Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-27

rather better than might be {
of concealing that the theme
has been exposed to a lot of
time and weather.
One is inclined to attribute
the major merriment of this
Jerry Wald production, one of
his last, to one of the nom
visible old pros associated with
the film. This would be Script
list Nunnally johnson. He has
made rather a lot out Of such
purely incidental characters as
a health faddist. bird watcher
couple who are secret alcohol
ics. Another lively secondary
addition is one of those balmy
blond beach types who has set
aside the summer to read War
and Peace"
Her trouble, Of course, is that
she cannot keep Tolstoy's peo-
pie identified from paragraph
to paragraph. AS aged gags go.
this one comes off with a deal
of sparkle.
Another johnson contribu-
ton to Mr.. Hobbs" is some
dialogue bright enough that
the actors do not have to be
embarrassed by it.
@ hAA
A macabre old beach house
Is the setting of the Hobbs
family vacation. Inside its raf-
fishly malevolent exterior are
furnishings that have collected
years of darkness and plumb
ing that is diabolically mis-
chieYous.
The Hobbses, including the
children and their offspring,
put a considerable strain on
these forbidding premises and
even more Of a strain upon
one another. A lot of these
family types are too familiar
the young daughter with the
braces, the neurotic son-in-law
who is jobless-but they remain
Serviceable to some extent.
=. It Is a woolly and wandering
set of situations with which
Director Henry Roster must
deal in Mr.. Hobbs" but, for
tunately, he has had q lot Of
experience with this sort of
thing. So, for that matter,
have Mr.. Stewart and Miss
OHara, the latter as sharp a
boxing grandmother as the
screen has projected lately.
s Other major acting assets Of
the production are John Nc
Giver, a former Catholic Uni
versity actor, and Marie Will
son as the furtively tipping
bird watchers; and Valeria
Varda as the blonde trying to
decipher Tolstoy.
Henry Mancini who has been
composing clamorously clever
musical scores to the movies
lately, offers another brig t
one to "Mr. Hobbs Takes A
Vacation"
ARTS RMS: Arena
Stage and the Washington OPP
era Society figure prominently
among community cultureI
groups in the newest grants
program Of the Ford Founda-
ton.
The premise Of the program
IN question is that the arts
can profit from having better
trained administrative person.
mel IS well as in the creative
areas. Accordingly. the Foun-
dalton has established q struc-
tufe of administrative Intern
Shipss which, in the first year,
wiz settle 81 Fellows in as
many drama and opera group
business departments.
These fellowships which car
~ stipends Of $1,000 each, plus
$500 for each dependent child
and, where necessary q travel
allowance, will bring three
grantees to Washington next
season. To the Washington
Opera Society will come Ruth
Marie Hider. Binghampton,
NJ. Y, and to Arenas business
staff, Bryan E. Clark, Gen.
tereach, N. Y, and ]. Wesley
Ziegler, Hamden, Conn.
Arena has been q participant
In, the Foundations arts pro-
grams from the beginnin g
through grants Of assistance to
directors. playwrights and per-
formers.
MOREOVER: Washington
audiences will have a reunion
with one Of their favorite &C
tresses when THE Matchmak-
er" opens at Olney on August
IL. =. Coming back to the
springboard of a blithe career
on and off Broadway will be
Frances Sternhagen in the role