Judge — January 1938 — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

THE MOVIES (Continued from page 21) ing background. Everybody agreed about that. “Lost Horizon” was liked by almost everyone, and people who liked that liked “I Met Him in Paris” too. Frank Capra and Robert Riskin working with cops and jockeys and newspaper report- ers have put out some of the very best talking pictures—say “Mr. Deeds" and “It Happened One Night.” But they should have guessed that the same meth- ods might not work with English diplo- mats and withered sages a couple of hun- dred of years old. “Lost Horizon” had some lovely scenery but there was no sense to it; the scenery in “Captains Courageous” was a very essential part of the picture. As for the scenery in “I Met Him in Paris,” arranged by equally successful writers and directors—well . . . There have been a lot of stories about producers who buy plays for prodigious sums, discard the title and hire six ex- pensive writers to do the screen version. Leslie Howard in “Stand-In” says, “I don't see why a film has to be rewritten quite so many times,” and the answer is, “That's the picture business.” Actually if the play was at all successful the pro. ducer will not tamper with it for fear of breaking the spell. The movie made from “Dead End” had a rather prettier heroine, it left out some of the shorter words, but that was all. But the movie “Stage Door,” though there were a few vestigial remnants in it of the old days when no one took the movies seriously—let_ me mention just the young man who appeared on the doorstep as Ginger Rogers’ love-interest and disap- peared immediately after —was much more serious and thoughtful than the play “Stage Door.” The play was not one of the best of the year, but the best plays of the year were not being produced on the commercial stages. People who weep for the Passing of the Theatre are really weeping for the Passing of the Brothers Shubert. “The Life of Emile Zola” was so sol- emn that everyone thought.it was won. derful. It had all the usual faults of a biographical film: it was a string of epi- sodes only bound together by the fact that the hero grows older and fatter as one episode follows another, but at least it gets a good mark for effort. “The Good Earth” was another movie that was properly two or three movies, which impressed some critics and dis. turbed others. Paul Muni is a fine actor, Luise Ranier is a fine actress, and they were both very cleverly made up to look like Chinese. But to rep- resent a novel adequately a film would have to run eight hours, which is just now not possible. So in “The Good Earth” the scenes did not develop into each other; one scene stopped, five years had passed when the next scene began. Not many pictures are sufficiently superb to bring all the critics into agree. ment. Some thought that “Make Way for Tomorrow” and “A Star Is Born” were too sentimental, “John Meade's Woman" and “They Won't Forget” were nothing but propa- ganda, But when all the qualifications have been made, every movie critic will admit that if he did not like to go to the movies he would never have chosen movie criti- cism as a profession. HOLLY HILL HOTEL and 18-Hole Golf Course HAZEN J. TITUS Owner-Management THE Holly Hill Club Hotel is Florida's ideal spot to rest and play. Pleasant, airy rooms, wholesome food and hospitable associations blend agreeably with Davenport's delightfully mild winter climate and gorgeous setting of flowering shrubs, palms and orange trees. Rates mod- erate and guests warmly welcomed. Write or wire reservations. Davenport, Florida ONE of the most beautiful golf courses of Florida is only three blocks from the Holly Hill Club Hotel. 18 holes, wonderfully true, Italian rye grass greens, large grass tees and heavy turf fairways. It is sporty and interesting, with natural hazards. No two holes are alike. A large ractice fairway adjoins the club jouse. “FAMOUS FOR GOLF” ro European Plan December 15th to April 15th AN interesting feature is a real 18- - hole golf course in miniature, par 72, with grass greens, grass tees, well arranged traps and water hazard. It is played with the putter and niblick and lighted for evening play. This is for the exclusive use of Holly Hill Club Hotel guests. A fascinating recreation and excellent practice for comicbooks.com