1948-08-13 — Page 4

LEE THEATRE

ADVANCE BOOKING OFFICE: MOUTRIE & CO., LTD. BOOKING HOURS: 11.00 A.M.'TO 5.00 P.M.

SHOWING TO-DAY AT 2.30, 5.15, 7.30 & 9.30 P.M.

Ann Sheridan

LOVING

HER ONCE...

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1948.

KENTUCKY HORSE FARM. RUNNERS TROTTERS PACERS-SADO HONES

IN AND OUT OF PARLIAMENT

M.

By Ernest Thurtle, M.P.

Ps who left Westminster on Friday for a six- week recess were hopeful, but not confident, that " they would not be called back for a crisis.

It is mybody's guess as to how the present impasse with Soviet Russin over Berlin will be resolved, but it is human that we should all grasp, the slightest possible. excuse for taking a cheerful view,

Apart from a very small, minority of members, Parlament was relieved that the projected foreign affairs debate before the adjournment was abandoned. The Government, with all the facts before it, is entitled to ask for indulgence when grave issues are nt stoke.

is once

too

often.

"NORA PRENTISS"

THE NEW

WARNER SENSATION

ESSERT AIDA

KENT SMITH BRUCE BENNETT AND

ALSO

FIRST TIME ON THE SCREEN PRESENTED BY CAUMONT BRITISH NEWS'

OLYMPIC GAMES 1948

THE KING OPENS THE OLYMPIAD

THE PARADE OF 58 NATIONS

THE OATH

THE ARRIVAL OF THE OLYMPIC FLAME TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS BEGIN

ZATOPEK WINS THE 10,000 METRES

CENTRAL

270 QUEEN'S ROAD CENTRAL PHONE 25720

* 5 SHOWS DAILY »

AT 12.30, 2.30, 5.15, 7.30 & 9.30 P.M.

ALHAMBRAKE THEATRE

SHOWING TO-DAY AT 2.30, 5.15, 7.20 & 9.30 P.M.

NEXT

CHANGE!

SHOWING TO-DAY

FOR TEN TERRIFYING SECONDS

....all time stood still!

-Paramount presents

RAY MILLAND

CHARLES LAUGHTON- THE BIG CLOCK

The story of the strangest ...ma&1 Lavage manhunt in history!

"MAKREEN FARLIFAN - KELELE MACHELET

BITA MILEIN 206 ELEA LANCHESTER

Bing CROSBY.

Joan CAULFIELD

! “WELCOME STRANGER"

MAJESTIC 470 230, 520,

Shirley TEMPLE

AT 7.20 9.20 p.m.

Ronald REAGAN

Just when we find somewhere I like, you decide you ought to go home and, mart knitting for the troops."

INCIDENTALLY it would be unfortunate !!

the

general public got the Impression, through the activity of a minute vocal minority in Parliament, that Labour is seriously divided on the-question of military -co-operation with America.

The great bulk of the party is, in fact, convinced that such co-operation must be the corner-stone of any policy to maintain the freedom of Westem Europe from totalitarian domination.

M

☆ *

N. SAM WATSON, the able Durham miners" lender, who will be next year's chairman of the Labour Party, is a firm believer in developing and consolidating our Colonial connections.

Under his chairmanship Labour's Commonwealth Committee has induced headquarters at Transport Houso to set up, a separate section for dealing with Colonial affairs.

HOLLYWOOD'S MILLIONS HAVE

D

GONE WITH

NEW YORK.

not believe it when Hollywood says that the 60 percent slump in its profits is due to the hot weather or the cold weather--or even maybe the rain. It simply is not true. Hollywood is trying to save its face.

The real reason for the slump is that now even Americans are not going to see American plc- tures.

THE

By Evelyn

Evelyn Webber

Literary agents are withholding two-and-a-half million pounds' worth of much-needed story pro- perties-top plays and best sellers.

Good stories are vital to good pictures, but Hollywood saya it cannot afford to buy them now.

Three of the industry's biggest

R.K.O., With its shrunken foreign buyers,

M.G.M.. and market, Britain's 45 percent Universal say they are "temporarily film quota; and Hollywood's off the market" unless they can get own faltering domestic box- ctories cheaper.." office forcing violent economy cuts in the film city, experts expect American pictures to get even worse.

For two decades filmgoers have been fed with Hollywood lavishness. It has been foster- ed by the film city itself.

