The Film Daily (1937)

THE j%g*S DAILY Friday, May 14, 1937 SQUAWK PARADE Pertinent paragraphs sifted from the hundreds of replies by leading American critics, reviewers and columnists to questions submitted in the fifth annual Critics' Forum. (Continued from Page 1) mind the film industry has not kept apace to its technical development in the matter of story development — in the matter of story material. Most of the imagination has gone into magnificent sets, lighting and color effects and other matters of technique while the first essential, good interesting story material, has been largely neglected. The story is the thing, and if it lacks interest, some degree of originality, the production lacks justification. DONALD J. MacIVER, Virginia, Minn. "Daily Enterprise". • STILLS AND CREDITS Some studios still persist in sending out stills of players, especially if more than one in pictures, without identifying them. Such photos are entirely without value to a newspaper. Certain studios continue to give credit to only two or three of the stars at beginning of a film, whereas they should run complete cast. Also running it at end of film would please many patrons, I believe, especially latecomers. CLARENCE L. MOODY, Worcester, Mass., "Evening Gazette". • PLAYERS OVER PUBLICIZED— The players should be left to stand on their own achievements, without all the silly personality stuff. The public would not tire of the individual so quickly. They do not of stage actors, but movie stars are cast aside almost before they have really learned to act because the public is satiated with "blah," the stars personal love life or some such truck. Garbo's reticence is one of her greatest holds on the public, who get her as an actress and nothing else. B. D. DOBBIN, Baltimore "Sunday American". LOCAL ANGLE— Suggest a closer study by managers of their public and its demands. No two communities are alike in tastes in entertainment. The proper box office response can be obtained only with a program the most people desire. Too much cheap trash thrown into some programs to give them length instead of quality. CLAYTON A. LE1TER, Hamilton, O. "Journal-News". • PICTURE NEWSPAPERMEN— Something should be done about the way movies depict newsrooms. I have been in many, and some of them crazy, but never have I seen the goings on the movie city-rooms show. I like a drink as well as the next fellow but the idea of making every movie reporter a confirmed stew is a lot of bunk. True one can pick up tips in saloons but 1 find one cannot write so well with a hangover. Another thing: As a former police reporter I must make the record that I r\ R vi never saw any of those wise-cracking detectives that are thrown in for comedy relief in murder mysteries. And news photographers are not required to get off Bugs Baer cracks every few minutes to hold their jobs. THOMAS F. CONNOR, Scranton, Pa. "Scrantonian". ABOUT PRESSBOOKS— The waste and inefficiency of press books causes me most concern. I have literally torn my hair, in true film style, at wading through reams of publicity and finally be forced to boil down the snyopsis. This must be a common complaint of many writers on the smaller papers who have other assignments besides movie publicity and reviews. Press books generally are filled with guff that I have never seen appear in any paper. It seems to me about time some studio pioneered in a movement to give newspapers what they want and forget about the rest. Warner Bros, sent out a few perforated "typewritten" sheets that I thought were excellent, but apparently they have been discontinued. It seems it should be simple to send editors stuff of this nature together with a few stills or scene mats and biographical data. I, for one, would appreciate it if it could be sent direct from the studio well in advance of the picture's release. F. C. PATTEN, Aberdeen, S. D., American-News". PROGRAM MENU— I still harbor resentment against the Iwo-feature program. Something should be done about it unless the theaters arrange to furnish beds along with the tickets. A motion picture program should be planned like a dinner — a snappy hors d'oeuvres course, piece de resistance in the feature, a news reel or other short for salad and a light dessert in the form of a comedy or cartoon. JOSEPHINE HUGSTON, San Jose, Calif. "Mercury Herald". PROGRAM FOR A PRODUCER— If a producer's chair were ever shoved earnestly under my posterior I would sit without hesitation and from the telephone en my desk would issue these commands: 1 — Clear the decks for a picture to be produced, directed, written, acted, supervised, photographed and scored by critics only — thus affording the public an opportunity to learn what genius (if any) lies behind the caustic pen. 2 — Cast into the nearest wastebasket all members of the publicity department. In their places get writers possessing imagination, a flare for variety and a bounty of originality. Let's have publicity — not dribble. 