St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-11-10

North High school the same time
1 did. Being a reporter at heart
naturally asked the manager of the
Mansfield treatre in New York il
he could possibly arrange an inter
view with his star and that he did
She is still in the wonderment
stage of her career. First verbal
orchids from Broadway's hard
boiled drama critics, then real ones
from old friends-not to mention
fan mail in sheaves, and flowers
even from anonymous admirers
All this is a lot to happen to q
girl who, not so long ago, was
forced to leave college to take g
$12-a-week job, making salad at &
Minneapolis eat shop.
Hilda is a beautiful girl anc
lovely to look at: peach-color com,
plexion, pert little nose, and eyes
not only to see through but tt
look at.
Her husband is Staff Sergeant
William R. Simm Hilda says
"He doesn't like the idea that every,
one sees me on the stage as a pros,
titute. asked him, Would yor
like me better as Juliet even if
were the worlds top failure?' anC
he said, Yes"
Hilda's earliest ambition was tc
be psychiatrist in social service
work. She realized the need fol
good workers of this sort when
she was growing up.
She's the oldest of the nine Moses
children (there used to be 12) and
was born in this town (Minneap-
olis) April Is, 1920.
"We used to live in a pretty
tough neighborhood," she remi-
nisced. "The kids used to go around
in gangs, (Note: l used to be in one
of the gangs myself)-Italian, Ne
gro, Jewish, Irish, but never want
ed to belong to any of them. used
to sing lot around the school play
ground and one day was told that
little girl said l couldn't sing at
all. She said all l did was stand
there making sounds with my
mouth open.
"Well, 1 had to beat her up. 1t
was the law. And when l did it,
that made me a kind of conqueror
all the gangs were after me to
become member. But it made me
feel so bad that l went to another
school for one month without my
mothers knowing it."
1t was comforting to know she
could fight if necessary. But what
ever benefits she had reaped since
she grew up have come through the
hard work and no play. Hilda Moses
Simms has been working girl
since she was 10 or II years old.
When she was a little girl she
used to light fires on Saturday
mornings for neighbors of the He
brew fair and also take care of
children after school. At Is she
worked in a grocery store-Adlins
Store on Olson Highway. At 10 she
was a model, posing for painters
at the Minneapolis Institute.
When she finished high school
she went to the General College of
the University of Minnesota. She
did we'll at the University and was
transferred to the College of Edu-
cation to prepare for teaching
career. 81 never did want to
teach," she said, "but it was the
easiest way out economically"
Even though she did house work
on the side, she found it financially
impossible to stay in College. Then
came the salad making job. This If
turn was interrupted by Mr.
Simms who erode up on a white
horse" and married her on Angus
Is, 1871. She had met him wheI
she was Is. She came to the big
city a year ago last spring. She
had had a number of jobs and the
best work she received was doing
small parts for American Negro
Theatre. Then came Anna. Hilda'
enthusiasm for "Anna Lucasta" i
far-reaching.
"The fact that Negro cast is en-
pertaining white audiences with
play that's not typically Negroid i
history-making," she said. cts tn
first time it ever happened. To me
it's indicative of our growing de
mocracy."
P. S.-Never in our 20 years o
theatre going have we ever see
such a dramatic event as Gam
Lucasta." AS for its success, well
a Chicago company is now in pro
ductiOn and it's equal with the pla
oklahoma" that has been sellin
out for nearly two years. sincerel,
hope that every city in AmerIc
gets the chance to see this fin
drama before long.