The Connecticut labor press., 1920-09-04

Mr. Po1i has taken personal inter est in the selection of company and plays and Manager Henry P. Menges has collaborated weekly throughout the summer with General Manager James Thatcher of the Poli Stock Enterprises to the end that the whole field of dra- matic stock be explored and irrespec- tive of the amount of salary involved to place under contract a company that would reflect the Poli prestige from every angle Obviously the widest search was made for the leads, artists . who would measure up to the excellence of such former favoriteS as Jane Nor gan, Arthur Howard, Mary Ann Dent Ter, A. H. Van Buren, Winifred St. Claire and Hazel Corinne and such an aggregation has surely been secured with none other than Laura Arnold en- dorsed by experts as the premier lead ing lady in dramatic stock in the entire country and Miss Arnold had to be won from musical comedy which had orig inal1y won her away from the drama stage. Miss Arnold is first of all beau tifu1,z the prime requisite of leading lady Then, too, she came to the stage originally lady of culture having had the distinction of graduating from the National Park Seminary at Washing ton with the highest honors.
 Under the personal direction of Mil dred Holland the 1ovab1e star who has been the mentor of SO many highly src- cessfu1 young artists Miss Arnold made her first dramatic hit in "The Power Behind the Throne" and scored a sig nal success so much so that she was selected, despite her youth to play the Helen Ware role on the road in "The Third Degree" To better prepare her self for the drama she joined leading stock organization playing in St. Paul and then followed an engagement i'll the eastern New York company of the big play "The Whip" Then musical com edy discovered her and successive en- agreements followed as prima donna in "Ihe Only Girl" incidentally playing this role at the Shubert here four years of 20 weeks with Willie Collier ir Nothing But the Truth" followed by 56 consecutive weeks in ''Maytime," the second lead and then with John Charles Thomas in the prima donna role oi "The Golden Girl" Her last musica1 comedy engagement was as Vivienne Sega1 in "The Little Whopper," which is shortly, to play here. From this one may adjudge that Miss Arnold is ar ideal selection and it is hoped her beau tifu1 voice may be heard i'll musica comedy later at the Hyperion
 George V. Dill, the leading man, has youth, personality and physical assets backed by long experience as leading man mostly with Oliver Morosco on the coast where he was brilliant success: in everything that he attained. It may be strange but nevertheless ti is a tru. ism that the experienced manager of to- day who engages stock organization directly he has acquired the leads bends his efforts next to- the director and the scenic artist to whose individual efforts a major portion of the success of every production must be, but seldom is at- tributed. In George Farren, who will direct the organization MT. Po1i has SC: cured gem of the first water as Farrer had an initial Belasco training, the best in the show business, and aside from that is creative and original along ex- elusive Farren lines as his productions will reveal
 Maurice Futile, who may be found programmed as the artist of several big Winter Garden scenic settings is ad- mitted in stock circles the peer of them all and this duo with William H. Ma lone, a veteran stage manager, form an incomporable trio.
 Frankly what the Hyperion has lack ed in former years was a sterling sec ond woman and this season one has been secured in Edith Potter, daughter