The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-12-18
HOLLYWOOD Shorts
Federated Press)
BY JOHN R. CHAPLIN


Story of the year is the one about
the German actor who came to Holly
wood and Dragged that in Germany
they thought nothing of using 10000
extras in one film. Not to be outdone
Hollywoodian boasted that Holly.
wood could muster $4,000 for one
scene The German. on his return
home, sent this news to Hitler,
through the proper channels.
Came the Fuehrer's retort: "Tell
those Yankees, that's nothing In this
country, we're producing Les Miser-
ables with S0,000,000 people" +.
There is some good fun at the ex-
pense of Soviet Russia in Comrade x,
but there is much more that is just
old.fashioned red-baiting. The film
invents phony Russian conditions for
its humorous effects. Had 1t made
any pretense at honest satire, this
column would have no kick. Satire is
field open to all-and to our mind
all subjects are open to it,
Such items, however, as calling the
GPU chief Bastakoff obviously de-
rived from the English word for an IL
legitimately- person. are indica-
tive of the level of the film.
This seems a good time to remem-
Der that redbaiting leads to union
busting. Comrade x takes it's place
alongside Ninotchka, He Stayed for
Breakfast and Public Deb No. /, as
an illustration of the way in which
Big Business uses the films to ridicule
the ideas that Big Business doesn't
like.
If labor could also use the films
to attack ideas that are plenty obnoxi-
GUS to labor, the score would balance.
Any reader of this column who dis
covers a movie that ridicules an air
plane manufacturer as dollar-grab-
bling, union-fighting son of banker
should report to the nearest psychia-
trio ward for observation.
While attacking revolutionaries in
Comrade x, Hollywood itself is in the
throes of revolution in sound record
ing Walt Disney used a new sound
technique in his great classical music
film, Fantasia. 1t is said to be so
sensational that Walter Wanger is
holding up all of his production until
the new method is available to him.
Warmers also have a new system,
called Vitasound. They say that for |
the first time it will bring to the |
screen lin Four Mothers) three Bee
thoven compositions, played by 105-
piece orchestra, without any sound dis
tortion whatsoever. incidentally, the |
new technique is said not to involve |
any equipment that is prohibitively |
expensive. .
Did you notice how Mary Martin,
with black hair, resembled Claudette
Colbert in Rhythm on the River? Even
more startling is Thomas Mitchell's
to Wendell Willkie on
bender in Angels over Broadway.
Felix Bressart is cast as a country II
Doctor in Blossoms in the Dust, with
Greer Carson. A good character ac-
-or, his recent role in Third Finger,
Left Hand, was too reminiscent of his
workin The Little Shop Around the
Corner, as is also his Characterization
N Escape S. q. Sakall in Spring
Parade and Albert Basserman, in Es-
;ape, and so many other films, are
ike Brassart-proof that Europe's war
las sent some fine talent to Holly
wood But in the same films all of
hem prove that they will have to vary
heir characterizations If they don't
want the American public to grow
ired of them.
THE CURRENT FILMS
Tin Pan Alley (20th-Fox): Highly /
musical about songwrit-
RS during the last war. Although II
narred by too great stress on identity |
# our interests with those of the
Union Jack, it's the high spot in cur
ent musical entertainment. Jack
Jake, Alice Faye and John Payne are
ops; even Betty Cradle is good.
Little Nellie Kelly (M.G.M): Rout-
ne film, well-played by Rudy Gar
and, but unbalanced in it's yarn of an
IRISH lass, her policeman husband, her
tubborn dad, and her pretty daughter.
ome good lines about labor and de-
locracy but on the whole just aver
ge
Escape to Glory (Col): Would-be
Important story about Americans eva
uated from Europe under war condi-
ions, but it badly misses its mark.
'elow average.
The Lady With Red Hair (W.B):
1iriam Hopkins as Mrs. Leslie Carter
4 a romanticized biography of the
amous actress. Excellent perform
nee by Helen Wesley; Claude Rains
kay; new leadingman Richard Ainley
bad Take it or leave 1t.
BEST BETS: Great Dicta-
Or, Long Voyage Home, Escape, Sew
n Sinners, Mark of Zorro, Lady in
question, Arizona.
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