Evening star., 1946-09-24

AN u CVdP1C "a ocC80o9 120 y Al0Ws u9
II is called "Come On Up" now, b
become part Of the jest. It does n,
Miss West, like her theme, Is here
aehievement IN type casting, and
that she and her public understand
each other thoroughly.
Three men, Miles Mander, Fred
Schiller and Thomas Dunphy are
credited with the authorship OF
Come On Up," but that obviously
Is Just . reflection Of Miss West,s
generosity toward the male sex.
Every Tine, and in both meanings, Is
something she seems to have been
saying since she left her cradle. Al
. matter Of record. her readings are
70 uniquely her own, and their effect
- Westian, that her fellow per-
formers are almost a constantly
amused - the customers.
While Miss Vests current vehicle
scorns to change the subject Of last
seasons Catherine Was Great" 1t
does put 1t into . new and more con-
genial setting. This time the star
sets up In an elegant Warrington
apartment, OF al places, and she
preGides over 1t much more COM
fortably. As 4 buxom blonde, more
buxom. her dress designers might
say, she always seemed somewhat
out Of place In the semios1ental
spleudor OF GATHERINGS palace boud-
or. She and her current place have
classic unity. II classic" does
not mind being borrowed for such
an occasion.
Another factor which eliminates
the ersatx effect Of Miss Vests last
seasons adventure IL the architsc-
turs Of the males. That the man.
power shortase, particularly har-
rowing In the casting Of wartime
West plays, Is over Is occasion for
. downright celebration in Come
On Up." The cast amounts to vir-
tually . review Of the whole male
SEX to which, naturally, Miss West
acts as common denominator. From
Washington cab drivers to Senators,
Mani agents to heirs Of steel tycoons,
Miss West is ready for them with no
more than 4 dextrous, undulating
twist from one neslisee to another.
Whoever keeps the index on re-
conversion can cheek Miss Vests
enterprises of ~ complete.
There is half . jiseer Of 4 story
to 90 with Miss Vests style show
at the National this week.
1ts sole purpose is to explain how
all those men could set into the life
OF one woman, even Miss West. To
accomplish this, it meanders on In
. kind Of half-hearted, mysterious
way about her being . night-club
singer Of international fame. It
turns out At the end, however, that
that y sheer tosh. All the time, Miss
West Is = kind Of Mata Har for the
FBl and clearly much more active
and successful than the original
glamorous spy Of the same name.
There are references, once every IL
dozen smouldering, two-toned
speeches to the money Nazi biswiss
are supposed to have cached in Ar
sentine. but the odds are 100 to
that these are not the references
anyone will remember In the dia-
losue Of Come On Up"
On the assumption that the Mata
Hari routine might not b adequate
to explain the international male
madness for Miss West In the play,
shS and her authors have inserted
q hollywood sort Of saS to help. u
involves . French maid. Q whimsical
one, who remembers the trick Of .
previous mistress. who flied the air
Of Paris With toy balloons carrying
the messaee come on up TO suite
B-3, Bellhower apartments, and ask
for Carliss."
A better advertising campaign has
not been devised since the radio
thought up Fred Allen.
=
ANY concession made to the rules
Of play writing in Come On Up" Is
almost entirely in the interest Of
permitting the star to dash Oh stage
for q change, usually Of hostess
gowns. In one after another Of these
handsome things, she entertainS ~
varied an assortment Of callers ~
ever knocked on one door anywhere.
The entertainment u carried only
to the extent that Miss West tries
to discourage the unlikely without
breaking their spirits and enco,r-
q - the IA class. Before ohe has