Evening star., 1942-06-14

made her first New York appearance
in Julius Caesar" with William
Faversham. Bertha's sprightly tap
dance with Bolger is an outstanding
part Of the near-perfect show.
Now for the f1aw-in the per-
son of film-actress Miss Moore.
BY Jupiter" is Comics first fling
in the flesh-and-blood theater. 1t
was unfair to her to be teamed with
professional and experienced cast.
Sure, she's pretty and has a cute
figure. SO have 10,000,000 other
American women. But that's no rea-
son to give her a role for which she
is untitled by reason of her inability
to act or sing.
Miss Moore's idea OF portraying
an amazon of ancient history is to
stand like a block of marble with
her feet apart, staring strainingly
at some object high above her. In an
attempt to infuse amazonian
strength into her voice she pitches
it several tones too high. The result.
a thin screech. And her singing is
what used to be known as draw
ing room" In palmer language. the
lady's vocalizing just weeps for a
microphone to give it strength.
Connie, like Bolger in Hollywood,
but with more reason. was intrust-
ed chiefly with B roles in B pic
lures. She was given one big chance,
in Il Wanted Wings and failed to
come through as personality. She
was, perhaps, unfortunate in having
Veronica Lake in the same film. 1t
was the first appearance for Veron-
lea, but she cut the acclaim from
under Miss Moore's feet.
I suppose that some misguided
Hollywood producer will confuse the
success OF by Jupiter" as some
thing to do with Miss Moores un-
doubted good looks and offer her an
other Hollywood contract In which
case I advise her to accept, quickly.
Harpo Drops Pantomime.
Production notes of the theater:
Harpo Marx definitely will talk
when he arrives on Broadway in
next seasons yellow Jacket" Max
Gordon, who produces, is hoping to
get Harpo's great friend. Alexander
Woolcott as teammate. With
Groucho all set for Franklin
Street." it would be kind of nice for
some one to find a play for Chico,
the remaining member of the Max
MarxeS.
Allan Jones, another who got off
to bad start in Hollywood. chiefly
because he was under contract to
Metro where Nelson Eddy had first
choice of the good land bad musi-
cal pickings, now gets better op~
portunity to prove himself, in 'The
Chocolate Soldier" opening here at
Carnegie Hall June %.
Another play based on Abraham
Lincolns assassination, Death Mr..
President" will be presented locally
for three matinees in a few weeks.
Vincent Price impersonates Lincoln,
Mary Michael is his wife, with Dom
aid Randolph as John Wilkes
the experiment will be successful,
The Bucks County Playhouse will
open after all, but not in its original
barn home. The ballroom of the
Bellevue -Stratford Hotel in Phila-
delphia will be made over to fit the
players and plays. Here's hoping
the experiment will be successmul,
but I always thought that the chief
charm of country playhouses was
because they were in the country.
Gertrude Lawrence has joined the
growing number of theatrical per-
sonalities to ignore the threat
caused by rubber priorities and
gasoline shortage to the little thea
tiers out of town. She will again ap-
pear at the Cape Playhouse, Den
mis-, Mass, in Moonlight Is Silver"
by Clemence Dane. and probably in
a revival of Fallen Angels" by
certain Mr.. Noel Coward. George
Abbott will put on another musical
comedy next season, THE Umpire's
Daughter" Betty Anne Nyman, the
blond bedimpled darling in Best
Foot Forward" plays the umpire's
daughter. The plot is described as
concerning baseball and love, which
will do until something better comes
along.
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