SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1966
'How to is A Birthday Show
„ By SUB DIEHL
Collegian City Editor
, The Penn State Thespians are cele
orating their 69th. anniversary today.
And looking back on the work end
plays of the oldest continuing student
activity on campus can turn up some
rather astounding facts.
Ruth Yeaton, Thespian adviser and
producer, calculated that an average of
17,280 manhours are put in on each pro
duction. That’s 192 hours from each of
90 members of the cast and crews.
But the figure is light, considering
that all shows now are produced on the
stage of Schwab. There was a time
during the Second World War when
Thespians took their shows on the road.
They visited army camps near Harris
burg and, according to printed itineraries
In the Penn State Room of Pattee, many
of the towns and villages in between.
The Earliest Production-'The Rivals"
1898's PRODUCTION of "The Rivals" is the beginning of
The Thespians' long history here at the University. Men
played the female roles with gusto. The players were J.V.
Neuberl, '99 (Bob Acre); A. N. Diehl, '9B (Faulkland);
J. H. M. Andrews, '9B (Capi. Absolute); Clay Sprechner, '9B
(manager); J. C.-Rsed, '99 (Sir Anthony); J. S. Albert, '9B
The Latest Production-" How To Succeed . » "
196G's PRODUCTION of "How to Succeed in Business "How to Succeed . . is the first of two productions this
Without Really Trying" has just started. Here the stage year. An original play wilKbe presented in the spring term,
crew works on the beginning of a set for the musical The show is a birthday celebration for,the University's
comedy. This show will be performed Nov. 1-3. It was a oldest organization. • ' '
Broadway hit starring Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee.
Thespians Graduated Big Names in Entertainment and Business
By CUFF EILNER
Collegian Staff Writer
Abraham Schnitzer graduated from
Penn State in 1916, which was barely
twenty years after the Penn State
Thespians performed their first show.
He was active in Thespian work, and
that might be a reason why he became
one of Hollywood’s biggest behind-the
scenes men.. .
Schnitzer, who ranks among Gene
Kelly and Fred Waring in the Thes
pians’ hall of fame, took a giant leap
—“from titrations to panties in one
step”—arid went on to head the West
ern ' Costume Company, one of the
largest suppliers of its kind. He ma
jored in chemistry.
But the Thespians have produced
men and women who graduated into
the spotlight as. well as into the cos
tume business. Their alumni, all famous
in respective fields,. became singers',
theater critics, University administra
tors, and stars..
Gene. Kelly, Class of 1933, got his
Crews and Cast Average 17,280 Hours A Play
Membership in the group is current
ly open to anyone who has participated in
three _ Thespian productions. But until
1953, only men were eligible for member
ship. Ten years before, the women had
formed their own organization, the Mas
querettes, Mrs. Yeaton was one of those
coeds who worked in Thespian shows,
but received only the recognition of the
females’ counterpart.
The files of former Thespians ac
tivities are almost, endless, i But the big
gest news on their 69th anniversary is
the fall production.
v "How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying” will run Dec. 1-3 in
Schwab. Rehearsals for the musical
(Thomas); L. E. Thomas, '9B (Sir Lucius); G„ J. Yundl, '99
(Lydia Languish); Thomas Beaver, '9B (Mrs. Malaprop);
N. W. McCallura, '99 (Julia); A. D. Carrier, '99 (Fag); R. T,
Sirohm, '9B (Ltlcy); H. G. Huber, '9B (David) and J. L.
Haehnlen, '99 (boy). From their stage in the College Chapel,
this group of players began a long tradition.
first taste of stardom on the stage; of
Schwab Auditorium, when he made
up half of a dance team in the musical,
“The Dutchess in Dutch.” And Fred
Waring, ’22,, appeared in Thespian pro
ductions long before he ever dreamed
of launching the Pennsylvanians.
Waring, incidentally, never offi
cially joined Thespians, ‘ but he was
made an honorary member in 1942,
some twenty years after his graduation.
Some, like Martin Brooks, who
played the lead part in the 1946 Thes
pian show, went on to Broadway and
television, and tried their hands in, the
“Real Thing.” Brooks, for example, was'
featured 1 in “I am a, Camera” on the
Great' White Way. ,j
Some, like Hummel Fishburn, who
composed part of - a musical in his
undergraduate days at State, wentj on
to University administration. Rishburn,
'now retired, headed the music depart
ment here . and is a member of the
Thespians Board of Control.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA
comedy, which had one of the. longest
runs in Broadway history, are held night
ly during the week. And,the construction
crew is currently building the sets in the
loft above Schwab’s stage. ’
Tons of Cold Cream
A girl first introduced as “Linda
Loft,” and later as Linda Taft (sth-sci
ence-Devon), was working in the dress
ing room under the stage where the
interview With Mrs. Yeaton was being
held. She was experimenting with make
up application,' and. commented that the
bulk of the finances for the show seemed
to be going into cold cream and toilet
paper used instead of facial tissue to
remove the cold cream.
