Evening star., 1938-02-20
Opera Is Out
AS Cinema
Material
The Producers Lost
Trying to Force 1t
On the Public.
By Harold He8ernan.
Hefernan.
HOLLYWOOD,

1x HE screens most expensive ex-
pertinent since the arrival OF
sound Is being written of to-
i day as an unqualified failure
Grand opera, as a movie commodity,
is through-at least for many years.
Grand opera personalities, without a
single exception, are drug on the
film market. Every producer in Holly
wood is, in firm agreement on those
points
1t took a round 10 millions in cash
and four years of dabbling with an art
about which it knew nothing for the
motion picture industry to satisfy itself
that the film public. as it is constituted
today, is not in mood to accept screen
opera on a paying basis.
ALI producers admit there never was
vogue for opera in pictures-and
take the blame themselves for attempt
ing to force it down the throats of mo-
ton picture patrons.
There was nothing noble about this
experiment" said veteran film maker
who dropped thousands of dollars the
last few years attempting to popular
ize two former Met" singers.
1T was ghastly, that's all. We
should have needed the warning Of
theater men. They told us opera and
opera singers couldn't be sold to
movie audiences-but we went ahead
just the same.
Granting that audiences would
flock to see their pictures, which they
haven't by any means, we were stymied
right from the start by an impossible
story situation We couldn't go for
straight opera, because that would be
suicide In playing to the average movie
fan. We had to jazz UP the stories,
throw in comedians and 'hoke' the
things up to such an extent that an
occasional operate outburst on the
part of the star wouldn't be hooted
down by the paying customers. Even
so. we failed. The greatest writing
brains in the business were unable to
concoct plots entertaining enough to
put these people over"
IF THERE remains lingering doubt
in your mind that operate song
birds aren't being dropped from their
movie perches, cast an eye over the
contract status existing between the
leaders and their once enthusiastic
studios:
Paramount, with Romance in the
Dark" yet to toss out at the public, is
not renewing its option for Gladys
Swarthout's services. There is moth
ing acutely wrong with that produc-
ton, but the company feels the oper-
attic situation has been overdone, that
1t cannot afford to take further risks
in an uncertsin market.
Columbia, which takes full RESPONSE
bility for pioneering the operatic movie
through Grace Moore's Zone Night o1
Love-" in 1884. and causing othe,
studios to raid the Met" ranks, report,
1t will make no more singing picture.
with Miss Moore, or any other operate
star.
R-K-o, checking sorry experience,
with Lily Pons and Nino Martini
says there isn't q chance Of Its takin1
another whirl at an operatic fea.
ture-at least not until exhibitors re.
port definite demand.
IM-G-M and 2oth Century-Fo,
blanketed their conservative op.
cratic ambitions long ago. One 40,
from Richard Tauber called "Apri
Romance" and an unpromising tes
from Marion Talley put An earl,
qu.etus on M-G-Ms plans, while
| 20th Century-Fox executives stil
wake from dtful dreams Of thet
escapade with Lawrence, Tibhett /,
E''Under Your SPELL These tw,
studios were shrewd in putting tn
brakes On early. g Paramount, Colum
bia and R-K-O attempted to ride owe
the box once rebukes of publ,
.surfeited with that curious hybrit
entertainment which necessarily mus
] be built around an opera singer. The,
/o>> fYWWWW0 Ny AIy R... = ~