Sodom and Gomorrah : the story of Hollywood (1935)

SODOM AND GOMORRAH films show the hero or heroine in bath. It might be good propaganda for National Clean-up Week, but fifty-two weeks a yeai much. Besides, one sees so many of these in Lifebuoy Soap Ads that to see them in the movies is very trying to the patience. Such are generally completely irrelevant to the plot. In one of the later films with Lew Ayres, the hero is seen being interviewed by reporters while bathing. Sometimes prizefighters are met by pressmen while being rubbed down after a fight, or during training, but never while taking a bath in their homes. Even Mrs. Roosevelt, who is in the papers every other day, has never been photo graphed or interviewed while scrubbing hers< This bathtub scene with Ayres was created merely to satisfy a director's curiosity to see Lew's form. or because the producer thought that a sight of the star undressed would increase the feminine patronage — just as Clark Gable is always phographed in one or two scenes half or threequarters naked. This practice is about as disgusting as it is inexcusable. It contributes nothing whatever to the dramatic interest. The plol in Ayres' picture, for instance, would have been just as exciting it he had been interviewed in his living room pr< erly clothed, as would normally be done. In a bedroom or bathroom scene contributes some* thing to the action of the story, it had better be