Blowing the Trumpet

Grey River Argus, 5 November 1949, Page 7

Blowing the Trumpet

If there is one thing of which the film industry is sure, it is the simple fact that the more publicity it gets, the more people will go to see its products. To further this contention, the industry pours millions of dollars and thousands of pounds annually into promoting films. Nothing escapes the publicity men; no incident is too trivial, no happening unworthy of breathless chronicling in their reams of “hand-outs”. Fact becomes stranger than fiction, and the necessity for a never-ending stream of hopeful publicity from their typewriters makes the press agents the mothers, lathers and champions of invention. Eveiy film award —and many of them are somewhat suspect by now — is the cause for furious inter-publicity oflice cabling. Current news items are also exploited. It was mere happy chance which enabled Warner Brothers to send out a “speedgram” advising that the advent of a film named “Rope” was coincident on the approval of the release from prison in 1953 of Nathan Leopold—half of the infamous Loeb and Leopold team whose “perfect crime” murder gave “Rope” its basis. Each week the J. Arthur Rank organisation despatches a breathless communique on its current activities to this column and presumably hundreds of others throughout the world.

The material is generally received later by surface mail, and then drifts in still months later from the local agencies. It is gripping stuff, telling from Tommy Trinder has been givingfootball lessons to aborigines in Australia in exchange for tribal dance tuition. The reason for the news is that before long a film called “Bitter Springs” (set in Australia) will be released and Tommy Trinder is its star. “June Bride” (at th e Regent) is said to be the best comedy sent out from Hollywood last year. Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery are co-starred and the story moves swiftly along with a laugh at every line. Picture-fans will find that Bette Davis has another side to her acting talent; she leaves the tragic pathos of her previous films and proves equally as convincing in the rol e of a “June Bride”.