Evening star., 1943-05-30
Capital Still Finds Time .
For Comedy in the Chaos
But 1t Took the Dramatists
A Long Time to Say as Much
In Plays Like 'Doughgirls'
By Jay Carmodv.

Whatever Washington newspapers
magazines have created the theater Doing
best to it. deny congesed
muniy with its enpha-
size those aspects of
the dramast disposed lightly the whole
subject to find vibrant with humor comcy
something to laugh about. din
the sin he mentions the through
some day settle down again sepytown Poounaa
ne may be wrong but native and stranger alike
dvertng enough where The .ae-
ton deals humorousy with the Washington scene
10 turn cloWnish Washington peae>.
me version has not been the custom Of playwright
outside Katharine Daytons First years ago
shs evelaon OF drawing room gongson here Washington
was pretty much subject to paywieh
automatic that the theme foredooed 10
aiu fayWrghts were less of the theme produesa
but the effect largely the producer ~
playwright pretty helpless his notions public
New Deal a Funny Thing.
But No One Could
The New Deal which has subject Of msd
atlon by the universally dramatic ma
era since the Thomas Jefferson period day when the new.
or some hlrosly whimsical feature suggest perfect
play or movie material was to be marked the
Walh suggestions however the paywghts wary
he producers obviously The exception was the
george s. kaumanMoss Hart musical I'D Rather Right
in which George M Cohan great success That v,.
very unny version OF the Washington nearly every one
ough out hat 1t was as funny the real thing
admitted at least who had truth The truth
however continued thing which navxght. u.v
deemed beyond their agility.
That surprising surprising the atsitud.
of the movies. ~
AS every one knows Hollywood tetary op-
porunsts Every lounge comfortably writer's who sit
WIN glass IN one hand newspaper in the other former
pooe nspaon the latter material for screenscrpt
The nine years preceding the newspapers damned
with washington datelnes before in history
Inc heaohnes told every kind of
comic polca personal and combinations and sixteen
ot Ihey represented invitation to the
screen writer's but he preferred from stories
IN cheyenne, Scranton or some other place.
The single notable exception represented in Frank
Capas brave MI Smith Goes Washington Capras expe-
llence not calculated inspire men-vhch ol
"ooo Is 1u oo follow that example
was quite foudy abused for having suggest the
picture hat political machines
Nowhere the dudgeon Washington where nress
ana public officials dropped their other
hollywood had better lay of if
producers took the position that good idea that
maybe it all meant that Washington dish it out but
couldn't take ~
They might of have approached city from
another angle the which giving red annie o
teacher They did except one half hearted
almost nanty awful picture which a
The Senate pages That starring Herbert Senator
and Virginia Bruce radio too abect
to arouse abuse 1t also abect customers 30
1t was left to die of its deficiencies.
Dramatists Left the City
Exclusively 10 is People
Inc result was that Washington pretty
exclusive domain OF the people quan
cations, the time Or the inclination play.
The first challenge offered last fall nv
Playwright Joseph Fields The Fields who finds
lark and laughter gift against the gods
Oh war wrote The Doughgrls what
goes on here behind the solemn facade He did
resemblance between his comedy and reality purely
but neither did he anything Just said that this
could happen and even if it did it would funny
He not only achieved hits in
but taught Hollywood that all right things
1t responded with
More. the Merrier."
the is broke