The Washington times., 1937-06-14

Il wish l could forget how much
loved my Village garretD
Wilma Crittenden.
Ladies of Ensemble!
THE INTELLECTUAL-She's
the gal who can take the Tamaras
and Ethel Mermans in stride. But
Ina Claire or Katharine Cornell or
Helen Hayes or Lynn Fontanne-
well, now my deahS, there are
artists. She doesn't necessarily
wear tortoise shelled glasSeS-but
one or two of the more erudlte
publications you're sure to find
tucked under an arm. Knows
enough about politics to confound
her singing and dancing sisters, to
whom a book is guy on Attn st.
who takes wagers on the gee-geeS.
On off days, when there are no
matinees, she goes to either the
Theater Guild piece, an Elman or
1turbe recital or Town Hall ap-
pearance of Ruth Draper or Cor
nelia Otis Skinner or the visiting
British novelist. Her associates in
the chorus line think she is a little
screwy-but they put up with her.
THE HAS-BEEN-Tragic fig
ures in any chorus ine-the
faded coryphee. Hours at the
makeup box can't erase the tell
tale evidence that her lips are
thinning, her face is drawn and
Sallow-her smile, a pathetic
grimace. Usually she has her job
because the producer remem-
bered her when she was the
prettiest and has decided maybe
she still looks good from the
front. Odd, isn't it, that the pro
fessional woman can grow old.
become wife and mother, and
still retain her charms-but
chorines, so many OF them, VINO
get on in yearS-do it In the
ugly. graceless fashion. Poor but
terfly! Her neck crimsons so
when old friends drop back stage
to say hello. Alphabetically she
explains to the girls (after they
are gomez these visitors were on
the way out of show business
when she was first entering the
chorus ranks. They had been so
kind-showing her the ropes ana
all that, you know. The girls pre-
tend to believe. The more 1ntell1.
gent of them feel the day OF
bitter awakening is near enough.
Uhv hasten it?
THE SCHEMER There Is
nothing impulsive about her-.'
everything she does is calculated
and well weighed. Her luncheon
and dinner dates are with dun,
flabby guyS-but powers IN Cne
theatrical scheme of things. Yes
sir. she knows what she's doing
every minute-and two gets you
20 she'll wind up with her name
in lights somewhere in Forty
fifth street. or with a long-term
film contract and a Beverly HlllS
hacienda. It is only now ana
then-in an off moment-ny
some inadvertent confession a
sigh fractions Of second too
long or a mournful gesture. that
YOU suspect perhaps she's not
getting very much kick out OF
life.
THE PATSY-She's a dope all
right. Her barren mind IS great
ieveler. The trumpet-tooter In the
nit band pars with Stravinsky or
Toscanini. Why should she be
awed by a great composer or
writer?-never ha ing heard or
read of their efforts. She Is tne
nroblem child Of the show, Inc
wardrobe mistress and the stage
door man are her self-appointed
guardians. Her sympathetic toe
tapping sisters strive to keep ner
on a sensible spending budget ana
perform miraculous long-olVlslon
problems to keep her financially
solvent. TWO days after payday
they're usually broke. Strangely
enuf. the dull-wit IS positively
filthy with wampum.
THE AESTHETE-Usually a
pain in the neck to the dance di'
rector. She is lean and melan'
choly, although not necessarily
Danish-and for a season or two
has been appearing with a dance
group interpreting the modern bal
let. Lately, it appears, the assign
ments have been Internationally
she must eat. She condescends,
somewhat forlornly, to join the
chorus. Her artistic senSibilities
are so acute she endeavors to
thrust q mystic meaning and so
cial significance into even her
time-step, while the peasants who
are her coworkerS try merely to
give the folks out front a good
show. She has very little truck
with the rest of the chorus mob.
After the curtain she doffS her
cute costume, gets into stern
turtle-necked sweater and low
heeled shoes and marches off to
an apartment down in the Village
where her real friends-the friends
she understands and who under
stand her-gather to discuss the
panaceas for the worlds ills.
MISS SINCERITY - Really a
nice person. No hysterics-noth-
ing neurotic about her. She is
intelligent, wholesome and hard
working. Katharine Hepburn
played her in Morning Glory"
and Marparet Sullivan nnrtraYed