Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1938)

1,1 INTIMELY, uncalled-lor and decidedly unfair was the statement issued in New York late last week, and printed locally as a "special" to Hearst's Los Angeles Examiner, by the Most Reverend John T. McNicholas, Roman Catholic archbishop of Cincinnati. The blast, which by its own content admitted being inspired by the launching of the "Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment" campaign, was issued through the Gotham headquarters of the Legion of Decency, and undertook to warn the industry that, drive or no drive, the well-known Legion would not for a minute relax its vigilance or its eagerness to challenge any motion pictures which "portray, approvingly, concepts rooted in philosophies attacking the Christian moral order and the supernatural destiny of man." Continuing, His Grace expounded such mouth-filling bromides as: “The cinema caters regularly to audiences of many millions and now it anticipates greater attendance. The fact that millions of minds are thus influenced by motion pictures imposes upon the industry a grave responsibility . “The industry, it is to be hoped, will recognize that there is no escape from this responsibility to safeguard the moral welfare of its patrons by setting right and decent patterns of thought and conduct . . “The Legion of Decency operates under the auspices of the Catholic bishops, whose pastoral solicitude for souls obliges them, especially in a medium so influential as the cinema, to oppose vigorously every trend which threatens to invade the domain of fixed and unvarying principles of morality expressed in the natural and divine law’’ . . . “The Legion views with grave apprehension those efforts now being made to utilize the cinema for the spread of ideas antagonistic, not only to traditional Christian morality, but to all religion. It must oppose the efforts of those who would make motion pictures an agency for the dissemination of the false, atheistic and immoral doctrines repeatedly condemned by all accepted moral teachers’’ . . . “The Legion of Decency, with every resource at its command, shall challenge any program usrng the popular theatre screen to exploit such insidious doctrines.” While there is little new in this statement's reiteration of the Legion's views on motion pictures and those who make them, the repetitious harping at this time clearly indicates to the average mind that the good bishop and his colleagues entertain the opinion that the industry cannot undertake a campaign designed to stimulate increased public support of motion pictures without resorting to productions which tread on the tender toes of the ecclesiastical critics who comprise the Legion. Which is unnecessarily calling two strikes on a very worthwhile and necessary undertaking before it even comes to bat — and by the spokesmen of an organization with which the industry has shown an over-willingness to cooperate. Last week Southern California exhibition circles were afforded an opportunity to marvel at the modern and cinematic version of the “lion and the lamb” parable when Charles Skouras, head of the Fox West Coast theatre chain, was named to head the better boxoffice drive committee made up of independent exhibitors, long the sworn and bitter business enemies of the powerful circuit. Now, the amazement increases as the same Charles Skouras at a mass meeting, originally called by unaffiliated showmen to continue discussion of plans for cooperating in the drive, suggested the for mation of an arbitration board, composed of three independent theatremen, to meet with representatives of FWC for the purpose of ironing out any and all differences which may arise between them and the Skouras houses. Skouras further recommended that independents affiliate with and support, 100 per cent, the Independent Theatre Owners of Southern California. Certainly, the recent government suits alleging monopolistic practices on the part of the major producers and their affiliated circuits in no way influenced the change of attitude of the local chain toward the little fellows. Nor could the investigation, now drawing to a close, which for several months has been conducted by Albert J. Law, department of justice deputy, probing the records and financial transactions of all the local major exchanges and the FWC headquarters at the instigation of independent exhibitors who charged violation of the antitrust laws, have in any way swayed the FWC president in his gesture of brotherly love toward his independent competitors. To prove his sincerity and altruistic motives, Head Man Skouras need not wait for a controversial issue to come to the attention of his proposed arbitration committee. Just such an issue currently exists in the case of the recently-opened Studio City Theatre, as a result of which its owners, the Gore Brothers and B. L. Berinstein, are accusing FWC and the major distributors of violating zoning and clearance ordinances by conspiring to withhold adequate product from the house, keeping it in constant jeopardy of closing its doors. Why not a manifestation of this new and entirely admirable spirit of cooperation by doing something immediately to relieve this situation? A Quality Quintet While only live features were screened at press previews during the week — the strictly quality quintet coming from as many different studios — they were impressively illustrative of the fact that the committee which is undertaking to sell the dear public the idea that ‘‘Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment" has something more than words to back up its slogan and claim. Reflecting the substantial and general stride toward improvement in Hollywood product during recent months, each of the five pictures, in toto a typical cross-section of current celluloid offerings, rated well above average in its respective field. There wasn't a bad picture in the lot, an encouraging harbinger of the new season and a promising indication that success will crown the efforts of the industry to win back the slipping patronage of motion picture entertainment. * * * Metro's “Three Loves Has Nancy" proved to be a sparkling and witty comedy, with Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone and Janet Gaynor cavorting their merry way triumphantly through a tailored-to-measure script that is sure to enhance their popularity . . . Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were happily reunited in RKO Radio's music-dance-comedy offering, “Carefree," given competent direction by Mark Sandrich and destined to please the legion of Astaire-Rogers fans . . . Universal's “Road to Reno" emerged as a lavishly mounted and entertaining vehicle in which Hope Hampton scores a smash in her comeback after many years of absence from the screen, expertly directed by S. Sylvan Simon . . . 20th Century-Fox's boxoffice sweetheart, Sonja Henie, comes through with another winner in “My Lucky Star," in which the dexterous champion ice skater goes to college . . . And last, but by no means least in entertainment value. Republic's “Billy the Kid Returns," in which Roy Rogers, the company's newest western star, makes his second screen appearance. Excellently constructed, it hits a high mark in western fare. BOXOFFICE :: September 3, 1938 37