Evening star., 1943-12-19
Merry Christmas Now
By Jay Carmody.

1t Is time again to wish a Merry
Christmas to, shall we say:
William Saroyan for remaining
the damnedest, yet most refreshing,
nuisance in the field OF dramatic
literature.
Greer Carson for being the
screens most perfect wife, and an
equally charming off-screen one to
Ensign Richard Ney.
Ensign Richard Ney for two of
the most intelligent pieces of fan
mail this department ever received.
(And didn't answer, dammit)
Brian Aherne for being our wife's
favorite actor, making it a perfect
quadrangle since his wife is our
favorite actress
Edmund Plohn, manager of the
National, for some of the finest Mon
day nights man could have, and
for never trying to pretend that
the less fine ones were anything the
critics got paid to see, after all.
Carter Barron and his LoewS
staff for doing everything possible
to simplify the lives of drama de-
partments, for screening all pictures
in advance. and for never forgetting
that reviewers do not see eye o-eye,
even among themselves, on motion
pictures.
John Payette, Frank La Falce,
Bill Ewing and all the other Warner
people, for being among the most
gracious, cooperative persons with
whom any one ever had to deal.
Even the Ritz Brothers.
The Ritz Bros. for having dropped
out of the movies, at least all the
movies we had to see this year.
Olsen and Johnson for perpetual
ing the noisiest, corniest blitZkrieg
in the whole field of entertainment.
(What we would like some night is
the job of checking on whether those
guns really are loaded with blank
cartridges)
Nelson B. Bell, Andrew R. Kelley
and John Maynard, our colleagues,
three of the most agreeable men
we ever knew, even though our
critical opinions may disagree. And
do, though not always.
Hardie Meakin and James Bren-
nan, master minds of Keiths, who
are prouder of their fighting sons
than any other fathers we know
(But not one father-in-law)
Madeleine Carroll Hamilton and
her husband. 1t. John of the Ma
rines, who are two of the most un-
self-conscious people that ever we
met in the movies.
Father Gilbert V. Hartke of
Catholic u, Walter Kerr, DR.. Jo-
sephine Callan and the campus chill
dren for the most delightful spirit
meetable in the theater.
Ruth Gordon for being not merely
one of our favorite actresses, but
the most enthusiastic woman about
trains (Super-Chiefs, etc. we ever
~knew.
Mai. Charles Macarthur for being
the best raconteur among the slew
of raconteurs one meets on a drama
beat.
And Also Capt. Gable.
Capt. Clark Gable for insisting
upon being a combat duty man in
the Army Air Forces and for having
once given a brilliant sort of per-
formance in very inferior piece OF
script writing which this depart
ment turned out.
Louise Noonan Miller and A. M.
Toxins of the Little for JEANNE, ;"
among many, many things.
Spencer Tracy with whom we
always spend our time discussing
children and child-education instead
of talking about the theater, which
is supposed to be the only subject
actors and critics ever discuss.
Thomas Mitchell, who we should
like to see paired with Tracy in a
picture some day Not until we see
them matching trick for trick will
we ever know which is superior at
scene stealing.
Vivien Leigh who remains the
most piquant actress we know.
Laurence Olivier, her husband.
whose hunch betting one day at the
races provided us with such hilari-
Gus amusement that we forgot We
were losing bets as fast as he was
winning them.
Gertrude Lawrence, as last year,
the year before and in the years to
come, for just being Gertrude Law
renee, the most distinctive thing
lady can be. Also for looking SO
wonderfully like the lady of Cape
Cod manor house the last time we
saw her when she was just being
Mrs. Richard Aldrich and idling
around the Cape Theater at Dennis
Everybody who ever had anything
70 do with Oklahoma" but most