Evening star., 1944-12-27
Movies Please
|GIs in Jungles
by HAROLD HEFFERNAN.
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When the filthy job of whipping
the Japs and Germans in jungle,
mud and rain is ended and the boys
get back to their upholstered seats
in the movie houses, we're going to
hear the real story of the powerful
role played by motion pictures in
keeping Yank morale at high
pitch. Already we're getting part
of that story, in stray letters from
the boys at the front, all of them
proving that without movies-any
kind of movies-the grim business Of
war in those far outposts would be
a lot more difficult to face
Here's a letter today from Pvt.
James Deacy, U. S. Marine Corps,
on duty in the Central Pacific area,
that gives a vivid picture of movie
going the hard way. Deacy is
Chicago boy who in normal times
sees more films than most fans. He
was a runnerup seven years ago
when the motion picture industry
sought out the Nations greatest
movie-goer, with trip through
Hollywood studios as the grand
prize. During that year he saw 1856
iedIultS IcWcI tlldll lIic lcllOW
who won the trip.
It's hard to imagine how it will
seem to get back into the regular
run Of movie shopping again writes
Deacy. 1--WE see most of the pic
lures out here, but under the
strangest conditions One night it
ralned SO hard that when we got
up to leave We were sitting in
inches of water. But did we notice?
Not at all. We don't mind the wet
# it's good picture because we're
not going anywhere after the shows
over, like the good old days"
The one type of movie the boys
howl about under these conditions,
says Deacy, is that showing the
handsome hero winning the war all
by himself and returning to the
States covered with campaign rib
bons and medals,
We've been getting all the pre-
war fight pictures from way back" 4"
continues the marine fan, and
| they make big hit with all the
boys. We see Louis fighting Brad
dock, Ross and McLarnin and a lot
of the old Dempsey battles.
What we want most are good
action pictures, musicals with good
songs and. of course, lots of pretty
girls. Only thing that causes us to
miss any part of picture is when
the rain beats down SO hard the
screen can't be seen"
Next time you're sitting back in
that nice loge seat grumbling about
the movie, pull yourself together
and take little dream trip to one
of those outdoor jungle theaters.
Out there in the rain and mud, mill
lions of Yanks still insist that mo-
ton pictures are your best enter
tainment.
News in nibbles: Four studios are
bidding for Robinson Crusoe,
U. S. N" which tells of the adven-
lures Of George Tweed on Guam
M-G-M is investing in another mu-
steal comedy, ON the Town" by
Oliver Smith and Paul Feigey. to be
produced by George Abbott. Holly
wood producers have been having
poor success with such Broadway
CANDLES recently Orson Welles
is talking with John Golden about
Broadway production of King
Lear" The genius frowns on max
ing another movie for some time
His Jane Eyre was something of
a box-offlce bust Katina Pax
inou. neglected by Hollywood after
her brilliant performance in For
Whom the Bell Tolls" writes friends
that Sophie Helenczik, American"
will open the day after Christmas in
New York She's still under con-
tract to Paramount.
Emily Kimbrough, heartened by
the success of Our Hearts Were
Young and Gay" has tried her solo
hand again with How Dear to My
Heart" story of her early childhood
in Muncie, Ind. . . Director Mitchell
Leisen has returned from Mexico
City, where he checked background
shots for Masquerade in Mexico"
Hellzapoppin' forecast: Theatrical
property manufacturing shop owned
by Gil Lamb, Paramount comedian,
has received $4,000 order for
gadgets to be used in the Olson and
Johnson show, Latin Room Only"
which will open on Broadway this
winter. Hold onto your seats.
tReleased by North American Newspaper
Alliance, Inc)