Evening star., 1939-01-06

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subject was the delicate one of So
cialized medicine. It was made with
American money, however.
"The Citadel" is not the only
picture which justifies Metro in
purring sweetly when 1t thinks of
England. Another 10-bester from
across the sea which makes M-G-M
proud and happy is George Bernard
Shaw's "Pygmalion." The company
is the distributor in this country Of
that picture, which was a strictly
English in production.
Studio press representatives hardly
can write about it without getting a
tremor in their typewriters. From
their ecstatic superlatives, they
might be escapists from the ordinary
and routine who find themselves
transported suddenly into the lush
held OF art, beauty and wisdom.
But who wouldn't be proud to crash
the ivory tower of MIR. Shaw? And
to win all that praise for artistic
accomplishment? And make all that
money? y X x
And what is Paramount doing?
Paramount which for more than two
decades has been so intensely Ameri-
can that history barely has enough
drama to provide it with sagas like
Wells Fargo" "The Buccaneer," !"
Union Pacific" etc.
Well, nearly all Paramount is do
ing these days is talking about 1.-THE
Beachcomber." Made in England,
with Charles Laughton and many
other native players in native Som
erset Maugham's script, it has put
Paramount into virtually a parox-
ysm of delight. AS if it never before
had the privilege of doing so, the
company is going around saying
Listen here" to the most discrim-
mating people. It buttonholes them
with the assurance of having some
thing that's as good as the best taste
demands.
Such feeling is a good one and
undoubtedly one that any studio
would be justified in keeping, even
II it involved a pinch or two of dis
loyalty to the home product.
X X Ok X
Naturally, it won't happen, but it
would be a funny thing if some week
bookings filled the local metropolitan
houses with alien pictures instead of
the domestic corn. The Palace some
week soon will have "Pygmalion.
And the Earle is looking forward to
"The Beachcomber." They might
coincide as to play dates, but prob
ably they won't. There is no Korda
picture on the way to give Keith's
break away from the domestic
product about the same time, but
with the Belasco and the Little
playing so many svelte foreign prod
ucts these days, the situation might
include four of each variety Of film
downtown in a single week.
X X
No one is happier than the critics
over the sudden enthusiasm of the
major studios over foreign pictures.
1t has been cause for sad and
sleepless nights on the part of the
professional movie goers that their
appreciation of alien art has griev-
iously wounded some of the indus
try's most sensitive prides. Today
they are standing on common
ground where the old unrestrained
enthusiasm of the critics is more
than matched by the new unre-
strained enthusiasm of the distrib-
utor and exhibitor.
And peace, therefore, has come
to another little corner of the world.
X X X X
Speaking of foreign pictures,
Grand Illusion" which was chosen
by two groups of serious thinkers as
the best imported product of the
year, will return next week to the
Belasco The Earle is in for
string of pictures with a Gallo fla
vor it would seem After Paris
Honeymoon" there comes "Say It
In French" and right behind that
comes no less a Partisan love affair
than "Zaza" F. Cowles Strick-
land of the Civic Theater is prepar-
ing a big and impressive surprise
for the groups next offering J.. . It
ought to be ready for announce
ment by Monday.