTO KftrflFR ami RALPH MORGAN MARTIN BECK A at Ay. CI.H.B.11.1 Ey. Inrl.

Sun. Mala. Sat. A Sun. No Part.

Tnaa, jonowj ioaay liRAt IK I II I MS Waltrr Think-a-rlrlnli TRAII.W OKIIKE HOFFMAN THF IMRTMANS AlKiKN TIMTA 7V TIIK VFH' VAR1KTY SOU' T0P-N0TCHERS 44TH ST.THEA B'cay. All Srali RM rl Bst lirama oi taaann" Cnlrmnn. M.rtnr fva insi ni Le GALLIENNE SCHILDKRAUT Opens Wednesday "Skating Vanities of 1942." the first musical extravaganza on roller skates, comes to Madison Square Garden for four days beginning Wednesday evening. The Npw York premiere of this new amusement follows a nationwide tour which will be concluded In Chicaco, where the second edition will be launched, six weeks later. acts the part of a guest nt the prep sclw)l dance.

8he joins the trio headed bv Nancy Walker in sinzing "Thp Three B.s" nnd leads the snug and dance titled "What Do You i Think I Am 7" I'l KI in Guest in the house PLYMOWTH 4S Rt way. CI. I DISK Allt-f'0niTIONFI Mall. WED. and SAT.at 2M nrliihtlul Amrriran Pin fine fun." Hoifr llnnlti 7r.bl.ic Junior miss ivrriiw thm 'f a rn i'n FVn a MT rn an.i at PHIL BAKER, Lnro Saunders, WUIir Hnwnrd ond Lnij olnng the bottom, ond, top, Gene Sheldon, Tnu! Draper nnd Hizcl Scott, nil in "Priorities ef 192 nt the 4nth Street Theater Silhouette by Fred Moyer, who rveiy o'her Saturday cuts silhouette-, of the oldiers and sailor at the Stoge Door Canteen, hairy UNCI pro spin RSTW lllh't Air Cno'rd tFATI HFRy rERFDRMANn At II.

in Fya. 5W ta 1 in M.L. WED. SAT. jj.