Motion Picture Classic (Jan-Jun 1929)

What College Men Think of the Movies And tlien some. n hat VIRGIL PINK LEY Thinks . . . ments are far-fetched. There never will be a real college picture, depicting campus life as it is, unless a university student furnishes the story idea, and a grad who know s campus life from all angles serves as a technical director, with the final word. University students on my campus pan the life out of college pictures, and they should. In one college football picture the hero played a few minutes at the first of the half, was taken out of the contest on account of injuries and just before the half ended, entered the game again. Didn't the director, technical expert or actor know that a football player can't enter a game twice in the same half ? Why must the hero always win a football game, knock a home run or win the mile race? College has more than this to offer for story material. Take the case of two pictures of recent release. Buddy Rogers was the hero in "Red Lips" and " Varsity." In " Red Lips" he comes to the big fraternity dance while a freshman pledge, wearing a derby hat. Imagine what a pledge would get fur such cheek. Tub, paddles, and plenty of extra duties When he arrives, Marian Nixon, the leading lady, is surrounded by threefourths of the men in the center of the floor. She sees liuddy and calls out, "Come here, big boy. 1 want you. Come here and give mama a big kiss." Now imagine how absurd such action would be on a dance floor! Things aren't done that way socially in college. Each fellow brings his own girl and stays with her during the evening. Again in "\'arsity," billed as an authentic picture of modern college life, Buddy Rogers is made to do some of the rankest foolishness, in spite of the fact that Rs a University of Kansas fellow, he knows better. He wears a black sweater and white flannel trousers as he enters a room, and comes out in a dress suit. In another scene he gets drunk, and the next afternoon makes the varsity. The picture is about bootlegging, and Buddy is a drunken fool during most of the production. Don't Blame It on Buddy Now that he's been a drunkard, we may expect to see him as a dope fiend in his next picture about college life. It's not Buddy's fault. He can't help doing what they direct him to do, any more than colleges can help the poor pictures that carry the college labels. As a matter of fact, a lot of us at the University of Southern California know Buddy personally and like him. University students have their own ideas about most things, and they certainly have about pictures and stars. We've heard and read so much about Hollywood that we know is nonsense. Having been in studios for a year and a half and living in Los Angeles for four years listening to [Continued on page 84) 70 {Continued from pages 18 and ig) What H. MONTE HARRINGTON Tflinks . . . land. Sitting next to Charlie Chaplin, Wally Beery, William Haines and a dozen other famous faces, one can't _go home without feeling that he has been honored, if not thrilled. University students aren't much different from anybody else, after all. Hero-worshipers all, just who come One college which knows the movies behind the scenes, as well as from the theater seats, is the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. The picture above is the Administration Building, wherein is located a film playhouse known as the Varsity Photorium in as images of the great god Flicker? Monte Blue is a favorite. He was accorded the honor of speaking at a student assembly two years ago and nearly fainted at the wild reception the Uclans gave him. Clara Bow, she of winks and curves, most assuredly rates. Eddy Horton, of stage and screen, is followed in every move he makes. Dick Barthelmess, Charley Rogers, who made every co-ed shed hot tears in "Wings"; Ramon Novarro, Harold Lloyd, Dick Arlen and Lon Chaney all have heavy followings. Ronald Colman and Conrad Nagel, both adept at the business of loving, have determined collegiate modes of dress and action, more than they know. And so it gallops along. Co-ed and ed alike gather trinkets of all sorts: one fellow had Norma Shearer carve her signature in his cigarette case when they worked in "The Student Prince" together. Another proudly displays a few of Clara Bow's bronze hairpins. If Cireta Garbo shows up at Warners' Theater with her scarf knotted in back, a dozen co-eds will mimic her on the campus next day. We at U. C. L. A. live so close to the firmaments of the movies that our social life is directly influenced by their every move. Producers Must Improve HOWEVER, we do have our kicks. It is the general consensus of opinion that Hollywood producers would be better ditch diggers and junk collectors than college professors. In recent years these men have tried to collect the gilt on being collegiate for a month or so each fall. Their conceptions of undergraduate life have long ceased to be funny; they're pathetic. It is certain that suicides, homicides and epileptic fits will be common occurrences if our {Continued on page 84) What TEMPLETON PECK Thinks . . • good one; yet he keeps going, ever optimistic. As soon as the advertising stills have passed in review, he is ready at any moment to whistle, hoot, hiss, boo, or cat-call at any action or de-. tail which doesn't click. They can show a closeup of the Star Spangled Banner and get a big hand at most theaters, but the college boys demonstrate their antagonism toward the flag-waving stuff by keeping a respectful silence. Other less pardonable b eaches of the subtle on the part of directors or news-reel editors meet with the merry ha-ha. The greatest raspberry I have ever heard given greeted the coach in a "Calford" football picture W'hen he appeared at the end of the opus and Y. M. C. A.'ed tothe effect that "they're a g^eat bunch of boys — ■ clean, fine, American youths." Stanford Roughs are not always barking at what they see on the screen. Occasionally Emil Jannings or George Bancroft comes to town, and then the fellows stampede the box-office, Jannings and Bancroft are the favorite male actors of a majority of Stanford men and of probably a good share of the women. They are still talking about "Variety" and "Underworld" hereabouts. Heavies and Sexies Best female stars, however, are the ones monopolize the conversation when college bull sessions get around to the subject of movies and the queens thereof. Clara Bow always gets a word; likewise Sue Carol and Greta Garbo. Evelyn Brent is an actress fast growing in popularity. Naturally, "clean, fine, American youths" are influenced by sex-appeal ; so the actresses who are particularly pleasing to the eye get all the breaks in popularity. Clara Bow is a sort of patron of Stanford among the movie actresses. ' She attended a Junior Prom here once, and she always roots for the Cardinal at the big games with California. The cold opinion is held, nevertheless, that none of the feminine stars of the day, even Miss Bow, amounts to much as an artist, and that Jannings, Bancroft, and Noah Beery and William Powell — the latter as villains — are upholding the laurels of Hollywood. Undeniably, college students are movie fans. They complain about most of the dismal stuff which finds its way onto the screen, but they go back for more. They are getting pretty bored with alleged comedies where pie, ice cream cones, flour, shaving suds, persimmons or cuspidors are thrown about. They like good wise-cracks in the subtitles; they admire, for some unaccountable reason, the immensely conceited work of William Haines; they appreciate Charlie Chaplin's pathetic humor; and they are quick to recognize a .sincere, worthy performance. The college man is a good judge of a good show. THE I who collei