Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-24

elfth Night" with Helen Hayes and
Ter word for it, thinks cancellation
Had We definitely booked WASH
ington," he says. you can be sure
we would not have Cancelled the
engagement. You don't cancel
Washington. No one does. Its
reputation as the best theater town
on the road takes care of that"
Just when Washington will see
Twelfth Night" is something no
one is prepared to say at the mo-
ment. There is the possibility that
it may turn out to be another "Vic-
toria Regina" and remain on Broad
way until the guild is a doddering
old gentleman. That is a posi-
bility, but a not very likely one.
Granting Miss Hayes. Shake
speare and Evans are magic COM
bination, they might have something
like a 12-week season only on
Broadway. The Lunts are a pretty
magic combination. too, and with
Robert Sherwood's There Shall Be
No Night" they came to Broadway
in the spring with close to the best
play of the season, their best since
Idiots Delight" They were able
to close for the summer after q
16 weeks run.
About the cancellation, the right
word in this case. of The Fifth
Column" Munsell thinks it was the
only thing to do. Constantly re-
curing laryngitis, he says, con-
WINGED Tone that he could not
stand a road tour in the play, In
duced him to refuse to try.
But how about some one else In
the role?" Munsell was asked.
Then We would have been in
Dutch" says Munsell, wide open to
the accusation of sending out a
second, or inferior, company. The
company might have been no such
thing, of course, but that does not
count; counts even less than nor
maly when a screen player is the
one for whom the substitution is
made"
AS none too enthusiastic ad-
mirer of The Fifth Column" this
commentator is disposed to believe
that Washington guild patrons will
be lucky if they get James Thurber's
The Male Animal as a substitute.
That is quite likely development.
Thurber's smart comedy with Ell
lott Nugent in the principal role,
and also the role of co-author, was
one of the most delightful dramatic
bits on Broadway last season. What
ever structural defects the classicists
may have been able to find in it,
there were dozens of compensations
in the form of Thurber wit, than
which there is no wittier wit extant.
X
Another play which goes on the
guilds list for the season is Law
renee Langner's, and Mrs. Langner's
Susanna and the Elders" definitely
something not to be confused with
Susanna of the Mounties," starring
Shirley Temple. After lurking
around the Summer Theater for
several weeks, it was one of the few
plays on that sun-tanned circuit
deemed worthy Of its transportation
to Broadway.
Jack Kirkland will produce, the
first thing he has produced since his
"Tortilla Flat earned such I'M
flattering notice that Kirkland
thought Critic Richard Watts, jr.,
deserved sock in the nose.
Best story going around Bleeck's,
which is where the best stories
usually go around, has to do with
the press agent whose name fright
ems the daylights out of all the peo-
pie who do not hire him.
He was hired, we'll virtually, the
other day by an inspired Hollywood
producer whose picture had been so
butchered that he did not want mis-
name associated with it. With the
producer cheering him, the press
agent was supposed to 60 to town
with whopping attack on the pic
ture, one of those neatly executed
throat slittings the like Of which
no picture ever felt before.
The studio was told frankly what
the program was to be.
It's trembling higher-ups immedi-
ately assembled, contemplated the
possible damage from so inspired a
producer and an even more inspired
damager of shoddy goods. and de-
clared the whole thing off by re-
storing everything to the film which
the producer insisted it should nave.
1t is a new publicity technique
with virtually limitless possibilities
the producer threatening to attack
his own work If he decides 1t is not
being fairly treated.