The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1933-11-22
in
New York
Nv PAUL HARRISON

New York.-As a class there's no
group of youngsters SO utterly mat
ter-of-fact and self-asSured as
children of the stage.
When Junior Durkin arrived
from Hollywood some days ago, he
posed for a mere instant for the
photographers, nodded briefly to
the theatrical people assembled to
welcome the star of the new play
called "Growing Palms." then DASH
ed away to rescue his dog "Stingy"
from the baggage car
In rehearsal he and the fifteen
other .adolescents behave so much
like seasoned performers that the
director has a hard time making
them act like kids. Has to school
them in Stimulating bashfulness
and awkwardness The myriad
ropes and gadgets and overhead
structures of a big theater would
be seventh heaven for ordinarily
mischievous children; but these
don't even play the piano and
dance during their lunch hour.
Full-fedged factors, you see, don't
do these things. @ e
Only one member of the cast
smokes. The rest, while sitting
around waiting for their cues, eat
Indian nuts. They come every
morning with purses and pockets
stuffed with them. The explosive
crackings, and the loud crunches
of shells underfoot when anyone
walks across the stage, were dis
concerning to the director at first.
But now he's eating them himself.
"Insidious things" said
little blonde named Beverly
PhalOn as she dived into
sack of them. ~ just know
I shall put on four or five
pounds"
Names Are Familiar
Some of the youngsters bear dis
tinguished names. Jean Rouverol,
daughter of the author, has the
feminine lead. Ann Erskine, 16-
year-old daughter of John Erskine,
is making her debut in this play.
Then there's Philip De Lacey, Jr,
son of the late movie star; and
William Courtleigh, Jr, whose
father was one of the most popular
leading men on Broadway. Carol
Stone, youngest of Fred Stones
daughters, was slated for a part,
but found a better role with
Blanche Yurka.
Junior Durlzin, though only
II, is the veteran of the cast,
having had Is years of acting
experience, including nearly
three years i'm the movies.
'Like most actors" reminis-
ces Mr. Durkin, ~ started
with small parts. In my first
play, for instance, when / was
2, did Cupid"
Predicts Earthquake
In this time of rather grimly de-
termined optimism, it is downright
refreshing to run across such
dour personality as Robert Reidt,
who is known locally as 1.-THE Apos-
tie of DOOM" and who has done
very well in his business of pur-
veying pessimism. He now runs
tea room on Long Island, and dab
bles in the occult on the side. Back
in February, 1925, he and dozen
of his followers sold everything
they owned and went out into an
open field to wait for the world to
end. When it became apparent
that his calculations were awry,
Reidt went back and bought the
tea room.
He blames New York city for
influencing defeat of prohibition,
and firmly believes that the town
will be laid waste by an earth
quake on December z, when re-
peal goes into effect. -. Reidt
also foretells worldwide revolu-
lions beginning on January Is,
1894; an invasion of the United
States by Great Britain soon after
ward, and an honest-to-goodness
millennium within four years.
New Movie Center
AS it was in the beginning, New
York is becoming busy center for
tho making of movies, and the
studios in outlying boroughs are
being swept out in preparation for
the filming of Broadway hits. In
stead of waiting for Broadway
plays to end, thus releasing their
casts for excursions to Holly
wood, film producers are setting up
their cameras here and bouncing
on prizes as they come along.
sailor Beware!" Double Door,"
Men in White" "Ah, Wilderness!"
and Her Masters Voice" are a
few of the rich catches so far. each
bringing in the neighborhood Of
$4,000 for picture rights