Evening star., 1937-01-03


almost decade.
Then, one fine day, along came Lii
liam Hellman. Not one she TO be-
lieve that the sad story of young, young
love-the Young Woodley' story
covered all that goes on behind the
school house walls. Clinically, realisti-
cally, she went searching among the
instincts and the intellects gath
cred there. And, because she could
not find a play suitable for the pro-
ducer for whom she was working, she
decided to write one on the basis of
her own discoveries She never had
written a play before. but at the end
of long journey over the keys of her
typewriter she popped up with THE
Childrens Hour"
It was produced by Herman Shum-
lin, the man who wanted the play she
had been unable to find. 1t was no
sooner under way, and proclaimed in
simultaneously as a hit, than other
dramatists began ransackin| school
buildings for similar material. Not in
the mood of the creator of Young
Woodley" did they work. Far from it.
They followed the method of Miss
.Iellman. AS if bent upon debunking
childhood, they scorned to reject the
ugly merely because it was unpleasant
to the eye.
THE result has been a wave OF
= drama dealing not only with the
Young, but dealing with in in FASH
ion which indicates playwrights, at
least. have no intention of spelling
the child by sparing the rod. From
THE Children's Hour" through
Brother Rat" the last of the school
dramas, the child has taken rather a
severe walloping in the theater. In
deed, there must have been times
when adults doubted that children
were worth having.
The more logic attaches to this ar
gument in view of the singular success
Of plays dealing with children. Miss
Hellman's play ran for 85 weeks in
New York. Brother Rat is off to a
start which indicates comparable Ion
gevity. Two other less important items
Of the same character enjoyed good
runs on Broadway this season.
Can it be that playmakers will be
the bogsy men of parents in the next
few years: that the cry baby eventu-
ally will be silenced by the threat. If
you're not good boy, III tell Lillian
Heilman about you"
1t is all in sharp contrast with that
day when the child was utilized as
dramatic material only in the form
of . sad little waif who gave audiences
Jumps in the throat, or as the deus
ex machina which reunited husbands
and wives at the doors of their law
yers' offices.
y II X
THE commercial theater, for all its
increasing artistic merit. and ap-
peal, still works under limitations
which keep it from completely satisfy
q ting the public taste.
That is the assumption behind plans
to form here Washington Film So
ciety for the purpose of bringing un-
usual and generally unattainable pic
lures before the public. There is no
criticism of the commercial theater
in the gesture. There is no intent nor
desire to compete with it. 1t is pro-
posed instead to operate in a zone
which is entirely unexpected by the
commercial groups.
Philadelphia and st. Louis are the
cities in which this movement has
been pioneered. The classes of pic
lures sponsored by the film society
groups there include those made in
foreign countries. those dealing with
strange and unusual subjects of limit
ed appeal, films involving unusual
technical tricks and those having
rare Photographic beauty. Espe-
cially popular elsewhere and expected
to be here are the exhibition of old
films such as THE Great Train Rob-
berry" Intolerance" and others of
that character