The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-09-02
THE INDIANAPOLIS M
War Movies

THE total result Of the peace conference on
Il the Ethiopian question, conforming to style
in such cases, appears to consist Of official an
nouncement that the ~legalized murder OF men,
women and children will get under way in the
African hills on schedule. Thus assured that
there will be no delay in the butchery, newsreel
companies are Fastening preparations to lay
the red spectacle in the laps Of some millions
Of comfortably seated Americans. This will be
the first unconditional war in history, to say
nothing Of the first war in sound. That shows
YOU how civilization has advanced since 1914.
Because, as a patron of movies, you are des-
tined to be a much more intimate observer of
this international crime than you were OF the
last one, you may possibly be interested IN the
manner in which pictures will serve you. Not
ONLY will you hear the spat of the rifles, the
crackle of machine guns and the booming OF
cannon, which you had to imagine between 1914
and I9l8-unless you were acting for newsreels
instead of observing them-but yor Will also be
treated to the shrieks Of the wounded, the groanS
of the dying and quite likely the thud OF bayo-
nets as they enter the stomachs OF black ana
white men. Be sure to bring the children along.
THESE tasty and educational pictures will be
i secured for your entertainment through
an elaborate and expensive system Of camera
reporting, in the maintenance Of which a GER
tain number of American photographers, sound
men and technicians, working for salary IN
stead of medals, will die miserably Of bullets
and a variety of tropical ailments.
Some will breathe gas in a fine spirit OF
democracy with the troops themselves, and turn
green, and shrivel up in the dust like grass
stalks when you spray them with acid. Ihe
less fortunate Of these, perhaps, Will be spared
to come home and cough up their lungs with
more leisure, though were told the new gas VIII
spare nations a lot of expense in looking after
| tbair casualties DV doing the lob QUICKLY ana
clearly.
Indeed, it seems selfish to complain that a
few of our nationals. who 60 into the thing
with eyes open and fully equipped, will be
left in the swamps of Ethiopia. The irony
of such weeping-in-advance would doubtless be-
come clearest to an Ethiopian mother Of six
kids whose protection against poisonous gas
consists solely of about a yard OF cotton batting
apiece, at present very much needed for breech-
cloutS. The quiet normal remark Of any such
theoretical noncombatant to a dying report
er or cameraman could properly be: Wei,
buddy, you asked for it, SO what are you yelp-
ing about?"
This. of course. is departing a little from
the subject in hand, which is what you are go
ing to see of the war in the movies and how 1t
will reach you. After all, it is none OF our busl-
ness if people in far places of the world answer
the summons Of a few gentlemen who decide
they should die IN large numbers for some
mythical things known as rights" AT least, II
you have ever heard the whine OF a bullet pro-
ceeding in your general direction, you will pray
it is none of our business.
TINE Ethiopian assignment will be the hardest
l. Job ever dished out to the men who report
news with the camera. Consequently, only the
aces of the various services are being sent.
Laurence StallingS, editor-in-chief Of the Fox
reel, who left one Of his legs in the mud around
Chateau-Thierry and is thus thoroughly quail
fled in the art Of combat, has already sailed for
Diibouti, on the Gulf of Alden, in French Soma
lland, where ne will set up his headquarters.
With him he has a small army of crank-turners.
Paramount recently Scooped the field by get
ting a cameraman into Adds Ababa, where he
filmed Halle Selassie in. a meeting with his tribal
chiefs. Another photographer is on his way to
that city, and a third is in Eritrea to cover the
Italian side of the conflict. Similar prepara-
lions are being made by the Universal and
Hearst reels, as well as a number Of European
companies.
These camera crews are organized and
equipped largely in the manner Of military units.
Discipline exerted by the ommanders-in-chle
is positive, and such will be the scramble to
reach America first with authentic picture ac-
counts of blood, battle and sudden death that a
cameraman assigned to get the hand-to-hand
stuff in the trenches will come back with his
sequence or be killed in the effort-theoretically
at least. In any event, he will likely find him
self out of a job in the wrong part of the world.
NF course the boys will be given such pro-
" lection as science can offer against sci
ence. The average unit will consist, in addition
to the cameras and sound recording equip
ment, of an arlnored truck f1aShily decorated
with large neutrality posters. The posters, it
seems, are counted upon by the home office to
win arguments with any shells that may fall
in the neighborhood. These trucks also will
carry their own arsenalS Of S%hotguns, rifles and
pistols, for use in entertaining such African
bandits as the crews may encounter in the
peaceful pursuit of their work.
Due to the intense heat of Ethiopia rot
ting heat that will add its own charm to the
glory of Wharf.-The preservation Of raw film and
exposed negative will be one Of the big worries
of the African warbirds. To minimize some of
the danger of loss, film is being shipped to the
war zone in sealed containers, so that, in the
midst of getting ready for an infantry charge,
the combatants may be treated to the spectacle
of a sweating American furiouSly attempting
to invade a tin case with a can opener in order
to get view Of the coming fun.
1t is hoped the actors will see the humor of
that. Possibly some helpful bystander will not
only contribute his bayonet to the effort, but
agree to take a bullet in the middle at close
range for the sake of showing Americas millions
exactly how war is conducted.
In any event, the red mess, which appar-
emily is now beyond stopping, will be spread for
your eyes with more fullness than for the eyes
of the fighters themselves. And remember
it's always cool at the movies.