Evening star., 1954-11-21
The Passing Show

lt is the rash man indeed
who would venture an unre-
served conjecture as to the
next first lady" Of the theater.
The candidates for the
throne occupied jointly
thanks to the gift Of prudence
among critics - by Helen
Hayes. Ethel Barrymore and
Katharine Cornell are too nu-
merous. They are also too
gifted and charming and, al
most surely, too likely to re-
member q mans recklessness
the next time they meet him.
Nevertheless, In spite Of the
hazards. 1t is almost impossible
to encounter Deborah Kerr and
not feel that one is in the
presence Of the dramas next
first lady"
On stage and of, Miss Kerr
possesses every qualification
for the distinction Of being
the Princess Royal, available
and able in every respect to
take over when the occasion
arises. So. of course, do Au-
drey Hepburn and Julie Harris,
but 1t is better to drop q
thought like this than to get
involved in the appearance of
perilous comparison.
She Hos the Magic
What distinguishes a first
lady Of the stage, the star
among stars Of her sex, is one
Of the great, protective words
In the vocabulary of criticism.
magic. It is a word that sug-
gests great power to move
others, but so under control
that 1t is subject to the most
minute modulation. The pro-
tective essence Of magic" as
the critic uses it, lies in the
fact that it is a kind of last
word. Having said 1t, the critic
can feel that there is nothing
more. thank Heaven, that need
be said.
Nothing SO abstract as this,
however, came into a luncheon
chat with Miss Kerr the other
day.
Nearest thing to it was
when 1t was suggested that
she was rnonopolizing the
word radiant In today's
drama criticism.
"It is a fiattering word.
Miss Kerr laughed. "but it
sometimes gives a girl the feel
ing Of being a large light bulb
without q proper shade"
She's on Royol Rood
Miss Kerr, just starting q
road tour in ''Tea and Sym
parthy." which promises to
rival the success of such classic
tourists as Miss Hayes and
Miss Cornell, is much too
modest and sensible to have
given a thought to being the
first-lady type.
But "Tea and Sympathy, -
her first starring play and a
brilliant success in every re-
spect, has made it fairly clear
to her that the stage Is her
preference. She has no hauteur
about films, which she viii
continue to make as the oppor-
tunity offers, but prefers
theater.
"It will be a wrench to leave
Hollywood, where, we have a
house that we love-" she says.
The I'VE" refers to her hus-
band. Capt. Anthony Bartlett,
ex-RAF pilot, and their two
children, Melanie Jane, Z. and
Francesca Ann, 8. The house
is high above the Pacific, on
the palisades near Santa
Monica.
Still the actress who was
born in Scotland and brought
UP in England likes the adven-
ture of four seasons and all
kinds of weather, such as that
to be found In Westchester or
one of the Connecticut SUBJ
urbs near New York. Sunshine
loses some of its charm when
it becomes too eternal.
She Doesn't Plan
IT don't worry too much
about plans" Miss Kerr ex-
plains. everything seems to
have happened q little better
than I could have planned it.
I have everything I want. a
mink coat, a happy family,
professional progress. and an
unshakable feeling that things
will continue to go as happily
as they have SO far"
Miss Kerr would not like to
60 so far as to say every one
worries too much about se-
curity. She is glad. however,
that she. does not.
She has ideas about the