Emmerich Manual High School - Ivian Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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E CHRISTOPHER KM

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Seniors Present Howard Comedy for Fall Play BY NORMA SKILLMAN Through the willing cooperation of directors, teachers, cast, backstage hands, and students, members of the June ' 39 Senior Class success- fully presented The Late Christopher Bean ' 7 by Sidney Howard on November 17 and 18, 1938, in Manual ' s auditorium. This comedy, dealing with a family of New Englanders who had years before given refuge to a drunken, unrecognized artist, revolves around the attempts of an excited world to gain possession of the work and any details about tin life and character of the late Christopher Bean. The Haggett family, who have some of Bean ' s canvasses, suddenly realize their value and be- come hard, selfish, and ill-tempered. Dr. Hag- gett, impressively played by Noble Pearcy, an amusing picture of a small man bcsd with many troubles ; Mrs. Haggett, as enacted by Marjorie Roempke, assuming certain citified airs in dress and bearing because she feels herself above the standard of her native village; Nadejda Popcheff as the elder daughter, Ada, glorying in thinking she possesses babylike prettiness and manners ; and Elizabeth Scott, as the younger daughter, Susan, a pretty girl of nineteen — turn in better than average performances as a small town fami- ly suddenly finding themselves in the prospect, of becoming neb. But it is Abby, the family servant, who ulti- mately holds them all in her power. She has one of Bean ' s greatest paintings which she cannot be persuaded into selling or giving away. It was she alone who understood and appreciated the artist before he died. Because of her kindness, he left her his greatest painting, a portrait of herself at work. Abby, as enacted by Evelyn Rutledge, is a wistful sort of girl between youth and middle age, undecided, assertive, and independent under-dog of the Haggett house- hold. The attempts of various critics and defrauders to possess Bean ' s paintings, the love affair be- tween Susan and a village boy, the going away of Abby. Mrs. Haggett ' s attempts to marry off Ada. and the bit by bit unfolding of the history of Bean, lend to the clever situations and sur- prising twists of plot to the play. -Toe Schmalz as the village painter and paper- hanger in love with Susan turns in a well enacted 30 role. William Stuckey as Tallant, a smooth, youngish, shabbily dressed New Yorker; Keith Wilson as Rosen, an ody and too affable Jewish gentleman of middle age ; and Kenneth Keubler, who portrays Maxwell Davenport — as the per- sons who seek to buy Bean ' s paintings give cred- itable performances. The success of the play was also largely due to the director, Mr. E. Edward Green; assistant director, Mrs. Vivian L. Siener ; and student director, Jean Hoeferkamp. Geraldine Zix and Doris Sohn demonstrated their capability as prompters. The senior class is also indebted to the splendid backstage work of Mr. Lewis E. Finch, technical manager; Carl De Felice, assis- tant technical manager; Bessie Rosenberg, stu- dent stage manager, and the stage crew. Properties were provided by Martha Vander- Schoor, Jean Kline, Charlotte Craig, Shirley Marks, Kathleen Sponsel, Leo Costello, Harold Miller, and Bemice Berger. Beatrice Pacey, Annette Thornberry, Eliza beth Kehl, Alma Czinczoll, Emmajean Sickbert, and Betty Lou Baker selected the costumes. Publicity was in charge of Miss Gretchen A. Kemp with the English VIJ Class, Sam Chernin, Alfred Hubert, Joe Shupinsky, and Olga Phillips assisting. Miss Helen A. Haynes directed the advertising campaign assisted by her Salesman- ship II Class. May Jones, Annette Thornberry, William Alte, Norma Lee Bottles, Carl De Felice, Lela Mae Fox, Myrtle Gresham, Dorothy Han- nan, Charlotte Heck, Doris Linville, Ernest Mador, Alma McKee, Laura Myers, Robert Tay- lor, and Ben Yach under the supervision of Mr. Charles Yeager, made posters advertising the play. Miss Lena Brady, aided by William McCrary, Louise Maier, Sarah Monath, Roselyn Wischmey- er, Winnifred Ragsdale, Lucille Williams, Har- old Robertson, and Joe Trester of 217, and Charles Angelkovich, William Fair, and Mar- jorie Arnold of 135 were in charge of the ticket sale. Miss Arda Knox, house chairman, was in charge of sixty-one seniors who acted as ushers. The memory of a successful production will long be cherished by the June ' 39 Seniors as one of the outstanding events in a happy senior year.

