SHAW RETURNS THANKS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 22 April 1941, Page 6

SHAW RETURNS THANKS

BERNARD, 85, SAYS “HIS NUMBER IS UP” Early in 1939, George Bernard Shaw agreed to let a film be made of “Major Barbara,” his story of a munitions maker’s daughter who learned about life and capitalism in the Salvation | Army. War beat the scenario into existence by a month, and “Major Barbara” was produced under fire. Shaw wrote a 1941 introduction to the picture and speaks the piece himself—to Americans in particular—as follows: “Citizens of the United States, the whole 180,000,000 of you: “I am sending you my old plays, just as you are sending us your old destroyers. “Our Government has very kindly thrown in a few naval bases as well. Makes the bargain more welcome to you. JEALOUSY! “Now the German humorist—l I think his name is Dr. Goebbels—has ; got a great deal of innocent fun out i of that. He tells us . . . that England [ has sold her colonies for scrap iron. And why shouldn’t we? We are in very great want of scrap iron. We are collecting scrap iron from door to door. Our women are bringing in their old saucepans; our men are bringing out their old bicycles. And you, with equal devotion, are bringing out your old destroyers. “And now, what about our colonies? “Our colonies are always much the better when we have plenty of Americans visiting them. . . When we think of our English colonies with American garrisons in them, we are delighted. . . DEATH STALKS “Now here I am in an English county, one of those counties that we call the Home Counties. I am within 40 minutes’ drive of the centre of London, and at any moment a bomb may crash through this roof and blow me to atoms. . . “If it does happen, well, it will not matter very much to me. As you see (a wide, whiskery gesture), I am in my 85th year. I have shot my bolt, I have done my work. War or no war, my number is up! “But if my films are still being shown in America, my soul will go marching on, and that will satisfy me.” - [