Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-09
OF Microphones and Men
By Jay Carm ody.

90 "O~ys
garded and treated as traitors when
their critical notices are less than
Any one with deep enough in
terest in the subject to disabuse the
poor Hollywoodian of this notion
should have no trouble at all COL
lecting evidence in rebuttal.
Jones Talent Concealed.
The last week at the National. for
instance, produced the case of Allan
Jones. The leading man of Jack
pot" which is hardly likely to
become one of the years leading
musical comedies, is gifted with a
rarely fine tenor voice and an ex-
tremely ingratiating personality.
That is nice combination Of
gifts, but Mr.. Jones fell considerably
short of indicating his possession Of
them. The five microphones strung
along the stage were by no means
as well placed as those he has
worked before on movie sets and
neither his voice nor his enunciation
were up to his ability and his repu-
tatlon. As a matter of fact the
microphones should be unnecessary
in the case of a voice Of the power
and purity of the Jackpot" tenors.
That they were used is an indica-
ton that Hollywood work unfavor-
ably influences the technique which
its players bring back from there
to their stage work.
The far less vocally gifted people
of Jackpot" spotted themselves
much more favorably in relation. to
the microphones, indicating much
less confusion on their part as to
just what they should do.
In second-guessing themselves on
THE Patriots" after having awarded
it their prize last year. New York
critics tardily got around to the con-
clusion that the plays static quality
was not entirely in the writing of
Sidney Kingsley. A large portion of
it subsequently, seemed attributable
to the acting Of several of the prin-
cipals whose heretofore most recent
jobs had been radio drama which
has in it minimum of expression
and a maximum of voice. 1t was
not that they were incapable of ad-
Justlng to the new technique but
rather that they did not do so.
Rice Play In Evidence.
Similarly it distinctly was not to
the advantage of Elmer Rice's "A
New Life" early in the season that
the young aviator husband of Miss
Betty Field in the drama was a re-
cruit from radio playing his first
dimensional stage role At the OPEN
ing performance of the play at the
National. the young man gave one
OF the most singularly wooden,
purely vocal. performances Wash
lngton audiences have seen in this
or any other season.
AS some churlish character OBJ
served in the lobby between the Sec
ond and third acts. Young Lambert
George forgot to bring his ma
chine, the one that does his acting"
The commentator was not preju-
diced but he certainly was unhappy.
He is typical of lot of those who
mutter vindictively on the reason
able assumption that they are not
getting their moneys worth.
There are performers who have
not the slightest difficulty in max
ing the transition from one medium.
to another and who are always,
welcomed enthusiastically back to.
Broadway regardless of how long,
they have been away. One of the
most personable of these is Mary
Martin who keeps her radio, screen
and stage techniques from overlap
ping and remains an equally de-:
lightful personality and very tall,
ented girl in whichever medium She
may be operatin gat a given mo-
ment. 1t may be doubtful that Miss
Martin is a stupendously gifted per-
son save in respect to personality.
and highly artful mimicry but she.
never yet has had the feeling that
she is being treated as an alien, or
worse, traitor, when she returns to
New York.
Young Warmly Welcomed.
Another such player is Roland
Young whose returns to New York
have been such warm-hearted
things that wretchedly inferior plays
are kept alive by his mere presence
in them. The same applies to a:
dozen others, among them that mite
of comedian, Ernest Truck, who.
will decorate one of the important.
roles in Marianne" which comes.
to the National this week.
If the others could be impressed.
with the fact that they did not.
bring along their machines, like poor
young Mr. Lambert, they probably.
would abandon the notion that only
hostility awaits them in the East.
CA1~ c.