Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-11-10


works the other way around, t.
The greatest stage drama these
eyes of mine have ever seen was
"Anna Lucasta," and its leading
star is Hilda Simms of Minneapolis
whom I have seen and talked to
many times. In fact she attended
North High school the same time
/ did. Being a reporter at heart ]
naturally asked the manager of the
Mansfield treatre in New York if
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 a
girl who, not so long ago, was
forced to leave college to take
$12-a-week job, making salad at a
Minneapolis eat shop.
Hilda is a beautiful girl and
lovely to look at: peach-color COM
plexion, pert little nose, and eyes
not only to see through but to
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. l asked him, Would you
like me better as Juliet even if l
were the worlds top failure?' and
he said, Yes"
Hilda's earliest ambition was to
be a psychiatrist in social service
work. She realized the need for
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.
1--WE used to live in a pretty
tough neighborhood," she remi-
nisced. "The kids used to go around
in gangs, Mote: 1 used to be in one
of the gangs myself -ItaIian, Ne
gro, Jewish, Irish, but 1 never want
ed to belong to any of them. used
to sing lot around the school play
ground and one day 1 was told that
a little girl said / couldn't sing at
all. She said all did was stand
there making sounds with my
mouth open.
well, had to beat her up. It
was the law. And when did it,
that made me kind of conqueror
all the gangs were after me to
become a member. But it made me
feel so bad that I went to another
school for one month without nv
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
Slmms has been a 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 1S 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 a 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 in
turn was interrupted by Mr..
Simms who erode up on a white
horse" and married her on August
Is, 1941. She had met him when
she was Is. She came to the big
city a year ago last spring. She
had had number of jobs and the
best work she received was doing
small parts for American Negro
Theatre. Then came Anna. Hilda's
enthusiasm for "Anna Lucasta" is
far-reaching.
"The fact that Negro cast is en-
PERTAINING white audiences with
play that's not typically Negroid is
history-making," she said. "It's the
first time it ever happened. To me,
it's indicative of our growing de-
mocracy."
P. S.-Never in our 20 years of
theatre going have we ever seen
such a dramatic event as Gamma
Lucasta." AS for its success, well,
a Chicago company is now in pro-
ductiOn and it's equal with the play
Oklahoma" that has been selling
out for nearly two years. / sincerely
hope that every city in America
gets the chance to see this fine
drama before long.