Screenland (Nov 1944-Oct 1945)

^ » Here's the acfual Ernie, above leff, and the movie version (Burgess Meredith] as they met in Hollywood studio. Columnist and comedian. Bop Hope dropped in to say hello to Ernie on the set. They first met in Sicily a year ago. Startling resemblance! Ernie Pyle strongly approved selection of Meredith to impersonate him on the screen. By Alyce Canfield Brilliant young reporter, Alyce Canfield, at right, secured our scoop interview with Ernie Pyle, only interview granted by the great war correspondent while in Hollywood. ERNIE PYLE, hero of G.I.'s everywhere, is in Hollywood. But not Photo by for long. Before you read this, he John Emjstead will be in the Pacific area and writing for the 12,255,000 readers of his daily newspaper column the down-to-earth story of what our fighting soldiers think, say, feel, and believe. Home on a so-called "rest" after 29 months overseas, Ernie had little time to rest. He spent a few weeks at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but for much of the time he was in New York and Washington on official business. In Our Town, he made just a brief stop. He was here to look in on Lester Cowan's picture, "Story Of G.I. Joe." This is the picturization of Pyle's Pulitzer prize column as collected in his books, "Here Is Your War" and "Brave Men." If the film retains not only the simplicity of Ernie Pyle, himself, but of the story his books tell, Lester Cowan will find on his hands the greatest picture of World War n. I had only to talk with Ernie Pyle a few minutes before I realized that he came here to speak for Joe, G.I. Joe, the "little" man of this conflict. "Yes, I have a mes.sage," he told me soberly, "and I hope the film gets it across. If the picture is good, it will present the utter misery and nobility of the infantry to the American pubUc, who, for the most part, are* not fully conscious of what a price is being paid for their security, prosperity and serenity. "I want the film to present the true story of the men who are getting killed, the honest picture. And I want it to pound the fact home that the infantry boys are the ones who are carrying the war. Make no mistake about that. They get the least pay, the most hardships, the least recognition, the biggest casualties, the hardtest, dirtiest fighting. "I think Burgess Meredith is going to be wonderful, and that he will give strength and authenticity to the picture. He is a great actor, and he would have been my personal choice for the part of 'Ernie Pyle,' if I had been choosing. It's uncanny to see a personification of yourself on the screen, to see what other people feel are your identifying gestures and mannerisms. I saw some of the rushes, and it's amazing how much he looks and talks like I do. He'll be good, and I hope the picture will be. It's too soon to tell. Yesterday I saw one and a half hours of rushes. But because I'm a neophyte at the business, I couldn't tell how it's going. You know how rushes are — all chopped up, a scene here and a scene there, no continuity. "The best encouragement I've had is that G.I.'s I've seen on the sets in Hollywood keep telling me it's going to be a good picture. When it's shown them, they'll know if it's their story or just commercialized flag-waving. That's why I hope it will be honest and sincere. "Of course, I didn't have anything to do with the film version. The picture can't follow the books because the books are just my column. They have no plot. A story had to be formulated. But all througk the film are incidents out of the books. The one scene I hope will turn out well, because it's my favorite, is where the beloved companj' commander. Captain Waskow, is killed, and his body is brought down the mountain on a mule. The men say goodbye to their dead captain. It can be effective if they do it right. "You see, on the front lines, the men are very close to the officers. There is almost no distinction between the two. The red tape and Army etiquette are forgotten because they are all in the same boat together. They are all hungry, wet, afraid and courageous. They live together and they die together. "I hope the picture will wake a few i>eople up. Over here, we differ in our reaction to the war. We're too far away. If you're actually in the war zone, you know what war is and what it means. It's nothing you can put your finger on, but it's there. In America, you can tell by the attitude of the people that they just don't know what it's like. It's not their fault. You can't know unless you've been through it. "Some boys come back and say (Please turn to page 9.)) 21