Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-11

dime novel," and recalls that "the crimi-
nal in those shockers never went un-
punished or unregenerated."
The Danbury Evening News satirizes
the ordinary, run-of-the-mine kind
Of hold-up gentry" and taking a recent
example Of crime from real life con-
Cludes: OF course, some silly girl Is
gsngdom from the super-silly and vi
cious moving pictures which show
Gangland's habitues as near-heroes. OF
course she Is getting some OF her nom
sense ideas, too, from the morbid and
rloronic fiction that deals in the same
manner with gangsters. There is as
much romance in Gangland as there is
honor and decency. Which is to say
that it Is about as easy to find romance
in gangsters as it is TO ind teeth In
hens
eve are very glad" says the Houston
Chronicle, ito give Mr.. Hays movie
friends and employers credit for some
excellent work: we are very glad to
agree with him that the movies have
rendered very great service to the
cause of world peace and other i'm
portant causes: We are very glad TO
agree with him that conditions are I'M
proving, that plays announced for the fu-
tire seem to promise a better grade of
ideals, as rule, than those of the re-
cent past: We are very glad to know
that he believes the movie public Is de-
handing q more clean. high-purposed
entertainment Nevertheless. the genial
gentleman cannot, with all his phrases
and eloquence, blind us 60 the dark side
OF the movie industry IN the last IL
months. He may not have seen any OF
lt-certainly he gives no indication OF
having ever seen or heard Of an unwor-
thy picture or a questionable bit of adj
vertising, but there are plenty of people
in the country who did see it and hear
Of It, and who are not going to forget it.
II these conditions change, as Mr.. Hays
says they are changing, that will be
soon enough for us to join with him In
unending hosannas of praise"
There has been precious little realism
on the screen; a bit more in recent
years than formerly, but still very lit
tic contends the Worcester Telegram.
EARLY in the induStryis career. the
screen's talent for unreality was topic
Of amazed comment everywhere. 1t is
talent which the industry has not lost.
To be sure, horse looks like horse on
the screen and always did. for that mat
ter. But there was a time when men
and women did not look like men and
women. The he-dolls and the she-dolls
looked like race apart with astound-
ilgly curious traits. And the things they
did, following the prescription Of the
scenario geniuSeS, were even more I'M
real, If that were possible, than their
looks. It was utterly amazing what the
screen people would do to novel or
play in picturizing it. One thing could
be depended upon-every trace OF real
ism that might have been in the ortgi-
nal would be squeezed out. Recently
there has been noted trend away from
this wizardry, and realism has been
creeping in. Some talkies have had
enough OF it to impart pleasant vert-
simllitude to the drama. We had been
hoping that the movement would con-
tinue and perhaps gather momentum.
1t would be too bad If Mr.. Hays odd
utterance should block it Off"
Mr.. Hays now is manifeSting sus-
capabilities" comments the Kansas City
Star. HE says the American public Is
beginning to turn against 'hard-bolled
realism Ca mild term for smelly Of
fenses) and that a younger generation,
rising from the Jazz age, promises to
support clean, high-purposed entertain
ment. Now we know what has been
the matter with Mr.. Hays; he has been
waiting for the children to lead him,
for the American public to turn thumbs
down On a lot CT his stuff. He seems
to take great satisfaction in the promise
of something through public revulsion
fhcial policy