Evening star., 1939-01-24

American title, is quite logical as
we'll as presumably more UNDER
standable, since its central charac-
ter is schoolmaster to whom mar
riage seems as alien as, shall one
say, Munich?
Charles Donkin is q housemaSter
in boys school who obviously has
mastered the human touch which
makes him q standout in the busi-
ness. BY way of complicating his
life, and having the groundwork for
a play, Mr.. Hay superimposed upon
Mr.. Donkin's genius for getting
along with his charges three female
foundlings. They are the daughters
of an old love. Moreover, they are
the last three female foundlings who
ever should be dropped upon q
bachelor who is making a good thing
OF life until their appearance. The
things they do to that school, most
particularly to the housemaster
whose wards they become, are
touching, amusing and invariably
within the limits of good taste even
when you are sure the author Is
taking one chance too many with
the latter.
Three girls, the daughters Of an
artist with tendencies that might
be described as unpredictable, COM
bine enough qualities to wreck an
institution like Marbledown. The
eldest, in her late teens, is the visit
full type for which the lonely scholar
artist, or vice versa, has a peculiar
susceptibility. The second, in her
not quite so late teens, is a cross be-
tween the vine that wants to cling
and the mink who Is ready to blow
the roof of the place. The third
is the mink. Their combined appeal
to student body and faculty ought
to be clear by this time. or you
will have to take our word for 1t
that 1t Is very complete.
In addition to the girls and the
houSemaster, the latter kindly
sympathetic character from whom
you might wish you had learned
algebra, Mr. Hay has created num-
Der OF other very meetable persons
One OF them is Aunt" Barbara
Fame, the young and harassed gov
erness of the children, another the
housemaster who refuses to take
himself and his job seriously, the too
too righteous headmaster (head. not
house,, the self-effacing music
teacher, and a standard variety OF
schoolboys.
The role of Housemaster Donkin
portrayed originally by Frederick
Lester, who directed the production
is carried of effectively on this occa-
sion by Edward Fielding. The three
girls, beginning at the oldest, are
done very acceptably by Virginia
Barton, Jane Sterling and Betty Mo-
ran. although the latter did seem
just a bit too precious at times
even for . 13-year-old.
Philip Tonge. out of the original
company Gas was Miss Sterling)
makes the headmaster the kind OF
Ne~A "a AAASOAAPA ClACA1uAlle SCuJ WIZ
typifies the breed. Marcella Swan
son, as the governess, seems tc
justify the happy ending which Mr.
Hay devised for his drama. Abso-
lutely no prize is offered for any cor.
rect guess as to what the three girl.
arranged between the housemastel
and the governess.
Bachelor Born" even at this dis.
tance from the opening paragraph
still is very reminiscent of Good
bye Mr.. Chips" Helping to make il
so. in addition to the features pre-.
viously mentioned, are couple OF
handsome sets by Watson Barratt
One is the housemasters study ir
Marbledown, which looks exactly
like a perfect background for Mr.
Chips, or Mr.. Donkin. The Other
Is the bedroom of the two older girls
which looks exactly like the pictures
OF such rooms as reproduced ir
school advertisements.