Evening star., 1942-06-14
California Still d Happy Land,
But Jap War Is Hard Reality
Washington Woman Tells of Visiting
Old and New Beauty Spots of West

NY iclHlcIcQ SOlQlerS on gudCO, over
look every inch of the scene.
Upon one Of these streets a tiny
japanese boy, in the happy, care
free innocence of childhood playing
with a little green express wagon,
seemed silhouetted against the at
mosphere Of stark tragedy which
enveloped him.
In refreshing contrast to this
Santa Anita detention camp were
the Mexican Players at the Padua
Hills Institute Theater, near Pomona
College in the vicinity of Claremont.
This ofit-making institution.
situated in a valley full of the
pleasant memories of the old rancho
days OF California, is performing a
distinctive service in fostering a
better understanding of our Latin
American neighbors, through the
keeping alive of the romantic
Spanish and Mexican traditions of
California.
Serve and Perform.
In its dining room, excellent
American food and distinctive
Mexican dishes are served by the
very same Mexican boys and charm
ing senoritas, who between the
courses, enthrall those who dine
with haunting folk songs, or the
swift movement of Spanish dances
Following the meal, original, care
fully directed theatrical productions
are given in the adjoining Padua
Hills Theater. These feature and
preserve the songs, customs and
traditions of Spanish and Mexican
California.
Hollywood's moving picture studios
are not only war conscious, but are
patriotically cooperating with the
Government in every possible way.
ana as wartime co-operatives are
practically closed to the general
public.
The courtesy of the Metro Gold
wyn-Mayer Studios was extended to
us in Culver City and that of the
Warner Brothers off Santa Bar
bara for the latter's shooting" of
War in the Pacific"
To see various directors of these
studios at work with their casts
completely revised our lay point of
view with regard to supposed tenn
peramental exhibitions on both
sides. Instead We saw marked cour-
tesy on the part of trained special
lists working with seemingly tireless
cooperation to complete carefully
planned and artistically envisoned
procedures.
Author Luncheon Host.
Barrett c. Kiesling of the pub
licity staff of Metro Goodwin
Mayer Studios, our host at lunch
con, is the author of How Talxies
Are Made" This authoritative
work. used as a textbook at Co.
lumbia University and elsewhere,
covers everything in connection
with its subject from the office
angle, writing and preparing script
to the technical side with its max
ing Of sound tracks and the prep
aration for showing pictures.
With Mr.. Kiesling as our spon-
sor, Spencer Tracy, Reginald Den
ny, James Craig, Edward Arnold.
Halliwell Hobbies and others proved
as interesting off the screen as on it.
Fay BANTER, that prime stage and
screen favorite of ours who in pri-
vate life is the wife of Comdr. Ven
able of the United States Navy,
proved to be the gracious lady we
knew she would be in her dressing
room, in the intervals between
scenes and in the actual shooting of
the action in her new movie, The
War Against Mrs. Hadley," direct
ed by Harold S. Bucquet. With the
National Capital as its background
we felt so at home IN the atmos-
phere it creates that Fay BANTER
in one of the drawing room scenes
even strongly reminded us of Mrs
Calvin Coolidge in the days of her
White House regime.