Montana labor news., 1936-04-16
THE film CORNER
Continued from Page d.

one ~ that war is a mad, futile bus
mess, in which the ones who get slau-
entered are those who have nothing to
fight for.
Cynical folks will gather from all
this that Eddie is capitalizing on his
keen sense Of the mood OF the Ameri-
can people 49, that he is following the
example OF the Squibb- World Peace
ways stunt and exploiting the sincere
public anti-war sentiment for publ
city purposes. These same folks would
insist that if the mad dogs OF war were
Unbiased tomorrow you'd find Eddie
with Ida and the five kiddiesl whoop-
ing it up with some tin pan alley YER
sion OF MY COUNTRY, RIGHT OR
WRONG. Briefly, some Of US are
convinced that How Best to Keep Out
of War is just another gag, without
benefit Of Parkyakarkus.
About the same time that Cantor
could be seen at a score Of theatres
in a wisp Of Goldwyn fluff called
Strike Me Pink" Charlie Chaplin
waddled ont on the screen before his
neglected but still loyal public. No one
who saw Modern Times could doubt
that he was beholding a comedian in
the most universal sense.
Here. too, was man who had gagged
the present mood of the American peo-
pie. For his picture he chose a theme
that was tragic to the core the pro-
fitless toll OF workers dominated by the
machine and its owners - and extra
cted humor from it without degrading
it. This is a feat which no one but
Charlie has achieved. Once more he
joined hands with the common man
and twitched his moustache in defiance
of the powers that be. He identified
himself completely with millions Of
work-weary, underpaid and underpriv-
LEGGED men and women. F~raternally,
he embraced all those who would be
called upon to shed their blood and
the blood OF their children in the war
that Cantor uses as a gag.
Charlie Chaplin, always beloved Of
the masses of men, has found his way
deeper into their hearts. Eddie Can
tor, like All Smith, another boy who
came up from the East Side OF New
York, has lost contact with his own
people and their hopes and sorrows.
Not long ago when urged to take a
definite stand regarding war, he said
after all, Cantor is an actor in the
public eye. Cantor's got friends on
both sides. Do you want Cantor to
lose his friends and be without any
body7"
Chaplin, on the other hand, leaves
no doubt where his sympathies lie and
yet has untold millions OF friends who
remain loyal even when his pictures
come five years apart.
4 T.
CLOSE UPS AND SIDE CHANCES
When William Randolph Hearst,
Americas foremost peddler OF tabloid
filth, embraces the Legion of Decency,
you have a marriage made in heaven.
He is now directing editorial attacks
against Mae Vests "Klondike Annie
and has even barred advertising BY
Paramount, its producer, in the Hearst
press, He feels it is profitable, althou-
gh dirty business ethics for a rival film
producer Hearst controls ~Cosmopoli-
tan pictures released through Warner
Brothers. TO blackball his competitors
products. However the move has turn
ed out to be a boomerang. Box Of
flee crosses increase wherever the
Hearst Boycott goes into effect,
showing the difference between mass
pressure and Hearst pressure Mass
picketing OF anti-labor riff Rats has
cost M. C. M. plenty. Last week at
New York's Leows State Theatre, II
pickets were thrown into jail for ex-
ercising their Constitutional right Of
protest. The box office receipts for the
week hit a new low for a Harlow film
at this house Walt Disney has
taken courage after the success OF the
Soviet animated film New CULVER"
He is starting work on his first feature
length cartoon, Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs." Before "Gulliver'
came over, United Artists refused to
0. K. the project You won't see
any scenes OF the recent French poll
teal disturbances in the newsreels.
French customs officials have been in
s%tructed to delete any reference or
clips of the attack on Leon Blum, pro-
minent Socialist leader by French fas-
cists. The fact that more than half
a million people marched in a united
front demonstration OF protest in Paris
undoubtedly was the cause of the ban
Mae West won't come-up and
see Paramount any more because Col
...L.a L.. affn.na L.. e7nn nNO