Variety (Jan 1949)

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Wednesday, January 5, 1949 Forty-third t^&SOSFV ' Annivertary picrrvnES OUR CRITICS Eric Johnstoa President of Motion Picture Ass'n of America ^ Satirizes Captions Critical .Technique If Applied to Other Industries By ERIC .JOHNSTON Washington. Does it impress you, as it does.'me, that there are 500 talented and gifted itaen and women of the press and radio who spend all their lime •lust covering the motion picture studios in Hollywood? And that many, many mor« from coast to coast do nothing but write or talk of motion pictures? I don't helieve there are that many people cov- ering any other big industry-^the automobile in- dustry, for example^ or the packing iASustry. Hollywood comes next to Washington in the num- ber of correspondents, commehtatprs and colum- nists who focus their attention on the doings ot a single community. . \ I wonder what would happeii if our motion pic- ture correspondents, commentators and columnists decided to take up their trade in Detroit or in Chicago. It would be a great loss to Hollywood, But I; don't think it's fair for lis to hbg all:this gifted talent which works for free itt the interests of our industry while other industries have to plod" along with reporters and commentators so deadly dull and unin- spired they don't do anything but stick to facts. . Let me see if I can visualize just what would happen if our motion picture critics swooped down on Detroit. Why, in a month, you ■ Wouldn't know the town! Henry. Ford and Charlie Wilson and Walter Beuther ,and all the other leaders of management and labor in the motor capital of the world would be such changed men, you'd hardly recognize them! Think of what it would mean to the good people.of Detroit to pick up their papers and read all the latest blurbs on that wonderful new Trench automobile—^the Lescargo, Jet's call it, A typical review of Lescargo would probably read something-like this: . "American automobile makers who persist in- pandering to .the cheap public taste for-efficient machinery which can be operated at low cost, should hide their'heads in shame. The French have done It again! • "Words fail me to describe the winsome charm, the-stark realism and the elfin mood Pf Xiescargo.. It is stripped-^stripped down to its gears—of all the nonsense which Detroit insists on adding to its clumsy numbers; Unlike the Detroit makes, this'enchanting offering from abroad seats only two people instead of five! It is an adventure to get into Lescargo and an adventure to drive it. One does not slide in cras- sly and smoothly and loll in pagan comfort on softly padded seats. ■ "No. Lescargo will make you think. You are first confronted with : the challenge of how to maneuver yourself into'position behind the wheel and then you are beguiled to a point of witchery by the fasci- nating' problem of how to drive while your knees are wedged against your chin. "This is a motor car for those who appreciate the finer things of life. If you haven't been buying automobiles lately, and your taste is jaded by the monotony of the unimaginative American models, I recommend to you Lescargo: A four-honk car! "The new Dodge is showing today as well, but the less said of it, the better. Dodge -it. It's a one-honk job." . : ' Or, we might find this kind of gripping essay in our favorite Sun- day newspaper: "Is Detroit finished? " v "That's the way it looks to this reviewer. The news is sad:-and gloomy this morning. . "During tlie past year this department has reviewed: 250 American cars and 125 foreign cars. What did we find?. Just this: "Of the 10 best cars of the year, nine were foreign, and only one American. "Of the to worst cars of the year; nine were American and only ■■one/foreign. .- "These figures should have meaning to the moguls of Detroit. No wonder car sales are falling ofl-^no .wonder peojple are: walking the streets in Detroit. "Detroit is out of touch with the realities of the world. It is living : in smug isolation. It rides only in its own cars. "What is Detroit doing? It paints its autos'in gay and gaudy colors: ~-Teds and yellows and cerise and orchidJ .The cars fron; abroad are .. in black and gray. Foreign manufacturers treat honestly witli the .facts ■ of IjfC'^for lEEe today is black and gray! Take heed, Detroit! Unless you do, the American automobile will soon become extinct.'' (Footnote: Only this last month the 100 millionth American automo- bile rolled off the assembly lines.) Public likes Pix Better Than Radio and IV, and It's oi Par With Sports for Mass Appeal; Problem Now Is to Maintain Continued Interest Via Quality By NICHOLAS M. SCHENCK (President, Loeto's, inc.) Nick Schenck It is years since I indulged myself in one of those ; end-of-the-year statements on industry conditions with predictions about the future. The sole purpose is the attempt to cut through the atmosphere' of gloom, and certainly not to; blow, the horn ' about our M-^G^IVI trademark. ■::■ , -r--'^:.::\\.:.:.'.y:-'.'. . : If you expeict a ■ bluepriht of: the future you can stop readini? right now and turn to some: of the juicier items written by the , slang-throwers of Variety whci have put so many new words into the languagB; I haven't : any new words and I have ho illu? sions about my kriowledge. I ■ have a feeling and a degree of faith. I think with a lot of hard; work and ; sincerity of purpose ■ everything is going to be all right. It may take time. , .: : • ■.