Evening star., 1943-07-28
BY HAROLD HEFFERNAN.

IN the Temporary Absence Of Jay Carmody.
HOLLYWOOD.
Directors have changed along
With most everything else in Holly
wood. Walk on movie set today
and it's 10 to you won't be able
to spot the director. Settle for the
mildest, most inconspicuous person
on the stage and chances are you'll
have your man.
All of sudden the swashbuckling,
hysterical, putteed and breast-beat-
ing director has been packed away in
Hollywood's garden of memories
and in his place come such present
examples as Irving Pichel, who
Erinds out one success after another
and actually knits between scenes!
The f1endish director who used to
keep players standing in the rain all
day long, who kept electrical seats
charged up to frighten actresses into
q display of emotion, who made as
many as "a takes of a single scene to
goad the performer into hysterical
rage, hasn't been heard from lately.
And little is heard, too, from the
directing fellow who carried a long
stick and often in his excitement
struck his puppets when they missed
lines.
Few OF the old-time picturesque
directors remain on the scene, which
Is bad for Hollywood color, but lot
better for the efficiency side. Sam
Wood, for instance, looks and acts
and dresses like businessman. He
never raises his voice But you must
admit he makes smart moving pic
tures-one after the other. Lewis
Milestone, Michel Leisen, Charles
Vidor, Wesley Ruggles, Preston
sturges, many others in the name"
category, are all strictly back
ground" men completely out of line
with blatant directorial tradition.
Still in the ring are Cecil B. De
Mile, whe loves to taunt his players
via the public address system, Greg
ory Ratoff, the ebullient. efferves-
cent Russian. William Wellman. who
shouts and wears puttees; Michael
Curtlz, who slaughters the English
language while making great pic
lures, and Walter Lang, who laughs
and weeps with his actors, his face
squeezing out every emotion in which
he is directing them. Then, OF course,
there is Ernst Lubitsch and his
frayed cigar and ceaseless Donald
Duck pacing and-before he went
off to War-John Ford, who chews
handkerchiefs to bits and breaks
pipe stems between his teeth while
directing.
Undoubtedly the change in types
Is due to the fact that as the older
directors drop out they are replaced
by directors who were once actors.
That should have a lot to do with
the prevailing mood of mildness on
the sets. Such eX-performers as r.
wing Cummings. Otto Preminger,
Norman Foster, Ricardo Cortez, Ed
mund Goulding, Robert z. Leonard,
Wesley Ruggles, Vincent Sherman
and Raoul Walsh probably have an
actors interest more at heart than
fellows who have never been in front
Of camera.
X X X
Pichel, apostle of the new order,
came to Hollywood with many years
of Little Theater. with a course of
George Pierce Bakers At Workshop,
behind him. Primarily he was an
actor and he still likes to take a
fling before his own cameras. In the
13 years he has been in Hollywood
Pichel has been featured in 33 pic
lures His record as director COW
ers only the past four years during
which he has directed Is top-drawer
productions.
The Moon Is Down" and The
Pied Piper" are rated his best and
he is now concluding Happy Land. "
featuring Don Ameche and Frances
Dee. And getting back to his knit