The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-06-28
BY Julian Hoffman

BY Julian Hoffman
Big Business and Yankee Imper-
ialism will find an able spokesman
for their interests, in their staunch
supporter, William (wallow-in-the-
mud) Hearst, who has of late be-
thought himself TO bring his mes
sage of nauseating lies and revolt
ing distortions to the American
public by means Of the film, and
made such an suspicious start with
"Devil Dogs of the Air." carries
his little torch further by now
clarifying big business and the ex-
ploitation of the Chinese masses
by a tale of undying faith of an
employee in the company that en-
ploys him.
And the prologue of Mr..
Hearst's message reads thus "The
oil business was chosen because
light was always symbolic of pro-
gress." And the progress" was so
symbolic" that even the bour-
geois reviews detected the distor-
tion of facts and the deification of
the boss. Advance publicity notes
had it that every scene showing
the brutality of the company men
to tic Chinese masses was deleteA
- such a point that now the com
OaNy is a great, benevolent, fo1
giving Almighty that duly an0
justly rewards its angelic workers
in the end.
Mr.. Hearst's feverish pleas in
favor of big business hcroically
mouthed by Hollywood's best, are
in the vein of "The company will
rever fail you" What if it lets you
down once in a wrile? But that's
only because here and there you
will find an inefficient official, not
corrupt mind you, but merely in
efficient, who will spoil your chan,
ces for advancement. But the com
pany will find out and you shall
be rewarded. You company men 81
to China to dispel the darknesses,
but it's not your fault if the Chin
ese are stupid and cowardlY an'
try to balk you. Don't forget 9TH
company is the foundation Of
which our lives are built.
So Stephen Chase, the hero o
the Story, was told before he wen
to China. For three weeks he ser
we'd a long apprenticeship grim
before he could get married. An
when he did-it was the com
pany's fault that his baby died
was the company's fault when hi
boss committed suicide because h
was to old and was being trans
ferred. The company's fault it wa
too, when an official stole ST.
phen,s invention of an oil lam
which would enable the compan
to sell its oil to the Chinese. An
the loss of Stephens best frien'
. and the petty reward of cleric'
job when Stephen risked his III
to save the company funds, We
all the company's fault. But OF
hero never lost his idealism al
hope in the company for a m
ment Things would turn out a
right in the end and loyalty wou
win it's due.
And so it does--the big boss
the head office hears of Stephen
plight and Immediately orders hi
to high executive positio
Which all goes to prove M
Hearst's theory that "the compal
will never fail you" And if y
start at the bottom, you are boui
to win-with the help of the hos
incidentally, in the book Steph
is fired because Of his growing di
| content with the company, and
& never taken back.)
Aside from all too-obvious glol
fication of Big Business and l
indulgence in a chauvinism tn
portrays the Japanese as cringir
= simpering toadies in front Of t
: white man, dirty Willie snatch
the opportunity to 'mlose his mt
i derous loathing Of Communism
l. a most idiotic and fantastic .
T ture of the Chinese Communists,
t Impeccably attired in natty III
: forms, the communists ride
v rough the countryside in expense
o. cars, wreaking their "vengeanC
= on the peasants, robbing and
!, laying, and shooting down kline
- Chinese merchants who have do
> no wrong but to show their frier
ship for the company men. I
Communist officers are faultles'
attired, speak a perfect OSfC
English with a touch of gangs
lg slangi The suffering, the exploit
w tion of the masses by the glorifi
m big business, the hunger, the
81 graduation of the down-trodC
- peasants and workers-the T
=. reasons for the rising revoluti'
SC airy movement are not even m
v toned. Instead. the only solut
e. for all these ills, according
IN Hearst is that China is not o.
ps ready but anxious for Ameri'
as businessl"
Even were the chauvinism,
o. ballyhoo fer big business, remov
co the film would still be nil. A I
- tortion of the story, the picturs