CIVIC THEATRE

Chronicle (Levin), 27 April 1946, Page 2

CIVIC THEATRE

A peep into the statistics on David O. Selznick's long awaited "Since You Went Away," which screens at the Civic Theatre to-day through United Artists release reveals in clearest form the tremendous task involved in 7the production of a major motion picture. The facts emerge even more sharply when they are compared with the figures on "Gone With the Wind." With. its running time of more than three hours, "'Since You Went Away" qualifies as the second longest film to emerge from Hollywood. It is topped only by'"Gone With the Wind." Just as "Gone With the Wind" ran longer in footage, it took a more time-consuming period to produce. "Since You Went Away" was before the cameras 127 days, just ten days shorter than the shooting schedule of its distinguished predecessor. Its 300-plus pages establishes the script of "Since You Went Away" as the longest ever written. Selznick himself did the writing under the assumed name of Jeffrey Daniel, a combination, incidentally, of the liames of his two sons. To say that the production is star-studded is putting -it mildly. Where "Gone With the Wind" had four stars— Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and the late Leslie Howard — "Since You Went Away" goes three better with a cast of seven leading players— Claudette Colbert, Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore and Robert Walker. . ; .