Evening star., 1938-03-17

agent in New York at the moment,
the choice must be Paul Osbcrn. He
1t is who fashioned "On Borrowed
Time" a play that cannot be dis
cussed without putting together words
which heretofore have lived very far
apart. "On Borrowed Time" is fam
tasy, but it is fantasy that fairly booms
its joviality. 1t is inconceivable that
Death could be presented more at
tractively than Mr.. Osborn has done
1t through the story Of a divinely pro-
fame (see how those words get to-
gether) grandfather who refuses to die
while his orphan grandson needs him.
1t is the most laughable. cryable play
of the year; at least a triple must
on the schedule of any one who comes
to New York to survey the living
stages chances for immortality. Even
more especially on the schedule Of one
who comes for the simple purpose OF
being highly entertained
Among other reasons for seeing "On
Borrowed Time" which Dwight Deere
Wiman is presenting at the Longacre
Theater. is that it introduces 7-year-
old Peter Holden as the complete mas
ter of the art of acting in spite of his
negligible years. Peter as Pud. the
grandson. and Dudley Digges as
Cramps Northrup. are as inspired a
pair as ever stepped upon stage to
demonstrate the depths of real man.
to-man affection. Rendering them
noble assistance under the almost su-
pernatural (the spirit and substance
of the play bring out words like that
direction of Joshua Logan. are Doro-
thy Stickney as Granny, Frank Con-
roy. Clyde Franklin and several others
Lawrence Edward Watkins novel
gave Mr.. Osborn the material OF his
play. The material consists chiefly
of three characters in one of the most
beguiling situations imaginable. The
three characters are Mr.. Brink
(Death), Pud and Cramps. The situ-
alton is one which finds Mr.. Brink
coming to take away Cramps just at
the time when Pud needs him most,
when a drab-souled. flinty old aunt Is
about to get custody of the boy. AS a
result of having done good deed. to
an obbligato of some celestial cussing,
Cramps has one wish coming to him.
So he wishes Mr.. Brink up an apple
tree from which he cannot come down
until Cramps permits. Do you know
what that means? Well. it means
simply that no one, nothing in the
world. not even a fly. can die, because
Cramps has put Mr. Brink temporarily
out of business
X \ X X
GETTING Death up a tree like that
might stump many a playwright,
but not Mr.. Osborn. He takes ad-
vantage Of it to carry his audience
through interludes which range from
stark melodrama to beautiful pathos.
The former occurs in the scene in
which Cramps hard-boiled family
doctor, who is trying to commit him
to an asylum. discovers that Death
really is up a tree. Here is one Of the
most cockeyed moments that the stage
has offered In years. It Is followed
almost Immediately by scene in
which Mr.. Brink, knowing the only
way he ever will conquer Cramps is to
strike through the child. lures him
into the tree of Death and causes him
to break his back in fall. Cramps
is beaten then. the audience Is. weep
ing, and Mr. Brink is allowed to come
down out of the tree.
At the final curtain the three of
them stand happily together, Mr..
Brink having demonstrated that he
really is fine fellow who never had
any intention of separating Pud and
Cramps. 1t might sound like hokum
in print, but it doesn't when you see
it at the Longacre.
AS the eighty-odd Cramps, Dudley
Digges plays up tothe best Digges