Variety (January 1961)

January 4, 1961 Fifty-fifth IS&RIETY Anniversary PICTURES 48 Love Those Critics r Continued irom page 4 ; more than one town where sadistic drama critics on some influential newspapers were responsible for the closing of the sole legitimate theatres in the cities in question. The civic life of one of these towns, which once attracted artists, musi plays which do not quite make it are as much a topic of conversation as those that do. The critics there include Elliot Norton, Elinor Hughes, Cy Durgin and others, all excellent writers . . and enthusiastic for the theatre, cians and educated persons, has j The dean of the critics is Norton, now completely changed. It has be] in my opinion one of the best in come a Convention City, . and the ; the United States, and he sets a hotels are filled with ticketed con| high standard. He knows that a ventioneers waving emblems in i critic's job is not merely to assess convivial inebriation. I a play, but also the performers. Of Course Not! Often a play appeals to him be This is a good moment to ask, ! cause ?f the opportunity the author do producers desire critics to give { bas £*ve.n. f°r bne Performances, good notices to all plays Nothing ; Some critics write of a performcould be more absurd. Producers jance as though the actor had wntask only that critics who earn their *en his own part. Remember that living writing about the theatre j two American theatre classics were should care about the theatre and never good plays, but had great write about it with contagious en! acting parts. These were ‘The thusiasm. Fortunately, most of the i Count of Monte Cristo, with critics in this country come under this category. For every malevolent smart alec or destructive critic, there are at least 10 who love and admire the theatre and its artists, of Monte James O’Neill, and “Rip Van Winkle'* with Joe Jefferson. These plays ran for decades — and who is to say that great acting is not often as much a part of theatre enjoy and communicate, their excitement : nient as great writing — certainly to their readers by emphasizing ^reat writing poorly acted is selthe affirmative instead of the nega, dom enjoyable by my book. tive | Not So Good Playwrights How does the critical climate But let us return to Boston. You affect the health of the American I can receive thoroughly bad notices theatre? At its zenith 25 years ago, jthere if the play merits them. It is the period of O’Neill, Sherwood, the critical climate which counts. Maxwell Anderson and others, ; the attitude towards the theatre in there was a magnificent group of ; aii its aspects. Perhaps the critics critics in New York City. This; there realize that in a country of galaxy included Gilbert Gabriel, ; 0Ver 180,000,000, there are not 20 Stark Young, John Mason Brown, pood playwrights, so they adopt Richard Lockridge, John Anderson. , What js called in English patent Joseph Wood Krutch, Heywood law, “benevolent interpretation,” Broun, Alec Woollcott, Burns rather than “malevolent.” Mantle, Percy Hammond, Wolcott , t. . ,.. . ?ir4hS'K8Ufman and the jean .\aman. British judges are required to give And that particularly bright the benefit of the doubt to the inBrooks Atkinson, whose par ventor. Some of the best benefits tial retirement has been a calamity j for the American theatre derive for the theatre, leaving of this bril from the Boston critics because of liant array only the excellent John i their constructive attitude. Their Uiapman, Richard Watts, Whitney S reviews usually help the author to Bolton and Tom Dash to remind j decide what rewriting must be us of this heyday of newspaper . done, which is one reason they are dramatic criticism. : respected by writers and manage Great Stimulus jinents. These critics stimulated the writ! I also suggest that the Boston much literary effort pointing out how the play could have been Im¬ proved. A recent play which re¬ ceived accolades of praise from the Boston critics and was visited three times by Elliot Norton, who wrote an enthusiastic review, was sub¬ jected to this “schoolmaster” treat¬ ment in New York with the result¬ ant immediate closing of the play. Of course the more mellowed and experienced critics, such as John Chapman, take the same point of view as Norton, and do not waste their time showing off or exhibiting their erudition. They don’t have to. One final word on the subject of the theatre and the value of the critic in shaping public taste. Ber¬ nard Shaw stated correctly, "This writing of plays is a great matter, forming as it does the minds and affections of men in such sort that whatsoever they see done in show on the stage, they will presently be doing in earnest in the world, which is but a larger stage.” Shaw, a great dramatic critic as well a* a great playwright, pointed the way to his own generation. We need similar leaders among the