Evening star., 1943-05-09
Wilder VS.. Kingsley a Draw;
Exhausted Theater Critics
Drop Usual Diatribes
So Tired They Were, They Hadn't Heart
To Spar With Pulitzer Prize Men,
And Thus Tradition Lapsed
By Jay Carm0dy.


Now that decided that 1he
Skin of Our Teeth" the best play being
only the best the
the whole matter probably should dropped plays
prohed by the Serg Sidney Kingsley
Circle plaque for THE Patriots his prize play and
Wilder has his Pulitzer check for the $1,000
award for THE Skin of Teeth The
med at both the National and Plymouth theaters New
The critics have had the excitement being abusing
each other Righteous people have proper
proper editors and unhteous have sat
half dozen extra drinks qurreng happily
of the two plays Nobody satisfied
ALL the thing did end tie between the soldier dramatist
The leftover quarrel inerest-and
probably should be recorded for the say
Sunday column is that the critics disagreement
Pulitzer JUDGES calmly.
Usually they typewrers their quis just
waiting for the Pulitzer decision year. they
worked up of their finest urs eontery
group in dagreeng with them they good
and objectvy instead of being hot nrov
they wrote with tolerant amusement thing
gardess the individual approach the subject
least column and the public which
byproduct of spring.
1t always one-sided controversy Pulitzer Judges
never Iea got INTO the spirit OF the thing Their job give
away the Pulitzer they they went
nome to the wife and kdde and their books
aAng lhe natural uuc1ence OF critics. and not needing
material for Sunday columns they could afford
10 De ndlferen IT they thick headed
S at eas' knew the perfect trick for acting thick
skinned That rather hurt the critics times passive resist
ance must always amount to kind reproof
of superiority But stopped them Year after wear thew
got in there and slugged until the
OF the theater
The season of 1s424a will one in which the
tradition lapsed. Wv
War Against All Factions
Finally Crushed the Critics.
reason which may be funny or may be sad depending
point of view is seek After battling
other tie meeting which resulted in their The
the critics tired Subsequently after battling
publics they They
what to be on the defensive and how they learned it,
When time do the seasonal column denouncng
Pu judges they had neither the energy nor the heart to bring
the subject.
There probably is moral in it.
Among theater people in New York at the
talked of play neither The Patriots The Skin
last three weeks the chatter is of Tomorrow the World"
The talk is heard everywhere and nearly always
effect that here play that born for Sam Jafe
out in Hollywood that when request
playwright friends James
Jfe got quite excited and transmitted at oncehe play and
the excitement-o his representative in
She, in communicated his together
berger whom she met in the Chemical National
when Mr. there cash check
it for him.
of the first persons whose name was mentioned in conne
ton with its production Elliott
be the ideal play the liberal college
nhers the 12yearold youngster the
drama.
Mr. Nugent did the proposal
that he direct the play That appealed perfect
enthusiasm for the rightnes of
with each successive
Belamy, Weary o Such Things,
Agreed to Read Script.
Ralph Beamy for fortnight of special radio
work given script with the
for him. inevitably
Mr. Belamy with whom correspondent talked in New
York recently said he had heard custom
indeed in with num-
play scripts yearly This year was an exception up to the
time he got his of Tomorrow the World" Beamy
grown with it all.
The script came so highly recommended however that he
agreed through, it thing
looking for all these years
casting other realized the instant
reading that Skppy Homeer who missed
syllable his addition, the ideal
yomgster for the sensational part.
perfection production of the
virtually every successful
theater is the Oldest story the profession but also is the
being told of Tomorrow the World"