Writers and artists, working under the direction of a man who usually needs a haircut, are taking the reform school tendencies out of the character of a little fellow named Pinocchio, writes Hubbard Heavy in the "Oregonian."
He is coming to life in cartoon fashion with all the buoyancy of the first two pigs, the mischievousness of Donald Duck and the unfailing humour of Walt Disney.
Therefore, he is in line for the Popularity that the ideas and trademark of Disney (the barber's enemy) have given to similar figures of fable and fancy.
"We're getting it rounded out now," is the way Disney speaks today of his second feature. It was started, with a vague story idea and several hundred sketches, a couple of years ago when "Snow White" began to impress even the bankers from whom Disney had to borrow money to keep the doors open.
There is an interesting announcement that Miss Margaret Sullavan will appear shortly in the film version of "The Canterville Ghost," a short story by Oscar Wilde. This is one of Wilde's characteristic combinations of farcical humour and sheer sentimentality. It tells how a rich American minister, Mr. Otis, buys an English castle haunted by the Canterville ghost. The ghost in its earth life murdered his wife and was so chained to the scene of his crime. 2 The hauntings which have gone on through many generations are the most horrible kind and many noble persons have been frightened to death. But the American family will have none of this. They refuse to take the ghost seriously. They arrange butter slides, and when he enters their bedroom at midnight to have horrible vengeance on his {ormentors a jug of water falls from the top of the door and drenches him. Turnip spectras in dark passages terrify him.
But one member of the Otis family, the charming daughter, has a tender heart. She is as good as she is beautiful and is sorry for this poor ghost. Through her loving sympathy the Canterville spectre is finally laid to rest, but not before he has given the loving girl a magni-cent present of jewellery as a wedding gift. Presumably the part of the girl will be played by Miss Sullavan. It will be seen that this is a variant on the idea of a British ghost bought by a rich American family, which was treated by Rene Clair in "The Ghost Goes West'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.