Evening star., 1947-05-19

eQtTcpfeIlcut ucdui Vi AAAi AAAe AASA
come East, to her home In Hart
ford, Conn, to rest. The movies
have been keeping her fully occu-
pied and her IL weeks of freedom
after 40 weeks Of availability to
M-G-M will be devoted primarily
to recuperation.
Miss Hepburn's first autumn
chore looks like the nearest thing
to a natural for her since "Tf1e
Philadelphia Story" the play
Philip Barry wrote with her in
mind.
It will be the Aim version Of John
r. Marquand's "B. F.'s Daughter"
Spencer Tracy will not play B. F..
nor do any of the other roles in
the Marquand fiction seem especi-
ally suited to the talents OF Miss
Hepburn's favorite leading man.
Tracy, by the way, should be even
more of favorite with her after
her most recent experience OF play
ing opposite Robert Taylor. Actor
Taylor Is perhaps the finest pre-
served of the screen Adonises, but
the style in public favorites has so
changed that such plain types as
Sinatra, Van johnson and angular
Gregory Peck have virtually obli-
terated the Taylor type.
Reverting to Miss Hepburn. q suit
able type for reverting to. recently
released 1s47 Broadway hit might be
a play that offers just the right
challenge to her in the summer
theater.
The drama in question is Joan
of Lorraine" Even the greatest
enthusiasts for this duplex dramatic
essay by Maxwell Anderson have
taken the position that Ingrid Berg
man has monopoly on it. Without
her magic, the play arouses many
understandable fears for the worst.
Fearless Miss Hepburn might pos
sibly be the actress to accept chal-
lenge such as this.
Incidentally, one acrtess who will
challenge the Ingrid- be Joan
theory is Louise Rainer Miss
Rainer who played Shaw's Joan, a
far different maid of Orleans, will
play the Lorraine version in sum-
mer stock.
Her Shaw "Joan," by the way, was
presented In Washington about a
decade ago In collaboration with
the now extinct Washington Civic
theater. 1t Is recalled with kindli-
ness by many who saw 1t.
AS the Junior Joan, Anderson's
Miss Rainer should be highly
popular attraction at the Cape
Theater, Dennis, Mass, during the
months ahead.
The notion that it was the success
of THE Yearling" which inspired
the contemplated production of
John Steinbecks "The Red Pony"
Is scoffed at by Lewis Milestone who
will produce the picture under the
banner of Republic studios.
No one denies that the screenplay,
which gets underway this week, is
just seven years late or that it first
was regarded as a great idea back
in 1889. But Steinbeck and Mile
stone could not quite make up their
minds as to what they wanted then.
Furthermore, they ran into budget
din1culties, as nasty q kind Of dif1-
Guilty as anyone ever encounters.
Now everything is set, however,
with cast that will be starry with
Myrna 10y, Robert Mitchum, Louis
Caihern and the like.
"The Red Pony" of course, was
written by the author of the recent
best-seller, ''The Wayward Bus" but
many an old Steinbeck admirer had
to shake himself in order to realize
it.
In fact, several this corner knows
personally, went back to read THE
Red Pony" to get themselves set
straight again on Steinbeck's merits
as writer.
Monday memo pad: The summer
Iheater will move right downtown