The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1946-05-16

! VI 1Jo OW4l OCct~
going spectacles,
with everything
at its command
to insure technical perfection; with
some of the best brains in the coun-
try subsidized in its service; with
the greatest opportunity the world
has ever seen to achieve the ultimate
in artistic integrity and fine enter
tainment-and what happens?
The average movie today-and for
all too many years past-manages to
produce masterpieces that for the
most part are on a par with a penny
arcade.
The obvious argument is, of
course: 'Look at the box office re-
turns" apparently the movie-going
public is getting what it wants! well,
that may be true to some extent, but
anyone who has had a look at the
galleries in metropolitan theatres
could argue about that.
I, at any rate, am not willing to go
along with the movie moguls in re-
garding tie major portion of
the population of these United
States as either morons on depress-
i've maniacs. Instead, l think that
the only reason that they've gotten
by as long as they have with cheap
plots and inferior performances lex
pensively filmedD, is because SO
many people are in need of sopo-
rife that they go to the movies with
their critical senses bedded down for
the evening.
When it comes to zany pictures,
designed for sheer entertainment
think the movies do great job, as
in the "Road" series with Crosby
and Hope-who throw their scripts
out the window and proceed under
their own steam to the great delight
of millions-or the Marx Brothers,
who are gifted artists in the field of
madcap anticking, or Danny Kaye,
who seems destined to go down in
theatrical history as one of the great
comedians of all time.
But turned loose to translate any
thing serious - like first rate book,
or a successful Broadway Production
to celluloid, what do the Holly
wood boys and girls do about it?
Let's see.
Take "a Bell for Adano," beaut-
iful and meaningful book that got to
Broadway with Fredric March play
ing Major Joppolo and all of its
sense intact Hollywood went wild
and grabbed it up at fabulous sum.
Being at all times in great hurry
in the film capital, they had to make
it at once They couldn't wait for
March to finish the Broadway run,
nor could they quite permit them
selves to leave the script alone. John
| Hersey wrote a book about the con-
fict between the sensitive and hu-
name Major Joppolo and his COM
handing officer, General Marvin,
essentially a Fascist, completely de-
void of human understanding The
impact of the two personalities on
the natives. of the small Italian town
was the raison d'etre for the book,
the play and the movie. Soften
General Marvin and you have moth
ing at all Perceiving this immedi-
ately, that's what Hollywood did.
They could have made timely and
thoughtful masterpiece. What they
made was another NOON picture.
Or consider Emlyn Williams 'The
Corn is Green" in which Ethel Bar
rymore starred on the New York
Stage. Barrymore was in Holly
wood when THEY decided to film
this moving story Of a school teach
er in a poverty Welsh min
ing village and of the one boy who
| justified her own meager eXlStance.
Barrymore was not only in the film
capital but she had, it is now OBJ
vious, overcome her long distaste
for motion pictures after her sue
cessful appearance in None but the
Lonely Heart" Her only previous
screen appearance had been with