Show During Mr r. Winchell's absence on vacation his Ms column will be conducted by guest st column columnists t By LIONEL BARRYMORE Who needs no introduction Every actor knows what the critIcs critics crit crit- ics think of him These industrious gentlemen who distribute plaudits or brickbats according to their views of plays and performances have the benefits of their newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper circulation to broadcast their views Now having been offered the space of my friend Walter Winchell with whom I often agree and just as often do not I have the Ule opportunity not often vouchsafed the actor to talk about the fellows who talk about him in print Of the great stage critics there were some who honestly wrote what they believed in spite of hell high highwater highwater highwater water and the newspapers newspaper's business office No actor ever resented being criticized by one of these men In fact we respected their knowledge and views and often benefited b by constructive criticism The same applied to pl playwrights when these critics analyzed a play FIRED ACTOR TURNS CRITIC AND ROASTS SHOW snow Sometimes critics are evolved in strange ways Years ago my brother broth broth- er John and I were in a traveling repertory company We had a fr friend end Fred Butler a newspaper newspaperman man whom we persuaded to come along and try being an actor This wasn't in any spirit of discovery disco We were great cronies and liked to tobe tobe tobe be together Also Butler had a gold goldtooth goldtooth goldtooth tooth which could always alwa's be pawned when we were broke The company got as far as Minneapolis Minneapolis Minne tinne I apolis when the director decided that Butler was no actor and much to the dismay of John and myself fired him Butler went out and landed a job on a newspaper Then he talked the editor into letting him review our shows Gleefully he roasted them and John and I used to laugh over his roasts at dinner each night But they drove the manager wild I remember one gem in which he deplored that a good play could be utterly ruined by an insignificant young actor named Lionel Barry Barry- more George Bernard Shaw was a great critic in the days when he reviewed plays for London publications True he sometimes wrote terrible things about them But any criticism of ot othis his was tempered with justice Mark Twain once tried his hand at dramatic dramatic dramatic dra dra- matic criticism on the old Alta AHa California California Cali Call fornia in San Francisco but never became really interested in it The motion picture brought about a new technique in criticism The early tintypes were ignored Then as pictures grew in stature critics were forced to write about them At first many had a feeling of hostility but this gradually disappeared disappeared dis dis- disappeared dis- dis appeared and today a fine picture like Mrs Miniver is reviewed by bythe bythe bythe the keenest dramatic minds among the writers writers of the press NEW KIND OF CRITICISM EVOLVED BY MOVIES Motion pictures have evolved a anew anew anew new form of criticism which the public never sees Pete Harrison started it it t with confidential reports on pictures to exhibitors He told them what to expect from the picture picture picture pic pic- ture from rom a showman's point of view to equip them with advance information on the handling and exploitation exploitation exploitation ex ex- ex- ex of a film An n adverse report meant that too much expenditure for advertising for instance was inadvisable On the other hand when he praised a picture this meant that the exhibitor tor was safe in going the whole hog in exploitation Today there are numerous trade magazines which review pictures inthe in inthe inthe the same manner and for the same reason They tell the exhibitor what to expect Sometimes audiences fool them however Audiences may mayock flock ock to a picture the trade critics had no faith in And vice versa For after all the only reliable critic is the public itself A few days ago a group of studio writers and directors were discussing discussing discussing discuss discuss- ing a certain picture They picked holes in the story They thought players were miscast When the critics get hold of it you'll see they chorused One veteran director spoke upWell upWell up w Well u maybe youre you're right he re re- re marked It looks like nobody's going going go go- ing to like it except audiences He was right The picture grossed a million Buy Buy War Bonds Bonds- Babe Ruth didn't give much thought as to whether The Pride of the Yankees film was a white white- tie or tic black premiere The Babe showed up with his throat bared very informal You get a pretty good line on the Nazi honor code in the behavior of ot the eight saboteurs They shortchanged shortchanged short short- changed the Coast Guardsman who pretended to accept their bribe Even in bargaining for their lives they cant can't stop cheating Orders were handed Washington hotels to lire fire re their enemy alien waiters waiten 1 |