Enid High School - Quill Yearbook (Enid, OK)

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Emo HioH Scuoot. I9 ALL-SCHOOL PRODUCTION , 0 ease Un .fchefzty By DOROTHY HESCHMEYER The doors of the Education Building open- ed wide on Tuesday evening, December 8, to admit one of the largest crowds ever to attend an Enid High School production. An annual event, the All-School Play is cast from the combined talent of the Sophomore, Iunior and Senior classes and is under the competent direction of Miss Hazel Hatch, head of the speech and dramatic depart- l11t'l1tS. This year the play chosen was the timely three-act comedy-drama, Lease On Libertyu by Dana Thomas, also the author of the well-known production American Passport . The play kept pace with the thoughts of a country at war, and aptly revealed the vari- ous ways in which a person, though really a good American patriot, can become involved in all sorts of trouble, simply by being unin- formed. However, like all good plays, i'Lease on Liberty finally got its principal charac- ters straightened Ollt, brought the villain to justice. and had time for some good comedy, too. The curtains parted on the darkened stage that prepared the audience for the prologue and epilogue which revealed a scene some- time in the distant future. The characters were thinking back to the year before the war, 1941, and Matt Powell lll, played by Prank Howard, told the story of that year in a speech he was to give before a meeting of the Young Defenders of America, an organization founded by his father. The three acts of the play dramatized scenes from the speech. Act one disclosed the library of the Pen- field home, with Grammy, whose ardent, al- most belligerent, patriotism was excellently portrayed by Virginia Shield, berating a friend over the telephone for asking her to speak for a pacifist organization, much to the amusement of Magnolia, the colored maid, whose characterization by Mary Iane Ash accounted for much of the comedy in the play. When Grammyis son-in-law, Matt Powell, Sr., played by Wayne Bundy, had sincerely, but mistakenly begun advocating peace at any pricef' the Penfield household became practically unlivable. During one of the quieter intervals, Gram- my decided she wanted a companion, since none of her household was ever at home. Miss Iennings, an over-roughed, over-curled applicant for the job, portrayed by Dorothy Heschmeyer, added her bit of comedy, but didnit get the position, as she and Grammy just didnit seem to agree on anything. Fay Latimer, otherwise known as LaNelle Elam, had better luck, for after showing all concerned that she wasn't afraid of Grammy and wouldnlt sacrifice her principles, even for a badly needed job, she was surprised to Hnd that the position was hers. From then on, she outdid herself bringing Matt Powell, Ir., Ben Morton, to task for his lack of true prin- ciple, and after transforming him into a truly patriotic young man, becoming engaged to him toward the end of the play. Bob Gregory handled the hardest character part of the play in grand style as he por- trayed Mischa, a young Russian immigrant who had found Utopia in the U.S. A. and who displayed a true appreciation for Amer- ica by risking his life for it. Bob did this difficult task under the pressure of having to prepare his part on very short notice after Bob Moore, who was to play the character, enlisted in the Navy. Bob Seese and Doris Vosburgh kept the audience in a hilarious mood as they por- trayed a typical brother and sister, Ted and Iinx Powell, who quarreled and conspired throughout the play to make their father see his mistake and who certainly had their share of trouble because of their father's beliefs, along with their mother, Vera, Nor- ma Rose Hatch, who had never interferred with her husband's affairs, but who finally decided it was time for her to do something about them. Bill Crews was a natural as Pickering, a loosely-hung newspaper man, with almost studied indolence and a lazy drawl, who found something to criticize in everything any of the Pcnficlds did, but finally had to admit that Matt III had some real American patriotism, when he showed that he was will- ing to become alienated from his father, rather than be forced into acting according to his father's principles. Matt, Ir., finally showed his father the trickery of Communist Paul Butler, Vern Iones, and the arrogant Rosalie, lane West, whom he had loved from the outset of the story. Others taking minor parts were: Oleta Clinesmith, Betty Lou Diggers, girl friend of Ted Powell, Bobby Iean Webb, Miss Stone, and Betty Lou Kumli, Miss Fish, re- porters, Wray Jolley, a photographer, Edwin Rooker, radio announcer, Fred Salmans, radio technician, and Mary Katherine Thomas, Miss Hervey, a nurse. No play is ever successful without the help of those who work with little glory. The following helped put over Lease On Liber- ty : Mr. Bonham, orchestra, Miss Ellen Correll, stage manager, Anne Cotten, Nancy McClintock and Bob Pierce, stage assistants, Miss Ruth Moyer, make-up, Ioan Young, Gerry Thompson and Betty Lou Purdy, make-up assistants, Miss Katherine Bales and art students, photographs, and Mr. V. O. Marshall, business manager. Ushers were: Sue Ireland, Geraldine Prou- ty, Velma Lou Reames, Lita Rae Vance, Carol Iean Belcher and Phyllis Cummings.

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