Show J I MANY CRITICS BLAST BLAS POOR HOLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD Assaults on Morals Give Way to Belittling of Leading Stars and Outrageous Salaries Paid By SHEILAH GRAHAM I HOLLYWOOD May 21 Is 21 Is it true what they're saying about abou Hollywood There is always som someone one at some time or another telling telling telling tell tell- ing Hollywood what is wrong with it I It used to be the morals of th the place the place the ho di doings o ohe of the he razzle-dazzle razzle film set But no now that hat Hollywood is almost as puras pure pur as the eyes of an actress the shooters are using for target targe practice the quality of or current r n plc- plc practice the quality of or current r n plc- plc t tires res the of the stars and the salaries paid actors writers and directors Within the past month authorities authorities ties tics of ot the caliber of Sam Goldwyn Goldwyn Goldwyn Gold- Gold wyn the Independent Theater Owners Inc and Judge Eugene of Maryland have told Hollywood exactly where it erred Lets Let's examine the facts Are Mae West Edward Arnold Garbo Joan Crawford Katharine Hepburn Kay Francis and Marlene Dietrich so so much poison at the box office ottice as charged by the independents independents inde inde- K Katharine tharine Hepburn rang the box office bell with A Bill of ot Divorcement Divorcement Divorcement Divorce Divorce- ment and her fine portrayal in Little Women And then somehow somehow some some- how her public wasn't interested in her She has had a few poor pictures lately latelY A A Woman Rebels Mary of Scotland Scotland but but she has also ilso had some very good ones ones ones- Stage Door and Bringing Up Baby But th two latter according accord accord- ing ng to the independents kept theater theater thea thea- ter patrons away Miss Hepburn's newest picture Holiday Hollday directed by George Cukor Cukor Cu- Cu kor tor who was responsible for her early picture success is her best film to date Whether it will re regain regain regain re- re gain for her the popularity she has undeniably lost remains to be seen One Good Picture Mae West who until this year received the highest salary in Holywood Hollywood Hoi Hol- lywood has made made made-in In my opinion only only one sure-fire sure picture She picture She Done Him Wrong Some of the others have been pretty awful particularly par par- Klondike Annie But people are still curious about Mae as as evidenced by her successful personal appearance tour Whether er it will raise the very tepid interest interest interest in in- terest in la Ia West's future films films- also remains to be seen Personally Personally Personally Person Person- ally I doubt it Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo have long been regarded in In pic picture A lUA J v 1 parlance CA r ance as 3 prestige p l O A lUA J v 1 CA ance as 3 prestige p l O I. personalities e. e stars ta who dont don't make money for their studios studios stu ate dios but give a certain distinction distinction distinction tion to their producers This is poor comfort for the exhibitors who show their pictures to empty empty- houses answer to the independents' independents blast against Joan Crawford is a new year five-year contract with attached It is a moot question in Hollywood whether Joan or her material has caused her re recent recent recent re- re cent box office decline I doubt whether any actress here could have done much better with The Bride Wore Red or The Last of Mrs Cheyney Both stories were fu fu- fu- fu paced and old Before Before Before Be Be- fore judging Joans Joan's future picture appeal Id I'd like to see her in hi one well written story Give Edward Arnold good screen material and he can bring em to the box office office office-as as witness Comand Come Com and Get It IL and Easy Living The trouble Is that Arnold does no not get grade A stories often enough The Toast of ot New York burned burne to a cinder as far tar as Edwards Edward's career is La concerned John Meades Meade's Woman and Blossoms on Broad Broad- Broadway Broadway way didn't help much either Kay ay Committed l Kari Hari rf Kay Francis has committed committe screen kari hari-kari with her eyes wide wid I open Why she consented to make mak Another Dawn Stolen Holiday I I Women Are Like That three That three o othe of the worst stories ever filmed fUmed will wi always be a mystery to me Still they now pay her a week s sI so soI soI I reckon she's got nothing to worry about That is Ls left for the exhibitors exhibitors tors who lose large sums on he her pictures All in all I think the Independent Theater Owners have a strong case cas dont don't you Now for Mr Goldwyn's blast blast blast- The villains of the industry ar are writers actors and directors They get too much money Maybe the they do But whose fault Is that Mr Goldwyn's chiefly Not long ago agoan an agent offered Sam thu the choice o of two writers The stipend for on one i was a week The other wanted Ill Ili take the writer of course said Mr Goldwyn Anyone Any one wanting only cant can't be any good Sams Sam's sudden peeve against the writing fraternity is traceable to the spent on script work for The Cowboy and the Lady And all he ho received in return was the idea with which he start start- ed Goldwyn's Graustark has employed eight writers so far and the picture is still not ready for production But again this is his own ou-n fault The stories are hard to bring to life As for screen writers In genera general being eing overpaid I dont don't think so There here are few actors or actresses in n Hollywood who do not agree that hat a good script means a good gooc picture And the only way to lure top notch writers to Hollywood is iso isto isto to o pay them well Judge blast to raise the standard of motion pictures should be e listened to with respect by the producers reducers In the last year or so pictures have found a new low loV level Over films 15 serials and shorts horts are made annually in ip Hollywood Hollywood Hollywood Holly Holly- wood at a cost of approximately But the per cent entertaining pictures of this year can an be counted on the fingers ol of two wo hands Mad hands Mad About Music J Jezebel Test Pilot Snow SnowWhite SnowWhite SnowWhite White Vivacious Lady Bluebeards Bluebeards Blue beards beard's Eighth Wife and The Awful Awful Aw- Aw ful ul Truth Why The campaign for picture cleanliness has in my opinion been een carried to tG the point of Many subjects that gave meat and blood to pictures such as honest lonest presentations of difficulties wife the woman other triangles political upheavals up- up are now taboo There Isn't enough of what Is left to make more than a handful of oi g good d adult pictures presuming pictures presuming of course ourse that pictures are made for adults I Ir I. I r 0 C i w Mfr t fr 1 v a IW I 1 4 vo C it U i Mae West can personal appearances restore her draw after affer tepid pictures |