Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-08-07
New Cinema
Keynote to
Be Action
Which Will Bring a
Return of Movies
That Move.
By Douglas ". Churchill.

n given the industry lead to
~ follow by hitting upon "a
year OF action" as a slogan
for 1899 endeavors. While strenuous
stories and acting have been limited
to the small independent lots, vio-
lence has made an inroad into the
programs of the majors, and recently
completed or now before the cameras
are 80 features that depend upon
deeds rather than talk for their drama.
Naturally the ma jority of this number
are of B and C classification, but 1t
is noteworthy that for the first time
in many seasons number OF pictures
with imposing budgets are modified
versions of the hand-that-gal-
you-cur" school.
The action films embrace two
themes, crime and the outdoors. Even
in the conversation pieces yap-yap
is being minimized as much as pos
sible. Movies were, of course, founded
upon action, for they had to tell their
story without words. Since the coming
Of sound there have been occasional
revolts against garrulity, but none
has been as pronounced and far
reaching as that of today. The Cali
fornia forests and deserts are overrun
with actors who breathe deeply and
talk of honor. Possibly a student
could find some significance in all
this; as a matter of fact. it is nothing
but another cycle which will end
when the public decides that it has
been overdone.
METRO is ready to swing into action
AVA with Northwest Passage" which
will feature those stalwart pioneers.
Robert Taylor, Spencer Tracy and
Wallace Berry. In order to get the
proper scenery for Kenneth Roberts
tale, which deals with the Indian
wars of the 1750s and COS, the loca-
ton troupe has gone to the Payette
River in Idaho which looks very much
like the Great Lakes territory OF 200
years ago. 1t possesses swamps, for
ests, lakes, rivers and rugged noun
tain country where the timber is
distributed in that happy blend OF
sparseness and business that permits
enough light for the color cameras
to be successful
Most of the atmosphere shots have
been made with Idaho mountaineers
and Indians. The Redmen have been
the greatest problem, for they have be-
come sleek and fat and quite unlike
and tough and wiry savages of the
18th century. But Metro has said
I'VE will use Indians or else ="
and search Is being made throughout
the West to find the right types. When
M-G-M engages the mountaineers
they told them they were to throw a
human chain across the river, which
the natives declared was an easy task.
The studio got suspicious and sent for
eight lifeguards from Santa Monica.
It was good thing for the 1dahoans,
for the guards were pretty busy pulling
the cold and wet links Of the chain out
Of the river. The lifeguards we're Of
additional use when a $4,000 color
camera fell into the Yellowstone River
and the swimmers spent three days
getting it out Of the rapids.
HAVING originated the slogan
Warmers are not being denied
their share of the action. In addition
to such lavish spectacles as Valley of
the Giants" Angels With Dirty
Faces" and Wings of the Navy" the
studio is concerned with life among
the felons in "Blackwells Island" and
Devils Island" The former deals
with the scandal few years ago when
New Yorks prison was run more like
a recreation camp than a penal insti-
tuition. Rather than a dramatization
Of the news stories of the times, be-
cause of fear of libel and the restric-
tons Of the Hayes Office, the events
have been highly romanticized.
The gangSter, who was car of the
prison is being depicted as just a
great big kid, and instead of any
blame being attached to the warden
for his negligence, it seems that he
is an ardent horticulturist who is so
bound up in his dahlias that he has
no idea what goes on among the con-
victs. The film is designed to satisfy
those who want to know what q Jail
looks like without getting into one,
and when the hero, who is a newspaper
reporter, Is set upon by the inmates
the publics and the Warmers thirst
for action is gratified.
THE other, Devils Island" en-
braces horror with violence. 1t
deals with an entirely mythical in
(see CHURCHILL, Page F-2D