Movies for bad times

There’s a lot of schedule rejiggering for the holidays - and the watchword is entertainment, not seriousness. "Films that are too much work right now, or are depressing, will have a harder time attracting audiences," MGM executive Mary Parent told the WSJ.

Perhaps the toughest genre to get off the ground in recent years has been the serious adult drama. There are several films in this category coming out in the next two months, including the political biopics "Milk," starring Sean Penn as the gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978; and "Frost/Nixon," the play-turned-film about a pivotal set of television interviews with President Richard Nixon after he resigned.

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Executives say people will still turn out for high-quality movies, but they may be more selective. "I think people will always look for escape, but they may look to escape only twice over the holidays as opposed to three or four times," says Oren Aviv, president of motion-picture production at Walt Disney Studios.

OC Register columnist Barry Koltnow has some notions about how Hollywood might deal with the current bad times. Among his suggestions:

FIND A NEW SHIRLEY TEMPLE: The mop-topped entertainer, and future United Nations ambassador, is fondly remembered as one of the saviors of the nation's psyche during the Great Depression. She literally lifted the spirits of an entire country (if not the world) with her infectious smile, adorable dancing and acting and her general good nature. Studios should be scouring local beauty contests and talent competitions to find their new cash cow.

MORE SCREWBALL COMEDIES:"It Happened One Night," the 1934 Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert comedy, is generally acknowledged to have started this subspecies in the comedy genre. Screwball comedies, which combine farcical situations with clever banter, thrived during the Great Depression, and could make a comeback, if only Hollywood could find another Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Trust me, Kim Kardashian is no Claudette Colbert.

MORE MOVIES ABOUT RICH PEOPLE: Specifically, movies about rich people going broke. While there will always be a market for glimpses into the lives of the rich and famous, people would rather see the privileged classes take it on the chin.

REMAKE "THE GRAPES OF WRATH": The 1940 film is regarded as the greatest movie ever made about the Great Depression. Some smart studio executive should look for another Henry Fonda to utter those classic Tom Joad lines: "Wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beating up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be there in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be there in the way kids laugh when they're hungry, and they know supper's ready. When the people are eating the stuff they raise, and living in the houses they build, I'll be there."