Evening star., 1948-02-17

Miss Garner herself Is something
favor of a quiet winter In Holly
wood.
When 1t first was produced in New
York three seasons ago, Miss Shell
ley's play had the merit of tipeli-
ness. Even this, however, resulted
ir a such a lack of public enthu--
siasm that it closed after So per-
formances. Now, whatever virtue 1t
has must lie in novelty of letting
the public in on juvenile court pro-
ceedings which the law in its wis
dom chooses to keep private. Miss
Shelley might well have yielded to
this edict OF the juvenile courts.
X X
Instead of doing that. however,
she wrote the case history OF Eliza
beth Collins, 15-year-old victory
girl whose excited attachments for
men In uniform led her into expert
ences with which she was unable to
cope. As exposed in Pickup Girl, "
1t may be a thorough case history
but 1t is far from being play. 1t
Is content merely to state Eliza
beth's case in terms that are quite
undramatic and which even obscure
its natural shock value with their
artificiality. It has nothing to offer
that has not been said more con-
cisely and more pointedly in other
forms ~
Pickup Girl" seeks no evasion OF
the, truth that 1t is dealing with
sordid material. AS the kindly judge
who presides during the three acts
Of Elizabeth's trial says, "this is
place where we call spade a spade"
The subject, OF course. is far less
innocent than q spade. but the prin-
cipals, witnesses and even the jaded
court attaches take the judge liter
ally.
In its effort to be thorough, Pick
up Girl" gives detailed account OF
court procedure. In doing so, 1t
reveals that while such procedure
results frequently in the most dra-
matte changes in human lives, most
Of it is depressingly routine. For a
few minutes Of excitement in even
the most promising case, spectators
pay lot of hours they might have
spent more profitably elsewhere.
A more dextrous playwright than
Miss Shelley might have spared
Pickup Girr this depressing as
pect. It is in no way, however,
superior to what one can see for
nothing In police court ut any time.
In lending her name and reputa-
ton to the title part In the play at
the National, Miss Garner remains
one of its active participants. She
is the character the play is about"
and while she is most affected by
what happens, her activity occurred
before the courtroom drama begins.
During the three acts, her principal
function is to sit quietly while her
past is disclosed by the witnesses
and her future decided by the judge.
She gets virtually no chance to
act and it seemed quite possible
that some of her quieter speeches
might have been hard to hear
farther back in the theater.
The major role in Pickup Girl"
is that of the juvenile court judge
played by Frank Wilcox.
He is societys representative in
the proceedings. 1t is up to him to
draw out of the pathetic Elizabeth
and the contributors to her delin-
quency the whole sordid story. It
is up to him to Ak the relative guilt
OF every participant in societys
crime against her and her crime
against society. 1t is by far the
largest role in Miss Shelley's case
history. Mr.. Wilcox plays it as a
man of wisdom, kindliness, judicial
detachment and flashes of gentle
humor.
1t is probably a brave effort that
the author of Pickup Girl' makes
to relieve the monotony Of its fund
amentally unsavory subject. Un-
fortunately, 1t is even more arti-
fetal. The comedy is dragged out
of such minor characters as the
iaded court attendants, slattern
spinster who acts as reporter and
a bailiff who periodically calls his
bookie; and a foul-mannered neigh
bor lad who set the trap which