Evening star., 1952-12-17

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which every one on The Star is dc
ease ones way in a toe at time,
one can simply stand still and let
1t is not easy to choose one
One has very little experience to
go on. It is not every day-in fact
1t is only one day in lifetime, If
that--that q minute mortal is
asked to step across the threshold
Of a new century.
This could turn into q dilemma
with antlers instead of mere
horns. A man could let it fret
him into a paralysis of choice, a
state of complete inactivity.
Or he could. sensibly or eva
sively, treat the day with the re-
spect that any day deserves by
getting on with its routine tasks.
What are these tasks? Well.
there Is one with which all critics
everywhere are refusing to face.
This is that Of beginning to think
Of the avalanche of "bestS" which
come sliding down the farthest
slopes of every December. Best
pictures, best actress. best actor. !.
best supporting players. best di-
rection, best writing, and ever so
many others.
These are more difficult to get
to than ones Christmas shopping.
Take, for instance, the question
Of best screen performances. In
the course of an average season,
one sees a minimum Of 200 or ESQ
star performances. 1t is one OF
the great blessings of the medioc-
rity of most of these that they
can safely be forgotten within a
matter of hours.
Nevertheless, there is always a
residue of, say, 20 or 80 charac-
terizations that qualify for best
consideration. How does a man
work his way through these, COM
ing out on the other side with a
choice that will not jeopardize his
professional security? How do you
measure off Katharine Hepburn's
Pat in pat and Mike" against
Ann Todd's wife in Breaking
The Sound Barrier" Or even
Betty Hutton's death-defying per-
formance in THE Greatest Show
on Earth?" After aH,.-it is not to
be forgotten that Miss Hutton
might have died for HER art in
Mr.. DeMille's big circus picture.
Moviegoers have a much easier
time of it on this score than movie
reviewers.
If the former feel a compuision
at all to make a choice, they can
do it on the basis of which OF
these three, or any other. girl is
their type" This could be Miss
Hutton. a bouncing. vital girl: or
Miss Hepburn a patrician with a
startling flair for the unpredict-
able; or Miss Todd who moves
through life trailing soft radi-
ance behind her.
A critic who must make more
difficult and subtle comparison
before choosing. could ruin a day
forcing himself to make deci-
sion. But why should it be the day
that begins anything so important
as a second century? There still
is time-considerab more than is
left for Christmas shopping.
It's about the same, or possibly
worse. in the case Of best male
performers.
One does not have to go to the
records for reminders of numer-
Gus prize-worth performances.
There was Jose Ferrer. last years
winner of the Academy Oscar. in
the comedy Anything Can Hap
pen" That was work of comedy
art. So was Charles Boyer's por-
trait of the French Canadian ia
ther in THE Happy Time" And
Spencer Tracy's representation of
the sports promoter in Pat and
Mike" and his much more dra-
matte character. Capt. Jones. in
plymouth Adventure.
That was a corking piece of
acting Ray Milland did in the dia-
logueless THE Thief" and it is
quite possible that the best per-
formance of the year was that of
Ralph Richardson in Breaking
The Sound Barrier"
If this was not it. how about
any of the several performances
Of Alex Guinness in such comedies
as "The Man in The White Suit"
or "The Promoter? Then there
was John Wayne who may not
look in the least like an actor, or