The name is absent

Appendix 2.2: PG_r KW_r MPH; Annual assessments of UK box office

box office films ('biggest box office attraction') these methods
- observation, experience and word of mouth information from
colleagues - when used consistently are probably as effective as
any others might be. But his criteria for categories such as
'best individual performance', 'most successful comedy team' and
'most promising newcomer', which presume audience attention to
one element of the film in preference to others, are more
problematic.

And what of the stars? We have no hesitation in placing
James Mason first. Although he has appeared in only one
film this year The Wicked Lady his popularity has
enormously increased. Evidence of this is the constant
demand for his old films and the furore he has created in
the States. He is clever enough to keep in the news,
without making too many pictures.

KW 19/12/46 p47

What criteria allow James Mason to be first among the 'most
popular and consistent stars' for 1946 'although he has appeared
in only one film this year'? Who was making 'constant demand'
and how was the demand expressed, and to whom? What was the
'furore he has created in the States'? The last lines 'clever
enough to keep in the news without making too many pictures'
suggest a dependence on the gossip of the trade which would have
been extremely susceptible to manipulation by the publicity
departments of production companies. It may be that the
categories naming individual stars were less reliable than those
more dependent on 'hard' financial information. The following
rather poignant epitaph for James Dean suggests that this may be
so.

I've not mentioned James Dean, lead in East of Eden (Warner
cinemascope) among the newcomers, because his career was
tragically nipped in the bud. As a matter of fact, I'm
always wary of boosting fledglings because so few manage to
spread their wings and make the top flight.

KW 15/12/55 p9.

The listings of stars and actors are useful, however, for
comparison with the similar Picturegoer categories which were
methodologically more straightforward, and those in the Motion
Picture Almanac which offered similar information culled from a
slightly different cross section of respondents in the British
industry.

Kinematograph Weekly annual award categories

1: Categories which attempt to define the industry and discover
the most effective sales technigues. Apropos money there are
'best output', 'biggest box office attraction', and 'runners up'
which changed in 1950 to 'other notable attractions'; apropos the
UK industry there are 'best British film', 'most successful

97

<<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   >>

More intriguing information