Evening star., 1937-08-22

out fear or favor blaS or balOney, the
have the interesting effect of allow
Ing drama critics chance to earn an
honest living, an experiment to be
claSsed with T. V. A. and the ReSettle-
uent Administration as social reform
Cinema managers have also been
known to wall and scream because
Of the reviews given their pictures,
claiming that the boys would cheer
fully murder any nice. shiny box
office for the sake Of half-baked
wise crack, and sometimes insinuating
that most cinema critics are dolts
who haven't the taste or education to
tell theatrical lemon from rose
In show business this distinction is
made by counting dollars, which
amounts to both higher education and
supreme taste, provided you have
enough dollars to count,
Seldom does it appear to the deep
thinkers who run affairs theatrical
In this country that reviewer,
particularly for the daily prints, often
recognizes and acknowledges audience
values in a picture, promptly informs
the public that it probably will enjoy
the play or picture, albeit he himself
has no special use for 1t.
Since we may presume that if the
system of unbiased drama criticism
were adopted the material therefor
would be supplied by the studio press
department, which would draw up
synopsis of the story and characters,
We may make comparison OF the
probable effects Of the new method
and the old.
IN THE recent instance of picture
called Mr.. Dodd Takes the Air"
the Warner Bros presented an in
sanely improbable plot with certain
finesse and comedy sense that made
1t quite acceptable advertisement for
any one seeking to While away hot
afternoon or evening. In addition the
picture presented a young radio star
named Kenny Baker, whose voice
and unassuming manner were equally
pleasant A good singer and an un-
skillful actor, he displayed that sort
Of awkward sincerity which is ex-
tremely engaging in the young and
the naive
Every review We saw of Mr. Dodd'
gave it favorable rating and took
into account its good qualities. If
those few movie goers who are guided
by newspaper writer's did not 60 into
the theaters where it was playing
they simply weren't playing ball with
the oracles
Suppose, however. the "factual' svs-
m OF reporting on Mr.. Dodd' had
been adopted. We leave you to Judge
how many persons would be charg-
ing down to the box office because Of
the synopsis reprinted below. verbatim
as it came hot from the press depart
nent OF the Warner Bros. Studios.
SYNOPSIS.
Claude Dodd CKenny Baker, is a
Pevamo boy with a baritone voice
VINO works IN an electrical shop for
$3.50 week and takes singing
lessons
Mr. Hiram P. Doremus (Ferris Tay-
Iorr. a former PeUamo boy. who has
made good IN the big city, hears Mr..
podd sing and offers Claude a job
singing on the radio in New York at
e22 so a week Snlffer Sears Frank
McHughp, Claude's friend, appoints
himself manager.
A bad throat makes an operation
Necessary
He arrives in New York for the
Morpheus Mattress program sponsored
by Doremus and is dismayed to dis
cover he is a tenor as a result Of the
operation. Claude is fred. Disheart-
ened, Claude. Sniffer and Marjorie
Jane Wyman), broadcasting COM
pany employe, go to a coffee shop
While there Mr.. Doremus comes down
and offers Claude a contract at few
dollars more a week. Sniffer, sus-
picious, offers a contract starting at
several hundred dollars week for
Is weeks. Egged on by Marjorie,
Claude and Sniffer refuse until Mr..
Gateway Henry O'NeilD gets the offer