Evening star., 1940-02-06

revealing the dark, terrifying es-
sence of this poisonous female, II
probably is good thing. AS 1t was,
one woman In our vicinity could not
refrain from muttering succession
of choice descriptive epithets which
might easily have turned into some
thing more positive.
High skill in playing is not limited
to the star, however. There is an
inspired excellence about the work
of Patricia Collinge, Frank Conroy
Charles Dingle and Eugenia Rawls.
X X ~
Miss Hellman, whose last attack
Oocally) of not feeling very good
about the world was "The Children's
Hour" deals this time with money
as the root Of all evil. In the lust
of the Hubbard family for gold, she
depicts the destruction Of every
quality of decency associated with
the species. It is a thoroughly con-
vincing case history, and highly
successful bit of theater, but it is
hardly likely to create the impress
sion the Hubbards were anything
but tragic exception to the general
rule Of human decency.
Its likely failure in this respect is
no reflection upon the expertness
with which "The Little Foxes" is
written. It Is by far the best piece
of Hellman writing since its author
began years ago to demonstrate
her kinship to Ibsen and others who
felt the treater should not be 50
namby- -namby.
While the spotlight Of the drama
is upon Regina Giddens, visually
fair flower of the South's carpet
Dagger plutocracy, other characters
are equally well drawn in proof of
the plays premise. It Is impossible
to conceive two more despicable
characters than Regina's brothers,
Ben and Oscar.
The forces Of decency which are
being routed in every movement of
Miss Hellman's play are led by the
disappointed, dying husband of
Regina and include Oscars half
mad wife and the darkly shadowed
daughter of the Giddens. There
is also present on the scene, and
happily, an old colored nanny
who is full Of affection and simple
wisdom, a neatly conceived addi-
ton for giving meaning to "The
Little Foxes"
Never is there any question about
who is going to win this battle Of
hate, greed, and cunning against
affection, generosity and honorable
dealing. Every skirmish from the
opening one between the Hubbards
and a gileless Northerner whom
they are about to take" represents
triumph for the unprincipled
brothers and sisters. The sole In
timation Of possible justice for their
misdeeds Is that implied In an
ending which leaves them fighting
among themselves on the scene of
their ugly victory.
+ X r +
The period of the play, 1900, gives
Miss Bankhead q chance to achieve
her acting tour de force In a cos
tune entirely new, the capacious,
flowing frocks Of that time, topped
by . high hair-do. But the change
in costume has not changed the
flre, nor altered that throaty voice
whose tricks are among the best in
the business, including an OCCASION
ally perfect stimulation of the tones
Of Ethel Barrymore. In view of
Miss Collinge's exquisite portrait Of
the sweet, tortured wife of Oscar it
Is just as well that Miss Bankhead
has the full power needed for her
role. Acting honors otherwise might
have been more difficult to decide.
AS 1t is, however, Miss Bankhead
finally gets the play for which she
waited so long and the National
gets drama of such force that you
are not likely to recover from 1t
before Tobacco Road" takes over
next Monday.
4 X X +
And, what's more:
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