Show Henry McLemore G GI I Joe Makes No Bones About It When He Dislikes a Show LONDON England F Fro From r o m mth th the bright lights of Broadway to the no lights of a blacked out American army camp somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where in England From the first night audiences of wealth money and power to the first night audiences of G G. I I. I Joes from Kokomo and points east cast west north and south From the celebrated stars whose names are known the world over and whose weekly s salary lary checks run into five figures to the unknown unknown unknown un un- un- un known little entertainers who are grateful for 10 a week That's the story of Dwight Deere Wiman In his time rime Ime he has produced 54 Broadway shows most of them successes Right now his By Jupiter isone isone is isone one of the smash hits of the Big Town But where is Wiman In New York counting the money that rolls in In NewYork NewYork New NewYork York working on another outstanding outstanding outstanding out out- standing hit hit No he is over here working for for free as 1 Variety would put it in the cause of the American soldier In a a. tiny little office provided for hin hm as entertainment dir director director c- c tor of the American Red Cross he is working 18 and 20 hours a aday aday I day arranging producing and directing shows for the pleasure o 0 m the men who are here to fight our country's battles Does lie he e miss Broadway and the that goes with handling famed stars in shows that pack them in I wondered about this so soI soI soI I went to see him but I never had to ask the question His for his war work provided provided provided pro pro- vided the answer He was trying trying trying try try- ing out talent for a new show when I arrived arrived arrived-a a show that will play hospitals up and down the British Isles He watched a mind reader and his stooge do their act He studied the acrobatics acrobatics acrobatics acro acro- of ot a trick dancer long past his prime He listened to toan toan toan an accordionist a xylophonist a trap drummer a ballad singer a soft shoe dancer and a wisecracking wisecracking wise wisecracking wise wise- cracking master of ceremonies He was just as intent as he put them though their paces as ashe ashe ashe he ever could have been auditioning auditioning auditioning audition audition- ing stars for his Broadway shows At one time tUne or another he has handled and directed Jane Cowl Basil Rathbone Mary Nash Clifton Webb Libby Holman Fred Allen Peggy Wood Beatrice Lillie Roland Young Ernest Truex W Walter WalterO lter O OKeefe Keefe and Ray Bolger They worked for him in such shows as the first second and third Little Shows The Road to toRome toRome toRome Rome The Vinegar Tree She Loves Me Not On Borrowed Borrowed Borrowed Bor Bor- rowed Time Command to Love and scores of others The entertainers he works with now go out under such names as The Rainbow Girls The Second and The Bomber Babes The top price for a a unit for a week is 60 pounds or something like That wouldn't keep some of the stars Wiman has directed in or perfume for a week I talked to his staff about Wiman Most of them knew him on Broadway Dwight used to get awfully nervous when a anew anew anew new show was opening in Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic At At- lantic City or Boston but you should see him now When a unit opens in Birmingham Bristol Bristol Bristol Bris Bris- tol or Salisbury he doesn't sleep the night before and sits around here chewing his nails until the report comes in whether it is a flop or a hit He had thousands and thousands of dollars tied up in the New York stuff but he never did suffer the way he does now Most of the time he makes the openings He gets in a jeep drives to the opening and watches it from the back studying studying studying study study- ing the reaction of the soldiers If they dont don't like the show it kills him Wiman told me that the American American American Amer Amer- ican enlisted man was the toughest critic in the world He is tougher than any New NewYork NewYork NewYork York critic he said He makes Brooks Atkinson John Mason Brown Johnny Anderson and Dick Watts seem like gentle gentle gentle gen gen- tle nice fellows If a soldier doesn't like what is going on he gets up and says To hell with it I am going to get a coke The regular first fighters in New York such as Jules ner Jules Baches Willi William m Rhinelander Stewart Mrs Harrison Harrison Harrison Har Har- rison Williams Elsa Maxwell and Billy and Phyllis PhylUs S Seeman man manwill will stick it out no matter how bad the show is is But n not t G G. I I. I Joe When he has had enough he has had enough and makes no bones about it Boy When you put on a show that pleases them it makes maltes you feel good The biggest thrill the theater theat r has ever given me was right tight here when after a show the soldiers came up to me and said it was swell and nd when could they see it again He Is a good Joe this Wiman who is serving the G G. I I. I Joe |