The Film Daily (1939)

dnesday, April 5, 1939 DAILY I1 :hi ! (Continued from Page 1) ue of the present hearings, "we n save three or four days of tes nony by laying on the table a trade U i^-rse program to allow this." K../ng to W. F. Rodgers and other lustry representatives in the aud i sice, Pettijohn said they could get lia >b:ether with Allied and the civic e Ionizations now represented in the rjpital and work out a program to ow each exhibitor to consult civic i ^anizations in a community before collecting his program. JNeely asked Pettijohn if under Ss proposed program the "big fight" would withdraw block-bookPettijohn replied that all com0 * 'pies tried to sell as many pictures " possible when lining up an ex oo '^ &bitor's program. 9 tj 13 ii i! HI6.-GiV3C GROUP PIX SELECTION PLAN L Charge Promises Broken i is proposal was later attacked proponents of the bill who de [ired it could not be taken seri sly in view of the industry's al J|?ed previous breaking of prom(■■ ;s. id ^Resuming from his introductory jici iliatement of yesterday, Henry R. sin ikinson of the Boston Motion Picis J!ire Research Council, cited ex jnples of delinquent children, who ;;re affected by the movies. "The first-run houses are in the _nds of a monopoly," Atkinson it I jl! arged and cited the Government's sli -iaw York equity suit, which he said tacked an economic monopoly. <?"Our interest is in the cultural Tlmlonopoly," Atkinson said. There ire three ways of control, he told ^|e sub-committee. First, a nail pnal censorship, "which none of ift is want," second, an unofficial nal™ fonal censorship, which he said was »«« T effect today through the MPPDA, f'l'id third, through the Neely bill, k'if'hich "will liberate interstate com erce from the evils of block-book g and blind-buying." "If control is vested in the home )W 'id community we will have decency J' ! the movies," Atkinson declared. ] Asked by Senator "White what in bill specifically gives local ex bitors the right of selection of ms, Atkinson said their selection , me in a negative way through not ving to take pictures which would H»r iwh 1 1 Soi k Turrou Taking "Nazi Spy" to Nazis? Leon C. Turrou, ex-G-man, arriving in New York yesterday, told interviewers he had a new assignment from Warners. It's to take a print of "Confessions of a Nazi Spy" to Cermany. Warner execs., said Turrou, think the German people should see the pix and have selected him as "the logical man" to turn the trick. be obnoxious to the community. The exhibitor had an "out," he said, by laying the blame on the producers because he had to buy poor pictures to obtain the good ones. Would Fix Responsibility "If this bill becomes law," he stated, "the local theater man could be held responsible. Expression of local sentiment is ineffective because it runs headlong into blockbooking." Catherine Lyford of Boston, executive secretary, Massachusetts Civic League, who was formerly a social worker, told the sub-committee her experience was that films had a great influence on delinquent children. "There has been no change in the situation since 1936," she declared and "the need for the bill is just as great as in 1936." The industry has on 13 different occasions made various promises to correct these evils and has broken their promises every time, she asserted. Representing the American Home Economics Association, Miss Helen W. Atwater repeated the social effect of movies and blamed much of adolescent crime on the films. She urged passage of the bill to correct this situation. YWCA, WCTU Favor Bill Harriet Houdelette of the Association of University Women declared, "Passage of the Neelv bill will give local exhibitors a better opportunity to serve his community." She was followed by Mrs. E. E. Danly, National Board YWCA, who also urged the Neely bill as one that will correct present social evils. Dr. Izora Scott of the WCTU declared they were "heartily in favor of the Neelv Bill because it would release local houses from blockbooking and allow the industrv to 'be a safe medium of education.' " Only two of the five members of the sub-committee, Neely and White, were present yesterday. Allied's array of witnesses will have the floor todav: bill's opponhaving to take pictures obnoxious to the community. "Disgruntled" Bill, Okla. Back Neely MPTO Asserts Oklahoma City — The Motion Picture Theater Owners of Oklahoma, through its president Morris Loewenstein, has sent a telegram to senators servine on the senate committee which will consider tbe Neely Bill pointing out that the bill would create economic chaos in motion picture sales and distribution and that it is backed by "disgruntled elements within the industry." Separate telegrams were sent by Loewenstein to the following Senators: Ellison D. Smith, Alben W. Barkley, "Wallace H. "White and Charles W. Tobey. SPG Will Concentrate on Coast Organization West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Screen Publicists Guild here has no immediate plans to attempt organization of the home office publicity men, it is stated. Guild officials say that no move along these lines will be made until current negotiations with producers for a contract are completed. Bans "Wuthering Heights" Montreal — North American premiere of "Wuthering Heights," which was to be given at the Orpheum Theater here Friday has been banned by the Quebec board of censors who condemn it as immoral because it portrays infidelity in marriage. The censors said they could not countenance the triangular situation. N. Y. ALLIED PLANNING EQUIPMENTEXPOSITION (Continued from Page 1) tion Picture Exposition and is expected to be the first of its kind ever held. Every manufacturer and distributor of equipment will be asked to be represented and indications are that full co-operation of the equipment firms will be obtained. Exhibitors throughout the U. S. and Canada are to be contacted and invited so that they can combine a visit to the "World's Fair with an observation of the latest developments in theater equipment. New York Allied plans to make the convention the first at which all branches of the industry will be represented. "Midnight"' Big in Memphis Memphis — Para.' "Midnight" will finish its first week at the Malco Theater with a "take" 40 per cent better than house average. "Tralee" Rights to Mecca Mecca Film Laboratories, Inc., has acquired sole rights to "Rose of Tralee" for the U. S. AMERICA -FIRST, LASTALWAYS! AN OF CONQUEST * RICHARD D IX as Sam Houston • Gail Patrick as Margaret Lea • Edward Ellis as Andrew Jackson Joan Fontaine as Eliza Allen • A Republic Picture