Evening star., 1946-07-17

Intelligence OF this change in tf
under Gen. Douglas Macarthur is
conveyed to drama desks by Loew's,
Ines, international-m minded publi-
cistS. 1t is at least partially the
work of Dan S. Terrell, now Loew
editor, but during the war an Owl
man in Dublin, Paris, Brussels
where he picked up world aware
ness.
Mr.. Terrell, laughing a sardonic
little laugh on his typewriter, which
is neat trick, as any typist knows,
says the Japs will see 60 American
films this year. All of them will be
in the "as is" state. He adds:
Before the war it was the Gus
tom among theaters to omit the
happy endings of Hollywood fea-
lures, concluding them at a point
where the action was all fouled up,
as a sop to the empires pseudo
masochism. Now that JapanS the
aters are under United States con-
troll they will get happy endings
and presumably learn to like them"
No effort will be made to torture
the lip movements of Hollywood's
players into a sound track dubbed"
in japanese.
The so films will remain in their
original English. Due allowance, OF
course, is made for the fact that
Japanese knowledge of English Is
limited. The due allowance will
take the form of narrator, or mas
ter of ceremonies. This character
is known in Japan as benshee,
which, as Mr.. Terrell's bulletin
hastens to report, is not typo
graphical error. 'Benshee' Is the
word.
The benshee's job is to cut in
when the actors are not talking and
explain to the audience what they
lust said and what action led up
to their saying it. The benshee's
voice is recorded, as it would have
to be to guard against the follows
falling asleep during, say, the sixty
sixth narration of feature. Or, In
the case of some features, the first
narration.
The recordings are made in Japa-
nese laboratories under the super
vision of Gen. MacArthur's Mill
tarv Government personnel.
The picture which seems to hold
the most piquant possibilities 1or
sending the banshee home to his
wife in a state of approximate de-
mentia is the Columbia fantasy OF
several years ago, Here Comes Mr..
Jordan" That will be recalled as
the story of a prizehghter who came
back to earth to finish of some
affairs here under the guidance OF
an ectoplasmic guardian named Mr..
Jordan.
That's a shee-within-a-ben-
shee situation if there ever was one.
X Y x X
Less likely to battle the poor ben
shee. if that isn't being jingolstlc, !
are such films as "Our Vines Have
Tender Grapes ABE Lincoln in
illinois, THE Gold Rush" Keys
of the Kingdom" "Casablanca," and
several others.
These same films will be shown
to Korean audiences, but by SIM
pier device than resort to the ben
shee.
Each will be preceded by a 10
minute exposition of what Is about
to be seen. The Korean narrator
will use his native tongue, not the
japanese language, which has been
anathema to Koreans these several
decades.
CAPSULE criticism honors must be
conferred today upon the Associated
Press Jack O'Brien who, under a
New York dateline, writes: /
Jules Pfeiffer, producer OF fiat
tire satire, called Maid OF the
Ozarks,' which opened last night at
the Belasco theater, had the strange
temerity to announce in advertise
ments prior to the Broadway pre-
miere that his show would. attract
a critical consensus as the worst
play ever seen on Broadway He .
is approximately perfect in his
prognosis. A supposed lampoon of
Tobacco Road" this untidy little
mess just about defles any other
summation than the one so
adequately anticipated by the
producer"
Maid of the Ozarks" enjoyed
run of several seasons in Chicago, |
to the enormous profit of Producer
Pfeiffer and the acute discomfort
of those who felt personal concern
for the. city's cultural reputation.
1t will be interesting to see what
damage it survives to do after the
blasts of Gotham's critics.
X x X
Bulletin board: With Centennial