Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01
A Light Under a Bushel.

| only in the flying branch of the Royal
| Navy, but in the most difficult featS
Of the Royal Air Force in Flanders.
After-the-war England, however, saw
his true and satisfying expansion into
the work of responsible artist 1t was
| in 1919 that he first became associated
with Gilbert Miller, then a rising young
manager in London. For Mr.. Miller
Col. Bell designed and directed the pro-
duction of Tolstoy's Redemption" at
the st. James Theater, following this
task under the same management with
| like services for Julius Caesar" and
Uncle Ned" in 1920 and for Daniel
in 1924. It was about that time, too,
that he designed and directed Noel
Coward's first play, Il leave It to You,
at the New Theater, as well as THE
Knave of Diamonds" for Violet Van
brugh
A steady stream Of productions be-
holden 10 Col. Bell as director and de-
signer followed in succeeding seasons:
THE Great WE'LL" Blue Boards Eighth
1922; Aren't We ALL" Our Betters, /"
1.-The Inevitable" and Reckless Reg
gie," in 1923; Far Above Rubies, "
Alice Sit-by-the-Fire," and Orange
Blossoms" in 1924; Lullaby" 1.-The
Grand Duchess and the Waiter" ga
milIa States Her Case" and Noel Cow
ards Fallen Angels" and Beginners
Luck" in 1925: THE Hottentot,'' En-
gagged" Our Dogs" There's No Fool''
and "By-Ways," in 1926, and 1.-THE
Golden Calf and "A Hen Upon a
Steeple," in 1927.
To break this sequence Of incessant
activity, in one spot, Col. Bell went to
Australia with Margaret Bannerman in
| 1923, returning to London to stage, 1.-THE
Shadow of the East in the Spring of
1929.
It was Journeys End" that extra
I, ordinary play which has made so
many regulations and so many fortunes
round the world for dozens of people
who have been connected with its inter-
national triumph that brought Col. Bell
to America for the first time In Sep
| tember 1929. And 1t was Gilbert Mill
| ler's keen eye for extraordinary talent
which kept him here. With the welkin
ringing in acclaim for r. G. Sheriff.,
the author, Maurice Browne, the Lon
don producer, and the various actors
who interpreted Sherriff's play, it is
not extraordinary that the general the
alter going public was left unaware of
the fact that it was Stanley Bell who
directed three out of the five companies
which presented the great war play in
this country-all, in fact, except those
directed by James Whale.
Journeys End" over, Col. Bell stayed
on. He found an appreciated outlet for
his gifts in designing the settings for
Gilbert Miller's productions of "Dishon-
ored Lady," with Katherine Cornell as
the star; Daughters of War"
"Petticoat Influence" in which Helen
Hayes is still playing at the Empire
Theater, New York, and "Marseilles"
and ''The Violet" at Henry Miller's the
alter.
1t was only through brief interim in
his activities for Mr.. Miller that STRAIT
ford Productions, Inc, were able to OBJ
tain his services as producer of PERT
wees new play. For. just over the hill,
Col. Bell Is to be held responsible not
only for the designs for Gilbert Miller's
London production OF Grand Hotel"
but also for the designing and directing
of the new version of 'MarSeilles," with
which, under the original title of Ma
RUS" Otis Skinner will shortly take
Marcelle Pagnols play on tour