■'■: ■ Wherever I go people keep asking me questions as if I knew: the answers. What is going to happen to the picture business? Will television kill movies? How do you account for the poor quality of recent pictures? And-many other similar queries, mostly about costs: ' *" In my opinion the picture business is a good busi- ness and a sound business. The public: likes this type of entertainment best of all types/ jThey like it better than radio, better than television,: and it is on a par with sports as a continual interest In the modern world motion pictures are a necessity for" most of-the-people and in that" respect it's a com- ■ modity like a standard brand of food. Once you know you are in an-essential business the problem is how to manage that business in such a way as to stay in it and make a good'living. The motion picture business has not always been man- , aged with the greatest economy, but somehow when necessity demands, there is a buckling down and elimination of extravagance. There have been many times when depressions and epidemics have made the going difficult, but only then did the companies exercise noticeable cautian in their methods of pur- chases in story material, talent, production and pro- motion. Some changes resulted in the corporate lineups, but the industry itself emerged intact with a clean bill of financial health; This is one of those times when many indu.stries are suffering, when the Government itself is suffer- ing from lack of finances to carry on the great re- sponsibilities of the nation. The going is getting so diff icult that many of the politicians have stopped concentrating solely on votes and are sacrificing their ambitions to the best interests of the people.- And this is one of those times when the motion picture industry cannot throw its weight around and its money around withouf sincerityof purpose. . TJhat purpose must be to give the public the best possible entertainment. .... Stripped Motors And that isn't all. Think of the great public relations job the, critics could do for Detroit! Chatty little items like this would be popping out every day: "What General Motors director has been free-wheeling in a Lincoln with a little blonde from Chrysler?" And we could turn on the radio and hear the breathless voice of Chauncey Chew,-the pride of the air; : "This is Chauncey Chew from Detroit with his open letter to the auto industry: "This is my last warning to the .into industry. I've warned them be- 'fore—my patience is exhausted. I'm going next to the Federal governr ment, and you'll be sorry. . . <. "As we all know, .my;friends of the radio audience, we :are engaged in a. national campaign to eJiniinate auto horns. "ifouJd expect . i . wouldn't you? , . , that Detroit ,".o.uld take the lead in this fight? But, ■ '■no!-.: ■ ■ ■ ■■".■■■■;•■ ■...-.-■ ■•■ ■ ■ '. ■ ■■■•■■■ "Some unscrupulous manufacturers sUlI persist in putting horns on automobiles. "They are debauching youth. Tliey are contributing to juvenile delin- quency. ■■■.,•■ ' ""The horrible shrieking of horns at night is making us a sleepless nation. When kidi| can't sleep, they become juvenile delinquents. •'Let me tell you—^the parents of America are aroused—they can't sleep either; They will go to-Washington and demand a law; I'll be at their head-T-and heads will roll in Detroit. , "Yours for a sleepy nation. "Chauncey Chew." But I don't want to be misunderstood. I love our critics. Now suppose these same critics went on to Chicago. They like to get down to the guts of a matter fast, and I don't know of any better spot to do it. They like to take the hide off things, and the Chicago stock- yards are full of such opportunities. Our critics could go whole-hog in Chicago. The first thing they'd lO^wouJdlhe.to start a campaign to import South American beef, i^Tnmk of how the Iowa farmers would blush when our criticik iiailed •lie first shipment of steers from Argentina! How vividly it wuuld be (Continued on page 35) Cutting Costs Not the Answer This cannot be done merely by cutting costs. It has to be done by making the costs worth while. Perhaps this is the same thing as saying that the costs must be cut, but I don't think so. It means that writers have to try to fully express themselves in their work and not write pictures as a device to get easy money. It seems that producers and direc- tors must concentrate on each picture and not di- vide their attention on a series of simultaneous pro-, ductions. It means tiiat the stars must be less diffi- cult in accepting parts and thus holding up pictures. They must have faith in -the producers. It: means that executives must not buy properties which the.y cannot "lick," as the saying is. but only those which tliey inten'd to- make within a reasonable thTie. It means that the publicity and advertising men must not falsify product in order to hoke something ord- inai-y into an unmakeable sensation; ' It means that. theatres must be interested in the pictures they are putting on their screens. , The last reference has more importance tlian you think. Ever since the consent decree it lias been the custom on the part of distributors to show their pictures so that the exhibitors could see what tliey are buying. Block-booking was said to be a dread- ful injustice to the public. Yet the attendance at the tradershows has been laughingly small, partly due to tlie.distance from the point of show but also to a lack of excited interest in wliat they intend to play. Also exhibitors have been all too willing to leave the major share of local- promotion to: the picture companies who have spent huge fortunes on cooperative advertising. It is easy, to see whether or not tills arrangement has been tair to; the picture companies by looking at parallel statements,. The picture companies lost money, the-theatre companies ■made it. The public doesn't care where-the money goes and the public has paid more than: they paid before the war. But the division of these