Judge — July 16, 1927 — page 32: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“The fellow going out must-be worth watching; just look at the crowd following him.” “Rather; those are the boys who sell his lost balls.” Judging the Movies (Continued from page 21) novel explanation of that earth- quake.) An old actor the other day, in speaking of movie criticism in general, remarked, “You can’t take them seriously.” Certainly, you don’t have to go to the movies. There are a few bright comedians; a Chaplin; a Griffith, a W. C. Fields, and there are a few intelligent directors. But here is the situation: the pro- ducers own three-fourths of the movie houses in this country. They are powerful beyond estima- tion. Already they have cut down on salaries and production costs. In the future expect the maximum of hooey and a mini- mum of expenditure. They must appeal to the masses for their huge profits. What of it? Remember, then, that the majority of the people of this country live in small com- munities. Remember that their largest emporium is the movie theater. Remember that these people go day after day and night after night and that the ideas of morality and nationalism they see put forth are impressed on them, photographed on what passes for their minds. Remem- ber that this believing movie audience is a voting majority and then start. saving for your steamer ticket. Certainly you don’t have to take the movies seriously. Had —Passina SHow you lived in Salem, you need not have taken witch-burning seri- ously—unless, of course, they selected you as a witch. There have been a few enter- taining and intelligent films made in this country. Mechanically, the movies have progressed. Mor- ally, they still support super- stition instead of religion and vulgar prudery instead of civilized freedom. The Puritans never had a better handmaiden. The God of the movies gets more excited over the Fate Worse than Death “Out a bit late, aren’t you?” “Yes, p’r’aps I am, but it’s the only chawnce us pedestrians got.” than he does over War or Famine. Such films as “Old San Fran- cisco,” blessed by the Old Testa- ment God, and spread into every hamlet and city in the country, will do more to strengthen petty superstitions and foster social hatred and generally retard civilization in the United States, if any, than it is pleasant to con- template. You don’t have to go to the movies, but you do have to live with people who do go to any and all and who, which is far more deadly, haven’t the per- spective not to be influenced by what they see. If you don’t be- lieve me, wait until the next presi- dential election. Peed “It often happens,’ says a doctor, “that a man who is a lunatic is entirely ignorant of the fact.” Unless he happens to be married, of course—Hvmonrisr Pe Bod There are over one million laws in force in the United States. Another one is evidently needed, making murder illegal in Chicago. —Lonpon Opinion What this country needs is an old-fashioned spiritious revival. ————— ‘Uudge pays $5 for each one printed —Lonpon Opinion comicbooks.com |