RALPH MEEKER joined the national company of "Streetcar" in September of this year, after having proved himself and won the plaudits of the critics when he assumed the role of Stanley with the New York company of the play last summer. It is rather interesting to note that he partically owes his selection for this choice role over a field comprising nearly every known and unknown juvenile on Broadway to a somewhat premature announcement of his being cast for it which appeared in the drama columns of a New York newspaper.

To this day, Meeker does not know how that note got in the paper. At the time he was playing the role of Mannion in New York's hit play, "Mr. Roberts," and was understudying its star, Henry Fonda. At any rate it was the first time that the casting director at the Irene M. Selznick office had ever heard of Meeker and, since he was desperately seeking a replacement for Marlon Brando last spring, he thought he might as well take a look at him.

The reading which followed and the combined recommendations from Leland Hayward and Joshua Logan, producer and director, respectively, of "Roberts," who were interested in Ralph's advancement, cinched the deal.

Meeker came to Broadway in 1944 from Chicago. He first became involved with the stage at Northwestern University where he appeared in several productions put on by the University Theatre and also joined an amateur group known as the Uptown Players, supporting himself meanwhile by jerking sodas and playing the piano at fraternity parties. Later he joined a road company of "The Doughgirls" in Chicago in a minor role. It was with this background that he came to New York. After playing in much stock and joining a U.S.O. company of "Ten Little Indians" which took him to Italy, he returned and was given a role in "Strange Fruit" by Jose Ferrer. Later Ferrer engaged him as assistant state manager and understudy for the role of Christian in "Cyrano." His next assignment was in "Mr. Roberts."

(Profile and photo from national company tour program -- 1949)