Evening star., 1948-11-07
For Radio Listeners
By Harry Macarthur

Radio listeners who expected to
find the broadcasters avenging the
cruel barbs of The Hucksters" must
have been more than mildly sur
prised at the CHS documentary
THE Hollywo Picture" aired on
WTOP last Wednesday night. Any
drama of Wednesday night was
paled by that which preceded it on
the air on Tuesday night, of course.
Wednesday was a night for leaning
back and unwinding the exhilaration
of sitting in on the most exciting
political drama radio and television
have yet been witness to.
Those who put together the CHS
documentary hardly could have
foreseen this state of affairs, how
ever. 1t must have been the intent
of THE Hollywood Picture" to turn
the other cheek, smiling sweetly at
q beloved brother entertainment
medium.
Radio, to be sure, is in no position
to take on the motion picture in
dustry in a court of equity, where
each suitor is expected to come with
clean hands. 1t can (as THE Holly
wood Picture" did note the charge
that the Hollywood system of film
making has made IAN industry out
of an art" But a medium whose
entertainment is largely devised and
controlled by q group of large ad-
vertising agencies cannot dwell or
this.
Radio can (and THE Hollywood
Picture" did note that the movies
have been successful enough that
the Hollywood attitude is why
changer" An art form which sticks
firmly to its tired formats and even
permits most of its comedians to
60 q whole season on variations Of
the same six jokes can scarcely be-
labor this point, however.
Radio can discuss the Motion
Picture Production Code, too, noting
its vague language and its tendency
toward making films innocuous by
making certain that they offend no
one, morally or otherwise. 1t can,
but not when its own standards of
practice sound like a rewrite of the
movie code, nor while Hollywood
can point out that the film makers
at least have made their code stick
and have learned how to operate
successfully within its limits.
Radio Tin "The Hollywood Pic
tureD can snicker in passing at
the movies dependence on DR.. Gal
lup for the selection of film titles.
1t can't laugh right out loud,
though, so long as Radio City ulcers
throb every time DR.. Hooper says
1877 instead of 223.
It could be that all these things
and more were staring in the faces
of the writers of The Hollywood
Picture" when they sat down to
their work. At any rate, what
sounded in prospect like possibly
exciting expose turned out in reality
to be a pleasantly toned bit of in
stitutional advertising. To any one
who never had read Hollywood
column or a movie magazine, but
was fascinated with the movies, it
must have been an interesting re-
port on how motion pictures come
about.
The case history approach was
used in The Hollywood Picture, "
with Samuel Goldwyn being fol-
lowed through The Best Years of
Our Lives" from original idea to
ultimate praise. Without resort to
q single Goldwynism, he decided to
make the Aim, hired script writers,
hired a director, hired cast, fol-
lowed through the actual filming,
Strengthened out points with the
Breen Office, ETC., etc.
The conclusion drawn by THE
Hollywood Picture" was one no one
can deny. The more support you
give good pictures" it said, 'the more
good pictures will be made"
The documentary reached high
ly intriguing moment-intriguing
only because the words were coming
from a radio loudspeaker-with a
discussion between a husband and
wife of the merits of the film at
the neighborhood theater oh,
what's the difference?" he said.
Lets go. I'm bored sitting at home y
Their radio, we took it, had just
blown q tube.
y
The three local television stations
proved the agility of their medium
q few days ago by quickly whipping