Evening star., 1942-05-03
McClintic's
Way With
Talent Works
Director Starts
Young Players
To Success
By Jay Carm mody.


since she Is Mrs. McClintic, that
there is an excusable tendency to
forget he is q director responsible for
many other gratifyingly successful
acting careers. And, for the more
important correlative, the type and
quality of production that begets
proper attention for players on their
way to success.
Mr.. McClintic's intimates are un-
firing even In these exhausting days
in praising him for the relatively
rare characteristic responsible for
his success in spawning successful
actors. At the drop of an interested
look. they point out that he is a
producer-director with strong artis-
tic leanings. Whereas so many
others in the management branch
of the art and/or profession keep
their mental focus upon profits as a
mark of achievement, he is much
more prone to remember what. and
who, 1t was the customers paid to
see 1t Is an attitude that accepts
the theater as collaboration which,
If it Is not, it is likely to be nothing.
Nothing, that is. that cannot be
recorded more wisely by a realistic
bank teller than by an enthusiastic
historian of the drama.
There's Room for Both.
There is room, of course, for both
types of producers, but one suspects
the McClintic type contributes much
more to the endurance of the art.
And to its endurability!
Pointless 1t would be to debate
which of the McClintic contribu-
tions to the roster of memorable
performers is the most significant.
There would undoubtedly be a con-
siderable Burgess Meredith faction
to Quel II another than Meredith
were named. The now Pvt. Mere
dith, U. s. A., however, is a promi-
nent McClintic alumnus. He started
elsewhere, as a fey and elfln crea-
ture in a fantasy with Eva lie CAL
lienne, but his real career began
when he played with Miss Cornell
and under Mr.. McClintic's direction
In something called Flowers Of
the Forest" The play was not much
of play, but It directed critical
attention to Meredith, the atten-
ton of the public and critics on the
general side, that OF McClintic on
the specific. The latter was the
more practically important to Mere
dith's development In that it led
eventually to "Winterset," which
McClintic produced, and which
established the actor as such q
favorite that he was Immediately
dubbed "The Hamlet Of 1940." (Tf1at
the Hamlet Of 1910 was Maurice
Evans, instead, seemed to bother no
one, least OF all the prophets)
Thereafter came High Tor" and
"The Star Wagon" also Meredith
McClintic collaborations, and the
young player got from them such
reputation for skill that Hollywood
seized upon him even If it had to
grant him q waiver for physical
dimensions below those Of the
standard cinema Adonis.
He Produced the Hamlet.
If he missed on Meredoh as the
1910 model Hamlet, McClintic
turned up with the actor who was.
Evans. No Anglophile, the director
is a deep admirer of the training
which is an imperative in the de-
velopment Of young English actors.
SO impressed was he by Evans skill
that he offered him his first role
on this side of the Atlantic, that
Of Romeo to Mrs. McClintic's Juliet
in Shakespeare's tale of love.
who is Mrs. McClintic?" history
amuSingly records Evans answer.
1t was an answer that Miss Cornell's
husband took as blissfully as it was
given ignorantly by the actor, 80
the deal was made without the
faintest taint Of misunderstanding
on either side.
That brought Evans to this coun-
try, where he has done splendidly
by audiences, by himself and by
Shakespeare ever since.
Mr.. McClintic excusably preens
himself on that contribution to the
theater whenever a preen Is In or
der. If it does not seem expedient
at given moment that 1t be Evans
inspired, he can turn to John Giel-
gud, another of his imports who
made good In q somewhat vivid
way.
1t Is not merely the youthful Eng.
lish with Shakespearian tendencies
that Mr.. McClintic has started on
the road to fame and fortune, or
Hollywood and both.
Also Started welles.
His 1884 production of Romeo
and Juliet" could be called a treas
ure trove of talent If one had a
sudden passion to use the phrase in
a sentence In, say, q parlor game.
Two OF the younger. almost in
fant1e. players in that cast were
Tyrone Power-the current one
and Orson Welles. Welles turned
out to be the more prodigy-like. of
course, but Power has done well
enough, as every one knows.
Perhaps the most notable &C.
comphshment Of the director in
seeing dramatic talent where others
missed it was in the case of Ethel
Waters. That was some three sea.
ScAAo c6c "4ACAl 3xISiuiI1I
self with a fine piece of property
dealing with Negro life in Charles
ton. S. C. "Mamba's Daughters"
was its title, and in looking about
for a colored actress to play the
deeply moving central character,
that of the mother, Mr.. McClintic
began to mediate upon Miss Waters.
A veteran and beloved figure in the
theater, she was known strictly as
vocalist, a blues singer. In the
heart and the mind that could pro-
duce so much feeling from such
simple songs, Mr.. McClintic was
certain he detected great dramatic
power. History records how bril-
liantly he was right.
Another Newcomer.
Most of the players in McClintic's
production of Punch and Julia"
new comedy by George Batson at
the National tomorrow night. are
well known and thoroughly estab-
ished. There is, however, in the
cast headed bv .Jane Toul orA Az