Judge — August 14, 1920 — page 28: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is a film criticism column by Myron M. Stearns discussing cinema projection rooms and film quality. The header illustration shows stylized figures in 1920s-30s fashion, with one notably larger dark figure among them—likely satirizing film industry pretension or an outsized personality. The column critiques studio preview rooms, contrasting luxurious executive screening spaces with humble "test" rooms. Stearns humorously describes how studios use previews to gauge audience reaction, with anecdotes about frank audience feedback ("Say, she's a peach from this side!"). The satirical point: despite expensive facilities and executive authority, studios often misjudge their own films' quality. Stearns suggests even powerful directors can't reliably predict audience response, mocking industry confidence and the gap between intention and execution in filmmaking.