Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28

A H. AA%ON@~N@
picture theater receipts Cor
lack of same) and the results
Of his laboratory experiments are worth
motion picture audiences Of today
like good Stories" says Maj. Warner,
which would seem to indicate that au:
diences Of yesterday didn't like good
stories. He then goes on TO explain
what kind Of good stories the audiences
like best:
faction and punch are the most nee
essary ingredients, with youth, love
and sentiment entering into the whole. !"
doubt very much that any one VIII
arise to dispute the truth OF MAJ.
Warmers announcements. It Is VIZ
tual certainty that, If there were more
Of action, punch, youth, love and sem
timent on the screen; there would be
vastly fewer empty seats out front.
There is hardly man or woman alive
today who doesn't nouriSh secret
fondness for action, punch, youth, love
and sentiment.
However, it Is one thing to diagnose
the public's taste correctly and quite
another thing to find ways and means
to satisfy It. In which connection 1t Is
significant that Maj. Warner doesn't
tell us Just where he and his brothers
are going to look for the supplies OF
ment that they intend to use in their
pictures. Perhaps he doesn't want to
tip on his competitors. Or perhaps he
doesn't know.
with amazing regularity the big
brains Of the film industry go into
conference and discuss that ever-burn-
ing question: What does the public
want now?" And always the big brains
discover an answer which satisfies them
~ of ho r.
lie.
One month the public wants sex
stories. The next month the public is
tired of sex stories and Is fairly Shrek
ing for good, clean comedies. The
month after that good, clean comedies
are q drug on the market and there is
a big public demand for red-blooded
Western melodramas with strong heart
interest. And so 1t goes.
The fact is that the public never
knows what it wants. The public is
sure Of only one thing-that bad pic
lures are bad pictures, no matter how
much they may be disguised or tricked
up TO conform to the supposed trends
In popular taste.
earnestly pray that Mai. Warner
viii Immediately provide us with lot
etc., and that his colleagues in Holly
wood will do likewise But I'm positive
that they won't accomplish that de-
sired end by wasting their time sub
Jecting previous box Office figures to
the old acid test.
y \ ~
7 SHOULDN'T be at all surprised to
= learn that Samuel Goldwyn is
nourishing a secret ambition to be ele-
, waited to the peerage in Great Britain
that he Is hoping that King George will
summon him almost any day now and
make him Knight Commander of the
Bath, at the very least.
MIR. Goldwyn Is certainly doing the
right thing by his British constituents.
He has given employment to hordes Of
English actors, English authors, English
supervisors. He has Lady Maureen
Stanley on his pay roll to see to it that
all lorgnettes are held at just the right
angle. In his production of "Raffles, -
he even went so far as to put on a
country cricket match, which was the
ultimate in authenticity.
In his new offering, "The Devil to
Pay" by Frederick Lonsdale, he gives
us London clubs, London taxis, Water
loo Station, breakfast at Lord Knee
lands and Derby day at EPSON Downs.
And he gives us also fine performances
by three talented Britons, Ronald
Colman, Fred Kerr and q wire-haired
fox terrier named George. Both Mr..
Kerr and George are so superlatively
good that they might easily have stolen
the picture away from Mr.. Colman; but
Mr., Colman is one star who Is compe-
tent to Illustrate any attempts at grand
larceny by members Of his supporting
cast
Mr.. Lonsdale wrote "The Devil to
Pay" directly for the screen, and he has
done an internationally satisfactory job
His first scenes are brilliant and serve
to send the story of to q swift start.
Some of the later snatches of dialogue,
particularly q proposal of marriage
from Mr.. Colman to the heroine are
graceful and delightful. But Mr.. Ions
dale is essentially dealer in words, and
exceedingly frail words at that. When
he comes to tamper with the less ar