Theatre World: Season 1949-50

New York: Greenberg: Publisher. Fair. (c.1950). (Volume VI). Softcover. [heavily external wear (especially along the spine, which has sustained some damage but is still holding together), including a long diagonal crease in the front cover; internally clean, and complete]. Trade PB (B&W photographs) A review of the theatre season from June 1, 1949 through June 1, 1950 -- not just Broadway, but also covering many important regional theatres, national touring companies, off-Broadway, plays that opened out of town and never made it to Broadway, etc. As with all volumes in this series, it's entertaining to flip through, as well as being an invaluable reference work. Among this season's openings: "Lost in the Stars" (adapted by Maxwell Anderson from the novel "Cry, the Beloved Country," with music by Kurt Weill); "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (book by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos, based on the latter's novel); "Caesar and Cleopatra" by George Bernard Shaw; "The Member of the Wedding" (by Carson McCullers, based on her novel); "Come Back, Little Sheba" (starring Shirley Booth in the role she would reprise for the movie version a few years later); "Peter Pan" (starring the then-pushing-50 Jean Arthur as Pan). Among the big hits that were still playing during the season were: "Mister Roberts," starring Henry Fonda; "Kiss Me, Kate"; "Death of a Salesman"; "Detective Story"; and "South Pacific." If you're a movie or theatre fan, I can guarantee that flipping through this volume will provide hours of solid entertainment and frequent delight -- and an intense wish that somebody would invent a time machine. This year's "Gallery of Portraits of Promising Personalities" included Charlton Heston, Grace Kelly, and Lydia Clarke (who became Mrs. Heston) -- and more than a few performers whose promise, shall we say, didn't pan out. This year's volume also marked the third installment of the strange (and creepy) "Portrait Dolls" feature, in this instance a full-page photograph of truly awful-looking doll versions (in costume) of Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Carol Channing (looking particularly zombie-like) and Grace George, rendered by "Mary Green, New York Artist." Honestly, the only good use for these things would be as voodoo dolls, to be utilized by these actors' rivals -- or perhaps their overly-ambitious understudies. The volume also includes brief biographies of numerous actors, obituaries of those who died that year, a full name and title index, and more! .