Evening star., 1953-02-25

sparkling pair on television and
should replace Rex Harrison and
Colonels" for the summer vaca-
tion. The Hayes have not said
where they stand on the subject,
but their admirers fancy the
suggestion.
Apart from musicals which
have not been notably inspired
specimens Of their kind, the
Hayes have not worked together
in the theater. In no instance
of the quick demise of these has
their reputation suffered.
Unlike the HarriSonS, who are
slightly dismayed at the pros
pect Of continuing as an acting
team, the Hayes are happily
committed to a professional as
well as a private life together.
Each is at his best with the
other in the immediate vicinity.
Neither could ask a tidier ar
fangement Of marriage and a
career.
A number of extremely pleas
ant precedentS might tempt Pete
and Mary to give the replace
ment project q whirl. among
them the LuntS, the HarrisonS,
the Hume Cronyns and the
Oliviefs.
..H ***
CRITICS SUMMARY: T. M.
Kraus, whose Critical Digest
keeps tab weekly on the re-
viewers estimates of Broadway
productions, this week summa-
rizeS the season to date. Under
raves" it lists: "An Evening
With Beatrice Lille" ''Dial M
for Murder" +The Fourposter," !"
Guys and Dolls" "The King
and T." New Faces" pal
joey" Seven Year Itch" South
Pacific" ION Borrowed Time,"
"Picnic" (the latest hit), and
"Misalliance."
In the mixed" review class:
"Bernadine," "Children's Hour"
"Crucible. Fifth Season." Love
Of -Four Colonels," "Mid-Sum-
lner, I" .'The Moon Is Blue, Time
Of the Cuckoo" Time Out for
Ginger" and Hazel Flagg."
Critics mos" go to Deep Blue
Sea-" wish You Were Here"
and "Two's Company"
MILLIONS IN THE BANK: No
one will be Grass enough to men
ton it, naturally. but money will
be on the minds of some of
those present when "Oklaho-
mas" 10th birthday is celebrated
here March 81.
The fact is that "Oklahoma!"
is better than an oil well, at
least than a half-hearted oil
well. When it was staged by
the Theater Guild back in 1943,
it involved an investment of
$4,000 on which the dizzy
stockholders have taken back
approximately $5,500,000.
Another piece of Oklahomiana
that may be recalled at the big
birthday party at the National
Theater is that the Boston
critics, who saw it first, were only
lukewarm toward the deathleSs
Rodgers -Hammerstein hit. Their
plea, which is only too often too
true, is that the opening night |
they saw and the one few
weeks later in New York were
markedly different events.
incidentally, it is sort of |
dream booking that brings the
musical here for the final days
of international Theater Month. |
A month which begins, happy
day, with the presence of Helen
Hayes at the National and Julie
Harris at the Shubert.
DIAGNOSIS: Maxwell Shane
is credited with the latest esti-
mate Of what's wrong with
Hollywood: THE entire industry
is suffering from dimension
praecox."
He is quoted in the current |
Screen Producers Journal, which |
offers another nifty from an
anonymous wit: "Sure, the
Academy Awards are a menace |
to the industry. until you walk
down that aisle to get your |
statue"
CUPID ROLE: Although she
has never played it profession
ally. Miss Helen Hayes can claim
to having played Cupid in real
life, according to Charlton Miles,
the urbane man who represents |
Miss Hayes as advance agent.
It was Miss Hayes who brought |
together Bethel Leslie, her CO.
player in MRS. McThing," and |
the televiSion director, Andy Nc
Cullough. 1t happened one day
when Miss Hayes, pressed by
other things. asked Miss Leslie to
stand IN for her at a video re-
hearsal. Mccullough, directing
the show, took one look at Miss