Evening star., 1939-04-02

year ago the industry had on its
pay roll 54l scenarists; today the
number is 359, with but IA with
term agreements. While remakes
have contributed to this reduction,
the general contempt In which the
writer's are held and the desire of
the producers to show them how
inconsequential they are at q time
when the scenarists are seeking rec
ognition of their guild are the real
reasons behind the lay-offs. In spite
of what the public thinks, Holly
wood looks upon authors as un-
necessary evils, and it is improb-
able that a single executive believes
that they contribute anything of
Importance to the screen: producer,
director and stars do it all.
The Tried Old Formulas
Keep On Working.
This lack of appreciation of writ
ers is, in some cases, arrived at
legitimately. The screen had found
that when all is said and done, tried
and true formulas are the best. Out
standing films, of course, must have
either unusual plots or unusual
treatment, while the BIS and C's are
made on the theory that what was
good last month is good this. The
Hardy family having met with dis
tinguished success at Metro, 1t was
natural that an attempt should be
made to incorporate many of the
ingredients from these films in the
DR.. Kildare series. So the technique
that is applied to Mickey Rooney
governs the action of Lew Ayres;
aside from counter-plot and ex-
traneous incidents, the theme Of
the Kildare pictures revolves about
the love of the young doctor for q
girl back home and his repeated
dalliances with outside attractions.
Just as Mickey returns to Ann
Rutherford, 50 does Ayres always
go back to Lynne Carver.
There is note In the newest OF
the series, DIR. Kildares Mistake" F"
over which some of the Metro boys
are chuckling M-G-M is noted as
the citadel of the Tories in Holly
wood, and possibly because OF this,
writer's love to inject bits of philoso-
ply at variance with executive at
titude. Films from the lot have
successfully escaped all this tommy
rot about the rights of the under
privileged, and so 1t was with con-
siderable glee that liberal-minded
employees learned that Lionel Bar
rymore was assigned dialogue
passage of propaganda nature. The
writer's led him into a spot in which
he endorsed socialized medicine by
saying, There will come a day
when men who didn't ask to be
put on this earth will have the right
of health added to their rights of
life, liberty and the pursuit Of hap
piness." Pretty mild, but awfully
radical for Metro picture.
They're Still Aiming
At Two Hit Comedies.
Thin Man" and 1T Happened
One Night" remain the targets at
which all comedy efforts are aimed
Each time some frothy bit is an
nounced it is always compared with
these two successes. With that op-
timism that is Hollywood's, Metro
has decree that Its Wonderful
World" with Claudette Colbert and
James Stewart. is merger OF the
two famous Aims, which, II true
should make 1t pretty successful at
the box office.
OF some Joy to M-G-M is the
economy which marks the shooting
under the direction of w. S. Var
Dyke. Although a studio can lose
$4,000 by junking a picture such
as II Take This Woman" without
batting an eye, it is always pleased
with the saving Of q few thousand
dollars. Van Dyke estimates thai
but two-thirds of the usual time will
be required for shooting because hi
is mounting his camera on long
boom which affords greater mobility
and speed in change Of Gamers
angles. That this method has lone
been used by Republic and quickie.
makers, whose productions cost from
$4,000 to SIS, 900. is being ignored
by M-G-M in its enthusiasm ovel
It's discovery"