Now there is a strong au- dience demand for sumptuous- ness in American films, pro- ducers here cannot afford supply it.

to

L

:

Salaries Cut M.G.M. has shelved the production proßtable of the sequel to its "Mutiny On The Bounty" among others, because it says "the story would cost too much."

WIND

They selected catchy titles, and got writers to write stories around them. They bought no new stories. They hired no new talent,

In the north-cast areo, Watson. who is about 50, has been a powerful Influence in countering the anti- Bevin activitles of Mr. Ziliacus, the member for Gateshead.

*

+ *

PRITISH to the core, he has no love for totalitarianism of any brand, and has a habit of saying so In clear and trenchant terms.

A man of great courage, hoʻis reckoned to have one of the best minda in the Labour movement, not barring the intellectuals,

He should make an excellent chairman for Labour in a critical year.*

of cutting American film imports). my name") admitted to me that it for putting the British, polat of

land recently announced Its Intention Hollywood is making pictures quick- ly and for Hollywood—too chenply.

Temperamental Hollywood never could produce good flims with its hand in its pocket.

has

Twice previously the town had an economy wave. Each time its films suffered.

The first time, in 1032, proved to cut producers that though they operating expenses (by 7,500,000 at Paramount Pictures alone), their pronis still ebbed,

In 1838, the cuts occurred again. Hollywood called in film exhibitors this time who knew the film market.

After mass

cx- sackings, the hibitors ordered horror pictures and

There have been cuts in Holly-w-cost forces. wood's mighty salaries and a re- sulting exodus of top talent.

Producers who have been getting £90,000 a year, directors with £50,000 and writers with £20,000 dismissal now, though Hollywood badly. needs them to compete with Britain,

It. is Britain's greatest yearly are facing total

chance.

Earnings Drop

turn out "If Britain can enough films to fill her quota," I was told by an agent of the Motion Picture Association of America, who has just returned from London, "I admit the gild- ed age of Hollywood could vanish for good.

They pasted new scenes over the old sets, and made cheap pictures

Southem markets.

"

The Eric Johnston'agent to whom I spoke ("but please don't mention it had happened today in competi- tion with the quality and arising pres- tige of British films,, their efforts might have been in vain.

Cowboy Sagas

"And it's much worse now," he said. "The entire American film in- dustry is retrenching. We are mak- ing cowboy cagus ' now

and other cheap pictures.

with

"Year we're retrenching British alms, too. Everyone freely admits, now that Britain wasn't gett Ing much for them here.

"You'll probably get no proft at all this year from America.

"You can't blame our exhibitors if they say only 15 out of 49 British- made films are worth releasing in America-or if they want to teach Britain a lesson."

AJO organisation exists in Russin

view before the Russlan., people. In more tolerant Britain there are many agencles for putting the Russian point of view before our people.

One of these is the Anglo-Russium Parliamentary Commitiço,

Its main function theżo days is to distributo pro-Sovlat propaganda to the Labour movement. For that reason it no doubt enjoys the appro- val of the Soviet Embassy,

The committes is not a large one. Récently two prominent Labour M.P.8, Mr. George Hicks and Mr William Dobble, suvered--

a long connection, with it.

To make up for the withdrawals; however, I understand that both Mr Konni Zillacus and Me John Pinkis Milla (who was recently expelled from the Labour Party) have foined the committee. Such changes in personnel speak for themselves,

Our village witch is busy

Other economies vital in a lo's IT is a century since a witch Fuccess are being made. Hollywood was burnt in Devon. Indeed is making shorter flins despite the fact that two of its best and most it was the last burning of that profitable ones"Gone With The kind in England. Yet she was Wind" and "The Best Years Of Our not the last witch. We still well over twice the have old Lucy living among us Lives" were

down at the MIII.

usual length.

Subscriptions to the town's -ex- clusive country clubs have noticeably dropped, too

Gone for Ever Reshooting and extra cutting to- day is virtually Impossible because time and costa.would, exceed the allotted small budgets

"We think Britain cannot do it. But just in case you can, our State Department might be interested in trying to get your quota reduced. We want to sell American pictures in Britain."

Hollywood's net earnings from foreign markets-mainly "The days of £12.000 drawing- British-have dropped from room sets are gone for ever," sighed £30,000,000 in 1946 (that year's one director. entire industry profit was only £36,000,000) to £22,500,000 in 1947, à figure of more than five- Bixths of total profits.

