Evening star., 1949-02-27
Larger Than Life
Screen Characters Arouse Indignation
by Being More Than Man.Size
By Joy Cormody

report during the week that some members of
highly rued attitude toward the motion picture
Command Decision This peuance described growing
Of the portrait of highly bobasc member Of the House of
Representatives by Actor Edward
Arnolds man certainly is whom Congress
be proud In fact Haine author Command
hardly have thought of finer symbolic monkey
wrench to throw into the American machine
Nevertheless the umors of Congressional umbrage that
probably reports nearly always
yet they testify to one of the most remorseless truths Of the
emas life namely that when speaks. loudly
eloquentg.
That Magnifying Defect
This is to say that makes its characters than
size or e-slze In picture after picture the impression
created that could
conduct magned by the Every character whether
he is lawyer doctor merchant newspaperman
whatever has tendency to look like the whole law
yers doctors reporters etc. Instead of which is what the
author had in mind when the creature being created
typewriter. the figure becomes
The human impulse involved angry
and scream its outrage that Hollywood would dare besmrch it
such fashion.
Newspapermen most especially those employed critics.
have always found this wounded than slightly dcu
lous when involves other They will
defend Hollywood the right of
literary freedom in such
Not however when it is journalism that mpugned when
of the editorial publishing tribe depicted scoundre
unprincped maverick At such times the cody
objective has revealed that sensitive other
group Hollywood still bears the OF dozens of such counter
attacks of the most notable of which Washngton
dudgeon over Frank Capas Nj Smith Goes to Washington
pair of Capras characters creenplay
sented highly vulnerable Senator and besoed influential
and Capra still wnces at the of the cath
ing rebuttas intention that his
partisan Senator should imply than that the
took much broader view of them typical attitude that makes
the movies miserable.
Nothing Would Left.
Carried its logical conclusion this condemnation of Holly
wood would make
bother ndentih
cation characters with life would disappear
would the theaters audience.
Certainly there could such picture Command
sion which deals harshy with Congressman much
bitter
heroic played Clark Gable the
highly unatterng The of these played by Walter
Pdgeon old eeaer who has lost his fire. far from the
perfect model of model General The other
Brian DonevyS opportunist against whom the Air
might vady srdent AS for the dozens
who implied the picture sitting in Washington in the
screenscrip they downright
unmentionable.
Beyond a doubt Congressman picture escapes
nearly whole than these.
Granting the played by Johnson love-
enough a scounde
any petty puroner
whisky English
left lying the desk
and he has patriotic impulse neatly
dstase for the whole business him
philandering.
Minor Figures Affected.
characters who merely suggested might
well take oense at what Command Decision implies of them
English girl would rather find
child of wedlock
Surely would something Author
and for implying that she lacked discrim
inaton to the degree implied the
the than e-size implications of
feelngseven when the used with intelligence
discreon-he ultimate subjects will up being
Pluto Mickey Mouse the animals
newsreels
They fine, but hardly enough.