Evening star., 1932-05-22

and Distributors of Amer
lea, Inc, was given recently
by Will Hays, and he devoted con-
siderable mention to what he
calls Proof of Motion Picture
Progress. He said:
mo longer do those converSant
with the facts and honest in their
own motivation question either
our bona fldes or the overwhelm-
ing evidence of progress achieved:
Specific constructive criticism OF
specific pictures we shall always
need, and I hope and expect we
shall always have it, but general
indictments of the motion picture
industry today come only from
the uninformed, the malicious or
those who earn a livelihood by
derogation.
I'VE do not have to argue the
fact of the screens improvement.
The proof of everything in our
business lies in the product. Be-
hind that testimony no critic
can go.
Instantly one thinks Of:
'ArrowSmith,' the dramatic
duplication of one of the ideals
of science;
"'Broken Lullaby presenting
with equal vigor the struggle OF
an individual soul and of the world
at large for true peace;
Alexander Hamilton mark
ing new phase in biography;
1.-THE Champ Emma Skip
py.' 'Sooky,' The Expert all near
" perfect in their depletion of the
simple, homely and priceless quail
tiles of everyday life;
"'Street Scene view OF cur
rent humanity, to which the his
torian of the future will be able
TO turn as to no written docu-
ment;
"'Around the World in 80 Min
dtes,' 'Tabu,' 'Rango, Trader
Horn "Tarzan,' new chapters in
the drama of travel and wild life;
'Cimarron," revivifying a pc
Rod of our national history;
Shanghai Express unusual,
tumultouS, an experiment in the
plastic art of the screen;
Outward Bound marvellous In
its psychological presentation;
1.-THE Lost Squadron Hell
Divers x Marks the Spot,
'Arsene Lupin,' more indiceS OF
the new possibilities for melo-
drama;
Ladies of the jury scintillant
humor;
"Law and Order presenting
the Great West in a new light;
This Is the Night, Joining
music and comedy;
1.-The Spirit of Notre Dame,
young America Maker of Men,
The Sin of Madelon Claudet,' Bad
Girl 1.-THE Star Witness Heart
of New York Devotion, portray
ing vividly the broad proportions
and the inter-relation OF human
life and emotion;
And Grand Hotel Brothers
Karamazov,' symphony OF Six
Million SO Big The Miracle
Man and The Wet Parade
MR.. HAYS Proof Of Motion
A Picture Progress" is absolute
fact. Further proof of success
during the past year comes from
the pen of nimble writer OF the
drama, Percy Hammond, who for
the first time tprobably ever de-
votes his theater sayings to COM
alent or a alfa, Grand Hotel"
Mr.. Hammond, stanch supporter
of the mother theater, neverthe-
less takes time off to pay luSty
tribute to the theater'S StepSiSter.
He raises his hat in a cheerful
salute to the efficacy of the screen
version of Vicki Baum's play and
novel.
While many patrons of the local
theaters have expressed them
selves as being disappointed in
Grand Hotel lone ex-theSpian,
now prominently occupied in
other fields, believing forth a
verbal anathema at its ineffec-
tiveness), as long as harassed
brokers and brokenhearted law
yers can say, as one did, We'll,
If they made pictures like that
all the time, I'd go to the movies
all the time" the film must show
earmarks of greatness. Much of
this greatness comes from the
fact that not one of the stars
treads on another's toes. Each
character is a character. Perhaps
those who are disappointed get
that way because at the end no
hero is sneaking happily away
with the heroine, and no love
story has reached a definite solu-
ton. Instead, but for the happy
exit of Mr.. Kringelein, the people
have rather gone to pieces and