Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-06


MR. PICKERING are some signs
that theater people are get
ting some sense, and just
trying 10 put out good shows
without being either arty or
obscene. Taking one example
that happens to be In Detroit
(Shubert Eafayette1 at the mo-
ment,~ here II some behind-the-
scenes information on how the
cast of johnny Belinda" was
assembled.
Harry Wagstaff GribbIe, the
producer, threw away all the
hackneyed ideas Of choosing n
cast, and picked up people be-
cause he thought they looked
like the kind of people he
wanted. His star, DANA Krup-
ska, was doing the solo dancing
Mt Radio City Music Hall.
Gribble saw her, went backstage
and offered to hire her. She
thought he was kidding. But
week later he had transformed
her from dancer into an
actress. And Johnny Belinda"
has been drawing customers for
over n year.
William Miegs was with band
when Gribble saw him. Now he
plays the william and the hero,
sometimes one, sometimes the
other. His dad is currently one
of Knudsen's right hand men.
His mother. the former Dorothea
Hamilton Skinner, was one of the
two most beautiful women in
Chicago. but wanted TO do more
than sit around looking pretty.
So she keeps an eye on a big
ranch in Arizona. managing il.
Her father was a rancher, Colonel
Skinner, who started the Inter-
national Livestock Show in Chi
cago. Otis Skinner. the actor,
was some sort of a relative.
Stanley Gould has TO play
Jig on the violin. They asked
IL he could play; he said yes,
bat he hadn't recently. This
,cds not strictly the truth, be-
cause he'd never had violin
in his life.
He had onivss6 cash, but he
and his ioife (Cdrol Kruger,
also Johnny Belinda" noW)
spent IS for a fiddle an a hook
shop. He fooled around Nth
IL rs hours a day for week.
BIZ that time he could play the
JIG, and got the job. And in
Philadelphia n musician IN the
pit offered him $40 for the
violin.
Dean Norton. who trades the
villain and hero roles back and
forth with Bill MeigS, has bummed
around on freighters. spared with
Joe Louis and Make Rosenbloom,
was a promising Big Leagues
ballplayer until he was hit and
hurt by ball.
Evelyn Wells Fargo Is the
great granddaughter OF william
q. Fargo who started the famous
Pony Express, and the "Wells"
In her name In In honor of
Fargo's partner. She still has
Indian arrow heads and leather
gold-dust pouches as relics. She
went TO the University Of Wash
ington. but decided TO take
flyer I'm acting, went to New
York. won a Dorothy Stickney
award, and was on her way.
Bertha and Bert Belmore are
from an old English stage family
It's odd-Dani chats what they
call her) KrupSka is supposed &c
be deaf and dumb in the show
Belmore really is deaf. He gets
his cues from watching the Others
nod or point their fingers. Read
ing IL here is the only way you'll
know about his deafness; he's So
b skillful that you'll never detect
il at the theater
The point I'm making is that
real people are taking oUer IN
the 'hsGter, and the public is
airin0 me sWcet-smeUiHg drtp
crowd the bUm's rash. And It's
about time.
BY the way. none OF this came
from a press agent. II came from
Bill Meigs. DAM KrupSka. Mis-.
Fargo and some others. The grand
children Of the Colonel Skinner
and w. G.. Fargos are the kim
who will roll up their sleeves anC
20 10 work.
BY the way. DAM Krupska,
Bill Melgs told me, has been a
dancer all over the world.
Queen Marie had her at the
palace a. a guest when that
terrific row with King Carol
was going on, 10 the Queen took
DAM and her mother to her
castle. on the Black Sea. Prince
Mihai. something Of a smart
aleck Kid. snubbed DAM, until
he saw her twirl a lasso, cow
hoy fashion. He couldn't do II
himself. 20 she taught him.
Firm, then nm he had soune re-