Evening star., 1946-01-07

when Charles Jackson was slit
pounding the typewriter to turn out
his book, The Lost Weekend" I"
which has had the acclaim of critics
far and near, the farthest thought
from his mind was Hollywood and
the movies.
Even after his penetrating study
of chronic alcoholic became the
most talked of piece of writing of
the year, it didn't occur to the wiry,
little bald-headed author that his
first book would interest Holly
wood"
Mr.. Jacksons innocent nonaware-
ness o7 Hollywood was the most
logical attitude possible for the au-
thor Gf such a book. There was
nothing in all of Hollywood's ex-
perience to indicate that it could
take such a merciless story as pos
sible screen material. There prob
ably would not have been even now
except for the foresight and courage
of three fellows named 3. G. De
Sylvia, CHARLES Bracket and Billy
Wilder.
Hollywood has no trio to whom
the public owes deeper bow.
Res<sm department: Louis de
Rochemont the producer director
who took his old March of Time
documentary technique to Holly
wood to such brilliant effect in 1.-THE
House on 92d Street." will stick to
1t. In his next picture dealing with
the ONCE of Stragetic Services with
the same dramatic enthusiasm that
greeted the FBI in his last, the
background will be authentically
New Orleans. Camera crews already
are at work there, the same ones
which functioned in Washington
more than year ago in the FBI
picture.
De Rochement, the realist, is not
above the intimation of a supersti-
ton, however. In brooding over
title for his OSS screenplay, he dis
carded Diplomatic Courier" and
Boomerang" in favor of "32 Rue
Madeleine"
Streets and numbers make good
picture titles for him.
The documentary technique which
De Rochement believes in fervently
was partially responsible for him
landing two pictures on most 10
best lists for 1945. The other one,
Of course, was THE Fighting Lady"
X
Fin de steele department: Don
Ameche who played Alexander
Graham Bell inventor of the tele-
phone, will sort of complete the
cycle in his next tale of dramatic
and eccentric inventor. That will
be Hiram Maxim, whose fertile
brain produced succession of i'm
provements in the world, but whose
best-known one is the Maxim 81
lencer.
If Producer Writer Bruce Man
ming can keep a reference to
Ameche's telephone past and his
current assignment out of the pic
ture. he should go down as a man
Of commendable restraint.
Health department: (Super-time
ly division) Deeply regret it is
necessary to postpone scheduled
demonstration of color television
due to widespread epidemic of in
fiuenza," reads a telegram from
Lawrence w. Loman of Columbia
Broadcasting System. THE key
engineers scheduled to participate in
the demonstrations January II are
LII and therefore unavailable. .
Hope this postponement does not
inconvenience you unduly."
Doesn't inconvenience us a bit,
Mr. LoWHlan. We also have the flu.
Let's-have-no-a ambiguity depart
ment: Hitler Lives" is the title of
the short subject which will run
concurrently at the Metropolitan
with Dakota" but don't get the
notion that it disputes the recent
tales of Hitler's will and his last
minute nuptials with Eva Braun.
1t has to do, not with the physical
Hitler, but with the doctrine he
taught. The film deals with the
manner in which this deadly virus
has outlived its creator. 1t even
has to do with Bismarck and Kaiser
Wilhelm, couple of other fellows
who spread the legend of the mas
ter race among the Germans.
X X v X
Romance department: The play
which first united Alfred Lunt and
Lynn Fontanne was one propheti-
cal1y titled "a YoIInp Mans Fanny -
That was back in 1922 and in the
% years that have followed, the
LuntS have appeared in % other
plays. After meeting in "a Young
Mans Fancy" the two went on to