Evening star., 1934-10-09

Out of the Erie Canal Walter Ed
munds dug his novel, Rome Haul"
Around that novel Frank B. ElSer
wrote a play. And out of that play
Marc Connolly, whose knowledge of
the theater allows him to wander into
unknown fields, has fashioned THE
Farmer Takes Wife" Presented last
night as the seasons first play at the
National before a large and continue
ally attentive audience, it seemed des-
tined to thrive by virtue OF its diff
ference, its color, its nostalgia for an
other day, and its story of young
man who persuaded young woman
that love on farm could be quite as
satisfactory as love on a "canawl."
The distinguishing mark of this new
play is its ShrewdneSS of detail. 1t is
the little things that stand out rather
than the big. No character is larger
than the play. Each little situation
dovetails into the next with as nice
flow as you could wish. And If moth
ing very much seems to happen 1t is
because the authors have chosen to
stick to the printed truth and to pic
tlre the "canawl' in the full stream
of its small time glory, when the early
morning dew found the boat captains
lurching home through their alcoholic
fogs, and the young women OF that
region were going to cook for their
lords and masters.
Perhaps, at the moment, the authors
have not reached out and grabbed all
the drama that there is at hand. AT
the finale of the play you have
sneaking suspicion that the advent OF
the railroad in that country should
have been made more of-that the
arrows which point to what eventually
became the swansong of that canal
have not been pointed enough. If you
bend YOUR ears to the task at hand
YOU will hear the distant hoot OF the
engines and realize the pathoS that
comes of change. But if you are
merely star-gaZing at this play, we
wonder if you will catch the full Sig
niflcance of its warm and purposeful
message.
Through this brief chronicling OF
rough men and women on the canal
goes the gentler story OF young
man and a young girl-a girl whose
greatest joy in life comes in cooking
and whose ideal man must be able
to punch the other fellow in the
iaw-and a man who falls in love
with the girl at sight and who asks
her to marry him in the twinkllng
of an eye. This is a peculiarly pleas
ing little love story, played so well
by the principals that it becomes
probably more of the play than the
authors intended.
June Walker and Henry Fonda are
responsible for this. The former, al
ways an attractive actress, strikes
more fire than she ever has struck
before and turns the play around her
fingers with a pretty grace. And Mr..
Fonda deserves great praise for his
honest and at the same time subtle
playing of a young man who was
smart enough to realize that his farm
would last longer than the 'canawl." !"
The scenes these two have together
are splendid, and you become in
stantly aware not only that you wish
there were more of them, but that
great things are likely to be heard
from that comparative newcomer, Mr..
Fonda.
Herb Williams made his debut last
night as a straight player in a
straight play. Although Mr.. Williams
was viSibly shaking from fear in every
muscle, and at one moment lost con-
troll of himself and shouted out,
"What is that line?" thus violating
one of the theater's sternest, tradi-
tions, he was amusing as you felt that
he would be-and when he has pulled
himself together sufficiently to refrain
from slowing down the proceedings,
he should be howl as Fortune
Friendly"
Others who contributed vastly in a