—Photo Courtesy of the Penn State Room
—Collegian Photo by Dean Beasom
• . •• 1955’s “Finian’s Rainbow”
But royalties, scripts, set materials
and costumes also take their toll from
the Thespians’ budget.
All the crews for “How to Succeed”
are as busy as the cast of singers,
dancers and actors. Miss Taft was order
ing leg make-up; Mrs. Yeaton was help
ing prepare- the wardrobe as the con
struction crew pounded and painted in
the loft.
J. Pierrepont Finch
The cast is headed by Michael Lemon
(4th-liberal arts-Kennett Square) in the
role of J. Pierrepont Finch,, .the - am
bitious young man who works his way
up the business ladder to the top of
J. B. Biggley’s wicket corporation. Big
1924‘s "Magazine Coyer Girl" production featured Auchen
bach's Serenaders. The Serenaders were a big-band-sound
Thespians Mark 69th
Year Since Founding
By MORRIS MERTZ
Collegian' Staff Writer
The Penn State Thespians, currently
.celebrating their 69th anniversary, have
the noteworthy distinction of being not
only the oldest continuing student activity
on campus, but also one of the oldest
university theatre groups in the country.
Although the Thespians were officially
founded on Oct. 22, 1897, by the late Freci
Lewis Pattee and the late John H. Lette,
both faculty members, initiative for or
ganizing the group came 'largely from
two students, the late John C. Reed and
the late J. H. M. Andrews, who later
became .a ’member of the University’s
Board of Trustees. The purpose of or
ganizing the Thespians, as stated by
Pattee, was to present “as distinctive a
representation of some of the old.classics
as students possibly could be made to
do.” '
In the campus chapel on Feb. 19,
1898, the Thespians made their dehut in
a production of “The Rivals.” Two nights
they made their first round trip to
Bellefonte, where they gave one per
formance. The road tour for “The School
for. Scandal,” the Thespians’ second pro
duction, 1 was expanded to .include Lock
. Haven.
Only Two Coeds
Since there Were only two coeds in
the upper classes at that time, the Thes--
pians cast men in female roles and per
petuated the practice by barring wompn
from both membership and appearing in.
their shows. Student actors, soon dis
covered , that undertaking female parts
had definite disadvantages.,
For examole, the number-if garments
required to dress a lady 'in those 'days
was about five times what it is today.
But in later productions men found them
selves wearing only tights or grass
skirts and dancing the “hula hula,”
“bunny wiggle,” “Japanese glide” and
“gorilla hug.”
1937's H.M.S. PINAFORE, an operetta by Gilbert and Sulli- are members of the King's Navy and°their "lovely "co^starsr'"
van was a classic production for the Thespians. On stage For this one, like it or not, the Thespians needed women.
Some are Concert Singers
Some,' liffe Alec Gray, made their
names with their voices, on the concert
stage. Gray became known as one of
the great baritones of his day.
x Don Taylor, an actor, had his name
up in lights for the movie, "Winged
Victory.” Jimmy Leyden, Jr., composed
the Naval Air Corps song, “Sky An
chors.” Julius and Philip Epstein, a
pair of Hollywood playwrights who
graduated in 1931. and 1932, respec
tively, went on to write for Gene Kelly.
Kenneth Holderman,' a Thespian in
, Undergraduate days, stayed—and is now
the University’s Director of Common
wealth. Campuses. <. ' . ■
The distaff showing, however,, is
slim—only Sue .Browning managed to
achieve a significant degree of fame.'
' That may be because there' were
no women in the cast until long after
World War I. "
No Women Policy
It may seem strange producing
•classics like “The' Rivals”' without
gley is played by Andrew Weiner (10th
theatre arts-Bayside, N.Y.).
Finch, (who asks the secretaries to
call him Ponty) butters up the boss, gives
flowers to influential secretaries, faith
fully reads his success instruction manual
and stabs everyone in the back who is
in his way. ;
The most-frequently-stabbed award
goes to Biggley’s nephew Bud Frump,
played by Larry Myers (sth-science-
Lancaster). Frump evidently deserves
Finch’s undercutting. For he constantly
complains to his mother, who relays the
message to Mrs. Biggley, her sister, who,
naturally, calls her husband to demand
justice in favor of Frump. .
—Photo Courtesy of the Penn State Room
orchestra, complete double e-flat bass horn and marimba.
Auchenbach's Serenaders were the highlight of the'review.
In 1908 the Thespians began doing
musical comedies. During World War i,
however, they changed to farce comedies
to cut expenses of elaborate productions.
Another innovation necessitated by
the War was the casting of women f n
Thespian productions, since many male
students were in the service. But after
the war the Thespians resumed their
all-male policy.
Original Musicals Started
Thespian shows were' merely repro-.
duced Broadway hits until an original
musical comedy presented in 1921 proved,
to be an immediate success. The book
was written by Byron Knapp, and the
music was composed by Hummel Fish
burn, professor emeritus and former head
of the Department of Music and Music
Education. Ever since then, students and
faculty members have written many of
the Thespian productions.
