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the SOVEREIGN STATE of AFFAIRS David Boyd
WELL, ARE YOU IT DEPENDS. A PRESIDENTIAL AS SOON AS
REAEY FOR WHAT'S ON CAMPAIGN AND | RUN HOME AND
19887 SCHEDULE? ELECTION. GET MY HIP BOOTS
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That’s Entertainment!
A COUPLE of weeks back, Gary
Solomon had an interesting column in the
paper about movies, how they've chang
ed, and that wonderful, all-sustaining edi
ble, popcorn. But the part of the article
that caught my attention the most was the
comment he made about the changing
trends in the motion pictures. I agreed
with him; things aren’t what they used to
be in this field of entertainment.
Yes, that’s what my column is going to
discuss this week. It's another one of my
nostalgic comparisons, as one person apt
ly called them, this time between old and
new movies.
* * *
MOVIES REALLY have changed over
the years, when you think about it. And
you don't have to think very hard to
realize it. Thomas Alva Edison is credited
with inventing the movie camera, and
therefore, he created movies. The only ma
jor film he ever made, though, was the first
screen version of Mary Shelley’s novel,
“Frankenstein,”” way back in 1910. It was
one of the first monster movies ever made,
and I'd like to see it, except for the fact
that only about three or four clips from the
film are still around. Seems someone burn
ed the only surviving copy of the film by
accident several years ago. Oh, well . ..
Edison invented the means, but as far
as I know, the man who is credited with
making the first feature movie was a Fren
chman named George Melies. He directed
and put out some of the first films ever
made. His works include ‘“The Devil's Cas
tle,”’ the first vampire movie, made in
1896, and a short feature called “A Trip
to the Moon.” That movie, by the way,
was made in 1902 and was one of the first
(if not the first) to utilize animated
sequences.
* * %
MELIES, EDISON, and a few others
paved the way to movie-making. Their
work led to the great silent era of
Hollywood, which was where most of the
movies were filmed in that time period. All
the productions were silent, because no
one had yet come up with the idea of a
movie camera that would pick up sound.
Because of this, most nickelodeon theaters
had organ or piano players performing
during the movie, providing music at the
right times.
Hollywood's silent era is considered by
many to be its best. It produced some of
the best actors ever, as well as some of the
greatest all-time films. The silent movies
usually all fell into the categories of com
edy, western, historical or horror. And
they were classics, every one.
%* * *
SEVERAL of the great screen per
formers got their start in the silents.
Names like Rudolph Valentino, Lon
Chaney, John Barrymore, Charlie Chaplin,
Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks,
Buster Keaton and Charles Ogle
highlighted theater marquees. Some of the
great silent movies include ‘“The Phantom
of the Opera,”’ with Chaney, ‘‘The Thief of
Baghdad,” with Fairbanks, ‘“The Sheik,”
with Valentino, Chaplin’s ‘“The Gold
Rush,” and the first film version of “‘Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” which starred an
excellent John Barrymore as the comely
Henry Jekyll one minute, and the terribly
hideous Edward Hyde the next.
Sure, these movies seem primitive by
our modern standards, but they were quite
a breakthrough in their time. For several
years, they were the only entertainment
people would have. They didn’t have spec
tacular visual effects like today, and there
are clips in several of those movies that
were shot out-of-focus. Se¢ why do people
like them?
* * *
BECAUSE they were a first. They
weren’t violent; nobody got their insides
ripped out, or anything like that, and you
never saw any sex scenes in them. Their
themes were pretty down-to-earth, as well.
They didn’t make movie about a violent
robot crime fighter in the 29th century or
about a dead axe-murderer who is re
juvenated by a lightning bolt and goes out
on more endless killing binges. Personal
ly, I can't really believe in any of that
stuff. But when Mary Philbin pulled Lon
Chaney's mask off in “The Phantom of the
Opera,” or the overhead chandelier fell to
the floor of the opera house, I believed.
Commentary
By Buddy Roberts
Sure, a crazed, demented character runn
ing around a Paris opera house in a hood
ed cloak wasn't something that was like
ly to happen. But it could. From what I've
been told, lightning bolts don’t resurrect
too many dead people. i
Well, 1927 came around, and so did a
move called “The Jazz Singer.” This film
changed the whole movie-making
business, because it was the first of what
would become known as the talking pic
tures. It was alandmark movie, and things
would never be the same again.
* * *
AUDIENCES were now able to hear
what they were seeing. Silent film stars,
whose voices had never before been heard,
finally spoke out. After nearly 30 years,
the silent era faded into obscurity, and
several of the old films vanished, never to
be seen again.
With the coming of the ‘“‘talkies,”
broader subjects could be dramatized in
the films. The '3os and '4os gave birth to
many memorable characters and films, the
majority of which are still fondly
remembered today. One of the most
popular genres of movies during this time,
Hollywood's Golden Age, was the
mystery. There were all kinds, but my
favorite was the Sherlock Holmes series,
which consisted of 14 films starring Basil
Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Great fun,
those were. :
* * *
ALSO MAKING their screen debut
about this time were Charlie Chan, Mr.
Moto, the Thin Man and Philco Vance. In
comedy pictures, audiences could laugh at
Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello,
Jack Benny and Bob Hope. The extensive
series based on the comic strip, ‘‘Blondie,”
also appeared around this time. Movie
goers thrilled to the early horror movies,
watching such memorable stars as Bela
Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., and
Claude Rains. Most of the movies made
during this particular time slot were good,
too.
