Evening star., 1936-06-14

stage. The animate season of playact
interim Of June and July. The theater
itself exists in a state of happy
catalepsy, its faint pulse discernible
only in the continued runs of such
seemingly immortal enterprises as
Dead End" boy Meets Girl" END
of Summer" and Idiots Delight" In
deed, Three Men on a Horse" 1.-THE
Children's Hour" and Tobacco Road"
are entering their second Summer sea-
son, and Forty-fifth street is firmly
convinced that, centuries hence, when
yet unimagined archeologists penetrate
to the Silk Hat or Early Petrol Auto
motive level of American development,
they will find life continuing, for all
the world like microbes in amber, at
the Maxine Elliott, the Playhouse and
the Forrest.
1t is customary, therefore, while
troupers are galloping delightedly
through the well remembered sides Of
such established favorites as Hay
Fever" and The Distaff Side" in
country theaters, and before the rum
blings Of Autumn yet come down the
wind, for drama reporters to review
the season past, recapitulate its
triumphs and, wherever possible, point
with pride to their own box scores.
Surveying these retrospective sum
maries and ex-post-fact estimates,
there seems to be little doubt that the
year 1886 has been to date and promises
to continue the Season Of Burgess
Meredith.
And, as Burgess Meredith Year
along the Rialto, it was one of the
best deserved stage triumphs Of mod
ern times, and one which met with
curious but entirely gratifying public
appreciation. For the emergence Of
Meredith as popular and romantic
figure Che has for several seasons
been known to professional and dis
eliminating theater observers) marks
the emergence, too, of an entirely new
and refreshing type of matinee idol.
"Winterset," despite the freshly
plated laurels of the New York Drama
Critics Circle, is at best a senti-
luCIlJdl dllO az OdbA4COAN NAAoA CIV
of pierhead poetics. Can unauthorr
lied, but strongly credited rumor along
the Times Square grapevine holds that
the Critics Circle actually came into
being through the oblique, but in
tensely provocate agency Of Guthrie
McClintics press agent, with Win
terset" the obvious choice Of its
award) without the presence Of Mr..
Meredith, it Is doubtful If Maxwell
Anderson's verse drama would have
gotten to first base, let alone scored
a run through the provinces and back
to the Broadway home plate. Ger
tainly the presence of somewhat
anonymous and entirely unplausible
playactress named Margo did nothing
to brighten the original cast, although
both Edward Ciannelli and Richard
Bennett performed heroically. Win
terset" has been Mr.. Meredith's show
pure and simple.
As a popular youth with the play
going public, Meredith upsets the
whole tradition and conception Of the
matinee idol of the past. If his type
is to be taken as an index, the CON-
poSite Arrow Collar-Nell Brinkley-
Arthur William Brown lad, with starry
eyes, wavy hair and the firm Amer
ican handclasp, is sadly in the dis
card. Meredith is not beautiful, he
is the reverse of the exquisite, ano
he makes no parade of his person
But he is, in an indefinable way, ex-
traordinarily attractive, and he is en-
tirely and above all suspicion authen-
tic. Lean, raffish and red-haired, one
would be impelled, if suddenly called
upon 10 address him, to salute him
as Micky or Ratsy. He has about him
an ingratiating sort of corner-gang
toughness blended with bland and
youthful cynicism. He wears his coat
collar turned up and his hats turned
down, and would rather stand up to
a bar than sit down to drink.
=
d EVISITING Dodie Smiths ad-
~ mirable little comedy, Call 1t a
Day." which has been carrying gal
Iantly on with Gladys Cooper and
Philip Merivale in the starred roles,
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