Responsibility

If anything goes wrong at the Coronation, to blame will be the young Duke of Norfolk, who is "officially responsible." But so much of the ceremony is performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury that any vital mistake will just about have to be made by this Primate of All England. Last week the possibility that motion pictures, the first ever to be taken of a Coronation ceremony in the Abbey, may afford proof of a slip was masterfully dealt with in London. The five cinema firms involved were called on the carpet, forced to promise they will release not a single inch of film disapproved of by the Duke and the Archbishop, who were appointed the official censors. Since they cannot be expected to rush to a projection room directly from the Coronation, and do their censorship at once, Gaumont British was on the point of abandoning last week its plans to have famed British Flyers Jim Mollison and Beryl Markham take off in separate planes with duplicate Coronation films in an effort to get these to the U. S. quickly.

Correspondents assigned to the Coronation were admonished last week that they must wear "formal morning attire or dark lounge suits," must be in their seats at 8:30 a. m. sharp, must not leave their seats before 3 p. m. and "must be as unobtrusive as possible."

Scotland Yard was printing last week exclusively for Scotland Yard a series of maps of the Coronation Procession route drawn to the phenomenally large scale of one inch to 88 feet, showing every lamp post, fire hydrant, sewer cover. To within a few inches these maps mark minutely where the Royal Coach is to be driven.

Last week as a starter for her Coronation trousseau, royal Elizabeth ordered 26 frocks and evening cloaks from Norman Hartnell, Ltd., then stepped out with King George VI to the first play they have "done" since His Majesty's accession: The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, a slick crook play which had its Manhattan premiere last week.

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