Evening star., 1944-10-21
By HAROLD HEFFERNAN.

Number one problem today for
every short story and motion pic
ture scenario writer is this: How to
explain why the handsome hero
isn't in uniform.
IT you think that's a cinch sit
down and try it some time. The
short story scribblers for the pop
ular magazines are obviously hav-
ing their troubles, but their grief
is nothing compared to the plight
of the movie writer. He's in pitiful
shape.
Magazine writer's have a certain
advantage The familiar device
these days Is to describe a wavy-
haired, 6-foot-2 hero, aged, say, 26,
who looks as if he ought to be smok-
ing out Japs but instead is engaged
in the interior decorating business
In Manhattan, then simply drop in
a paragraph saying he is engaged
in important war work" You don't
even see him doing this war work.
You Just accept it in good faith.
X X
With the movies it's different
You've got to show 'em. And the
unhappy screen writer's have about
run out of snappy notions to get
around this. After all, they can't
have all their heroes be Marine SER
geants; and the public, according to
reliable information, is preferring
light civilian comedy and tragedy
as relief from so much war. So
the screen writers have to think
up devices. For instance:
In nguard' "Spellbound"
Gregory Peck is a modern young
man in a sack suit. Vanguard
writer's explain this by a scar on his
wrist. You quickly discover he got
the scar before the picture started
when he was shot down during a
bombing raid over Rome. Then
they go on with the story, forget
ting war.
"Brewster's Millions" that engag-
ing old timer, is being revived by
Edward Small, and how do you SUP
pose they get around a hero whose
assignment is to spend a million
dollars for fun? Why, the picture
opens with Dennis O'Keefe disem-
barking from troop ship. Then he
gets the million. Then he spends
1t. Simple as that.
X X X
In Cover Girl" Gene Kelly Is
discharged veteran who suffered
wounds in North Africa They tell
you that quickly, then 20 on with
the rest of the yarn.
In JAMIE" one hero Is already In
uniform, the other is too young
but ne joins up in the last few feet
of film.
In The Conspirators" Paul Hen
reid is shown working with the
french underground and is thus be-
yond criticism.
In Man Without Destiny" War
ner Bros. writer's perform probably
the neatest trick of all. Helm,,t
Dantine is an escaped German pris-
oner. That certainly explains him.
In I'll Be Seeing You" the prob
lem Is faced very squarely, with no
beating around the facts. joseph
Gotten Is a sergeant in the Army.
ana he wears the same uniform
throughout the picture. But he is on
furlough, and all the action takes
place on the civilian front. Not
war picture at all, in spite of the
uniform. Same thing applies to
Hail the Conquering Hero" Pres
ton Sturges comedy in which Ed
die Pracken is in uniform almost all
the time.
The easy way to solve the ought
to-be-in-uniform diff1culty is to
place the pictures action in 1899.
You have to photograph a calendar
in the first reel, then 60 on with the
story. Double Indemnity" did that.
"Gasl1ght" went even farther back.
So far no one has had a word to
say about Tarzan, who wears Moth
ing, lives in a jungle and therefore
never has to explain why he isn't In
uniform. But the producers of the
cartoon strip "Superman, didn't
hesitate. They had Supermans eye
sight tested by draft-board doctors.
Superman failed That was because
his well-known X-ray vision pene-
trated through the wall-and he
read the chart in the room next
door. In case you'd forgot, that's
why Superman isn't in the Army.
Walt Disney is the luckiest pro-
ducer of all. His writers don't have
to worry about Mickey Mouse and
Donald Duck.
just for comparative purposes.
RKO got print of THE Enchanted
Cottage made in 1924, with Richard
Barthelmess and May McAvoy, and
screened it for the cast of the new
version, just being started with
Robert Young and Dorothy Mcclure
co-starred. Artistically, it wasn't
bad, but the actors all mugged in
ADJUSTMENTS.