The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-11-12
Race-Track
Comedy Has
True Appeal
Cast Holds to Character
and Tempo of Play at
EngIiSh'S.
BY JOHN W. THOMPSON

If Shakespeare we're living today,
he might, in one of his lighter mo-
ments, dash off play like Three
Men On a Horse" 1t is primarily
for the pit crowd, the coarse laugh
ing crowd, tho. folks who go TO the
theater for the fun and relaxation
they can get out Of it.
And yet, Three Men On Horse, )"
as presented at EngliShs last night,
carries a bit more weight than that.
There is a pungency in its Vulgarlty,
a Wistful thread Of philosophy in the
actions Of its simple, dumb, clown
like characters, which strikes home
The whole thing is an almost too
realistic slice of what has become
a large portion Of our American life
II is the tale % a -Witted
hol1erloving greeting verse writer
who spends his time on the bus, in
doping out the days races.
Little Black Book
One morning while going through
the rockets of her husbands trou-
sers before sending them to the
tailJr's, Erwin TroWbridge's wife,
audrey, finds a little black book,
which contains a series of names
with what she thinks are telephone
numbers under them. She accuses
her spouse with being unfaithful. He
says he jots down his choices for the
days pony competition and that the
numbers are either the odds or the
way the horses finished.
So far this year, he says, he would
have won something more than
$4,000 if he had been betting-but
he wasn't and he didn't. Mr. TroW-
bridges morning is spoiled when his
Wifes brother, Clarence. a self
made flop of a real estate salesman,
comes stridng into the home in
Ozone Heights, tells his sister she is
being hoodwinked by her husband.
The morning is completely spoiled
when Mr.. TroWbridge is met at the
door by delivery boy bringing S48
worth Of new dresses for his wife
c. O. D. He rips out his little saw
ings box, pays for the dresses with
money he has boarded to buy fish
ing tackle and flies from the house
in huff
Pickers of Horses
Detected little Mr.. TroWbridge
proceeds to get drunk He goes into
a nearby saloon where Patsy,
frankie and Charlie, gamblers, are
trying to decide where to put their
last SIS. Erwin tells them to put it
on an unheard of nag, they laugh,
don't do it, and the horse wins.
From then on it is a hilarious match
of wits for the three gamblers to
keep the worrying verse writer away
from his work, home and to make
him keep on picking their horses
for them.
Three Men on a Horse" is con-
siderably enhanced by the top notch
performance of Sheldon Leonard as
Patsy. Mr.. Leonard has given his
Characterization bold, broad
stroke which makes it hold the au-
dience. Patsy is perfect illustra-
ton OF certain type OF Dig ShOJ
gambler. Mr.. Leonard's overplay-
ing of each gesture, each movement,
fits perfectly into the intended pur-
pose of the play.
One Line Bit Player
Chester Clute, as the lucky Erwin
Trowbridge, Edward F. Nannery as
Mr.. Carver, and Edward Colebrook
as frankie, are outstanding in the
cast. An excellent performance is
given by Miss Marjorie Cameron as
Mabel. Patsy's sweetheart. One of
the best bit parts we have seen on
a stage recently is the part of the
tailor (played by Frederick Kauf-
mani who has only one line to say,
makes one entrance and one exit.
The settings and costumes are in
keeping with the intended atmos-
phere of the play. 1t is ribaldly
funny, satirically moving, and never
rises above the entertaining stage.
Three Men On a Horse is to be
presented again tonight, tomorrow
afternoon and tomorrow night, at
Englishs.