Evening star., 1950-10-24
Arena Finds
Judge Bean
|AGood Man
By Harry Macarthur

will find a number of things tc
amuse you in "The Delectable
Judge" a new play by E. P
Conkle. which is having it's first
performances anywhere at the
Hippodrome under the auspices
of Arena Stage. "The Delectable
Judge" is more an elongated joke
with injections of fantasy than il
is a play. 1t is ample enough
though. as a vehicle for a rip
snorting caricature of Judge Roy
Bean, who was. in his day, the law
west of the Pecos.
This has been written with af-
fection by Mr.. Conkle and it is
being played by Henry Danilo-
wicz with something of the same
emotion and with a great enthu-
siasm for the old boys lusty speech
and manner. Since 1.-THE Delect-
able Judge" has is central figure
on stage from beginning to end
with the possible exception of the
intermission between the acts;
since he is talking most of the
time, and since he is called on to
switch abruptly from comedy to
pathos, this is no easy acting job
Mr.. DaniloWicz has taken on. He
comes through it all like old Roy
Bean, with head unbewed. It's a
performance he can take pride in.
1t is Mr.. Conkle's thesis that
Judge Bean was really a good
man, full of love for his fellow
man and pride in his town of
Langtry, Tex. This may run con-
trary to any vague impression you
have accumulated through the
years but it is not a point you
can argue with a Texan who is
professor of drama and resident
playwright at the University OF
Texas.
So Judge Bean was a good man
whose selfless deeds made him
eligible for entrance into Heaven
and Mr.. Conkle thinks that would
have been a great joke on the
judge. Things woud have been
pretty dull around there for gusty
Roy Bean. 1t takes Mr.. Conkle
all evening to get around to his
point and to a moderately maudlin
conclusion. but he manages to
keep things fairly interesting
while he is getting around to it.
His play, divided into two acts
is divided by the same intermis-
sion into a comic and a serious
segment. There are serious under
tones in the first act and comic
overtones in the second, but the
transition is sharply marked. In
the first half, Judge Bean is a
sort of Jeeter Lester, roaring
comically about his gamey saloon
and using the law as he sees fit
In the second half, he is a noble
human sacrificing himself to
care for an orphan Chinese boy
who has come down with small
pox and who dies after passing the
disease along to his benefactor.
Since the change is in the ac-
tion of the play, not in the char
acter. it doesn't come off as well
as it might.
Still, there probably is enough
fun to make the trip to the Hippo
drome worthwhile. There is that
enthusiastic portrayal of Judge
Bean by Mr.. Danilowicz. There
are a couple of reasonably comic
angels (Peter Jerome and Orel
Leonardo sent down to bring the
judge along. There is a thorough
going nagging busybody by Lois
Alexander David Harrison does
well. too. with the Chinese boy,
though the character is a standard
vaudeville Chinese. Jacqueline
Dudley, Harry Scully, George
Grizzard and several others also
give their best for Mr.. Conkle.
Getting them all on and of
stage probably has given Director
Edward Mangum something of q
problem in traffic management, as
a matter Of fact. On the whole he
has staged "The Delectable Judge
effectively. though this doesn't
seem to be a work which gains
particularly from arena staging
1t probably doesn't lose anything
either, come to think of it.
AMUSEMENTS