Evening star., 1928-11-18
Moving Picture Album
BY ROBERT e. SHERWOOD.

on q burleSque renaissance tragedy, Il
now making talking movies for William
Fox Donald Ogden Stewart, who wen
to Hollywood to adapt his own story
THE Crazy Fool" to the screen, re-
! manned to write the subtitles fol
Brown of Harvard"
About the only satires that have ever
succeeded financially are Merton ol
| the Movies" which was popular because
of its sentiment, and Chicago, which
was popular because the very elements
Of sensationalism which 1t kidded were
accepted literally as hot stun by the
| fans.
The new season has brought forth
another satirical outburst. Snow Peo.
pie" In which King Vidor, heeolesS OF
the awful example afforded by James
Cruze, sets out to Kid everybody any
everything in Hollywood, mciuong
himself.
nears as a rnovie-struck girl from
Georgia who goes to Hollywood to get a
lob in artistic pictures Of the GILBERT
Gerbo tyue, Needless to say, the JOB is
not available: but, like Merton himsen,
she finds her way In through the PACK
door of a cheap studio where vulgar
Comedies are made. She is compelled 70
"take it on the chin" as they say, ana
she does so with so much fortitude that
She is ultimately lifted to eminence IN
one of the grand studios where the pet
ter things are produced. Sne learns
how TO hold her lips, in the Mae MuT-
ray-Gloria Swanson manner; sne puts
on the high hat and forgets ner oio
friends: she even gets hersen engagso
to leading man with Greclan pronle'
sideburns and a ohoney title.
Miss Davies and Mr.. Vidor indulge IN
a great deal of obvious and expert KID
ding of their own colleagues, and don't
doubt that there will be a considerable
amount of bitter though silent resent
nent among those whom they have par
ticularly victimlZed.
There is one scene in Show People"
wherein Miss Davies and william
Haines (as a low, slap-stick comedian)
90 to a theater to see a pre-vleW OF a
comedy they have made. MISS Dawes
is moved to tears when she hears tne
audience laughing at her antics out
Mr.. Haines assures her that sne is a
wow"
After their comedy has been run on
Mr.. Haines is all for leaving; oat MISS MISS
Davies wants to stay to see the feature
picture. which happens to be "Bardelys
fhe MAGNIFICENT" directed by none other
than king Vidor himself.
Mr.. Vidor doesn't hesitate to show us
the yawniOg boredom of the audience
as his own production is displayed. IN
an insert, he gives us a glimpse INTO
"Bardelys the Magnificent" with Jonn
Gilbert passionately inhaling portions OF
Eleanor Boardman's neck.
At this. Mr.. HaineS registers the most
intense disgust and summarizes Bar
de!ys the Magnificent" as dumb
drama" But Miss Davies, as the movie
fan incarnate, gasps ecstatically and re-
marks, That's my idea of ar" -.
It is probable that SHOW People"
unlike most of its predecessors, will do
we'll in the box Office. But I doubt that
its satire will have any effect whatever
in reforming the film fans point OF
view.
Ridicule continues to be the most
highly over-rated weapon in existence.
Brilliant satirists may devastate hokum
with their keen thrusts, but nothing is
accomplished thereby. The Satirists
die, Just as Aristophanes and Voltaire
did-and the hokum goes on forever.
(Copyrieht. 1927