Evening star., 1938-12-04
Governments
Get Respect
In Movies
Social Conscience
Are Many. but
Not Filmed
BY Douglas ". Churchill.
HOLLYWOOD

HOLLYWOOD.
Although members of the motion
picture industry are, as a class,
noisier In their denunciation of
totalitarian governments than any
similar group in America, their en-.
deavors on the screen continue to
show a wholesome respect for the
feeling, there has not been the
sorts OF anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist
movements in Hollywood, and there
is scarcely an individual associated
with any studio who has not spouted
daily for months about European in
} justices. And yet, strong as is the
feeling there has not been the
slightest hint on the screen to reveal
its true attitude. While protecting
the medium from propaganda s
most laudable, it is also rather ode;
more incongruous is the difference
shown by Hollywood to those it
hates.
Metro is being pretty brave in DEAL
ing with the PHILOSOPHERS of un-
named powers in filming idiots
Delight" This veneer of courage,
however, is made Intellectual by the
underlying cowardice which has i'm
PEELED the studio to clothe the sub.
jects of the Robert Sherwood play
with anonymity. In spite of the
fact that no revenue is accruing to
Hollywood from the nations in ques-
ton, no producer dares say, That
is Germany" or That is Italy"
Samuel Goldwyn was going to blow
the lid of of Germany with The
Exiles," and one suspects that he
was more relieved than outraged
when he was able to offer Hays
Office objections to the film as his
reason for abandoning it. Several
studios have toyed with the idea Of
a picture aimed at the Hitler gov
ernment titled "The Mad Dog of
Europe" but each time the matter
has come up it has drifted into
nothingness after day or two of
heated discussion. Warmers state
that they will make Concentration
Camp They announced it several
months ago and then abandoned it,
and now they have revived it. 1t is
significant that, although but one
country could be meSnt, the studio
always says that it involves an un-
named nation. Charles Chaplin said
he was going to caricature Hitler in
his next film. but that seems to have
been forgotten. M-G-M has not
dared continue with its Czecho-Slo-
vakian theme, THE Life of Masaryk."
Lone film to deal with the Spanish
civil war was Walter Wanger's
Blockade" and while controversy
engulfed it, there is more than idle
suspicion to cause one to think that
the hullabaloo was inspired by Mr..
Wanger's publicity department; no
one else has dared mention it.
Neither does the screen impose
upon the good nature of friendly
countries. Warmers are abiding by
suggestions made by Britain in finn
ing Dawn Patrol" The same
studio is going to great expense to
remake portions of Devils Island"
on word from the French govern
ment, although the film had been
shipped to New York and was ready
for release. A news story the other
day revealed that Metro is reviving
plans for The Forty Days of Musa
Dagh," but this was erroneous. It
will not be made, nor will 1T Can't
Happen Here" or Paths of Glory"
Although such an accusation offends
the industry, it must be said in all
candor that under its present man.
agement the screen will never be
recognized by the rest of the world
as a medium of courageous express
sion or of daring.
Paramount is showing respect for
Germany and Austria in Hotel I'm
perial," which after two years bad
luck has finally gone before the
cameras. The story is laid against
a war background with the villain
Russian and the hero an Austrian
officer. In 1888 the studio purchased
Lajos Bros play for Marlene Diet
rich. 1t was heavy melodrama.
After working in it for a few weeks
Miss Dietrich withdrew because
Ernst Lubitsch declined to serve as
producer on the epic. An attempt
was made to resume with Margaret
Sullivan, but when she fell on the
set and fractured her wrist the pic
ture was shelved altogether. Re-
Gently the script was rewritten by
Gilbert Gabriel and Robert Thoeren,
and Isa Miranda, who had been
pulled out of "Zaza" because of her
accent, was assigned the leading
role. This newest treatment has
been lightened considerably with
quite a bit of comedy injected.
Miss Miranda is getting her share
OF realism in making the picture.
A portion of Sucha in Galicia has
been erected on the Paramount
ranch. The mood of the picture
requires rainy weather, and so the
cobblestone streets were covered
with 20 truckloads of mud, in which
the actress had to work. An over
head oprinkling system kept the
slush at its proper consistency. In
addition to this normal contact
with the earth, prop men carried
buckets of mud around, throwing
handful here and a handful there
on the actors.
When Hollywood attempts to place
the action of its photoplays in
American cities there are likely to
be riotous results when the films
(see CHURCHILL, Page F-2)