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Burdette ' s f New Fires ' Scores Success As Spring Class Play BY LOUISE MAIER New Fires was successfully presented by the Senior Class of 1939 to a capacity audience in the school auditorium on April 21 and 22. The three-act comedy by Charles Quimby Bur- dette concerns the antics of the family of Steph- en Santry, a Chicago author, who, realizing - that his wife and children have lost their apprecia- tion of worthwhile thing ' s, takes them to an in- herited farm in the Missouri Ozarks for a week- end visit. Mr. Santry, alias Harold Light, is determined to make the family stay on the farm and work if they expect to eat. The country at- mosphere and the determination of the father changes each member of the family considerably with the extended three months ' visit. Juanita Truitt appeared as Anne, Stephen ' s wife. Julia Haynes portrayed his eldest daugh- ter Olive, a rebellious girl of twenty years, whose stubborn disposition softens as she slowly falls in love with a young country physician, Dr. Lynn Gray, enacted by Ralph Anderson. Law- rence Damn played the part of Dick, Santry ' s eldest son who is newly wed to Jean Hoeferkamp, a very charming and capable wife. The younger members of the family, Birchard Bush and Bes- sie Rosenberg, two fun-loving sixteen year olds in the persons of Billy and Phyllis, provided the humor of the play and added much of the pleas- me derived from it. included in the cast of feminine roles is a fifty year old housekeeper, Lucinda Andrews, ably portrayed by Kathleen Sponsel, who lead Billy and Phyllis a merry chase after Stephen Santry has given her permission to correct them. Suzanne Toler, an elderly spinster enacted by Martha VanderSchocr, is a meek sort of person who has no hesitations about speaking her mind. The top scene of the play occurs when Mary, Christine Gershanoff, a neighbor girl of fifteen, who much to the Santry distress, causes them to he quarantined for a month with scarlet fever. Olga Phillips was cast as Mary ' s mother. Robert Stringer as the caretaker ' s son, Jerry, a bashful boy of sixteen, turned in a better than average performance. He, with Billy, ably en- acted some of the high-light comedy scenes of the play. Roland Kennedy as Jerry ' s father presented a picture of a man torn between obedience to Stephen Santry and a desire to torment Lucinda Andrews. Norma Bottles as Jerry ' s mother turned in a creditable performance. THE STAFF Director Mr. E. Edward Green Assistant Director Mrs. Vivian L. Siener Student Director Nadejda Popcheff Technical Manager Mr. Lewis E. Finch Assistant Technical Manager Carl de Felice Student Stage Manager Nick Musulin Electrician Frances Jeffries Stage Crew Richard Murphy, Chairman, Corwin Weaver, Ralph Norcross, Charles McDaniel, Garland Reeves, Stanley Dunn, Robert Turpin. Make-Up Lois Percifield, Chairman Florence Christoph, Betty Gran, Dorothy Perdue, Frances Searcy, J. D. Small, Doris Larrison. Properties Ann Calderon, Chairman, Marjorie Roempke, Shirley Marks, Vircin- ia McSpadden, Charlotte Craig, Leo Cos- tello, Harold Miller, Bernice Berger. Costume Alice Hausman, Chairman, Helen Brabender, Alma Czinczoll, Betty Lou Baker, Helen Regenstrief, Marian Wood. Business Miss Lena Brady, Chairman, William M ' Crary, Louise Maier, Norman Williams, Homer Schroeder, Kathleen Sponsel, William Fair, Margie Burns, Frieda Cohen. House Miss Arda Knox Ushers and Assistants — Members of 19 39 Senior Class. Advertising Miss Helen Haynes Salesmanship II C ' asses Publicity Miss Gretchen A. Kemp Mildred Reimer, Lucille Williams, Sam Cherin, Joe Shupinsky, Walt Rafert. Posters Mr. Charles Yeager Senior Art VI and Mary Rose Hidinger Play Selection Committee: Joe Schmalz, Olga Phillips, Rose Kleis, Alma Childers, Kenneth Kuebler. Prompters Phyllis Johnson, Kenneth .Kuebler Music . A Orchestra H. E. Winslow, Director SYNOPSIS The entire action of the play takes place in the combination dining-room-living-room of the old Santry homestead, located in the southern part of Missouri. The time is the present. ACT 1. — Five o ' clock on an afternoon late in January. II. — Scene 1: At dawn, the next ACT ACT morning. Scene 2: Saturday afternoon, two weeks later. III. — Scene 1: Ten o ' clock on a morn- ing 3 weeks later. Scene 2: Six o ' clock on a June evening some three months later. 32