critics to point the way for the young playwrights of today and tomorrow and to lead our audi¬ ences to an appreciation of man¬ kind’s potentiality for greatness, which is as strong today as it ever was. Don t Discount Barcelona (or Spain s Distribution; Madrid for Production By JOAQUINA CABALLOL Barcelona. lowed the bitter civil war. If sea¬ ports diminish with the rise of airports, It is also true of a George Ornstein, chief of United Artists in Barcelona that he must now travel much to Madrid because of his auxiliary duties as UA's super¬ visor of films in production. This the capitol. This never ! is a phenomenon of the era since particularly “peculiar” < World War II. Talk continues to be heard with¬ in Spain, and in the International offices of the American distribu¬ tors located in Manhattan, as to the supposed oddity of the film distribution offices being situated here in Barcelona rather than in Madrid seemed Taxes Coming Up! ; Continued from page • ; Ing of important plays, and con¬ tributed liveliness to the contem¬ porary theatre which made theatregoing an exciting experience. While they strongly disliked individual plays, they nevertheless sold the theatre as a whole to the public, critics are shrewd enough to real¬ ize that their readers are more interested to know first what was hkeable about a play, rather than the opposite — so they will usually spotlight the good things, and come to the bad later. This also ensures We still have such men in New3 -reading of the notice, for who York— men . with a sturdv individ ; wouId want to continue reading ual viewpoint, who love the theatre : w^en the notice begins, “Last night and have the background, knowl j a thoroughly bad play opened at edge and ability to communicate their love and excitement to their readers. We also have a new body of critics, the radio and television critics and commentators who show by their excitement in their voices how much they enjoy a play, and since they are not hampered by the straitjacket of the written word. the Colonial Theatre.” Baseball or prizefighting sounds far more inter¬ esting. Thanks to the Boston critics, theatregoing is a lively part of the life of the town and all the other arts flourish. The restaurants a.-.d hotels are crowded, not merely with conventioneers, but with peo¬ ple from all over the outlying su at some of these doodads. The stylish name by which they are called is “loopholes.” The 'Loopholes’ What we so glibly call loopholes is frequently nothing more than special provisions deliberately put in the law by Congress to apologize for the high tax rates. In that way Congress can make the law palat¬ able for some groups by giving them escape hatches. The trouble is that the taxpayers not benefited feel that they are likewise entitled to relief. And so they start helping themselves with all sorts of gimmicks. It is interesting to see how even the dullest minds make the cleverest deductions. That brings to mind Bob Hope’s crack that he has to pay his butler’s salary to a Swiss corporation. Congress is thoroughly aware that things have gotten out of hand. Both Kennedy and Nixon ran on platforms that said “down with loopholes.” Congress will therefore tackle the areas where one group is now ahead of the until late years and the rise of j To produce motion-pictures in Madrid as a production center. \ Spain one requires the sanction Barcelona’s leadership as the j and cooperation of the governdistribution capital of Spain dates ment. That gives Madrid a new from 1923 when Universal Pictures ) advantage. Add that many believe opened here. But Pathe had pre Spain’s own industry is invigorated ceded it. Ditto Gaumont, Juan jby American producers,” w ho all go Verdaguer, Jose Gurgui, Seleccine | to Madrid. Though Madrid has but S.A. (for Italian, French and Ger ; three studios to Barcelona’s, two, man product). j its dominance in the devolping "co¬ lt needs to be emphasized that j production” phase must be conBarcelona, the seaport, has tra j ceded. ditionally been the New York of 1 Production was also one of BareeSpain whereas Madrid compared j Iona’s assests at one time. Spain’s to Washington as a city devoted to i first picture studio opened here, government rather than commerce, i though of small importance. It was This is less true since the far j not until 1939, that is after the greater centralization which fol J Civil War, that Madrid's studios (flourished, beginning with Chamartin. Lack of American product during World War II helped Span¬ ish production. In Barcelona we have the IFI Studios belonging to Ignadio Iquino, which also made good business at the time and now a • still exists, and also Orphea Studios, but the Madrid Studios they can utter their enthusiasm or ; burton cities who come in for the lack of it with far greater freedom . P‘av.s* so that Boston is again bethan the newspaper