Silver Screen (May-Oct 1939)

82 WE ARE continually being reminded in letters which come to this desk that something ought to be done about the curse of the double-feature program at neighborhood movie theatres. Friends and acquaintances whom we meet occasionally at cocktail parties for visiting screen and literary celebrities whisper the same thing in our ear. "Can't something be done about it?" they cry. Well, recently one enterprising manager of a theatre in a choice midtown section of New York City decided "to do something about it." As his theatre is situated in a neighborhood of smart apartment houses catering to small families, and smart apartment hotels whose principal clientele are well-to-do young couples, bachelors and career women, he thought he would give them the kind of entertainment they apparently wanted". That is, one "A" feature, a newsreel and several short subjects of the better grade. However, in spite of the fact that children who demand a whole lot for their money do not make up more than a small percentage of his clientele, his plan failed after eight weeks' trial. Which proves, perhaps, that we're all creatures of habit. For a number of years we've taken for granted the "B" picture served up inevitably as part of the diet in every neighborhood theatre. Even though we squawk while waiting for it to end and the feature picture to go on, we're evidently getting same small "kick" out of it. For it is generally unpretentious, straightforward story telling, minus the frills and furbelows allotted to the more extravagant "A" pictures. As for us, we feel about the double program much as we felt about birthday parties when we were children. A certain amount of games had to be played before "the main event" — lemonade, cake and strawberry ice cream. Like this lemonade, cake and ice cream, the "A" picture is something to be looked forward to with varying degrees of impatience, boredom or excitement, according to each member of the audience's own personal reactions. So, what difference does it make if you have to sit through an orchestra rendering a classical symphonic selection, a swing fest, a blues singer lustily rendering torch songs through a microphone, as you do in the more showy picture palaces — or a "B" picture at the neighborhood movie emporium? If you came simply to see Don Ameche and Loretta Young in "Alexander Graham Bell" you're going to be annoyed with everything handed you, in the interests of choice entertainment, that blocks the way to seeing it. As we analyze it at the moment, the only solution is a five cent telephone call, a convenience made possible by the unswerving genius of this same Alexander Graham Bell whose life story you wish to spend your money to see. The pretty girl at the box-office with the nice voice (we hope) will tell you the precise moment the feature is going on, and if your watch has been correctly set ho precious time need be wasted. Lenore Samuels Silver Screen for June 1939 A Movie Fan's Crossword Puzzl By Charlotte Herbert ■ 1 2 13 18 23 29 ■ 19 24 30 35 37 38 145 48 50 51 5 6 ■ 7 ,J 14 15 1 I 20 I25 26 27 32 16 121 10 it 12 22 128 33 136 39 40 141 42 146 147 49 52 53 43 44 54 60 61 66 ■ 67 t 73 74 79 ■ 64 65 ■ 78 ■ 82 ' ACROSS 1-7 Stars of "Made For Each Other" 13 "Whip McCord" in "The Oklahoma Kid 14 Umpire (slang) , ., 16 German scienrist in 'Idiot s Delight 18 Wander from the truth 19 Wool (Scot.) 20 By birth 21 Regarding 22 Beverage 23 Herb „ 25 The colonel in "Gunga Din 28 Man's name (abbr.) 29 Near 30 Northern state (abbr.) 32 Manager of stagecoach line in "Stand Up and Fight" 33 Famous playwright (initials) 34 Our favorite ice skating champion (initials) 35 Either 36 Electrical Engineer (abbr.) 37 In "Only Angels Have Wings" 41 Doug's sweetheart in "Gunga Din" 45 Feminine first name 46 Always (poet.) 47 In "Disbarred" 48 Starred in "Let Freedom Ring" 49 With Jack Haley in "Thanks For Everything' 50 In "Cafe Society" 52 Hurry 53 Prima Donna 55 Whirlpool 57 The playboy in "Four Girls in White" 60 A head dress 63 Existent 66 Thoroughfare (abbr.) 67 Suffix 68 Little crippled brother in "One Third of a Na tion" 71 Note of the scale 72 Mid-Western state (abbr.) 73 Intoxicated doctor in "Stagecoach" 76 Shirley's "jester" in "The Little Princess" . 79 Identical 80 Mother of "Peer Gynt" 81 Forever 82 Periods of time 13 In "Son of Frankenstein" 15 Measure 17 School mistress in "The Little Princess 24 In "Torchy Blane in Chinatown" 26 Prefix 27 Scientific instrument 28 Swindled 31 Humorous 33 Carlotta in "Juarez" 37 Listen 38 Japanese money (pi.) 39 Demolished 40 With Maureen O'Sullivan in "Let Us Live' 41 One of the Morgan Brothers 42 The truck driver in "Ambush" 43 An Indian tribe of Texas 44 Mrs. Charles Laughton 51 With Errol Flynn in "Dodge City" 54 "Scarlett O'Hara" herself 55 Every 56 Ravines 58 Vestibule 59 She was born in Vienna 60 Hats 61 In "Stand Up and Fight" 62 Morning (abbr.) 64 Ornamental dress trimming 65 Organs of hearing 69 Suffix 70 Greek letter of alphabet Husband of Alice Faye (initials) Munitions manufacturer in "Idiot's Deli) (initials) 77 Doctor in "A Man to Remember" (initials) 78 A call to excite attention 74 75 Alexander Graham DOWN 1 One of the four sisters in Bell" 2 Cruel monster 3 Parent 4 Brother (abbr.) 5 Minute particle 6 Now at work in "Invitation to Happiness" 7 Long pointed weapon 8 Pale brownish color 9 Grief 10 Degree (abbr.) 11 Feminine name 12 Breach of allegiance Answer To Last Month's Puzzle InlAlRli If ■nIoIrimiamririeint! mmm mmmmumiam one hh mmm m s no Haa hhei bbh he B HHH 0BHB0 00B | mmn dob m asm J3HS m mm emd dhh s KID HHH BBS SHE] HI sea ranrasEpEi ^ HGXflllBB QBH B □□BBS HB3E3