The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-07-09
In New York
BY PAUL HARRISON

New York, July 9.-Theater
notes: The entertainment business,
observes young Mr.. ]. Ostermar1,
is getting to the point where
only the cleverest professionals
have a chance of working their
way UP to the amateur class.
After the millionth dollar tim
killed. into the till of Anything
Goes" here, the show was opened
in London by second company.
the deletions was a bit of fun-
poking at Mrs. Roosevelt's radio
work. Britain's Lord Chamberlain,
the drama dictator, evidently
thought it might lead to- an inter-
national incident, although 1t has
convulsed Broadway for months.
Theater arrangements cry aloud
against the rule prohibiting bars
in their Hobbies, yet they're having
an increasingly difficult time with
DRINKS. Society people seem in
clined to make something of q
ritual of having too many cocktails
before arriving at show half an
hour late. And tipsy women are
an especially vexing problem, be-
ing inclined to hysteria at the
wrong places, and then the loudest
to protest their sobriety If some-
one cautions them.
Men who take tickets bear the
brunt of unpleasantries. Once an
intoxicated customer gets into the
house it's hard to GUST him. COM
fnonest dodge is to send in q page
to tell him he's wanted on the
telephone; once in the lounge, he's
begged not to return, and even
may be sent out in tow of a the
ater attache for few more
drinks at the theater's expense.
Nobody ever lays a hand on a pa
tron, though. Just taking his arm
constitutes technical assault, ana
a few schemers have collected
heavy damages by planting wit
nesses beforehand.
FOotlight Menus
Only a dozen shows left on
Broadway, but among them is the
three-act banquet titled Awake
and Sing" 1t just happens to be
the eating-est play in seasons,
with somebody munching all the
time. Moe Jacobs, the property
man, is called "Chef." In the first
act, he served canned pineapple
for twelve weeks, and switched to
plums when the whole cast threat
ened to strike. But plums ruined
the linen, so he changed to pears,
then peaches, and now is getting
up his nerve to run in pineapple
again.
In the second act he still makes
bits of black bread serve as
chopped liver, because nobody has
to eat 1t. But the pickles and
olives are more of a problem; the
stage hands and actors gobbie
them up before the curtain rises.
The third act brings hot pastrami;
also "a good deal of controversy
between the players who can't
down another bite OF pastranoi ana
those who refuse the proMered
substitute of corned beef. The
chef has decided that the easiest
way out is for him to rewrite the
whole play and leave out all ref
erences to food.
The Reel Broadway
i nave llcutlOHcQ tHG StTduSiG~
hold Hollywood has on the next
theatrical season, but 1t was the
excellent magazine, Stage" that
reminded me of how many recent
productions have been filmed.
There's no need, really, for any
body to come to Broadway to see
the shows. For practically all Of
them will come to you, sooner or
later, on the screen. Paramount
has bought the outstanding musi-
cal comedy, Anything Goes"
along with Accent on Youth.
and some other comedies
Warmers own "Petrified Forest
and "The Green Pastures, twp
great hits, and helped finance on
Broadway Fly Away Home"
Three Men on a Horse's and
Ceiling Zero" The latter VIII be
badly bungled If 1t doesn't turn
out to be a. truly great flying
movie.
"The Farmer Takes a wife" is
coming to you through Fox, and
should be even better on the
screen than behind the footlights.
M-G-M has done a flock of last
seasons plays-"rhe Wind ana the
RAIN" "The Bishop Misbehaves,"
"MerrIly We Roll Along" ''The
Distaff Side" "Dodsworth" and
mo More Ladies'"