critics. S:nce : coming a cultural Mecca, as it was these men have usually been sub-’^ears a”° ject to the boredom of radio, they; Philadelphia and Washington are generally appreciative of the ! possess large audiences who are good things in the theatre. They also theatre lovers and thanks to are doing a fine job right now in j their intelligent critics are enincreasing New York theatrevoirg, eouraged to go to the theatre, so and I hope that the status and im~ that it becomes part of their lives, portance of such critics can be But In Contrast* ?nd° t£Z producers ; N(m. let us take a contrasting and the public at large. city, which I shall call “A.” It used Such critics are seldom dull— to have the sourest critics in the and dullness is one of the greatest United States on two of its three crimes in criticism. Indeed, a dull, newspapers— men who were jealverbose critic on a great newspaper (,r*. envious and often sadistic can do as much harm to the theatre -For heaven's sake. Jet us not plav as a whole, as a sadistic or “smart the town of ‘A’.” was the general alec" one. It is fortunate that the crv 0f actors, authors and manwestern, southern ar.d most nrd aeers. Two of the three theatres western cities are manned by crit : have since been torn down and the ics who love and are excited about third would have gone but for the playgoing,' or the rest of thc eoun I merciful fact that new critics have try could no almost as bad’y ^af! replaced the old ones, and the city fected as New hork was by the . beginning to respond to the fact recent strike. They are mostlv ex , that those new critics reallv love cellent men, literate and helpful ,t]ie theatre. to the tieatie. ^ ^ in passing, it is a pity that some Boston, A Shining Symbol of the critical climate which exists Because of my experience as 111 Boston could not be. wal’tcd to pre-.id'nt of the American Theatre.:^"0"’ York City. Too often it has Society, with organized audiences . become the habit of our hewer in over TO cities from coast, to ^ ork criticsto per'orm the coast. I should Tke to contract two 't’c ( “schoolmaster” rather than important cities in the United ,!-"t or crimes who are dealing with States, and: the. effect of the critics a bvclv being theatre, on theatrego ng in them. The first. Mich as the public mav be in¬ is Boston, with the most rcl'vo tor; sled, in their literaw and analvalert hodv of theatregoers in the tical knowledge. theatregoers . are country, lo’lowod closely by r’hi-a me t' < -'g( r to know if the critic delphia and Washington.. In Boston cn.io.wd t ie play tlihn to have we have a b~d' or critics who ( v. ;y erf ct pointed out to tri'm really love t’-e theatre aM have , in a not;ce. Is it too much to a-k a built up a following for p'aygoing c hlic, when he likes a piny, to >; v with their reader*-.. As a r-ult.-'o. . nd to dwell on the. rc < s i>h plays crowd into Boston, and the I likd it, rather than to sm-ul so increase of $20,000 a year to fellow in the 75% tax bracket. Then there are tax free meals, have prospered much more thanks tax free medical services, tax free to_. American producers of group life insurance, and so on which Samuel Bronston is the down the line. Well, those goodies ; Present big figure, will go the way of all flesh if we’re j Belongs to Barcelona serious about straightening out the , As to distribution, all the Amerilaw and cutting our tax bill down. :can companies are established in Congress will also whack away at Barcelona. After Universal in 1923, organizations exempted from pay it was Paramount in 1927, then ing tax altogether. There’s a tre ■ Fox, and later on Metro and Warmendous hole here. It explains in ner Bros-First National. Branches part why it is that only one-third j were also established in .Madrid, of the income of the nation is ac ‘ Valencia. Bilbao. Sevilla, La tually taxed. Coruna. Murcia and Lisbon though All of us have learned the hard Portugal became independent of way that to let one group go scot the Spanish control during 1936-39 free merely means that the rest on account of the Civil War litre of us have to pick up the tab. Con . and has remained so. gress will therefore start closing j Paramount’s Flight in. Among those to lose their tax ! 