Hollywood Spectator (1937-39)

Hollywood Spectator Page Fifteen strident voice for better pictures, for films with a purpose and a point of view. And just as farmer cooperatives arose throughout the middle west when the farmers needed them because large chains were somewhat blind to rural problems, so cinema cooperatives have arisen in the same fashion. One of these is Associate Film Audiences, a nation-wide group, with branches in the principal cities of the country. Aim Is Better Pictures . . . HENEVER a group of clear-thinking, liberal minded people get together, someone is sure as fate to call them “long hairs” and “parlor pinks.” These are appellations which refer to men who want to invent a new kind of pullman stop cord or who want to clean up slum areas. Name-calling is one of the easiest ways to dodge an issue. Recently Editor Beaton referred to Terry Ramsey’s somewhat obscure diatribe about a kindred organization in the columns of the garrish Motion Picture Herald. First it might be important to quote the purpose of Associated Films, as subscribed to by all kinds and shades of organizations. “Associated Film Audiences is a nation-wide non-profit organization. Its purpose is to give voice to the millions of American moviegoers who desire to see films with fresh dramatic substance— new and enchanting realities of life in our world today with variety, truthfulness and artistic presentation.” Among a long roster of participating organizations are Congregational and Christian Churches of U. S. A., Federal Council of Churches of Christ, Presbyterian Church of U. S. A., World Peaceways, Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A. I have intentionally cited these groups to indicate that Associated does cover a vast field, with no brief for any school of thought or issue. The TwelveYear Myth . . . ONE of the heavy chains which shackles the motion picture industry to inferior product is the persistent twelve-year-old mentality myth. The myth has long since passed out of that realm and is a motto worked out in sampler style, set over the door of practically every picture producer’s office. To break the shackles rise Associated Film Audiences and Films for Democracy, organizations planning to pro duce pictures to “safeguard and extend American democracy.” Their sponsors form a notable list of some of the foremost minds in the country. I do not doubt but that they will eventually get the funds they need. Their initial efforts may not have the gloss and zip of an unimportant Hollywood musical, but give them time. The efforts of organizations of a healthy and an unhealthy sign. Healthy because it proves that there are people who take their pictures seriously and who are vigilant about democracy; unhealthy because of the implication of Hollywood sterility. It is a sad commentary indeed which indicates that the forces for better pictures are gathering beyond studio walls; sad that within that false paradise of boy-meet-girl great minds are devising ways and means whereby they can alter the age-old formula with what is called “a new twist.” And the Artists . . . rHERE was a time when the screen artist — technician to star — was someone who hung around the corner of Sunset and Gower between calls. Came the day when the more political-minded of the Powers saw the need to raise sufficient funds to defeat the EPIC plan back in 1934. This is no occasion for raking up ancient slime, but that expropriation of a day’s salary or whatever it was, gave birth to the Union and Guilds. Within four years the actors, writers and directors, as well as technicians, have formed some of the most powerful labor unions in the country. The artists themselves are taking an increasingly important role in raising the standards of the screen above a mentally subnormal level. Acting through the Guilds and Unions, through the Anti-Nazi League, through kindred organizations, they are expressing themselves, voicing a demand for a forceful and intelligent screen. Quite properly, it is beyond the province of these organizations to deal with improving pictures, but membership in them at least indicates that artists are aware of current issues and trends. The most powerful medium on earth is the screen. It is natural that artists should make attempts to improve the quality of their medium and their work. All the handwriting, including the dissolution of foreign markets, is there. How long can Belthazzar stare at the wall without acting? Franz Waxman Musical Scoring of “Shirting Hour” “Christmas Carol” “Young in Heart”