Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1940)

466 \\ve ^°9 T ~^e ^ootage ag^n ON each 31st of October, Hallowe'en, that mystical and jolly holiday, descends on the world like a witch riding a broomstick. Nobody knows exactly when Hallowe'en came into being. Historians differ as to its origin. Some claim that it goes back fifteen or more centuries ago. At that time, it was known as All Spirits' Day and was celebrated as a religious holiday in very solemn fashion. Good folk sat up all through the night, for they firmly believed that, on this one night of the year, ghosts and witches descended to earth, to mingle with mortals. Dissenting historians claim that the All Spirits' Day had no hand whatsoever in the origin of Hallowe'en. According to them, it had its birth in Scotland, and it was celebrated strictly as a feast day. Still other historians say that Hallowe'en originated with the Druids in Brittany. Still others credit it to the Romans. There is some substance to this last claim, for it seems that the Romans set aside the 1st of November as a day of festival and celebrated the occasion by lighting huge bonfires, at which nuts and apples were roasted as tokens of the winter fruits. Then paganism gave way to Christianity, and according to all accounts — still very vague on the subject — All Spirits' became All Saints' Day. This time, it was the saints who came to earth, along with the spirits of the dear departed. Somehow, a few of the witches and goblins must have slipped through the pearly gates. And. somehow, some of the pagan Hollo-" e" ( tt°5a Wr NANCY LANE customs clung, like filings to a magnet, to the calm Christian observance of the day. But, as time went on. the two merged into one; the date was fixed as October 31st, and the day was given over to gayety. Anyway, that's the way the story goes. Some of it may be true or none of it may be true, for the records, such as they are. are all too vague, which is a pity. It would be even more of a pity if the day disappeared altogether, without some record of its ever having been. The day of the Druid is over, a forgotten thing. And modern day civilization, at airplane speed, is upon us. And, maybe a century from now, somebody like myself will be thumbing through books and records, in search of facts and fiction about Hallowe'en and not find them anywhere — unless a few brave souls who are not ashamed of being sentimental make it their business to capture Hallowe'en — that very jolly holiday— which, more than any other, deserves a place in the annals of film history. You seldom think of your childhood without recalling the fun you had back home. And the day of days that stood out from all the others on the calendar, except Christmas, was always Hallowe'en. What pranks you played on your neighbors! What nocturnal excursions you made, bound on deeds that were dark! How often, even now, you race back over the years and escape to the deep recesses of your mind, where you are still in your 'teens and having the time of your life! I remember, as a child, the festive air that announced the coming of Hallowe'en. The whole town would be dressing up in yellow and black. Lighted pumpkins and black hats were in every window. Pumpkins hung from posts and from trees. The village shops were gay with bunting. And even the weather wore a crisp, new note. This was the one night that grownups became children and dressed as ghosts, witches, kings and queens and ragamuffins and went parading up and down the streets, on their way to gay Hallowe'en parties. We children used to go around, ringing doorbells. They were the old fashioned variety that pulled out, and we'd pull so vigorously that one would think that a tray of dishes was being broken. As a matter of fact, there was no end to the pranks we used to play. The farmer who failed to fasten his gate would find it miles away — his barn empty — his horse hitched to the porch of the town grocery — his cow in the schoolhouse. Once, we even planted a rooster in the chapel of the church. He was a fine actor and seemed to have learned all his cues, for, when the preacher began to preach, he began to crow. We don't know how he did it. All we know is that he did it exactly on time! But nobody got too angry about anything, for everybody knew that it was all done in fun. We'd move the woodpile out into the middle of the road. We'd take the stoop away from its house. We'd mark up windows with soap and wax. We'd let the air out of tires. And. of course, all of it was blamed on the witches and ghosts! Yes, the subject of Hallowe'en is a challenge to the movie maker. It is the answer to those who are forever bemoaning the fact that they happen to live [Continued on page 490]