Evening star., 1943-09-12
NEW YORK.

OF 4 recent night in Broadway
drugstore, between acts, there was a
small furry around Burns Mantle
dramatic critic for the New York
Daily News
The news had just leaked out that
Mantle was retiring.
After IS years OF reviewing plays
he was there that night just as a
visiting fireman. And for the first
time in decades the handsome Mrs.
Mantle was going to have an escort
home, instead Of trailing OF alone
while the pink faced, blue-eyed
Burns rushed to the office to meet
that 1890 am. deadline.
The drugstore coterie stared in
credulously into its orange juice
Including Mantle. He finds 1t a dis
tinct surprise that December will
turn up his 10th birthday ami
versary. The past As years have
fitted by with such deceptive
ahruptness.
Some years he's seen 27o openings
And since 1919 he's also edited those
valuable reference books, "The Best
Plays and Year Book Of the Drams
in America" He'll continue those
year books.
Night after night - Christmas
birthday, Sunday-nights when taxis
stuck in snowdrifts, nights when COL
lars white in the heat-the gentle,
professional Mantle has taken the
aisle seat, third or fourth row, and
seen the curtain rise on some new
footliehts connection.
Hes a plenty unorthodox dean OF
The critics. This business OF retlr.
ing at 70, from Broadway OF all
places, still with pink. unlined
face, Is point No. !. His study on
the third hoor Of his Forest Hills
home is another. There isn't a
single Queen of the Drama" pic
turk on the walls. He's never drunk
champagne from q stars satin slip
Der. His midnight tipple, after his
story is written, always has been 4
beaker OF orange juice or milk. He
takes an occasional cocktail, but 1t
usually waits for the annual dutch
treat party.
Quiet Gotham Flash.
He wears clothes that would catch
Adolph Menjous eye-but no crazy
lapels or tucks. The. sort Of suit
that looks at home on Wall Street.
His shirt, these many years, are
hand-tailored with B. M" en-
broidered on the sleeve.
He gave up his very conservative
moking two years back. He now
looks with doubt on his golf ITS
an 'umblin' game" he says. His eyes
twinkle. -
Hes never missed . deadline in IS
gears He's never really been on the
sick list. He adds gently, 1--WE been
very fortunate. I guess, too, my
Yankee conscience played its part.
He is q Yankee-born in Water
town. N. Y. The family lived IN
Denver, Old Mexico. San Diego.
The young Mantle CHATS the
ray Mantle speaks Of himself
worked for some years as q linotype
operator Zone of the first in the
country. in Denver. Chicago, New
York. On one New York trip he
spent every extra cent (the Yankee
conscience was asleep buying gal
lery seats for the shows.
His Own Linotyper.
He returned to Denver around
1895, still a linotype man. But the
theater caught up with him. One
night at deadline there was no the
ater column. An elderly editor. a
Mr.. White, had written one. but his
scribbling was so flyaway that young
Mantle. who was supposed to set the
story on his linotype. couldn't read
it. He'd seen the show himself, se
he tinkled of q review on his ma
chine-which probably makes him
the only dramatic critic who even
wrote his story straight on one OF
those frightening contraptions that
only printers understand.
That set the die. He eventually
became . critic-even though hi
took 4 cut In pay TO do 1t. But he
loved the theater.
He stil does. He says there's nj.
ways the hope that you'll see q
great play. Like the night he wen,
70 see Angel Street" open. There
was nothing about the advance no.
tees that portended good play
But at ii:ts pm. he and Brook,
Atkinson barged out onto Broadway
a. hsppy as though they'd beer
given . prize,
That only happens once In two
NJ three wears. And no matter how
many openings . whether
20 OF 770--Msntle has found IN,
percentage OF good plays remains
about The same 10 successes To "
failures
Ne nseh A. . sBest."
Ne can't nsnss . hest play" n,
eess ~ the last ons which thsslls,
him CuFrsntly iss There ehAll =,
~ Mlsht." the MehsYt nheFwoN,
RlAs vtsh sases ana rsntsnns
~ fssis he sans vay shsus Get