Fred Stone always used to say during his musical comedy days that he wanted a crack at the legitimate drama. In his second attempt with "You Can't Take It With You," he carried the complete weight of a show which besides Stone has nothing to offer but a badly frayed script and a conglomeration of poorish actors.

Stone is unquestionably the only bright spot in the production. At times, however, he tends to be stiff and a little stagy in the role of Grandpa Vandehoff. But his natural humor does come across the footlights, which is more than can be said for anybody else in the cast.

Most of the dialogue of once Pulitzer Prize winning Kaufman-Hart comedy now is a terrific anachronism. Written in the scant, mid-depression 40's, its unemployment problems, Communists bomb throwing scares, and the G-Men reach a totally unreceptive audience which is keyed to a wartime philosophy far from the laissez-faire attitude of Grandpa Vanderhof.

After the final curtain Stone appears to do a Will Rogers act, cracking a few jokes and giving out with some rope twirling. Despite the fact that the jokes are badly bewhiskered, this is the best part of the evening. For Stone appears as wholly himself-the grand old man of vaudeville.