0ll June 30 1B40 Par Iiquidal(.d 3 S A’. .US.,;the Spanish company known as Paramount Films S. A. which had labor muons, and farmers cooper j(s JJQ in Barcel3nil, -nd dis)„i,.cd auves' . all the Staff except the head ac There’s a glimpse of some of the countant who acted as liquidator, things ahead in eliminating loop = This man together with an Ameriholes. Of course, no matter what |can moved to a small office in 61UUP xa d0* the tax bill will be large j Madrid. Ten years went by and in others. Some of us, therefore, had j because our domestic and interna ; 1950 Par decided to again open a better prepare for the fact that w?e ^lonaI problems are large. But high ! distributing office in Snain, Amcriwill have to give up benefits that | t3xes are bearable if they are clear :can an(j chief accountant then came now consider part of our in: and ^alr • The present law has ; back to Barce’ona to install Par strayed a good deal on both scores. ; Espanola S. A. So— why didn’t In a democracy correction comes Paramount remain in Madrid when about when people get mad enough |they were already there? Because to throw off their laziness and in ;■ distribution was organized out of difference and go to the polls or j Barcelona. Here has been the train i _ their legislatures for action. We ing school of f lm managers, sales broadlvr today ~twcf fellows ^making are getting nearer to that point; men, bookers and everything that the same amount of money over every day in the tax situation. In ' distributing involve*. True. .Madrid the same period of time pay ;*act. we are heading for a revolu has improved a great deal in this radically different taxes! tion in our tax laws. ; respect. Let’s take a “frinstance.” On i This much is clear: We need ! Chamartin is a big Madrid comthe one hand, we have a guy who ispme sober thinking, or we'll all Pany prot-uces and < plays it safe by being on salary, i stagger from mtaxication! r,,-? VniJ Suppose he makes $20,000 a year. j ^ i ' of £ t £ u % aa Ann I 1 own building dnd 3 st3ij of *#•)« Ia* j cause you cannot run the Barcelona area and the rest of the Catalonian provinces with a ‘•mall office like can do with Murcia and La Minneapolis. . CQUrse anv|}j:ng can happen. Efforts and appeals to the local But to transfer the HQ of all the public to support a “good” picture ; American companies from Ba herent rights. The most vicious lopsideness in the law today, crying out for at¬ tention, finds people in show busi¬ ness on the short end of the stick right now. To put the problem On that $100,000 his tax is $35,000. Now let’s take some pioneering, venturesome, enterprising produc¬ er who goes through four barren or preparatory years, and makes his $100,000 in the fifth year. On his $100,000 lie pays $67,000, or almost Refuses to Be Cajoled; ^Campobello' Pleas N.G. twice as much as the employee , fell on deaf ears in this coinmuni_ lona to Madrid on the plea that who was playing it close to the . _ , . . _ A , vest , ty. United Paramount made the something is radically off base. ! P?tch °n *ehalr£ °£ “Sunrise at The tax brackets are the v'llain of j CampobeHo iWB) the piece. The cure is obviously to ‘ , T.he Picture djd disappointing figure the tax by some form 0f = business m its imhal stanza, around they are far from Madrid o'iic.aldom seems not sufiiclcnt reason. It is not the moving of the manager andi his family alone, but <-*atfers which mean over 30ri ilies or more. How can \oti cv! • ‘ ’o the hou'-e siM»it»5i*e era? American companies ought to ha\je thought about Madrid in ing the’ capital and the ‘'.{e of oliirialdoin 35 years a; o. Now the o*.‘:ce bov of 35 yea. -; arc is half a < » ntury old and a m; na' er. avoraaing. rather than on year-to1 house, ttein in year earninps. Show business has ! c?" , a t0 “‘t1, " “ made a pilch for this h-fore the . P»«ed nearly S7.500 m its Congress many times. This year, g?urt^andt/*n,al "Tck at tl,e statepay dirt is nearer. lh^°,hg UP '°?P . . ■ , .. ' The chain took extra large news Another area Ox pre-erential paper advertising at the outset of treatment is where deductions are ; “CampobeHo’s” second week to not allowed for purely personal ! public .in ofiect .for neg ltems. lor example, the home iecting the picture during its first Problems ownci today ppts a deduction, for ; seven davs. The ads were addressed The transfer «o Aiacsrid oi intci e>t and for taxes on . those *<who have be°n eriti^isinn Ions Film Row is a %.nt' :j*e the residence. That isn’t fa-r to aid have Seen'?si!ng 'wS? lor a nice ebet every now and tin r tile fellow who lents h s i omo, for ■ don*t tliey make good inovios?'* , when \ou try to tn.niv he gets no deduction at all. . The ad wanted to know where these i <*bout it you imd that to ha\e ri;c On the other side of the coin, people “have been.” The y itch con offices running 5.1 Barcelona :s there are many situatu ns cf e':rn eluded by stating the pic had l.ccn a major task. No; ail would be ings that are today ’XM-mjjtcd to held over “for those who want ing to join an exodu^ to the c.:; i -1. get off the tax hook. Te' o the new really GOOD entertainment." Another thing t > ronu i r: way to get rich, namely, tn ret sick. “Campobello.'’ however, bo.ved Barcelona a d its y ovince ;i : Sick pay up to fl00 a v w;k is tax out after the second week, d’av ing porlant. abort 2 r c oi the Spanish exemnt pay. exempt on or $100 1 a puny $4,000 for the follow-up territory. Madrid area itself is a week is the same as a salary j session, j about 19' r.