The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-11-16
-In- Mezc York
By PAUL HARRISON

By PAUL nAEttA6ON
 New York.-SeldOm does any uniform pattern of realism toucn the dual lives of stage folk.
 Nine times out of ten the aging millionaire with false sideDurns is a performer tickled with tne chance to pay up his back rent and Eouitv dues. The hero and the villain are more than likely to be the best of pals off-stage, while the love-wracked leading man and heroine may not even be on speak ing terms when they meet in the wings. The stage gangster Is likely to be scared to death of guns. And so on.
 When they were casting the
 hit comedy called "SailOr,
 Beware" half a dozen of the
 men reflected because they
 were '.not the type" turned
 out to have been real sailors
 for years.
 Except for Edward Craven, who during a ghastly summer of his adolescence served as a wiper in the engine room of South Amer ican freighter, not one of the male actors in the piece knows the dif- ference between port and star board. True, the general manager of the production was a chief petty officer during the war. But that doesn't help much.
 Exploring for Actors
 All precedent has been upset, however, in "The World Waits" a melodrama about an antarctic ex- petition. When Frank Merlin be- gan to look around among his Lit tie Theater actors, he found that some were real explorers. Russel Morrison is the son of an Alaskan prospector, has trekked through that region with dog teams, and has penetrated to with in 12 degrees of the north pole. Victor Beecroft was prospector in his own right before he went into business in Dawson City, Alaska Hans Sandquist, an- other actor, was born in the land of the midnight sun .. And Don aid Gallagher is an explorer who once made a solo canoe trip to Hudson Bay. He was, in addition, one of the youngest licensed pilots in America. A fifth member of the all-male cast, Charles Gerard, has been inside the Arctic Circle, and 8 sixth, Joseph King, has spent years making adventure pictures in. the Canadian Rockies.
 
 Gossip in Suing Circles
 The plagiarism season is getting under way little late this year. Maxwell Anderson and the Theater Guild are the first dis tineuished defendants, on account of his new play, Mary of Scot land" which the Guild opened in Washington tho other day, Capital critics complained that Anderson had contributed little to the cold facts of history. Just the same, Samuel R. Golding, who is a law yer and playwright, considers that it bears too close resem- blance to his own play about Mary Stuart.
 Until a couple of years ago. Eugene O'Neill was about the only prominent writer who never had been sued on charges of pilfer;ng ideas. Finally, though, woman accused him of lifting Strange Interlude' from her novel, and one critic wrote: "A serious in- justice has been righted. For fif- teen years O'Neill has been victim of a conspiracy of the plaintiffs union to ignore him. They brought ten suits against David Belasco, five against Charming Pollock, but none against O'Neill, although he has been a hard-working drama tist for many seasons'' This particular plaintiff not only lost her case but had to pay $17,5O0 in court costs.
 Prevents Court Fights
 On account of the paucity. of really original plots, plagiarism suits are usually numerous along Broadway, and especially against the movie companies, which of course have to buy great many more stories. A scenario written expressly for the screen almost al- ways results in legal trouble, but lately the producers have hit upon device which is amazingly effec- tive. It explains, also, the often deplored practice of movie con- cerns which buy Broadway plays and then change them around until no one could recognize them.
 such purchases, in the movie trade, are called lightning rods" For very few thousand dollars. company can buy poor play. toss the manuscript in the waste basket, and tack the title on one of Its own scenarios. Nobody seems to dare to sue a movie which is based on Broadway play'-and thus the lightning rod' diverts a lot of costly count Arh+o