Evening star., 1950-01-02
Drama News and Reviews
Capitol Has q Gay Farce;
Warner q Kaye DozzIer
By Jay Cormody

.1.T ADAMS vs.. = RB ,oa..o
Kanin. At the Capitol.
The Cast.
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Jules Frikke Emerson Treaey
Judge Marcasson- Will Wright
Dr. Margaret BrodeiEh Elizabeth Flournoy
That witty war between the
sexes as they are represented by
Spencer Tracy and Katharine
Hepburn goes on in Adams Rib
at the Capitol. On the whole this
Is a battle you should not miss,
for while the jollity goes into an
occasional sideslip, the comedy
average is high.
Scene of this merry embroglio
Is a courtroom, not one in which
the couple is getting a divorce.
but rather where they are the at
torneys on different sides of an
attempted murder case.
Attempted murder seldom has
been presented so agreeably on
the screen, thanks for which is
due not only the principals but
one wonderful new film player in
the person Of Judy Holiday. an
other one name of David Wayne
and third christened Tom Ewell.
These are stage actor types,
Grade-A, and they show it.
Rounding out the talent in
volved in the ro-Goldwyn-
Mayer Production is George
Cukor as director. and Ruth
Gordon and Carson Kanin who
wrote the screenplay. They COM
plete q team that should be kept
together to play in the studios
comedy bowl at least once a
season.
Miss Hepburn's is the key char
acter in Adams Rib" This is a
pretty, patiently successful young
woman lawyer. AS a wife-Park
avenue brand-she is kitten cute,
but professionally she's fire.
brand motivated by sense that
women are not treated equally
before the law.
Her marriage to Assistant Pros
ecutor Tracy is q blissful affair
In spite Of this crusading spirit
until she decides to defend Miss
Holiday who has just emptied a
gun unsuccessfully at the latter's
husband and the other woman.
The Adam Bonners thus meet
head-on in judicial slapstick
that would be tolerated nowhere
but in a movie studio but which
can be funny as managed there
II y X
The comedy distilled from this
situation is strictly tailored stuff
by two expert cutters such as Miss
Gordon and her writing husband
Kanin.
As you must have noted, it is
their fashion to see that the prin-
cipal pair are supported by an en-
gaging lot of subordinates who
usually are played with more skill
than they deserve.
Take Miss Holidays would-be
murderess, for example. Basically
she is straight out of the dimwit
wife mould but by the time Miss
Holiday plays her to the end,
she IS one Of the gay delights of
the season. The casting Of Adams S
Rib" mates her perfectly to Comic
Ewell as the simple le-minded phi
landerer whose every choice Of
woman represents the same old
mistake.
For q third catalogue character
who adds up to more than you
expect, there's a young composer
neighbor of the Bonners who
escapes from his own funda.
mental dreariness only by being
played by David Wayne.
After these comes a flock o
lesser people, a walk-up flat land
lady, q female acrobat, a cour
reporter and q few other type
who rise above themselves as sucl
people do in Gordon-Kanin com
.edy literature.
The farce at the Capitol hits it
most frenzied pace. and its some
times most strained one, in tn
court room. The emotional out
bursts Of rival lawyers here ar
pretty funny stuff and 50 is tn
testimony of some witnesses, espe
eially Miss Holiday. Jean Hagel
~ the other woman, and Ewell.
The best single comedy scene
however. very likely is that playe,
BY Miss Holiday and Miss Hep
burn when the latter Is dragging
out Of the shooting wife the step
that led up to her try at mayhem
Adams Rib" flaws aside
should make your holidays hap.
: pier.
4 + + 4
Gene Sheldon, also in the com
edy vein, headlines this week
stage show, with Dancers Dolinof
and the Raya Sisters Vocalis
Jerry Cooper. and Bobby Whalin,
and Yvette's bicycle novelty il
support.
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