Evening star., 1951-05-13
Dron1o News and Reviews
Play Prize Default
Causes No Surprise
Pulitzer Decision Against Best PIoy Was
Forecast by Broadway Critics Vote
BY Jay cormody

drama season always ends on sour note when one
the major prizes for excellence withheld the ground that no
play really deserved it
Pulitzer judges
the that
q sounded figure repre-
sentns the number OF there has been no Critics Circle
the paywritng Of the last 10
that is snguarly undattermg
This time when the legitimate theater supposed to
be fighting for its against soap opera
with roller comic books and
host of other competitors including floating dice games and
fighting hard for the heaer those undying
speeches would indicate.
aftermath Pulitzer play
that kicked protest whatever Disappointment
seemed to be limited to the handful of payghts who hoped
wn only by default the quality of their rivals work. and
those carefre coumns who spent weeks toung
other play as a certain winner.
Otherwise. no one seemed to care
BY the meres of coincidence this correspondent happened
be having dinner with former Pulitzer Prize winner Marc Con-
nelly when the of the prize default received Mr..
Connolly acted precisely like to whom the decision
entirely anticipated.
It. was characteristic of the universal reaction
Actually, the Critics Circle award few weeks
easily readable po the Pulitzer judges action has not
always been thus OF course since these major drama award
makers have been fairly notorious their previous dagreemens
This however the critics concentrated two plays
Darkness at Noon" which the Circles prize Billy
Budd" which was runnerup in 1913 vote
The other candidates nowhere.
Neither of the Critics preferred plays eligible for
Pulitzer award both failing the requirement that the Pulitzer
deals with Billy with the prob
lem good and evil which older than America although it also
has found root here.
year. course may bring terrific competition
plays plane higher than that represented by the box office
Critics Circle Pulitzer
their minds trying to choose between the candidates
Next always the best year the legitimate theater.
Lionel B. on Beautiful Greto g.
I'VE Barymores" Lonels photographed of the
theaters most dramatic family rich spot of reading the
memoirs of a who spanned memorable
Dozens of other colorfu figures parade through the lively
album than eta Gabo whom the elder Barry
writes Il worked with her in The Temptres in Camille
Mata Har Grand Hotel without getting
unpretentousness extreme that amounted almost to
malady She appeared and disappeared silently wrath
When fortunate enough to know her little she
nice and kab and kind She has real simplicity the
simplicity of the genius-ony difident
psychology comparable to the gshy brd-dog
This correspondent who has tired asking
about Miss Garbo opinions
expressed earlier by Ruth Gordon and Ina Claire.
mains unemployed. Why producers?
War Films Come to GHQ in Woshnuton
There will be two world preiees here this week UNDER
scoring again the fact that this is military headquarters Of the
Western world and such second Hollywood the
of movie baptisms.
Wednesdays nights item be Monogram Pictures
II Was American Spy" Thursday will of
Metro GodwynM Go Broke Both will all the
and prominent personalities that such
occasions.
go for Broke the story of and
their herom in the Italian campaign is MCMs sequel to its
earlier big film Bateground It Is expected to give
the Capitol heae the biggest gala observed there since that
magnum written by the author Robert Pirosh