Evening star., 1961-05-13

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there must be a good reason
why Nugent hadn't called me
to say there had to have been
a change in plans. He seemed
so excited and pleased by the
project. like long absent New
Yorker about to get a chance to
return.
"At $40, I got the answer to
my bafflement. Mrs. Nugent
called to say soberly that Frank
had had a heart attack and
that she had gone with him
to the hospital. I could not
have been more sorry to hear
such bad news, the more so for
thinking that maybe our after
noon conversation had some
thing to do with it.
"At the time, 'DonnybrookP
was so far from production
that we could wait for the writ
ing and I told Mrs. Nugent
she could tell Frank that we
would wait-if. of course. she
thought it might be an en-
couraging thing to say to him.
I left it entirely up to her judg-
ment."
Mr.. Hebert paused to brood
a minute, then continued:
In the weeks that followed,
I began to feel uneasy. AS a
stage manager through many
road tryouts, I suddenly real
lied what writers go through
during such weeks, inhuman
hours, endless conferences,
quick and desperate rewrites.
We always think Of 1t as a
killing process, and when I
came to those two words, I
found myself Mortified at what
might happen to Frank.
1T took all the moral
strength I could find to do it,
but finally called Mrs. Nugent
to explain I had changed my
mind-and why. Thank Heaven,
she understood"
AS a Nugent friend all the
way back to his New York
Times film critic days, this
story was the high point of
our luncheon with Mr.. Hebert.
And. of course. fully confirma-
tory Of our first impression of
him as a man with a good face,
plus a considerate heart.
SATUR RDAY SUMMARY:
Hume Cronyn, an actor who
never needs to worry about not
working (but does), had just
turned down three roles when
we last ate together Then.
came his chance for q major
role in Big Fish, Little Fish,"
in which his performance has
just earned him Barter The
ater's acting award for this
season Materially, 1t gives
him an acre Of land on an
Abingdon. Va. mountain, and
a traditional ham Artistic
cally. or culturally, 1t permits
him to select two young perfor-
mers for a Barter season schol-
arship this summer Hume
started at Barter himself, back
in 1884.
Edward r. Murrow, a dweller
among us as director Of U.SIA.,
announces the agency's Dis
tinguished Service Award to
Theatrical Protective Local No.
l. mother local" Of stage
workers. 1t is made in
thanks for the Locals two de-
cades Of cooperation with the
Voice of America. The GER
emonies incident thereto are
for tomorrow Regional
musicals are unending - not
endless, as we almost wrote
tactlesSly This season, they
have run from Denver Gun
sinkable Molly Brown"D. and
Place Pigalle ("Irma, La
DouceD. to Innisfree. County
Mayo C'Donnybrook!") .. Now,
add another. "Oh, Wyoming"
which will be produced by Cath
olic University's music depart
ment, May 81. to be followed
July 24-29, with the same COM
pany, at Cheynne.
Another three months tour
awaits the American Repertory
Company. headed by Helen
Hayes, upon its return from
the same period in Europe and
the Near East In August,
the group will take off for
South America where it will
play in 10 countries, 16 cities
The European tour ends
June II in Parts, giving the
company a brief rest before it
heads southwark in this hem
isphere.