Texas Plunge

Hollywood's discovery of the Negro problem had given the studios a new cycle, and distributors a tough problem: How would the South take to films denouncing racial prejudice? Would it take to them at all? Last week the industry held its breath while United Artists took the plunge. Having already played nine profitable weeks in Manhattan, Home of the Brave opened in Dallas and Houston.

The sky did not fall, but a Dallas box-office record did, and Houston flocked to the Majestic Theater as though it were a new Glenn McCarthy hotel. Two days after the simultaneous openings, neither city had seen any ugly incidents nor received any customer complaints. Word-of-mouth in Dallas was overwhelmingly favorable, and the local critics greeted the film with applause. Houston comment was more on the lukewarm side; many wondered what all the fuss had been about, but they kept coming.

Negroes turned out in droves for Houston's separate midnight showings, and for seats in the segregated section of Dallas' Majestic, which opened an extra balcony to them. In Dallas, the Negro elevator operator tried to sum up overheard opinion: "Well, I'll tell you, 99% of the people say it's educational, the other 1% say it's good."

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