Evening star., 1940-04-09

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ton to make good entertainment.
Nice work. what?
The "Kanin touch" has not be-
come a critical cliche yet, but it is
inevitable. 1t is constant thing,
feeling for life that Kanin could
not keep out of his pictures, and
when critics get around to defining
1t they are bound to let their imag-
nations soar to the standard de-
scriptive platitude.
| X X X X
The "Kanin touch" is quite safe
In Kanin's hands. It is his theory
that any one making entertainment
for the masses should keep in touch
with the masses 1t is his further
theory that too many people in the
movies insulate themselves from the
masses with swimming pools, huge
bank accounts, too many servants,
and fences with too few gates. It is
all right to have such things, Kanin
feels. He is going to have them him.
self. But he has no intention of
letting them get" him as he thinks
they do so many cinema geniuses
whose fear of losing the symbols of
success fits them for failure.
Fine" you say to Kanin, granted
you won't change, that you will keep
your feet on the ground. What about
your friends, the people? They will
see change in you, whether or no.
You will be a fellow with a SWIM
ming pool and they will be fellows
without swimming pools. They will
stick to their kind and you will have
to 60 to yours"
mo" says Kanin. I'll find a
technique for keeping In touch If
I have to-"
You believe him.
He is believable even when he
starts criticizing critics.
TOO many of them want to be
funny" he says. Their yearning to
be clever, to write wittily, tricks
them into forgetting just what their
jobs are. I don't care how savagely
/ they say picture is bad, that's their
real business, but hate to have
them imply its failure is the result
OF insincerity on our part. That note
creeps into too many reviews. I've
been here three years now. have
sat IN on number Of picture making
sessions, Never once have I heard a
producer, writer, director, actor, or
what have you say Let's make the
worst picture ever made Some re-
| views are written as if that were the
case"
Another thing Kanin thinks critics
could do, If they had the idea of
public service instead Of personal
appreciation, is to perform q highly
valuable censorship function both to
the public and the motion picture
industry.
If they told their readers to stay
away from picture that was dirty
or smutty, they would keep away
those who did not want to see such
films. True, they would bring in
those who did prefer such pictures.
They will come anyhow, of course,
but keeping away the decent, clean
minded would make the production
OF any save intelligent Aims I'M
possible"
No prude is Kanin with reference
to screen material. He thinks the
screen should be as large as life it.
self. In the handling of delicate
material, he insists merely that it
be done with good taste.
"Ynlt cont fo11 - fv,.{oko
that directors like Gregory La Cava,
Leo McCarey, Frank Capra, John
Ford and few others need to be
subject to the same quality of CEN
sorship as those who make low grade,
low cost pictures. They are men of
good taste and can be trusted to
show 1t in their work
The vehement, outspoken Kanin,
who was graduated from George
Abbott productions, has his definite
opinions on the matter of directors
and their jobs. He still has them
even though R-K-O turned him over
its knee year ago and gave him a
spanking. Physically, he is a handy
size for that, but only physically.
He feels director should have
complete freedom in choosing the
material he will work with. He did
not like the material Of "Ann of
Windy Poplars," not because it was
not a good piece of screen drama,
but rather because 1t was not his
type. Now that it is virtually fin
ished, with another director, he has
nothing but praise for it. He has
not bit of rancor that he was sus-
pended for his refusal to make 1t.
Should actors and actresses have
the same right of story selections?"
seemed like a good question at that
point, which was after luncheon
coffee.
mo" said Kanin. Directors and
writer's know stories. Actors don't.
They do not look at them the same
way. The sole reservation I make
on the subject is that I would not
insist upon player doing something
he could not like. He could not do
his best under the circumstances.
If I could not sell him on the merit
of the story, and his general
ignorance of story value, wouldn't I
have him in picture But I'd work
on him before letting him co."
Mr.. Kanin had to go then; some
thing about They Knew What They
Wanted" which the screen suddenly
has become liberal enough to make
as Sidney Howard wrote it originally
1t was made once before, but 50 COM
pletely changed from the story of q
triangle involving an old man, his
young wife, and q young man that
they could not even use the title
without blushing.
Now the real story. honest but
blushless, will be told by Kanin with
Charles Laughton and Carole Lom-
bard in the major roles.
Impressive little guy, no matter
what he is talking about. in words
or In celluloid.