Word: arlen
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...Lampoon-written prose, Michael Arlen's essay How to Tell a Good Movie from a Bad Movie points humorously to the fallacies in film reviews based on truisms such as: "All English movies are good movies" or "All Technicolor movies are bad movies." Mistrusting these truisms, Arlen builds his piece around his personal way of picking pictures the advice of ten-year old cousin Henry "who knows when to walk...
...Right, by Charles Osborne, an account of a free trip to Hollywood won by two man-hungry uglies, also reads smoothly. But in the Lampoon's one non-movie story. Fish Old of Water by Arlen, it is easy to see why the 'Poon so often draws yawns instead of chuckles. It's the old formula. St. Mark's boy meets sub-deb at yacht club party; he tries to give the impression of being a world-wise man about the beach, she--a sophisticate. Girl sets fast pace for a while, but finally breaks down and acts...
Another feature, not on the movie subject, is a bright take-off by Arlen on Funny Coincidences columns. It almost makes up for his other story. The cartoons and sketches by John Updike, Charles Robinson and Lewis Gifford hold a pretty high level. Gifford's cover, again, is colorful and eye-catching...
Besides a bold, colorful cover by Lewis Gifford and two passable stories by Michael Arlen and Charles OsBorne, only Updike's drawing and light verse save the Lampoon from falling into the category of dull, soggy reading matter. On the other hand, Updike's Advocate sketch, his poem Famous Americans II, and five snappy drawings are really high quality material--worthy, I believe, of the Benchley, Williams Golden Age of Lampoonery...
...Michael Arlen and Pd Rather Net by Osborne are fairly witty stories. Arlen started off with a meaty subject--Adolphe Menjou's resignation from the Ten Best Dressed List. For a few paragraphs Arlen's reminiscences are fine, but, regrettably, he continues with them long after they have lost their interest. Osborne's blast at Ripley's Believe It or Not is a good one-shot idea...