Evening star., 1954-03-30

De only TOO nappy TO take over II
Anderson play running through
the summer. She will take over
on June Z. making on that date
her first appearance in Broad
way production. Like so many
laborers in the cinema vineyard.
Miss Fontaine has always had it
in mind to do a New York play,
but never found the right one
until the PlaywrightS sent her
the current bid.
A star since "Rebecca." for
which she won an Academy
award in the late 30s, Miss Fon-
taine has spent her professional
career almost entirely in the
movies. A brief exception was
the interval she spent IN a sum-
mertime coast production.
Her continuance in "Tea and
Sympathy" during the remaining
Broadway engagement. possibly
another season, and on the sub
seqlent road tour is intimated
in the fact that the entire Collier
Young family (of which she is
the Mrs. will move east this
summer.
~
A HAPPY AWARD: The Irv-
ing Thalberg Award for out
standing contribution to the
movies last Thursday night
could not have been given to a
more popular man than George
Stevens. Long before "A Place
in the Sun" and Shane" Ste
vens was known as a movie
maker. In the profession, the
admiration for him is even more
boundless than on the part of
moviegoerS.
And, in making the award.
David o. Selznick could not have
uttered more amuSingly true
words. Thalberg, he said. was a
producer who insisted upon the
absolute rightness of every de-
tail of a fllm-story. cast, set
ting, etc. And, he added, "The
time to make it perfect"
Stevens, nephew of Chicago'S
longtime renowned critic. Ash
ton Stevens. is notorious for his
refusal to be hurried.
IF the industry does not like
his way of working" a friend
Of Stevens says. 1T can go
away"
Inside Hollywood. the Thai
berg award is rated as the top
one of all.
POST-LENTEN NOTE: Guys
and Dolls" coming back to the
scene Of it's last summers tri-
umph in Washington. is going
to run into no conflict on the
question of "Who gets the
critics?"
Normally, it would open at
the Shubert on April 10, against
Picnic" at the National. Some
quick thinking on the part of
the management indicated an
easy way out Of this, through the
simple expedient of opening on
Sunday night. the 18th. with
7:30 curtain.
Another bit of logic behind
the quick shift is that the end
of Lent will find lot of people
in a mood to catch an Easter
Sunday night performance Of
hit as big as Guys and Dolls"
Incidentally, all of the prin-
cipals of the Broadway COM
pany, Iva Withers, Julie Oshins,
Susan Hight. Norwood Smith,
Pat Rooney. ETC.. will be back
this time. The big change in the
company is the substitution OF
the National, or road chorus for
the New York one. The latter
kept changing personnel so fast
that it sometimes seemed full OF
novices. The road group. on the
contrary. had been together for
almost two years.
BULLETIN BOARD: Arena
Stage will run through the sum-
mer without break This
will give the repertory company,
which opens "Blithe Spirit" to-
night. more than 100 consecutive
weeks of operation by the be-
ginning of It's fifth season next
October . On the warm weather
schedule: A musical melodrama,
possible "The Fireman's Flame"
or THE Streets of New York"
Look to the Land will be
shown to an invited audience by
the goth Century Fund and En-
cyclopedia Britannica at the
Cosmos club on April There
will be a preview of Glen Echo in