Evening star., 1937-05-03


Sahara.
The fast moving story which it mar
rates in the case of "A Star Is Born"
was written by Dorothy Parker. OBJ
viously that is pretty fast, for Miss
Parker Is approximately notorious for
the celerity with which her prose and
poetry abound. AS for her modernlty,
one word of criticism from her makes
the average, advanced thinker wonder
why he ever left his cave to expose
himself to the new fashion in de-
bunking.
Selznick International, which made
the picture, could hardly have found
a more modern modern to write a
story for it. And even if she chose to
take the old Cinderella legend and tie
1t up with 1887 Hollywood, Miss
Parker appears to have paced it fast
enough to satisfy the most urgent
demand for action.
In connection with discussion of
telling modern tales in technlcolor, 1t
may be argued that it was done before
Gods Country and the Woman IS
the picture which will be cited in
such a case. 1t should be borne in
mind. however, the film fashioned
from James Oliver CurWood's story
was numbering affair-and If that's
pun, it's because you insist upon
seeing it that way. True, there were
gang fights in it, and strikes and
threats of strikes, but even in Such
sequences every one was pretty stately
When an actor swung at the nearest
law it was as if he were waiting Tor
the camera.
The already great success of "A Star
Is Born" ,S101 900 worth of custom
ers saw it during its first week IN
New York; may influence Selznlck to
do Gone With the Wind in blue,
gray, gold and other colors which
were popular (and unpopular) during
the Civil War. Like trying to decide
which of 2O,000O00 American women
should play Scarlett O'Hara, the mat
ter of black and white or color has
been a nasty dilemma in connection
with that film.
Some connected with the Selznick
enterprises have felt that color Pho
tography can make Gone With the
Wind" the greatest film achievement
to date. Others, some OF them sCotf-
ing aliens, have insisted color might
make it the photodrama mess of
all time.
At any rate, technIcolor has told a
Dorothy Parker story that every one
apparently wants to hear. 1t is COM
ing to the Palace as soon as the town
has had its fill of the Winchell-
Bernie feud which made such good
picture out of Wake Up and Live"
t* X
T INTON WELLS, the old news
paper man himself, who used to go
around the world so fast both of them
che and the earth) got dizzy, is
coming to Washington today. Wells,
who has abandoned clock and dead
line racing. is now the personal repre-
senta tive of Samuel GoldWyn. His
visit to the National Capital is for
the purpose of, second, renewing old
acquaintanceS, and, first, beating the
drums for Woman ChaSes Man"
woman Chases Man." its makers
and Wells believe, is the picture every
one has been looking for since 1T
Happened One Night" 1t is in exactly
the same delirious mood. Joel McCrea
is the quarry and Miriam Hopkins
Is the lady in pursuit in the picture.
Stills from the film show Miss Hop
kins (Whatever her old boss, the
Theater Guild, may think Of it,
chasing McCrea up and down trees,
biting him on the ankle, swinging
from limbs (of trees) like a debutante
Tarzan, and otherwise conducting
herself as if she had entirely for
gotten the great tradition of the
stage. Of course, if Grace Moore
can sing Minnie the Moocher" and
Irene Dunno can play the part of
a drunken vestal, it probably is quite
all right for Miriam to go simian
in the cause Of laughter. Certainly
1t Is all right with us, especially in
Spring. The picture comes to the
Capitol on Friday.