receipts is not.on tlU!. proper basis for a healthy inctustry. .Television Television will not kill the industry as long a$ the people continue to get better entertainment in the theatre than they, do at home. With the exeep-. tion of sport broadcasts it is comparatively easy for the motion picture. to beat television in the story- telling department. Also no matter,what the im- provement in television- most people will still want to go out for a good time. This idoesn't mean to say that television' is to be dismissed lightly. On the contrary; it offers great possibilities and will improve. But the show's the thing and the public will take good shows in any form. At pixsent it Is difficult to see how television can compete'with the movies because it tajkes us about a year to make a two-hour picture, and th«. . sponsorship principle prevailing in television makes production up to motion pictui^e. standards too ex- pensive for the advertiser. It is true that recently there have been loud- spoken critics about the quality of pictures. But 1 don't go along witlr them. Most of the public does . not go along either. The critics in the last year, or so haven't had too good a boxoffice score. It is true that not all of them are interested in this typa of score, but its percentage has a great bearing on their appraisal of public taste, especially when they use words like "poor quality." The pictures are as good as they ever were, even better than that, but they cost more to keep them up to standard. There's a lot of work to be done to: keep up with the public, if not a Httle ahead of them, • It's great : fun to be faced with a lot of work when you know that success is bound to come with it. But each person in the industry has to face this work. Each^ has to give all he" has winch has not been the case in recent years. Every one in studio, branch office and home office, office-workei-s, propertyjmen, scenic artists, electricians, cameramen, directors, actors, producers, writers, salesmen, publicity men, depart-, ment heads, exhibitors, and even presidents—rall*^ including those I've omitted mentioning—have to- give more. Many of us who built this business are still in it. We started with arcades and trick shad- owgraphs and we worked it up to quite a : thin^ - There's no one around outside of show business who's able to come in and fix the things that .are wrong. We've got to do it ourselves. And I have,' every confidence that we will. Film That Changed History? 'State of Union' Swayed Truman On Campaign, Advance Man Claims -By CHARLES ALLDREDGE (Charles Alldredge Tesignud as assistant to the Secretary of the Intenor in September to. take charge of press relations and speeches for the Barkley campaign. With Interior : Under-Secretary Oscar Chopmon he serDcd as odvance man for Presv jdent Trumdn's western trip last May and June.) Washington; - The most important film of IMS—if importance lies in the influencing of people and events—^was Frank Capra's "State of the Union," There is good . reason to believe tlie film about a Presidential can- didate directly influenced the type of campaign - waged by » gentleman named Harry S. Truman. President Truman first saw "State of the Union-' at the premiere April. 7.: The: President at that time was under heavy attack, not only by Republicans but, by leaders in his own party who either believed that the Democrats could not win under Truman or who were angered with the President's firm espou- sal of civil rights. In the opinion of his advisers, Truman had not firmly made up his mind (a), whether the peo- ple would support him regardless of the lukewdrm^ ness of party leaders, and (b) if he decided he would have the people's support; what kind:.of cam* paign to wage. President Truman, according to those who watched; closely — as Presidential reactions always get watched—has a habit, much like a small boy watch- ing a chase sequence, of lifting himself slightly from his seat when what he sees on the screen ex- cites and interests him. That's how he- reacted-to the story of-a good man Presidential candidate, who: almost lost himself, and finally won out over him- self and .the bosses by appealing frankly to the people. * Early-next morning the White House called Metro and aslicd for immediate delivery of a print to be. taken on a cruise on the Presidential yacht. The President, according to the report, wanted some of his friends to see the film. Later, the White House asked, for a print again, a rare and perhaps unique occurrence. I Went to the People 1 It was in April that the President,, on a tour of the. west to test the people's attitude, and possible campaign methods, began his frank appeals, and .his frank denunciations of the 80th Congress, On that tour were the first ot the vvhistlestops. The tour grew in success and reached its climax with. tlie huge friendly, crowd of a million people or more at Los Angeles. On his . way back the President's doubts, if he; had ■ had any, had vanished. At a dinner in the: Capital shortly after he returned, he declared, "There will be a Democrat in the White House in 1949, and . you're looking at him!" A good portion of his audi-, ence, and they were Democrats, didn't believe him. But he never wavered. "State" may not have given the President any new ideas. But this writer believes the film confirmed his courage, determination not to quit, firm belief that if you were on the right side and told the peo- ple the truth; you probably wouldn't lose; And that even if you lost,-you would have lost the right way^; Only the President of the United States could prove this story, which at best is but a footnote te- history; But the people who had aliand in "State" will, be glad to read it.