This year Hollywood's total foreign revenue has been esti- mated by Eric Johnston, Fresi- dent of M.P.A., at only £17, 500,000, while Johnston sitys he expects. 1949 overseas revenuo to fall to £12,500,000.^

"Worst of all, we have stopped looking for new Lana Turners of

any Tyrone Powers. There isn't money to speculate."

011

Officials at M.G.M., where for 20 years they have concentrated building batteries of stars with huge box, office appeal, bemoan they can- not afford.now to pay high salaries for new stars.

Sometimes our ideas are

Во

fixed by a literary description that we cannot recognise the thing itself unless it fits exactly to our preconception.

BY "JAN"

On the piano stands a solid globe of glass in which Lucy

peers at her own reflection and mistakes it for the future. Yet for Lucy all is by the stars and spirits still controlled, and the waning moon is her mentor. She plants her peas and beans when the moon rises, though this may mean gardening at midnight, So it is with witches. We and she will gather her fruit have all been blinded by Hans from the orchard only as the Andersen, and merely because Lucy does not ride a broomstick we fallaciously conclude that she is not a witch, whereas of course she is; but her broom- stick is now a bicycle.

moon wanes, for otherwise hur apples will not keep.

was more

•

Well, that's what we thought in this village when we all signed our cards. But within' a week our disillusion was complete.

My wife sprained her foot in jumping from the hay cart. She phoned her doctor. In the past he

always used to drive out from the town, 10 miles away, when needed. But to my wife's request the doctor now, sald she must go in to his sur

gery.

She complained that with a sprain- ed foot that was impossible. Very graciously he said that he was not suggesting that she walked, but took the bus.

Very patiently my wife explain- ed that the bus only ran to town 'on market... day, and there wasn't another, market for n fortnight... My wife put the 'phone down. Since back 20 years: then the whole village, Ands itself

MOR

Hamless enough. Though I do TOWEVER, all this eccentricity is remember some 20 years ago, be fore the doctor was able to visit TN a few hours, Lucy, having heard difference The slight

in us by car, when Lucy

of the accident; rodo: Into the actively employed. In those pri- yard with a bundle of wild rhubarb vehicle is of small consequence.

mitive days Lucy would ride up leaves. which she immediately There is her untidy cottage; to the sick and in 10 minutes would

bound round my wife's ankle. The everything is very much the be busy coating out spirits and pre-

witch has returned into her ele- Bamo at it was a thousand paring a potion of boiled dandelion

ment, and Lucy is now, as busy as bee again propazing potions years ago in the land of sugar roots, or administering some other

noxious herb in some occult fashion. and, while they boll on her portable plums.

future foretelling, the But all that is past now, thanks oil-stove, to the Minister of Health: we have with all the confidence of a tipster. now National Health scheme It is amazing how rapidly, we whereby the poorest in the parish proceed I dare say if this National can call on all the knowledge of Health scheme keeps us cut off like will be no more. It is indeed won- coming around collecting old rats medical science, and Lucy's potions this for long will soon be age in and vermin: again for there are derful: to be living. In an which progress drives up to onda peculiar Keating properties in the

"We can't help it if our old standbys are boring or tiring the public" salda spokesman. "Make Britain lift her quota. Maybe we In A Panic

ran make some money there,"

The cottage crawls with pets, Hollywood la in a panie. There Previously Hollywood has earned the pets crawl with parasites., have been drastle changes in studio enough profit to ensure its prepos White Siamese cats call in management, wholesale firings (more terous expenditures. than 3,000 from the thrise top studios. But now, trapped between rising amorous despair, and by the alone), slashes in picture, budgets, costs and shrinking attendance and window caged budgerigara con Japsed options and an almost total what it politely calls its "unpresume vast quantities of caraway collapse of the free-lance market. dictable foreign market (Switzer-seed.

NANCY No Match for That Timber

DO YA THINK IT'S OKAY

TO PICNIC

HERE 7

I'LL START A SURE-CAMPFIRE. AND

YOU GATHER SOME WOOD

WHY

NOT

OKAY

→

own 'door,

By Ernie Bushmiller

1

tall of the rafiki

COMMENCING SATURDAY Color By Technicolor!

NO TRESPASSING

KEEP OUT

Fitch's

SKIN PEP

AFTER SHAVE LOTION

· makes your face? SMILE HAPPY

On Sale at Leading Stores..

SOLE AGENA, NAN KANG.CO.