3 — To all departments; let's quit taking advice and give the public what it wants, ASSORTED SQUAWKS There are too many double feature programs. Western productions are using the same locations and sets in film after film. Too many silly (alleged) comedies. We need some new plots. Too many tap dancers are using up footage in musical films and there are far too many attempts to outdo each chorus number with one that will surpass it. CLARENCE H. WITTER, Watertown, Wis. "Daily Times". I bitterly resent interference with free speech, free press, free stage, free literature or free movies. If a person thinks a picture is vile, let him stay away from it, and if it has done him wrong, let him sue or shoot. I believe in training and experience for the stage, and I resent the idea that a pretty face, male or female, makes an actor overnight. Even after years of training and millions spent on publicity, some of these will never be anything but collar advertisements and beauty contestants. I hate a colossal cottage, a supposed home of taste and refinement, that looks like the Grand Central station, too many cbjects and too many gadgets in sets where they don't belong. Incidental music should not play while people are talking. The average musical short, a jazz orchestra and a dancing conductor, is a pest. Changing the title of a classic like "Michael Strogoff," or vitally changing any well known story, is worse than wrong. Too many dialogue writers seldom make for simplicity or clarity. I resent the idea that every picture must be made with a view to the greatest possible number of sales. Even from a financial viewpoint, this is a mistake, since many films thus made are complete flops, though they could have been fairly good if aimed at only one group. The conference system of making movies is as wrong as having a dozen generals fight a battle. Only a few famous books or famous paintings ever have been done by collaboration. One man ought to have supreme authority over each picture. The juvenile business in the studios is being overdone, and encouragement of the idea that every child should see every rrcvie gives the censors their most dangerous weapon. CHARLES P. JONES, New Orleans "Times-Picayune" . us$L INDUSTRY AIDES To representative journalists^ its own unofficial aides, the industry again is indebted for thoughtful appraisals and constructive suggestions. Third installment appears tomorrow. » the way it is wanted. Keep up present I methods and we'll die in our infancy. 4 — The publicity department will hereafter send to newspapers mats which are printable and not the type of "smudges" heretofore seen in many newspapers. 5 — Let's tone down the "plugs" for the producers. No one gives a "hoot in Hell" for us. The public clamors for the picture and the players, in the future — less bowing and more work. 6 — The casting department can well afford to open its doors to talented newcomers. We've plugged the same stars for so long we're beginning to look like a "home for the aged." 7 — Subdue kid pictures. A limited number is OK, but let's give adults adult pictures., 8 — Cater to all audiences, uppercrust and underdog. Make both types of pictures entertaining, educational and reasonably appreciable to both classes. 9 — Send flowers and candy to the lovely little boys who will say nasty things about any picture we make. 10 — And here's your chair, I'm thru. A. WALLACE GRAY, Plainfield, N. J. "Courier-News". STUDIO-NEWSPAPER COOPERATION— Some motion picture companies are showing a selfish attitude in regards to motion picture critics as they do not help the critics get complete facts and data regarding certain stars and I think that it would be a fine thing if they would wake up and help each other as that is the only way to succeed in putting a picture over to the general public. Some publicity studios are very slow in answering lequests for certain material in regards to pictures and data regarding both stars and pictures and I cannot understand why the long delay and I trust that they will wake up for their own benefit. RALPH S. MATZ, Matz Feature Syndicate. DRAMA AND UNCLE WIGGILY— From the standpoint of any mature observer, rhe chief fault of the movies remains their childish and pathetic insistence on "adapting" practically every story or play they acquire to a silly formula that contradicts the real nature of life and thus keeps the screen shallow and meretricious. They will spend amazing sums for a strong play like "Winterset" for example, and then presume to tell the dramatist that he didn't know what he was talking about by tacking a "happy" ending to a story that is patently tragic in construction, philosophy and intent. The scheme of human existence was not designed by Uncle Wiggily' ha Hans Christian Anderson. The moctic should reflect something besides a nickelmagazine picture of life. HUBERT ROUSSEL, Houston, Tex., "Press".