Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-10

ing canvas and paint. What at first appears as
wild disorder is actually q most careful stack
ing Of incongruous and peculiar shaped OBJ
jects. The drops-those big canvas pieces
which depict the bay Of Naples. the Blue Ridge
Mountains, the South Sea Islands or an Eng
lish landscape are carefully rolled and
stacked in bins with little baggage tags hang
ing out the ends as the only indication of the
glorifed glories that were ziegfeld or
George White.
garden benches where misunderstood wives
listened to fascinating foreign gentlemen-hay
huts where brown-skinned little native girls
led white traders to forget home and duty
1iving-room hreplaces and mantels, against
which bright young people leaned while casting
off caustic dialogue-and death-dealing re-
volving bookcases which swallowed characters
without q sound In some past shoot-and-Scream
mystery play. Trees, box hedges, barred prison
doors, cottage windows, office desks and special
noise producing machines sit dustily about
waiting patiently for some great dramatic
Judgment day when a super-play viii be pro-
duced which viii require everything they have
to offer in one stunning evening.
A MoNG the producers and actors who have
scenery and costumes at Gains today are
Ziegfeld, George White, Douglas Fairbanks
(sets from one Of hts earlier pictures), Ed
Wynn, w. C. Fields Laurette Taylor, Aarons
and Freddy Schwab and Mandel Richard
HeFndon and A. L. Erlanger.
But not all scenery goes to the warehouses
at any rate not all the properties. Occasion
ally q producer or actor will take chair.
table, or even q bulkier property home with
him and live with it for the rest of his days.
When Congo closed. q theatrical gentleman
named Desmond Gallagher bought most Of
the scenery, including the green lights and the
"jade" god and refurnished the living room
- liz 80
old Africa aS possible There Is no record OF
whether he also dressed the part.
In his studio on West Third street, in the
village, Cleon Throckmorton, the scenic de-
signer, has a number of notable properties, as
well as many models of the sets which he has
built. From a rafter in the middle of the
room swings-or at any rate hangs-the nauti-
cal lantern which was prominent in Twelve
Miles Out" while the andirons In his fireplace
are from the stage production of 1.-THE Last OF
Mrs. Cheney"
On his roof, however, he has one of the
most useful and entertaining properties ever
salvaged from the store rOom-the minister's
house from the Theater Guilds production of
Eugene O'Neilrs Dynamo" The "house" in
this case was really hOuSe-or at any rate,
the frame Of two-story building constructed
of perfectly good 2x4s. When equipped with
clapboard walls and little waterproofng, it
made distinctive penthouse. On the second
floor Preached by outside staircase) Mr..
Throckmorton has a chair, a drawing board
and telephone-while outside his window the
neighbors' wash goes by IN silhouette as it
hangs from the lines Of their overhanging
apartments.
The atheists house, from Dynamo" all
right-minded people win be glad to hear was
broken up and used in building scenes for
piece called wild Birds"
Throckmorton, one of the old sea-coasters
from Hoboken, built the sets for the phenome-
nalIy successful AFTER Dark" for the absurd
sum of $273. Many years ago, he recalls, when
Eugene ONeiIl was less well known, the sets
for the original production of 1.-THE Emperor
Jones" were built from odds and ends OF John
Ferguson and 1.-THE Faithful" Among the
properties still waiting for their second REIN
carnation in the Throckmorton storehouse are
the sets of 1.-THE Great God Brown" and the
rain storm apparatus from 1.-The Squan"