Evening star., 1952-07-11

The astonishing thing about
Bros. intended. This effect is tc
stance that any movie studio could
come up with such a woefully di-
luted version Of such q good orig
inal script. Although it seems
incredible, the musical starring
Virginia Mayo and Ronald Reagan
is based upon "The Male Animal, -
wise and witty comedy by James
Thurber and Elliott Nugent.
What intensifles the shock Of
this feather-brained musical is
that the original play. recently
revived here and In New York,
turned out to be this seasons most
intelligent and civilized stage COM
edy.
To the credit. or something, of
the producers Of this adaptation
they do not specify that it is
musical version of "The Male
Animal" They merely state that
1t is based upon play by Nugent
and Thurber, leaving it to the ad-
mirers Of the two original authors
to recognize what ghastly things
can happen to good work.
What happens is not the fault
Of Miss Mayo. Reagan and others
OF the cast directed by Bruce
Thunderstorm. They are merely
performers in another addle-
Drained college musical whose re-
semblance to real campus life is
frankly preposterous.
The college in question is called
Midwest (Which Is what Thurber
and Nugent called Ohio State in
their version).
To its campus comes Miss Mayo
to study playwriting. a circum-
stance that is abnormal only in
that she happens to be an ex-bur-
lesque queen who has made herself
popular under the name Of Hot
Carriers Gertie. The dramatic point
on which the plot turns is whether
such o past entities a girl to re-
main in such a center of higher
learning.
In the Thurber -Nugent play, the
key character was a young pro-
fesSor Of English whose job was
placed in jeopardy by virtue Of his
insistence upon reading Bar
Itolomeo Vanzetti's famous letter OF
farewell to a world that executed
him.
The change is flagrantly not
for the better, no matter what
happens to Shes Working Her
Way Through College" at the box
Office.
There is no visible embarrass-
ment on the part of the players
at finding themselves working in
Peter Mines revised script. Nor
is there, for that matter, any
evident enjoyment Of it either.
They simply sing and dance
their way through . script that
might cut State university appro-
priations to $1.50 If any one be-
lieved q word of it. What they act
out, to make it as simple as it really
is. is the story Of some college kids
putting on q musical under the di-
rection Of q young prof (Reagan)
who Is q nice, liberal type.
They must be furtive in pre-
sentins this musical because the
college custom has been to do a
dull, classic play and the head Of
the board Of trustees Is sure to be
outraged at this departure from
tradition. And the more sure to be
outraged II he discovers the author
Of the frivolous musical is an ex-
burlesque star like Miss Mayo.
Honest appraisal Of She's
Working Her Way Through Col
lege" requires the admission that
It does have its funny scenes. Most
riotouS Of these Is one taken di-
rectly from the original, a bit that
has become famous in the annals
Of modern comedy.
In this, an ex-All-American
starts demonstrating a famous
play. using a brandy tumbler as
An improvised ball. At the cli-
max Of the demonstration. he
finds the glass has been removed
from his hand by a force that
Is a complete mystery to him but
which the audience knows in
stantly. It is as funny as any
movie sequence has been all sea-
son; indeed as it has always been
since George Abbott devised it
in the original production.
In its scantily clad way. the
Warner musical presents an at
tractive sort Of company in which
Miss Mayo and Reagan are
abetted by such others as Phyllis
Thaxter, Gene Nelson and Don
DeFore.
Also in its favor Is the fact
that it offers some excellent and
well-fancied dancing bits, espe-
cially an acrobatic solo performed
by Nelson on the equipment Of
Midwest's excellent gymnasium.
Those unfamiliar with the ir-
resistible charm Of "The Male
Animal and who cannot there
fore care what has happened to
it, might find the adaptation ar
agreeable enough, routine MIN
musical.
The others, as we say, will be