The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-08-07

curtain and the company took five bows. There were no speeches and no solo bows for the star.
 But backstage dropped dozens of the prominent people of society, stage. screen and politics to wish her we'll amid welter of polite 'darlings' and 'wonderfuls' and .lovelies.'
 Miss Boothe, still wearing her makeup and brown and pink gown of the last act, received on stage and was brightly appreciative of them all.
 This is some way to get votes, isn't it." she remarked to agent Le- land Hayward, whose wife, movie star Margaret Sullavan, was waiting outside for him.
 Rep. Joseph Martin, Mass, Miss Boothe's boss as Republican lead CT in the House, was greeted: Aren't you afraid to talk to an actress, Joe?" He wasn't; gave her a dis erect hug.
 Henry Luce, the New York pub fisher who is Miss Boothe's second husband and who looks like slight ly subdued edition of the late ring Lardner, greeted her quite to the point. Its over," he said. He went and stood in corner.
 Asked if she had enjoyed herself, Miss Botohe said she had.
 T had a wonderful time after l got over my initial stage fright. :. Oh, hello, darling ..." And so on-Ilka Chase, Herbert Bayard Swope, Gilbert Miller. Libby Holman, Jean Arthur, Brig. Gen. El- liott Roosevelt and his movie actress wife, Faye Emerson and many others.
 After it was all over the LuceS were driven to their home in near by Greenwich. No party. Elliott Roosevelt Attracts
 It was a first night (Miss Boothe will appear in the play at least a week. such as Broadway couldn't match at its best so far as person. alities were concerned. It wasn't a dressy crowd because of the all-day | d1l. 41lCAC WSkC 4AlAAAAOAAo OA NSA lars worth of stage and screen tal- lent present but the person who attracted by far the most attention was young Roosevelt. His journeys to the lobby at the end of the first and second acts were dogged with autograph-seekers and he and his wife gave it up as bad job, going backstage to weather the third act Bernard Baruch left about 10 min- utes before the end; said he hadn't been able to hear much even with his hearing aid.
 There were dozen police on hand to handle the arriving and departing crowds-and to evesdrop on the performance-and photog- raphers were all over the place.
 The supporting cast gathered by producer Gus Schirmer Jr, was mainly on the credit side. Paul Mo- Grath was fine as the Rev. Morell, who fears losing his wife. Candida, to a teen-age poet; Brenda Forbes was her usual incompatible self as his secretary and Britain's Aubrey Mather was a good Burgess.
 Miss Boothe's debut was the re- suit of a conversation with Schir- mer, who regretfully had to turn down a chance to try out a new play by the Congresswoman, "The Happy Marriage" He wanted to do Candida" but had no one for the title role. cherished by female stars these past 40 years. He suggested Miss Boothe do it and that was 1t.
 Once Child Actress
 Most persons, long familiar with Miss Boothe's career as magazine editor, novelist. columnist, politician and playwright (three big hits in four tries), don't know that she was a child actress, but that career didn't last long. At 10-32 years ago she was an understudy to Mary Pickford in "A Good Little Devil'' but Miss Pickford's perfect health kept her inactive. A year later she had role of her own under her stage name of Joyce Fair in "The Dummy. That was all.
 There was one thing about her performance last night that sur prised me. Sitting very close l noticed she used what seemed to be a small" voice. The Strand is an extremely long theater and it didn't seem possible anyone in the rear could hear. But stood up in the back during the second act and every word was clearly audible. Maybe it's that congressional trairi- Ling.
 ny the way, how soon does Congress