The Wilmington morning star., 1946-04-28
YOUR NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT
Waller Winchen
MEMOs OF A FIRsT-NIGHTER


was rerniniscing about John Barrymore.
A stage-struck youngster buttonholed him for
counsel on becoming great actor in hurry.
s'First thing you do" advised Mr. B., is
to interest great playwright in writing a
special play with great leading role. Then
YOU find a rich backer and introduce him to
an extrava can't producer. Then assemble ac-
tors for all the roles except the great leading
mart And then-send for met'
That reminds us of her groom, Charles Mac
Arthur, who with Ben HechD polished up a
flop show called 'Crescendo,'' which will soon
come to town under the name Of "Swan Song -
The collabbers, acting on their own volition,
will use the first money the hit'' makes to
reimburse the hackers of the flop
The 1946-47 season on Broadway will in
augurate departure in financing plays .
Too many kicks by disgruntled hackers re-
suited in a gentleman's agreement-so there
will be no more "call money clauses in the
limited partnership agreements. Call coin
meant that a hacker of a flop was obliged
to put up good money after bad, usually Is
per cent of his original kick-in. . The princi-
pal reason for the new agreement was the
flop, ''Truckline Cafe'' :. Call money bought
those ads blasting the critics!
John Barrymore earned and o t several
fortunes during his turbulent career. When a
colleague chided him for his financial ire
spoasibility, Barrymore recited an epitaph he
had seen in Westminster Abbey: what I
gave, l have. What I spent, I had. What
left, l lost-by not giving it.
Some OF us wondered why Jed Harris, who
once made a million dollars as a Broadway
Snowman didn't connect in Hollywood In
sders insist this is why Friends brought
him to Louis B. Mayer: the movie magnate,
who had been informed of Jeds genius on
B'Way.
How much money do you want week."
asked Mayer.
How much do YOU get?" demanded Har-
ris.
That did it.
When Haywood Broua first started review
ing Broadway shows he had the habit Of max
ing notes during dull shows to appear that
he wasn't bored. The worse the show
the more ne scriobled One night he
stopped making memos during a second act.
After the second interval the beaming
producer said: 81 fee better since I noticed
you put away your pad
Yes'' grumbled Broun. I broke my
pencil
The other column We tend that Dorothy
Parker stifled a bore (who had remarked he
was a self-made mani with: well, why don't
you finish the job?'
A contrib notes: That's not nearly SO sui
phuric as: Which just goes to show YOU the
horrors Of unskilled labor!'
During Sarah Bernnardt's visit 10 America
she was rnobbed by armies of intervieWers
Some of them made sense, others irritated
her with silly queries. Frixample, she was
asked: How did you acquire your beautiful
dimples?"
Her retort: 7 sleep on collar button!'
In the Singapore last night Peter Donald
and others were discussing press agents and
how easy they have it Peter remarked
that the exploiters for Alfred Lunt and his
wife, Lynn Fontanne, must have it tough"
Pressed for an explanation, he said
THE Lunts lead such a quiet, peaceful life.
No fights no separations, no scandal, no moth
ing. Just happiness!'
Harry Wagstaff Gribble, the producer, di-
rector, author and all around play expert has
coined swelegant new word to replace the
Inaccurate Colored' and equally untrue NE
gro The casts of both Anna Lucasta"
troupes are thrilled about it.
It's a pip, to wit: Negramerican.
If anyone ever prepared a statistical study
of chorus girls it eluded this column.
They have some interesting (and sad nu-
merical figures over at Equity. Fr1nstance:
The average life of a dancer is short-some-
thing like three years. The list is great
on those girls who come to Broadway to get
jobs in shows and have to borrow fare home.
Thev retire. usually, at Z5
Easier Said Than Done Dept: The theme
of sBloomer Grip is Equality For Women
The fact: The chorus boys in it get more
than the girls.
This one has been pinned on various hefty
humans But Alec Woollcott enjoyed pinnng
it on himself .. When Alec was tipping the
scales Gin the 300s) two actors noticed him
wading in the Atlantic City surf Said one:
Lets go swimming"
How we?' quipped the other. Wooll-
cotts S using the ocean''
Shakespeare was very handy gent with
the flip crack. Hamlet contains one of his
most devastating squelches: When a bore in
forms Hamlet, II will take my leave of you,"
Hamlet says: You couldn't take anything
that I'd more willingly part wita!''
Eleanora Duse wasn't fond of royalty. Dur
ing her tours of Europe, when Kings and
Queens asked to visit her dressing room, she
usually turned them down. But the King of
Sweden was invited because he sent a diplo-
matte letter in advance: Tt is not the King
9nNancp h11t fhn ~.