Think about the way these type movies
are made today. Detective and mystery
movies are exceedingly over-violent, com
edy films are chock full of unclean humor
and very profane language, and horror
movies have turned into gory, sadistic
pieces of garbage. I once saw a movie
poster for such a film. While the picture
on it wasn't profane, there was a notice at
the bottom of the poster that read
something to the effect, ‘“‘Beware: This
film contains 24 (or so) scenes of barbaric
and sadistic torture.”” Is that
entertainment?
* * *
IN THE LATE ’'3os, color movies
began to appear. Actors and situations
were seen in living color. What a neat idea.
After ‘“Gone With the Wind"” and ‘“The
Wizard of Oz,” both made in 1939, color
films didn't really become commonplace
until the early 'sos. Use of black-and-white
movie film gradually diminished.
Everybody likes to see things in color,
but that doesn’t always hold true when it
comes to movies. A recent technique has
come about that proves that point. I'm
talking about colorization. By some new
means, movie people can add color to
black-and-white films.
* * *
FANS OF COLOR pictures leaped
with joy when many old movie classics
became available in color. This is all well
and good, but many, myself included, have
an aversion to this new colorization pro
cess. It’s felt that if a movie was shot in
black-and-white, it should always be seen
that way. I think it takes away part of a
movie's classic distinction. But, apparent
ly, there's not much that can be done
about it.
C'est la vie, I suppose. Oh, Charles
Ogle? He was the gentleman who played
the monster in Edison’s ‘‘Frankenstein.”
Now that's entertainment!
e e
FOR THE LADIES
Husbands are like fires. Unattended,
they go out. — Des Moines Tribune
* W
OF SOME USE
No one is completely useless — you can
always serve as a bad example. —
Davisville Basemaker
S TV SALES
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“We Have An After Christmas Special
For The Football Bow! Freaks.
It's A Six Pack Of TV Sets.”
Letters To The Editor
@
Nicaragua
Endangers U.S.
Dear Editor:
A recent high-ranking defector from Sandinista Nicaragua has
told anyone in Washington willing to listen that Danny Ortega
and his merry band of communist thugs signed a new agreement
with our new-found friends in the USSR that pledges the Soviets
to massive militarfi' assistance.
The military build-up in Nicaragua is practically without equal
in the history of the world, and will eventually place over 600,000
men and women under arms. With a population estimated at
around 3.5-million, my calculator tells me that this ‘‘defensive
militia”’ represents over 17 percent of the population!
But, that's the good news, folks. The bad news is that Dan
ny Ortega signed that deal with the Ruskies a month before em
bracing the Arias ‘‘Peace Plan!”
Now for the really, really bad news: A distressing number of
our more leftward leaning leaders, including House Speaker Jim
Wright, don't . .. orrefuse to ... believe this Nicaraguan defec
tor when he says anything unpleasant about their pal, Daniel
Ortega.
I'd strongly suggest that you find out what your represen
tative thinks...and, more importantly, does...about the
Soviet expansion in central America.
Then let him know that if he doesn't consider the Marxists
in Nicaragua to be the threat they clearly are, you'll see that he’s
replaced %L;' someone who does.
And think about this: If they can keep their precision built
Soviet tanks and trucks running, the trig from Nicaragua to your
neighborhood should take about five days.
And, given the current apathetic mentality of many
Americans, nobody will lift a finger . . .let alone arifle . . . to stop
them! Think about that!!!
Dick Bachert
4053 Glen Meadow Dr.
Norcross
®
Burlington Hits Bill
Dear Editor:
The U. S. Department of Justice, with assistance from some
major corporations, is attempting to prevent passage of le%isla
tion that is extremely important to consumers, throughout
Georgia, who shop at ]gurlington Coat Factory stores and/or at
other discounters like us.
A very serious problem is occurring in the market place to
day. Full-priced retailers, fearful of competition from discounters,
are pressuring both manufacturers and suppliers either to discon
tinue doing business with discounters or to force discounters to
raise their prices. This activity harms consumers by raising prices
and limiting the range of available goods and services.
Legislation. (5.430), introduced by Senators Metzenbaum (D
--OH), Grassley (R-IA), DeConcinj (D-AZ), Rudman (R-NH), along
with 21 other Democrats and Republicans, will do two things.
First, it will protect the consumers' right to shop for lower prices.
Second, it will also ensure that, when there is sufficient evidence
to show that a manufacturer cut-off a discounter for discounting
in response to pressure from a full-price retailer, the discounter
can iet a legitimate case to a jur{.
The House version of this legislation was already passed by
a unanimous voice vote. You and I cannot stand by and allow
the Justice Department and large businesses to interfere with
our rights. Price-fixing is both anti-consumer and anti-business.
Protect {our rights! Let Senators Nunn and Fowler Jr. know
you want their support for 5.430.
Sincerely,
Monroe G. Milstein
Chairman of the Board
Burlington Coat Factory
Thanks From Menlo
Dear Editor:
To the supporters of the Menlo Recreation Department:
We would?iie to take this ol?portunity to thank everyone who
contributed toward the purchase of basketball shoes for the
Menlo Boy's 14-and-Under basketball team. It is heartening to
know that the people in the community are so interested in the
children at Menlo.
The people involved in working with these children agpreciate
all the financial and moral sufiport the people of Menlo have con
tributed over the years. We hope that the volunteer work done
with these young people will contribute to their growth into
responsible young aduqts.
Thanks again,
Menlo Boy's
14-and-Under Basketball Team
Wl BT LG R TN T U S T T| i S ee D S R
WINTER
CLEARANCE
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WINTER STOCK
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JUNIORS, MISSES,
MEN, BOYS, & GIRLS
~ SAVE 50%
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LIS
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SO o TR e
@ selected SHOES
SORRY—NO LAY-AWAYS
i
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The Summerville News, Thursday, December 31, 1987 .
5-A