Evening star., 1938-09-20

cast Scarlet O'Hara 1t produces an
actress who seems just the person
Mr.. Selznick has been looking for. She
is Miss Helen Claire, who was brought
over from radio by Producer Brock
Pemberton in one of the wisest moves
Mr.. Pemberton has made. As Cindy
Lou Bethany, the Athens (Ga) girl
who won the right to play Velvet
OToole in. the movies, Miss Claire
demonstrates all the requisites of Scar
lett, the accent. the hair, the coyness,
the fierce loyalty to the South and
enough fire to destroy the army OF
Yankee intellectuals recruited for Miss
Boothe's play. Where have you been
looking, Mr.. SelznickO
BY way Of contrasting Cindy LOUIS
ways of life with those of the North
the play moves the little baggage into
the Long Island set for a week end
during which she Is to be screen (and
otherwise) tested by the visiting pre-
lates from Hollywood. That situation
arranged, Miss Boothe lets the North
and South give each other the works
with the West, in the form Of the
cinema set, doing lot Of giving and
getting on its part.
The North is represented in the
struggle by such types, most of them
definitely recognizable as people you
know, as the Communist columnist.
the befuddled but successful publisher.
the polo player who knows about
horses and nothing else, the philander-
ing intellectual and his snobbish. bored
wife. Miss Boothe shows them no
mercy, but she is even more pitiless,
If possible, toward the Hollywood set
represented by buXom blond Of negli-
gible intellect and aggressive instincts,
porcine producer and a bitter direc-
tor whose life was one long burp.
AS she proved in The Woman
Miss Boothe Is just the person to dis
sect types of that kind for the amuse-
ment and edification of theater audi
ences. Their major concerns of sex
money, a place in the public eye, and
degree of wit which makes them very
amusing to themselves, are neatly ex-
posed in the situation and dialogue OF
kiss the Boys Good When the
play is moving at satisfactory pace
they look like a fine combination OF
people to set up before New York
audience. as they will be next week
IT is a promising cast, for all its
mistakes last night. that Miss An
toinette Perry directed for Mr.. Penn
berton. In addition to Miss Claire
who had to be the standout, it includes
Benay Venuta as the cinema blond
Philip Ober as the philandering hus-
band Of the bored aristocrat, Sheldon
Leonard as the Hollywood producer
and Millard Mitchell as the director
and Carmel White as the philanderer's
wife. Miss Venuta, fresh from the
fields of musical comedy and radio
did not seem entirely at ease In hel
vixenish role, but the others were
satisfactory.
One Of the plays best performances
and also its best moments, is provided
by Frank Wilson, who plays a coloreo
Romeo to Miss Claire's Juliet when
she is demonstrating her ability to act
for the guests at the house party.
Mr.. Pemberton's play is given impres.
s1ve production. Three sets are re-
quired for the six scenes, an elaborate
country living room, a train drawing
room, and bathhouse on the estate.
All of them are very pleasing.
Even though he does not get to New
York for long time, Mr.. Selznick
probably will have a chance to see
the Scarlet he missed playing the
part in satire In Kiss the Boys Good
bve,"