Motion Picture (Aug 1932-Jan 1933)

LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Charlotte Susa, latest German actress to smile upon Hollywood, is wishing her new American friends"FrohlicheWeihnachten" (Merry Christmas). The same to you, Fraulein Susa! $20.00 Letter Thanks to the Movies UNIVERSITY, VA— The elevatednose contingent tells me that I and mine are society's backbone. Maybe so, but speaking from experience, being a vertebrae hasn't been so much fun. Years ago I was the backbone with a vengeance. Then I was a farm girl, following the same routine a lot of other girls followed in those days. From the time the pesky rooster crowed until we lit the kerosene lamps, the work was plentiful and hard. The meanest, though, was that the effort it demanded was purely mechanical. And there wasn't a thing to think about while we did it. When we were youthful, we scrubbed floors and looked foreward to Sunday's preaching. I washed clothes and anticipated my annual visit to my uncles, a farm the replica of ours, ten miles distant from our house. When one got older, however, one divorced such frivolousness from one's mind, screwed up one's hair and mouth and became an animated stick. Luckily, times do change. My daughter does the same work, but by electricity. Her personality is different too. SHE GOES TO THE MOVIES. There she sees more of life and the world than did her ancestors in their accumulated lifetimes. Instead of being the corn-fed country girl of fiction, she is a Joan Crawford, rural version. Mrs. Zebrie Jones. $10.00 Letter Canned Music NEW ALBANY, IND.— Even though the introduction of sound into the movies deprived me of a lucrative position as theatre organist, I am progressive and honest enough to admit that the charm of moving pictures has been enhanced a thousandfold by the production of sound and socalled canned music. Perhaps, having been a professional musician, I appreciate the accuracy with which moving pictures are cued these days, more than the average moviegoer, who has never known what it means to arrange a program for a picture— the musical knowledge required, the extensive and up-to-date library necessary, the unceasing search for just the right tune to convey the meaning of a scene. The music synchronization of a picture is truly half the show to me. I am thrilled each time I attend a movie by some especially apt and appropriate melody or strain of incidental music. The marvelous musical accompaniment of the animated cartoons is a constant source of delight to me. For a long time, moving pictures have been my favorite form of amusement, and in their perfection of today, they are a great solace to me when I encounter the rough spots in the road of life. Jean Lord. $5.00 Letter Movies Are Educational and Inspiring PHOENIX, ARIZ.— This may, or may not, be printable under the heading "Letters From Our Readers," but being a staunch supporter of the movies, and in this capacity reserving a certain right, here goes: Using myself as an example, I want to say in the few words allowed, that to me the movies have not only proved an education of the actualities of life, but also an aspiration towards success in whatever field my future lies, i.e. as either a mother or business woman. I have been an ardent movie fan for many years, and although constantly derided for my seemingly foolish hobby (and truly it can be said "That's where my money goes") yet, having had a limited education, to me this hobby has proved a most beneficial medium toward social, business and educational accomplishments. I have by no means reached my goal, but with the constant invisible urge that the movies have created, surely there is an even chance between my failure and success. It is my opinion that every parent should be made to realize of what vital importance the movies really are toward the better education of their children, as well as themselves. Gertrude Metier. Movies Create Perfect Illusion SYRACUSE, N. Y— There is one phase in the making of motion pictures which always proves a source of endless wonder to the moviegoers of today. Of course, the naturalness of the love scenes, the ready tears, are to be marveled at, but it is the stark REALISM which amazes millions. How is it possible to make a smash-up so real and yet not real? is the question of an awed and baffled public. The sophisticated and unsophisticated, alike, acknowlege the perfect illusion the movie creates. An example of marvelous realism which I recently witnessed were the scenes from "Divorce in the Family" in which Hal searches for Terry on the fog-covered river. A huge boat, hardly discernible, is seen moving slowly, silently, into the path of Hal's rowboat. Tensely the audience awaits the inevitable crash. Through the fog, the mammoth boat is seen again, slowly moving like a monster about to strike. As the dismal sound of a fog horn fills the air, Hal turns and sees the huge hull bearing down on him. Then a startled cry! — a loud crash! — the sound of splintering wood, and then, — silence. That is what I mean by the realism of motion pictures. Mary M. O'Neil. (Continued on page 84) Write 'Em And Reap A Money Prize Each Month MOTION PICTURE gives Twenty, Ten and Five Dollar Prizes for the Three Best Letters of the month. Don't overlook the chance of becoming a winner. All you need to do is pick up your pen or go to work on your typewriter and tell us and the movie world what's on your mind concerning the movies and the stars. If any two letters are considered of equal merit, the full amount of the prize will go to each writer. Try to keep within 200 words. No letter will be returned and we reserve the right to publish all or any part of a letter submitted. Sign your full name and address. We will use initials if requested. Address Letter Page, MOTION PICTURE, 1501 Broadway, New York City.