Harrison's Reports (1931)

May 2, 1931 HARRISON’S REPORTS 71 Compiled by “THE HARRISON FORECASTER” 1440 Broadway — Room 1866 New York, N. Y. The Harrison Forecaster is not sold to a subscriber; it is merely leased, with the understanding that he is not to sell, or lease, or even give any of the copies away; he may lend some or all his copies only to persons closely connected with his company. The contents of each page are protected by copyright and are not to be reproduced without permission of the copyright owner. The publisher reserves the right to demand the return of all copies at the end of the season, after their usefulness to the subscriber has ceased. P. S. Harrison. Vol.I (1931-32 Season) No. 2 “STEPDAUGHTERS OF WAR” ( Announced by Paramount) Copyright, 1931. The Story in Brief There is little, if any, plot to this book, which recounts the experiences of a British girl as ambulance driver with the English Army during the World War. The narrative embraces all the sordid details of an existence in the hostile zone amid filthy conditions, physically and morally. The pages reek with blood, brutality and savagery. In the nervous let-down of spirit caused by dread of sudden death, girls of decent families, hitherto strangers to dirt, foulness and life in the raw, suffer in an alien atmosphere, which after a while becomes familiar but none the less hateful, until their finer feelings are altogether blunted. They talk and jest bitterly under the strain, find temporary relief in the telling of smutty stories, are at times cheerfully blasphemous, sometimes sunk in despair and ever hovering on the verge of hysterical breakdowns. To the torture of vermin, bodily uncleanliness and utter exhaustion is added the clamping agony of iron discipline, enforced by an Amazonian Commandant, referred to as “Mrs. Bitch,” who rules rigidly over the unfortunates under her control. The author’s personal reactions to letters received from home are disgust and anger, directed against her patriotic mother and relatives who write glowingly about the noble work she is doing for her country. She is continually comparing her past with her present life and wondering at the ease with which the shackles of convention have fallen from her. When, during a stolen hour of relaxation with a young officer, he says at parting : “I wish we could spend the night together !” she is not offended, as it seems to her silly to accuse a man practically sentenced to death of being ungentlemanly ; so she replies with a kiss. Nothing matters any more ; chastity is an unimportant factor within hearing of the great guns and bursting shells. Later she is with a convoy which is bombed by the enemy and sees a few comrades dashed into bleeding rags. Returning home temporarily, she permits a subaltern to sleep with her before he leaves for the front. She is moved merely by a feeling of pity, for she does not love the man. Her younger sister, Trix, writes, asking for one hundred pounds to pay for an abortion operation. Trix had been also with an ambulance outfit and had had three lovers, but does not know which one is the father of her unborn child. The author gets the money from her aunt and gives it to Trix, who undergoes the operation but afterwards dies in the •' war zone. The lad from her home neighborhood, to whom she is engaged, is horribly wounded, loses his eyesight and writes to release her, stating that he cannot be a husband to her. The inference is plain enough ; his mutilation has deprived him of his sexual functions. She returns to France. The narrative ends with a trench raid by the Germans, when dropped bombs convert their shelter into a slaughter house, with wounded and dying girls lying around her, although she escapes physical injury. Criticism Considered as a human document, this registers an extremely vivid study in stark realism. Like “All Quiet on the Western Front,” it may be listed as a plea for peace, in that it shows up the ugly side and intolerable conditions of war. But the fact that its principal characters are feminine and that the whole narrative is devoted to proving how rapidly these become depraved and morally rotten under the stress of their unnatural existence does not promise well for the story’s future as screen entertainment, if the original text ware adhered to, or even if it were reproduced fifty per cent. Such an array of morbid, gruesome events, obscene, hideous and depressing, wrould, if faithfully presented in photographic form, turn the strongest stomach. No normal person who cherishes the memory of mother, sister, wife or sweetheart could view a cold-blooded portrayal of girlhood besmirched, befouled and driven to the level of beasts, with any feeling save that of resentment and disgust. Nor, for that matter, would the average woman, young or old, find pleasure in watching a film that exploited the degradation of her sex. However, as the producers paid a “stiff” price for the book, it will be filmed in part, at least. But the resultant screen story will not be “Stepdaughters of War,” as conceived and written by Helen Zenna Smith; for neither censors nor movie patrons wmuld tolerate such a presentation of filth and horror. “War Nurse,” produced by MGM, made a failure even though the picture was not half as gruesome as this book reads. NOTE: This review has been borrowed from “The Harrison Forecaster.” It is a review, not of the picture, which has not yet been made, but of the book. It is the sort of facts “The Harrison Forecaster” puts in the hands of those who subscribe to it. It is advance information about books or plays the producers have purchased for the purpose of putting them into pictures. If you are interested, write for terms of a subscription for you. State the number of theatres you have and the population of the towns. — P. S. HARRISON.