Motion Picture Commission : hearings before the Committee on Education, House of Representatives, Sixty-third Congress, second session, on bills to establish a Federal Motion Picture Commission (1978)

140 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. Mr. Tc^wMTR. I am coming to that in a minute. Dr. Chase. The mechanical part could be done by people with not very much education or artistic training. There are many pictures which could be licensed under the authority of the commission which would not need to he looked at at all by the commission. One trustworthy man with little training could be authorized to examine and license pictures which it was self-evident w'ere entitled to a license according to the provisions of this bill, such as a trip along a Venetian canal, the opening of a flower, military reviews, naval exhibitioub. In case such a man found something which he thought wrong he would then ask the commission to pass upon it. Mr. TctWNER. Is it your idea that all the men who act on this na- tional board should be salaried men? Dr. Chase. I scarcely know. I am ready to say that this bill was drawn with the idea that it might be found wise to use volunteer assistants who Avould not be salaried. This bill is drawn in such a way that if the .commissioners wi.sh to do so they could invite 135 people in New York to do the work they are now doing. These com- missioners c(>uld appoint and employ the four secretaries of the ex- isting so-called National Board of Censorship themselves. The work of the Federal commission might be done in the city of New York instead of Washington, but whether that Mould be a wise thing I have my doubts. Mr. Towner. Let me call your attention to this: Of course if we are going t(v liave merely a Federal commission, one man. one com- missioner., f»ne employee would examine and pass upon a film. There would not be any necessity for 2 or 3 or .5 or 10 if it is purely an (»fficial commission. An analogous instance, of course, was cited, but that is not exactly what you have in mind or what the people would have in mind, would they? Dr. C'Hase. I do not know^ that I get your point. Mr. Tc»WNER. You do not expect % the establishment of this na- tional commissif>n that some salaried ma^, some clerk of this national board, shall go into a dark room and examine the film and then pass upon it and approve or disapprove it; that is not your thought? Dr. Chase. No, sir. Mr. T(>wner. On the other side, these five men can not sit as a board and pass upon all the films in existence; no board you could cxmstitute c(»uld do that. Exactly how are you going to meet these difficulties'!^ Dr. Chase. My idea is that these five men would l)e appointed by the President, and that they would then appoint a number of salaried men who would be given instructions, and it would be their duty to see every film. They would follow instructions. Films of a certain kind they tliemselves would be authorized by the commission to li- cen.se: and if there was any doubt about it the film would be re- ferred, perliaps, to one member of the connnission, and in case he tliought there was doubt, it would be then finally reviewed by the whole fiv( members. That would be my idea. There are a large number of peojile who feel that the Federal ccunmission of five per- sons would not completely express public sentiment of the highest kind, and tliai there would be special times when it would be neces- sary to call in a ninnber of people to find exactly what the best public sentiment really was. So the bill is drawn in such a way as