Boxoffice (May 17, 1952)

“* lf you hear the industry attacked on the Communist issue, these pages will give you the answers, in chronological, documented evidence from official MPAA Files stand, two suits were filed against the film companies. One, charging conspiracy (Cole, et al. vs. Loew’s, et. al.) sought damages of $61,108,975. The other charging violation of the antitrust laws, demanded damages (tripled) of $51,858,975. In addition, individual suits were filed by five persons who had been discharged, claiming damages through cancellation of their contracts. In New York a suit was filed by the Screen Writers’ Guild seeking injunction against so-called blacklisting of any of the guild’s members. In three of the suits filed by individuals, trials have resulted in judgment against the companies. The amount of money expended and the obligations incurred by the companies in connection with this litigation thus far totals between $550,000 and $600,000. Further expenditure and obligations incurred in effecting termination of contracts total several hundred thousand dollars. A partner in a producing company has been bought out at a cost of $189,000. The total costs to management up to now are more than $1,000,000. Committee Records Document Communist Failure Records of the House Committee are clear on the failure of Communism in Hollywood. Even casual reading of the actual testimony before the Committee show that witness after witness stated that the Communists were defeated in their attempts to infiltrate Hollywood. For example, Edward Dmytryk, a director, told the Committee on April 25, 1951: “J don’t believe there is anything more I can say except to say that in Hollywood they (the Communists) have failed. I feel sure that the Communist party is now completely an ineffective element in Hollywood life.” Dmytryk, an admitted Communist from 1944-45, was a cooperative witness before the Committee. The Committee admitted that the great bulk of its information has come from former Communists who have appeared before the Committee. Another former Communist and cooperative witness, Richard Collins, writer, told the Committee on April 15, 1951, that the “Communist influence has been pretty much finished since 1947.” Collins, who admitted membership in the Communist party from 1938 to 1947, said that “it is probably true that no Communists have been on the board of the Screen Writers’ Guild since 1947.” Confirming testimony came from other former Communists who cooperated with the Committee. Martin Berkeley, writer, said, “I think it is extremely optimistic to say that 25 or 50 Communists are left” in Hollywood. David Raksin, composer, testified Sept. 30, 1951: “I think this investigation has proved and will continue to prove that at the most there were not more than a couple of hundred Communists and that only a very small few who were zealots have remained.” Sterling Hayden, actor, told the Committee April 10, 1951, that “as a matter of face the move (of Communists to take over the Screen Actors’ Guild) was very unsuccessful... there was very little headway made.” Leading anti-Communists in Hollywood BOXOFFICE May 17, 1952 also testified to the failure of Communists to infiltrate Hollywood. Roy Brewer, representative of the IATSE, testified May 17, 1951, that “I want to make clear that this extensive control does not exist in Hollywood today. The back of the power they had in 1945 and 1946 ... has been broken ...I want to say that the fellow who has a taint of Communist on him is having a tough time ...It was after the 1947 hearings they really began to try to find out and for the most part where they had known it and it was a certainty then, they have cleaned them out.” Another militant anti-Communist, who outlined to the Committee the story of the Communist defeat in Hollywood, was Karl Tunberg, former president of Screen Writers’ Guild. Tunberg told the Committee on Sept. 25, 1951, that “Communists are completely at the present time devoid of any influence on ‘Completely Ineffective’ “ur . in Hollywood, the Communists have failed. | | feel sure that the Communist party is now completely an ineffective element in Hollywood life.” —Statement of Edward Dmytryk, director, before House Un-American Activities Committee, 1951. Dmytryk, in 1947, was one of the “unfriendly 10” witnesses. our guild policy ... We have defeated all these attempts.” Representative Donald Jackon, 2 member of the House Un-American Activities Committee, told the Kiwanis club of Los Angeles in September 1951, that it would be hard to “find 25 Communists in Hollywood today.” Front Organizations Vanishing in Hollywood Other witnesses, testifying publicly before the House Committee, said that virtually all of the front organizations that once existed in Hollywood have vanished and their numbers have “flocked away.” Roy Brewer testified on May 18, 1951, that “the principal front operating in Hollywood today is the Council of the Arts, Sciences and Professions. They can no longer use that front for the purposes they previously used it for, because when it announces a meeting it is a cue to Hollywood to stay away. Communist Failure to Influence Screen Content Testimony before the House Committee in 1951 showed the inability of Communists at any time to influence the content of motion pictures. Again, the evidence comes from the Committee record. Leo Townsend testified Sept. 18, 1951, that: “I’m sure it would be their (Communists) desire to capture, to control the Screen Writers’ Guild, just as it was their desire to control what the screen writer would do in the motion picture industry, to control the me dium, to control the content of films, and I must say that I think they got not even one step toward first base in this with the motion picture industry. I don’t know of any Communist motion picture, nor do I know of any motion picture with Communist propaganda. I don’t think the Communists succeeded in the least in getting any propaganda into any motion picture. I think the industry has been very, very careful about this and very good about this.” Martin Berkeley testified Sept. 19, 1951: “They (Communists) were satisfied pretty early that they could not influence the content of pictures ...a picture goes through too many hands. It is controlled by too many minds, for any single writer, or producer or actor to affect its content. I am completely convinced, as sure as I am sitting here, that the content of pictures was not affected by the party ...I do not believe that the content of films was touched one jota by the Reds.” Edward Dmytryk testified April 24, 1951, that the Communists “didn’t get to the point of ever controlling any kind of content in pictures, which is actually what they were aiming at in the long run.” Only one witness testified that Communist propaganda was inserted into films. This was Harold Ashe, who never was employed in the motion picture industry, but who stated he was a member of the Communist party from 1933 to 1939. Ashe testified Sept. 17, 1951, that his criticism of Hollywood for lack of vigilance was directed “in a period in 1934.” He further testified that “I don’t think it holds true today as far as the motion picture industry is concerned.” Bergman and Coyne Tour 2 States for Industry NEW YORK—Public relations tours in behalf of the industry, organized by the Council of Motion Picture Organizations, featured addresses in two states by spokesmen. Maurice A. Bergman, Universal-International public relations director, continued a 12-day speaking tour of Ohio, and Robert W. Coyne, COMPO special counsel, delivered @ series of speeches in Virginia. Bergman said the job of the industry is to make entertainment films and not to propagandize in them, and that films are bringing a substantial measure of recreation and happiness to millions of Americans and to millions throughout the world. He called their production “a serious business” and pointed to an investment in theatres of $2,740,000,000, an annual theatre payroll of $201,420,000 and the employment of 180,000 persons. He estimated that $450,000,000 was invested during the past year in the production of films. Bergman delivered 22 talks before Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary and Shrine clubs and the Grange, and appeared on Television. Coyne addressed Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and high school groups on the part the industry plays in national life. Delay U-Decca Merger Suit NEW YORK—An extension of time to June 16 for replies in the Florence Long sult to prevent the merger of Universal Pictures and Decca Records has been granted. 23