“The Bear Who Lived at the Plaza”
is the latest work from polymath Ward Morehouse
III. The author, playwright, Amazon adventurer,
diarist and chronicler par excellence of grand
hotels, has written a most charming account of
his life with his father, longtime theater
critic of the World Telegram & Sun, Ward
Morehouse Jr. Morehouse père was an intrepid
traveler and brought exotic pets home for his
son, Bangkok the bear and Joburg the lion cub
among them.
But this is more than an account of young
“Wardie’s” menagerie. Rather, it’s about the
lifestyle and people who made it possible to
house the pets in the posh hostelries.
There is a fascinating interview
of Eugene O’Neill and his third wife, Carlotta
Monterey. It took place in Tours, France. The
playwright, believed by many to be America’s
greatest, had invited the esteemed critic, Ward
père, to visit. Among the revelations was that
O’Neill’s favorite work of his own, at that
time, was the complex expressionist work “The
Great God Brown.” (He was then working on the
monumental “Mourning Becomes Electra.”)
Morehouse père’s favorite play
was “Rain,” by John Colton and Clemence
Randolph, based on a short story by Somerset
Maugham. Whether he would have liked it so much
had anyone other than Jeanne Eagels played Sadie
Thompson is an open question. There was a
profound bond between them. Jeanne Eagels
telephoned him hours before she died, but
tragically he didn’t receive the message until
the next day.
There are affectionate tales by
Ward III of his stepmothers as well as of his
mother. All are interesting and all connected to
the theater. Among them is Jean Dalrymple, a
mighty force behind New York City Center, one of
Mayor La Guardia’s most important legacies until
last year, when it closed. Jean Dalrymple was an
honored theatrical producer, among the few women
to succeed in this field.
The book is sprinkled with
anecdotes about authors, namely Hemingway and
Fitzgerald; stars of stage and screen, some of
yesteryear: Maude Adams, Jeanne Eagels, Clark
Gable, Franchot Tone, Miriam Hopkins, Katharine
Cornell, Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and
newspapermen, including Walter Winchell.
There are also vignettes about
the adventures of Ward III.
“The Bear Who Lived at the
Plaza” is ideal summer reading—at the beach,
waiting at airports, riding in trains. It’s like
being a party to a lively conversation among
people one admires.
Published in the USA by BearManor
Media; $24.95; 81 pages.