Evening star., 1941-05-12

ureS-twO other characters so left
their impress upon the public that
their fate became a matter of acidu-
lous controversy.
They were Mic and Marianne, the
anguished, tormented spawn OF
Maxwell Anderson's furiously fine
writing in "Winterset." In the stage
version, Mr.. AnderSon's wrath car
ried to the logical conclusion of their
death before the gangster's guns.
The movies thought that was going
too darned far, that Anderson was
being gratuitiously gruesome, SO they
worked out an escape, an answer to
Mos prayer to the effect that we're
only a couple of lovers, who ask
only the right to live
What happened? Another row,
that's what happened.
Latest victim of the puplic's lack
of single mindedness on the proper
fate of a movie hero and heroine is
Frank Capra. Mr.. Capra, whose
Brightness" in disposing of the mag
nificent little people of his pictures
has been one of the miracles Of the
cinema, finally has landed in the
middle of a hornets nest.
When his Meet John Doe" opens
at the Earle on Friday, it may have
any one of four endings. That is
new worlds record in indecision as
to exactly what would happen to a
life of such triumph and travail as
that with which John Doe was
blessed and cursed.
The unmanageable John, which
is the one respect in which he diff
ferS from previous Capra heroes,
is a once promising baseball pitch
er who, because of a sore arm, is
out of work. He becomes the main
figure in a great promotion cam
paign in which he is the innocent
front man for wealthy publisher
with a dictator complex.
The first ending of the picture
had John Gary Cooper, as every
one probably knows losing the con-
fidence of his followers and COM
mitting suicide to show his sin
cerity and good faith. Many GUS
toners thought it was shame for
him to die, so there was another
ending in which the wealthy man
was regenerated by Johns noble
example. That didn't work either,
so Capra worked out a third in
which the hero and heroine, deep
ly disillusioned with the world,
found Solace in each others love.
When that one turned out to be
no more right that the others,
Capra and Robert Riskin lhis write
hand man devised one which
shows all the John Does in the
great John Doe movement con-
verging upon a symbolic city hall
to drive out of it the last fostering
remnant of the evil Threatening
democracy from within.
That probably will be the ending
used at the Earle
But don't bet on it. Whirlaway in
the Belmont seems a better invest
ment.
Why not let Antoinette Splitter,
Mr.. Disney's lady-in-waiting- for
the-opening of Fantasia" finish
the column? Why not, indeed.
Come in, Miss Spitzer:
Because we like you 1--WE think
you're splendid, too, because we
know the ordeal you will face this
evening when Fantasia opens at
the National, what with seeing this
revolutionary and unusual 1--WE shall
see) production for the first time
and then having to 60 back and
write a review, we thought it might
be fun to ask you to join us for
breakfast in the north lounge of the
Carlton Hotel, from 2 to am. to-
morrow morning. There will be
big supply of smelling salts, spirits
of ammonia, platters of scrambled
eggs and sausages what, none of
those miraculous hamburgers Mr..
Swadley serves?) and much black
coffee. We also promise not to ask
questions about what you wrote Of
Fantasia
Count us in if we finish reviewing
that revolutionary and unusual Dis
ney work on time Miss s.