Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

May, 1 946 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE 25 and since then active in Hollywood. "He Who Gets Slapped" The Theatre Guild, which, for almost a year, has been in a reviving frame of mind on the air, has now carried its mood into the theatre as well. It now revives Andreyev’s He Who Gets Slumped, which it produced originally some twenty years ago. Comparisons are in order, but your reviewer, for reasons of youth, did not see the first production. Rumor has it that there are more differences than similarities. The earlier production is said to have been allegorical and soul-searching. He who gets slapped was treated as the symbol of outraged humanity buffeted about by a cruel world. The present production, on the other hand, emphasizes the human and spectacular aspects of the play. He who gets slapped is merely another husband, whose wife has proved unfaithful. Unable to face this infidelity, he has retreated to the circus, which he joins as a clown, just as other men retreat to monasteries. The profundities of the play — profundities by now less apparently profound because of reiteration— are conspicuously absent. Their absence detracts from the cohesiveness of the play. Tyrone Guthrie’s brilliant staging, the lavish costumes, and the intriguing sets seem entities apart. The play has become a pageant with occasional overtones. One watches with pleasure, but one feels little. Dennis King creates a mock-heroic effect as the clown — an effect somewhat in the tradition of Pagliacci. Stella Adler is a little incredible as the lady liontamer who cherishes the desire that the fiercest of her beasts should love her. Perhaps this incredibility is the result of the vanished symbolism which leaves the role itself bared of anything but grotesque meaning. Susan Douglas, a young Czech actress who has made her mark in New York radio during the past few years, but who is new to the stage, gives a winning performance as the wisplike ingenue loved by too many. John Abbott, also new to New York, plays the reprobate father, ready to auction off his lovely daughter to the richest bidder. Mr. Abbott’s performance is visually compelling. His bearing and stance suggest, perhaps, a painting by Daumier. There is implied satire in all he does, but he himself remains an engaging fellow, even though one is thoroughly aware of his fundamental baseness. ★ ★ CAPITAL FILM SERVICE EXPANDS IN MICHIGAN Capital Film Service has moved into new and enlarged quarters at 224 Abbott Road, East Lansing, Michigan, to offer better service to film patrons in Michigan. Robert Clayton, commentator and writer, has been appointed Chief Librarian. The library has a unique contract arrangement for schools. Programs are sent out every two weeks and are composed of subject matter for every grade level. All the material is designed to fit the State of Michigan’s educational curriculum for elementary schools. Each film is provided with a synopsis for the instructor. Since the inauguration of the program, the service has been extended to fifty schools. J. R. Hunter is Sales Director. Annotated Bibliography on the MOVIES "WHAT SHALL WE READ about the MOVIES?" A Guide to the Many Books obout Motion Pictures — Their History, Science, Industry, Art, Future. By WILLIAM LEWIN, Ph. D. Chairman, Department of English, Weequahic High School, Newark, New lersey 25c a Copy Free With Two-Year Subscriptions to "Film & Radio Guide."