Salt Lake Telegram | 1944-04-06 | Page 4 | They Were Supposed to be Heroes

w They hey Were Supposed to Be Heroes CHARLIE CHAPLIN the famous British-born British movie co comedian edia who made millions o out t of entertaining the American peo people l has been acquitted of charges of Mann act violation Thus he he her t r joins the born Australian-born Errol Flynn film hero who likewise has pas made large sums of money out of entertaining the American American Ameri Amen can people and who likewise was acquitted on a morals charge change It is quite possible th that t the decision of the courts in these x i cases cases ases is correct from the standpoint of simple justice Yet there r k Is Is another angle to these c cases ses and to others of similar nature f involving prominent members members' of the film colony olony which has hasi hasa i a nothing lothing to do with the criminal law or the processes of justice L And it is an angle which deserves some comment t Whether or not Chaplin or Flynn or-Flynn Flynn was guilty of any i r r nal ital violation of laws affecting morals they were guilty of so sot so t. t conducting themselves in their private lives ives as to bring questionable questionable questionable ques incidents out of their private lives into public view They have not lived up to a high standard of conduct conduct and and by byI I their failure to live up to such a standard they have let down downy y 9 the public whose dimes and quarters and dollars dollars- lifted them of the rut of fi financial ancial mediocrity and they have let down the movie industry which helped to make them wealthy and prominent Charlie Chaplin and Errol Flynn have been heroes to thousands thousands thou thou- sands lands upon thousands of Americans Americans especially especially to the children f of f America They have accepted that hero worship worship- en encouraged our ged j it and capitalized on it They had not the right to accept and capitalize o on that hero worship without a accepting the obligation obligation obliga obliga- tion jion to live up to the standards of a hero In return for the riches America has showered on these foreign-born foreign purveyors of f entertainment they owed something more than good good- entertainment enter enter- they they owed good example That ethical failure to live Jive up in their own lives Jives to the i standards of heroism they portrayed on the screen is their real s offense ff nse And their real punishment is the disfavor and scorn scorn t of f the American people whose approval and support and trust they have abused r