Evening star., 1952-06-24

presentation of musical adaptati
You Were Here" is the project. i
sal, with a swimming pool right
on stage. 1t is blessed with creative
talent. Leland Hayward and Josh
Logan as its producers. the latter
also as author of the book and di-
rector of the musical. It has
Harold Rome's music and the
magnificent setting is the work of
10 Mielziner.
A more original set of men is to
be found nowhere in the whole
realm Of the theater, but Wish
You Were Here" is merely a new
treatment of an old comedy Sue
cess, Arthur Kober's Having
Wonderful Time"
Upcoming later in the season
are musical versions of "Pygma-
lion" and MY Sister Eileen" The
theory is: Adapt a hit and you've
got a hit. It is not bad theory
and it often makes a lot of money
for lot of people. Still, it is hard
Ou new WTlIeTS.
Employment department: Crit
ical Digest. this departments fav-
orite f1rst-of f-the-week reading,
advises that Broadway's cast re-
placements are doing just fine. In
Ted Kraus' book, summarizing the
critics:
Eddie Dowling's replacement of
James Barton in Paint Your
Wagon" is inspired"
Burgess Meredith and Betty
Field. subbing for Hume Cronynl
and Jessica Tandy in "The Four
poster" are playing the marital
comedy more for laughs. They not
only are getting these, but also
getting more sentimental warmth
into the final scene.
Barbara Baxley. successor to
Julie Harris in II Am a Camera" 81
is succeeding with distinction"
and Maggie Mcnamara, vice Bar
bara Bell Geddes in Moon Isl
Blue" is tagged perfect.
X X
Novelty department: Ever since
westerns began to go classy, as
distinct from arty, the Playhouse
and Dupont management has been
looking for the right one. It
thinks it has found it in High
Noon," the Stanley Kramer pro-
duction, starring Gary Cooper
and featuring Grace Kelly, Thom-
as Mitchell, Otto Kruger, etc. AL
though it is several bookings away,
enthusiasm for High Noon" runs
so high that it will play day-and-
date at both Playhouse and Du-
pont.
The Kramer film screenplay is
the work of Carl Foreman.
The Ballad of High Noon"
provides the musical background
of the film.
Suburban department.: Want toI
look ahead on the neighborhood
movie listings? For the first week
in July. titles due to turn up in
the outlying theaters of the area
include Skirts Ahoy," "Deadline
U. S. A." High Sierra" pride
Of st. Louis" about Face" ITO
Have and Have Not" Paula, >"
San Francisco Story" and Red
Mountain"
Geography department.: One of
the most salable commodities
Hollywood has laid eyes on in
years is Africa. It's dramatic geog-
raphy was no small part of the
tremendous popularity of such
pictures as King Solomon's
Mines" and "The African Queen.
These. shot against the actual
background of the dark continent
taught movie makers that there is
no substitute for Africa.
Returning to it now for the big
gest picture of his career is Sam
Zimbalist who made King Solo
mons Mines" The new project is
''Mogambo," which will be di-
rected by John Ford and whose
male star will be Clark Gable. |
While headquarters are being set
up now and locations chosen, the |
actual shooting Of the film will
not begin until November. It will
require three months.
Author of the screenplay is John
Lee Mahin, the writer who is
credited with the deftest touch in
making Quo Vadis" the, dramat-
ically human story it turned out
to be in spite of the productions
dimensions.
X \
Miscellany department: Next on
Arenas Stages schedule, but we'll
DANCING.