from Saturday Evening Post
East is West
by Ellis Parker Butler
This is the third of a series of six advertisements appearing weekly in THE SATURDAY EVENING POST, written by Ellis Parker Butler, world-famous humorist and author of "Pigs is Pigs", telling America about a new screen play, "East is West." Mr. Butler accepted this commission only on the condition that he be permitted to say exactly what he pleased on the subject.
"She is Ming Toy -- The Beauteous One -- and her price is most reasonable, your Excellency."
The "Love-Boat" scene in this "East is West" motion picture is a flash of real drama, and for two reasons. The first is the eye reason. By the time the love-boat appears we have seen enough of China to feel that we are actually there, but it is the mean China of cheap streets and small shops and one-horse coolie-peasant farms. Then, suddenly, we are whisked down to this beautiful and gorgeous Chinese love-boat, as bright and showy as the gayest New York cabaret. That is a clever use of scenic contrast.
But the scenic contrast would be paltry if the reason for it were not inevitable. By the time the love-boat appears we are mightily interested in what is going to happen to the charming little Ming Toy (Constance Talmadge) and are worried about it. If Ming Toy were an ordinary Chinese girl, brought up to consider being sold at auction a possible fate, we might not care much, but Ming Toy "don't feel China" and does feel "99% American-girl," and we do care. We hate like sin to see her slant-eyed wretch of a father dress her up for sale and drag her down to the love-boat, which is a sort of all-night Chinese cabaret with a slave auction annex. We hate the fat mandarin who looks her over as if she were mere livestock before he bids on her, and we would like to give him a punch in the eye. So, you see, the love-boat scene was inevitable. It had to be there. It was a part of Ming Toy's life story. And, just as Wellington at Waterloo prayed for "night or Blucher," we want to know how much more of this Ming Toy has to stand, and why that muscular young American lad, Billy Benson, doesn't get busy.
(I'll tell you more next week.)
Click here for a complete image of this ad.
