The Picture Show Annual (1940)

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Left : William Gargan 46 Chester Morris Films dealing with naval battles have not been so plentiful, probably because naval battles are fought at such a long range that it is impossible to get an effective close-up of fighting as can be done in trench warfare. Air fighting is ideal screen material, though, of course, there is a certain amount of trick photography and also professional airmen “ doubling ” for the stars. Nobody minds this “doubling” business now that it is admitted by producers. You can’t expect an actor to be a crack shot, a star airman, a champion swimmer and expert at many other things, so doubles must be used. All the same, the stars, often take big risks. Some very grand spectacular air-fighting pictures have been made. There was “ Hell’s Angels.” for instance, the film that brought Jean Harlow to the front. Then there was “ Wings.” And another great air film was “ The Dawn Patrol." There are, of course, many others. There is nothing quite so thrilling in screen entertainment as a fight in the air, and director, cameramen and technicians make these fights so realistic that as a famous flyer once said to me : “ They are more convincing than the real thing." To come back to land battles between regular armies or professional soldiers against native rebels, it must have struck any cinemagoer that the crowd work is magnificent. The answer is simple. The soldiers shown in the battles are ex-soldiers, members of the American Legion. They fought in the war and they know how to handle a rifle, a bayonet or a hand grenade. They are a corps of soldiers who fight at the bidding of any screen production company. The corps was founded by Sergeant Ivan Deputy. He went home after the Great War, and the best job he could find for himself was a garage attendant in Hollywood. In his spare time he chatted with other ex-soldiers in the American Legion posts. Like himself most of them had not found jobs that paid big salaries. Then came the making of “ The Big Parade." The producer wanted real soldiers who could be relied upon to present the real thing. The ex-Sergeant gathered three hundred and fifty Legion men and the corps was formed. They made a big success in that film as every- body who saw it will agree. Since then they have been fighting regularly on the films. They make very good money and are able to live between pictures even if they don’t find an occasional job. They might be called the Versatile Army, for they appear in the uniforms of many countries. In “ The Big Parade ” they were American soldiers, in “ Gunga Din ” they served England Preston Foster