Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-06-22

project my honeymoon idea across
the fsotlights. And there were the
four children, just as had said they
should be; and the colored maid, just
as I had propounded.
Up from New York had come big
wigs to see the play. But I let
them see me first, strolling here and
there on the lawn, so they could see
with their own eyes what the author
OF the first neutrality-suspicious.
n-play form novel looked like. They
didn't seem much impressed. In
fact, they took it with immense
calm.
When the great evening came, my
wife and I arranged to sit in diff
ferent parts Of the theater so that we
would not influence each other, but
Owen Davis and his wife were old
hands at this and plunked down side
by side. The curtain went up and
there were the actors speaking my
lines (out of Owen Davis) and pro-
Jecting my thoughts (sired by Croy).
Soon the audience was responding
to the professor bewildered by his
new family, and my heart started to
beat again. That first laugh!
AT last the performance was over.
Owen Davis, who has a peculiarly
aloof point Of view on his own
plays, once they are on view, said:
Il think that second act curtain,
when the four children come and
climb into Mammals bed, is the big
gest laugh curtain I ever saw" I
said thought well of it, too.
Herbert E. SWEET, who has seen
so many shows that he can't bear to
sit at one more than ten minutes,
said: That's about the funniest
show ever put on in this theater."
II liked it from the first" said
modestly.
There had been problems; the chill
dren were hard to direct and had
been noisy, but the play idea was
there, and the audience liked it. Vim
ton Freddy shook us by the hand
and talked about when he would
"open." The next day he climbed
into the plane and, full of enthusi-
asm, went back to New York.
The children learned their places
and the play got better; and it be-
gan to build" as we theatrical peo-
pie call it. Herbert E. SWEET said:
"I'd like to have a slice of that
play. l turned down the opportunity
on Life With Father and I don't
want to do it again."
"Ill see what I can do for you,"
I said.
The play continued to draw. In
fact, it broke a two years top and
still, as I set these words on paper,
has the record since Ethel Barry
more. was growing more and
more proud of myself why
hadn't I got into theatrical business
long, long ago? The Maine papers re-
viewed it, and the Boston papers re-
viewed it. Very fine, indeed; I
couldn't have done better myself.
Then came the last night. Vinton
Freddy was to be there to see the
changes, and to sign the Broadway
production contract. But there was
storm and he had to leave his
plane in Boston, and didn't get to
our last night. Then, the next day,
| IlS "SIlI DdCh " I've" I OTh. DuL SLlll
everything was all right.
Then came something I never
dreamed Of and I had my first
glimpse of what chance does in the
theater. Variety gave it bad re-
view. The local man had come from
Portland and had seen it that first
night. He hadn't liked it and had
said so. Never before had realized
the tremendous influence that Vari-
ETY. Yields in its field, and now saw
there was indeed reason for it to be
called The Bible of Broadway. Vim
ton Freddy lost enthusiasm for the
play and decided, finally, to spend
his time on musicals. When the
agent took the play to other manag-
ers they said, IF it's so good, why
didn't Freddy bring it to town."
A hard question to answer. And
Hollywood said, 1T failed, didn't
it,"
The book came out in due time,
and got good reviews, but the play
had black eye and no beefsteak
we could put on would do any good.
After time the excitement was
over and was again back at my
pecking.
I have always been interested in
how an author gets that first idea.
Some of mine have come from def
mite and concrete happenings, as
have already mentioned. But some
times writers don't remember where
their ideas came from, or how they
got them. In this connection 1 think
of Howard Lindsay. I was invited
to dinner with him and Dorothy
Stickney, his wife. AS we were talk
ing before dinner, he said: This
afternoon I was reading to Dorothy
collection of stories by Clarence
Day about his father. told Dorothy
thought the stories might, some
how, be turned into a play"
He went on to say he didn't know
how it could be done, but that a
central idea had come to him. And
this was that the father and mother