Evening star., 1949-04-03
Wrap Up the Plaques
Arthur Miller Already Rated Winner
of Seasons Drama Prizes
By Joy Cormody

Now that Hollywood has passed prizes-and
Academy dzzes hangover-t is Broadways turn
Pulitzer Prize Judges already turning
IA their minds the question pzeworthy
mental exercise goes this is not exactly strenuous form
not nearly Holywood effort to decide
Hamlet the best Of the five pictures nominated for the Acad
envy Award
s II has had its box office successes polished
exhibits which keep the theater
really has had minimum Of good plays There are cynics
voss harsh addition cannot push than
grand namely Arthur Mers tragic meditation on
Xs. Death Of q Salesman"
Ever sce Mlers play opened two months
the Critics Circle winner and almost a.
surely the Pulitzer Award later This
the only possible reading rhapsodc reviews which the play
inspired miracle could keep the prize from being settled
miracle has been woefuy missing in the
subsequent
This was not the late entrant "Mr
Robers put dher by coming along to
challenge Williams Street Car Named Desire That
latter had staying enough to hold on the challenger
provided Of the major OF season tnt was not
very exciting otherwise
This years Broadway the kind whose
merit any skin deep Whatever enthusiasm
they developed the critics which them their initial
box entirely relative They were merely
b brightly acquered than the productions which deo
overnight.
early breaking productions was Moss Harts
Up sardonc comedy about stage lie which
artscay ranking of the dsappontments
ysar-but at the box office The advance word which
ssped out Author Hart had finally written play up
the high promise Of his craftsmanship In Light
IN the finally going to have something important 10
say It turned that the ultimate Judgment was ne
had said directed 1t with such deceptive
poish that fooled the playwright most OF all
Tennessee Williams dropped out OF the running almost IN
santly with and Smoke q" kind OF MISSISSIPPI sman
town Car which the critics disposed OF overnight
Unde Madeleines Spell.
ustrous item at the pox once was
Goodbye MY Fancy" firmly set for two season run
Having set thus however critics took second look or
scoad thought and put enthusiasm down to spell cast
mon them by plays star The thin veneer
f social and political with which Feye Kanin coated
comedy ended upon being ADMIRED soey lo MISS ~
It's deceptive cleverness ~
aroused initial enthusiasm Wcn Is
now deemed to completely Of the money Maxwell An
derson Thousand Days. The paywgnts look at
the aorous affair VIII and Anne Boeyn was re-
sondly cheeed arrival Broadway subsequently us
was popularity OF Rex Harrison ana Joyce
Redman principal 1t will offer problem nener
to the Critics Circle the Pulitzer judges
Actually genuine competition exists Tor Aler6
plsy-and nothing could be closer to zeros represented py
eone of tmportaons Woman Of Chailot and Ed
ward. My Son."
Future Is No Brighter.
like Death of Salesman is at least dramatic
composition idea cleaning through it. 1t an idea which
arresng heaergos but which inspires sew
sra Of the better performances Broadway the best Martha
Hunt fe=e~
Edward My Son" a considerably effort notable
chiefly Of towering performance by Robert Morley
towering sort of actor In anything.
Still nothing that Is regarded likely to compi-
cate play although South Pacific all time
before destined to reach New York
this week.
IDEA that Playwright Miller start rearrangns the
house another play plaque to with the one
he "AI My Sons"