Evening star., 1949-06-29

foarious farce.
~ The Olney production Of the
&Norman Krasna Broadway sue
cess Of few years ago also pro-
vides an opportunity to see in
person one of the favorite movie
4stars of the younger set. a person
young man named Guy Madi-
ION plays the young soldier Of the
Epiece who comes home from the
war with a wife he has married
as a favor to his best friend
(which is what John Loves Mary
\ Is about.
~ Mary Macarthur is playing op-
sposite Mr.. Madison, neither Cock
ney nor in the interesting con-
-dition of her last two roles. but
rs an attractive girl of about her
own age. This is form of type
casting that can be condoned.
81 Since last nights laughter in
dicated that q lot Of those on
hand were seeing John Loves
MARY" for the first time. this re-
sport may as well be based on the
premise that a lot Of other peo-
pie still remain unfamiliar with
1t. Mary Mary wants to marry
John Guy and considers a
Fthree-day engagement quite
lengthy enough. So do her, Sen
/ ator father and her mother. after
they come charging into the liv-
ing room and discover John with
his pants innocently OF. He Is
! Just UNDERSTANDABLE trying to get
sout of uniform and into civvies as
soon as possible.
# This. incidentally. is not fair
/ example. Of the inventiveness Of
Mr.. Krasna's farce. Placing the
hero in a pantsless condition may
not be the original comedy gag,
but that is only because some an
cient man wrapped in bearskin
slipped on a banana peel before
pants were invented. Mr.. Krasna
does better than this, generally,
and q lot of his lines are GENT
tnely funny.
In fact, the situation In which
he has placed his characters is
both more comic and more novel
than those, which have faced the
Inhabitants of a lot of popular
farces. It is based, naturally, on
the premise that no one ever
would think Of such a thing as a
simple explanation Of an embar-
RAISING predicament.
John loves Mary, see, but he has
this wife and he can't tell her he
has this wife. He doesn't want
this wife, but the buddy who saved
his life did at one time and then
lost her. When John found her
he discovered that she couldn't
come to the United States for
years except as a war bride. That
was little enough to do for the
sman who saved his life.
The complication is that the
battlefield life saver has given up
hope. In a moment of uninten-
tional ingratitude. he has taken
himself domestic-type wife, and,
at the time Of Johns arrival. II
distraught over an impending
baby. the first legitimate impend-
ing baby figuring in an Olney play
in weeks.
Even If you never heard of
John Loves Mary" before. that
is about all you need to know Of.
its plot. After a lot of hectic
romping about a tony hotel suite
living room expertly contrived by
8. Syrjala and a lot Of intnese
shouting over impending disaster
a happy conclusion is reached.
Mr.. Krasna has fate provide the
unwilling aid Of a thoroughly
hated ex-lieutenant, now a bal
cony major of ushers at the Para
mount. who has convenient past
and John and Mary are happy
again.
X X
The Olney players give Mr..
Krasna's lines varying degrees of
impact under Harry Ellerbe's di-
rection. The. best of them un-
doubtedly is Dean Harens, as the
hero who lists among the last
things he needs in the world the
Cockney dancer he once admired
in London when there was a war
on. It's solid comedy role and
Mr.. Harens, with both face and
voice. makes every laugh in it
register Solidly.
Mary Macarthur. in a straight
EVENING PARKING