Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1933-01-14
This w rld
brief COOLIDGE
REEcHER ON GOSSIP
"JoHN HENRY"
ON THE SCREEN
Cecil & Newmaa

Wrote Spencer:-"Su Surely in much
talk there cannot choose but be much
vanity. Loquacity is the fistula OF the
mind,-ever running and almost In
durable. Let every man, therefore,
be a Phocion or Pythagorean, to speak
briefly to the point or not at all; let
him labor like them of Crete, to show
wit in his discourse than his words
and not pour out of his mouth a flood
of the one, when he can hardly wiring
out his brains a drop of the other"
Surely the utterances public and
private of Calvin Coolidge followed
the above admonitions almost to the
letter. Those of us who are inclined
to verbosity might easily gain some
thing. from the career of the concise
late. Mr.. Coolidge.
A young friend in public life In an
eastern city Is now going through the
usual vicissitudes Of one who essays
to serve the people" must meet. He
is somewhat taken aback because Of
the circulation of rumors about him.
His case reminds us Of what the great
preacher Henry Ward 6eecher said
, in reference to similar cases. Life"
said the noted minister, "would be
perpetual flea hunt If man were
obliged to run down all the innuen-
does, inveraeitfes, insinuations, and
Misrepresentation which are uttered
against him."
John Henry" that Legendary Negro
figure, put into prose by Roark Brad
ford of THE Green Pastures" fame,
will be presented in dramatic form
over the radio beginning January Is.
Many of the southern people know
John Henry. His fabulous exploits,
his loves and consuming ambitions
are a distinct part of southern folk
lore. The leading Negro dramatic
actress of the American stage, Rose
McClendon, will, with eight other
players, take part in the presenta-
ton which will be heard over the Co.
lumbia Broadcasting System net
work, Sunday night Jan. Is, at Pm.
few years ago every other screen
villain was Mexican. The Mexican
people bothered by internal disturb
anees, revolutions and the like ae-
cepted this situation until domestic
peace gave them time for cinema re-
creation. Eventually the perpetual
Mexican villain began to lrk them.
Soon American movie producers learn
ed that llterate Mexican resented the
continual representation Of their ma
tionallty az the deep dyed, typical vii.
lain Of the movie screen. Discreet
protests to film companies avalled the
MexIeans nothing. Soon Mexleo's gov.
eminent took a hand, barring from
the film markets and theatres Of that
country all films that continued the
custom of showing the Mexieano as
the screen bad fellow. Not only did
they use this method but offending
film manufacturers found their entire
output kept. out Of the country below
the Rio Grande. Very soon after such
drastic action the Mexican bad, bad
man disappeared almost wholly from
films. !. <:f
The. same situation was: handled in
like manner by the Chinese and In
turn, by MussoIIni's italian govern
ment. The, Italians objected strenu-
ously when the typical American
gangsteF. was continually represented
by the, films as being of italian origin.
=. Something. should be done by the
American Negro to- halt the perpetual
portrayal on the silver screen Of the
Negro as a clown. buffoon and noun
febank. Negro characters are made
to say and do the most ridicuIousIy
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