Canadian Film Weekly (Apr 10, 1946)

Page 8 Alberta To Set Up Three-Man Board (Continued from Page 1) nation of Robert Pearson, head of the board, after 17 years of service. Estimates providing $20,424 for operation of the censor board, an increase of $2,869, were passed. The Provincial secretary announced, in the face of criticism in the Legislature during its recent session, that political censorship would not be carried on in Alberta. His remarks about the need of editing out ‘“Communistic’ content from films had been misrepresented, Mr. Hooke said. He had never issued instructions regarding censorship, Mr. Hooke said, although he felt that the crime-does-not-pay moral was not presented strongly enough. “T believe,” said Elmer E. Roper, member from Edmonton, “that the minister should admit some fault. It was his words sent across the country which gave what he called a wrong impression.’”’ Mr. Hooke replied that he was only repeating the sentiments of certain USA senators. Hollywood-Made Lead British Made-in-Hollywood films still outnumber British domestic product in the British Isles nearly three to one, despite the increase in British production, a survey reveals. Of the 561 pictures to be released in Great Britain this year, 156 will be British-made as against 72 out of 427 last year. Four hundred and five of this year’s releases are Hollywoodmade. Last year British exhibitors had 48 reissues of the domestic product and 26 films from countries other than the United States. Lucille Signs After a few months of freelancing, Lucille Ball has signed a contract with MGM. No picture has been announced for her yet. ‘Johnston Office’ Picks Directors In addition to the reelection of Eric Johnston as president of the Motion Picture Association;.directors reelected were Barney Balaban, Nate J. Blumberg, George Borthwick, Jack Cohn, Cecil B. DeMille, E. W. Hammons, E, B. Hatrick, Joseph H. Hazen, Robert W. Perkins, Hal E. Roach, Nicholas M. Schenck, Spyros P, Skouras and Albert Warner. Ned Depinet, president of RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., was elected to the board to succeed N, Peter Rathvon, RKO board chairman, now in Hollywood. Canadian FILM WEEKLY USA Clergy Fights Political Concurrent with a move by Protestant churches and allied bodies to organize opposition tu political censorship and to back the industry’s own self-discipline, a report on pictures condemned in the last ten years shows that it is extremely rare for a member of the Motion Picture Association of America to release a picture which is subjected to anything more than minor cuts anywhere in this hemisphere. The National Board of Review, at its 37th anniversary conference in New York, reasserted its conviction that screen censorship in any form is a violation of one of the freedoms for which tre war was fought and won and decided to oppose militantly the altering of films because of political opinion. Considered the most severe censor of motion pictures because it objects to divorce as a topic and opposes films not in agreement with certain tenets of ils own church, the Catholic Legion of Decency has condemned only 53 pictures since it began publishing lists of disapproval in February, 1936. In that ten-year period it had reviewed a total of 5,212 pictures, which gives the industry a disapproval rate of only 1 per cent from its most critical source. Only one of these 53 pictures was produced by a member of the MPAA. Only four of them had received MPAA seals of approval after deletions had been made and one of the four — Howard Hughes’ “The Outlaw’’—had his seal delayed until late 1941. Two of the films were British films and one was the famoiis “Thunder Over Mexico,” made by the Russian director Sergei Hisenstein and edited in the United States. Most of the condemned films were made by small companies which specialize in sensational matter with limited circulation. The total of deletions and rejections among the 1,668,228 items of publicity and advertising, in Biggest Variety Club Confab Yet Advance reservations from the 27 tents of the Variety Clubs of America indicate that a large and enthusiastic group of Barkers will arive in New York for the convention at the Astor Hotel May 15 to 18. Special arrangements have been made by the national tent with the airlines so that any Barker wishing air travel to and from the convention will be guaranteed space. Censors cluding stills, in that period was less than one per cent. The MPAA cooperates with the Catholic Legion of Decency and the Protestant Motion Picture Council and is in sympathy with the spreading movement for children’s Saturday shows which have the backing of parentteacher associations. A recent attempt to impose political censorship on 16 mani. production in the Detroit area where the United Automobiie Workers of America (CIO), largest trade union in the world, maintains a large circuit for labor education, has met with fierce opposition from labor bodies. Past President R. J. Thomas, commenting on the interference with the union’s use of visual education aids, declared: “The organization which I represent has a film department dealing exclusively in 16 mm. films. We have maintained this department for the past eight years as an education feature for our members throughout Canada and the United States. “We show films that us of today are not shown in public theatres, nor are they made in 35 mm. by Hollywood producers. Our service is an educational one and covers a variety of subjects which are denied our memvcis through the theatres.” Labor organizations, industrial concerns and commercial companies making movies for private consumption are worried over the attempts of certain elements to bring unconstitutional. political censorship into this field. Since these are for the most part educational films directed at special groups, they feel that their value would be completely defeated by the intrusion by groups or jndividuals who aspire to control them. Rebuild Hundreds Of Russ Movies More than 650 motion picture theatres and 7,000 cinema installations were destroyed by ‘the Germans in Russia, but restoration and new construction began as soon as the areas were liberated. Some 532 theatres were rehabilitated or rebuilt and 3,000 installations were put back in operation this year, two-thirds of this number in liberated territory. Six movie houses are running in battered Stalingrad in addition to 74 in nearby towns. Six other theatres have been opened at large collective farms in the region and 44 mobile cinema trucks gave shows to farmers during last summer, April 10, 1946 Duplessis Whacks Film Board Pix (Continued from Page 1) leader, and those who spoke for other groups. “The National Film Board diffuses Communism and is showing films encouraging Federal centralization,’’ said the Premier. ‘The Quebec Censorship Board has been ordered to censor films produced by the National Film Board, as is the case with American and European pictures, so as to adapt them to 'the mentality of Quebec Province.” Godbout said that when he was Premier from 1939 to 1942, several films produced by the National Film Board were banned in Quebec Province because of “real Communist propaganda.” He did not believe it was the fault of the Dominion government but rather of some employees of the film board staff. Andre Laurendeau, provincial leader of the Bloc Populaire, and Rene Chaloult (Ind. Quebec County) concurred. ‘Duel’ Won't Show For Few Months David O. Selznick has advised the trade that his multi-million dollar production, ‘‘Duel in the Sun,” will be exactly two hours and 35 minutes in length. Due to some re-shooting and heavy Technicolor lab schedules, it will be some months before the allstar $5,000,000 picture will even be ready. United Artists is releasing the film. Fox Profit Over Twelve Million Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation last week reported net profits for the year ending December 29, 1945, of $12,700,000, equal after prior preferred and convertible preferred dividends to $5.27 each on 2,119,709 common shares compared with $12,480,491, or $6.04 each on 1,771,364 common shares for the year before. Roosevelt Life For Movies? Executors of the estate of Franklin D. Roosevelt are understood to have authorized a life of the late President of the United States and a number of studios are negotiating to be the favored one which might make the film. Warners, 20th-Fox and Enterprise have all shown some interest, and there has been talk of starring Lionel Barrymore in the leading role. Also mentioned as a possibility is Samuel Goldwyn, who had been interested in such a film some time ago.