Screen editor Thomas M. Pryor interviewed film producer Alexander Korda who was in town finalizing arrangements to launch his new international producing and distributing companies. Among the properties he owned was Daphne du Maurier's current bestseller, The Kings General ,but he didn't expect to put that or any of his other properties into production before the following spring.
Korda, while asserting that he was not anti-Hollywood, told Pryor he was grieved to see the major studios relying on audience research rather than on the strength of stories in deciding what pictures to make. He saw the value of audience research for marketing a film but thought it absurd to use it to predetermine an audience's interest in subject matter. In his opinion, studios were becoming too cautious and taking a chance was the essence of the business (Korda was known more through his career for his risk taking than for his success). He was encouraged by the increasing number of Hollywood talents who were breaking away from the studios to produce pictures on their own.