When a progressive movement swept
the campus in 1930, coeds were finally
permitted to appear consistently in Thes
pian shows. Masauerettes, the female
counterpart of the Thespians, was'organ
ized in 1943 and was officially recognized
as an affiliate of the Thespians. The
Thespian "membership ban against wom
en remained in effect until the spring of
1953 when the Masquerettes merged with
the Thespians.
During World War 11, a troupe of
Thespians once again hit the road and
entertained servicemen in camps along
the eastern coast. The troupe made about
20 trips throughout the war years. These
tours brought recollections of past years
when each spring the Thespians would
take to the road and'give two or three
performances in various Pennsylvania
communities, including Johnstown, Tyi
rone and Clearfield.
Today, while Thespians look back on
69 grand and glorious years; they recall
it was not all smooth sailing, especially
in the beginning. In the Thespians’ first
presentation, an actor oortraying a lady
feminine people in feminine roles, but
it was taken as a matter of course
that women could not perform. That,
plus a general scarcity of ladies at
State, kept the coeds off.the stage un
til 1919, when they were featured in
“It Pays to Advertise.” And, that was
only because the men were away at
war.
The anti-woman ban resumed after
World War I, with men staging “The
Fair Coed” in 1922, sans coeds. Critics
reacted- sharply and negatively, how
ever, when the Thespians performed
“The Kid Himself” in 1926.
“The cast ‘girls’ were fine,” said
The Daily Collegian reviewer, “but the
chords ‘girls’ were rotten ’ as far as
looking like the opposite sex is con- 1
cerned” 1 . ,
Sleeping Reform Movement
But a sweeping reform movement,
overtook the campus when the pro
gressives brought the women back on
to the stage in 1930. The female addi
Frump claims that by not going
directly to his uncle, he is using the
“democratic” approach to the problem.
But Biggley doesn’t approve of his
nephew or his nephew’s-tactics.: Nepot
ism, the boss contends, is “when your
nephew is a fool.”
Amid the undercutting and back
stabbing, Biggley finally succumbs to
his incompetent but seductive girl friend
Hedy La Rue, played by Patricia Christ
man (4th-liberal arts-Vandenberg Air
Force Base, Calif.). But Finch remains
practically oblivious to the advances of
secretary Rosemary Pllkington, played
by Marcia Josephs (4lh-education-Pitts
burgh).
The first production of Thespians’
70th' year is directed by David Bigoney
(lOth-English-Huntingdon Valley), one of
the younger veterans of the Thespians’
stage.
breezed through a stage entrance and lost
‘her’ wig on the archway of the door.
The Thespians’ 1902 production of “A
Russian Honeymoon” went haywire when 1
the curtain jammed at the end of a
tragic scene. For 10 minutes the dis
illusioned hero stood frozen in his pose.
In 1919 scarlet fever forced the show
to be postponed.
Another dilemma occurred in the
early-twenties when the Thespians wired
a New York hotel to have three upright
pianos available for the cast. After ar
riving and inquiring about the pianos,
the members were led through a
labyrinth of basement corridors and given
three bottles of gin. In the code of
prohibition days upright pianos had a
meaning all their own.
A Thespian Tradition
As a part of Thespian tradition, the
group continues to present original musi
cals whenever possible in order to main
tain an outlet for creative contemporary
endeavors. Original works presented in
the past few years include “Razzle Mc-
Dazzle,” “Fair Weather” and last
spring’s "Troubadour.”
The Thesoians annually produce two
shows, including at least one Broadway
musical. Broadway productions to the
Thesoians’ credit include “Bells Are
Rinsing”; "Guys and Dolls”, “Oklaho
ma!” “South Pacific”, “Kiss Me Kate”
and “Li’l Abner.”
In addition to producing shows, the
Thespians sponsor meetings, trips and
programs of interest for their members.
Before the spring presentation it holds
musical comedy workshop-programs in
several areas of production. Each spring
five outstanding senior members are
selected to spend a weekend of theater
going in New ( York City.
Eligibility for membership in the
Thespians is based on work with three or
more Thespian productions.
tion became known as the Masquer
ettes, but that group has since merged
with the Thespians.
The Thespians, however, are not
the only group which has brought peo
ple to the spotlight. The Penn State
Players, a brother organization, intro
duced actors Ed Bins and Don Taylor,
in addition to Oliver Smith, ’39, who
designs scenery for award-winning
Broadway shows. Harold Cohen, one
time Theatre critic for the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette, was also a Player.
Many people have exited from the
Thespian stage to bigger things. Some
are still taking their curtain calls. Rayi
mon P. (Phil) Shafer, Jr., son of the
Lieutenant Governor, was Mayor,Shinn
in the recent production of Meredith.
Wilson’s “Music Man.” Phil is now a
graduate student in theater arts: he
may. make his name there, or in the
field of politics, like his dad. Either
way, he may be another feather in
the Thespians’, cap.
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