Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1934 - Aug 1935)

2 INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN^ EVENTS on the MARCH/ MOVIE CODE SUSPENDED BY SUPREME COURT DECISION Supreme Court Rules Out All Codes Ends Uncertainty . . . The United States Supreme Court finally and decisively ended all the indecision, bickering and uncertainty about the NRA. With one fell swocp. the nation's highest court swept out of existence all cedes, leaving industry once again on its own, either to organize its own regulations of competition or disintegrate into squabbling, chiseling, cutthroat groups. "file decision came in the celebrated Schechter Poultry code case. While it appeared probable that the court would sustain the lower court in the intra-statc phase of the litigation, the broad condemnation of the entire NRA structure came as a complete surprise. The ruling1 detlared that the delegation to the President by Congress of limitless power to fix and enforce codes for industries was unconstitutional. Codes Immediately Suspended . . . After consulting with President Roosevelt on Monday evening, Donald R. Richberg, cha irman of the NIRB, announced the immediate suspension of "all methods of compulsory enforcement of codes." Richberg issued a statement in which he repeated the President's proclamation when the NIRA was approved on June 16th, 1933, and urged industry to continue its efforts to stabilize and regulate its internal affairs. Pertinent portions of Richberg's statement arc: "Must we go on in many groping, disorganized, separate units to defeat or shall we move is one great team to victory?" (From President Roosevelt's proclamation.) "We face now the question of maintaining the gains which have been made in the last two years and maintaining the values which have been created under the National Recovery Administration. It seems clear that that question must be decided by the Administration and the Congress and the people of the United States within a very short time. "Pending determination of this question, it would be most harmful to the general welfare if unfair competitive practices universally recognized as such were to be revived, and if the f.iir standards affecting labor were to be disregarded." Future? . . . It appears extremely doubtful at this time that the Administration will be able to revise the act to bring it within the requirements of the Constitution. The Supreme Court's ruling knocks out the very base of the NRA, and it would require revision of the Constitution to permit anything even similar to the act to be enacted again. We Take A Bow During the first Allied Convention meeting, President Sidney Samuelson asked FILM BULLETIN to take a bow for its "revealing" articles on the block booking question. Although the baby of all the trade journals present, we were the only one singled out for commendation. We accepted it as nonchalantly as possible. The Industry Gets A Healthy Airing At Atlanta Strong Talk . . . Allied convened and the lopsided motion picture industry came in for as thorough an airing as it has ever received at a convention. There are no immediate results discernible, but the consensus of opinion was that the seeds for future action against the major monopoly were sown. After Ike Katz, of the GFTA, welcomed the delegates to "the fairest dimple on the cheek of America — Atlanta," at the opening business session on Tuesday, president Sidney Samuelson struck the keynote of the confab with the per Editorial (Continued from Front Page) The one valuable effect of the NRA was to place a moral restraint on the chiselers in all industry. Now, what? IS THE END OF THE NRA TO MEAN A CHISELER'S HOLIDAY? In the motion picture industry the independents face two grave problems. First, the continual struggle for existence against the encroachments of the major producers and their theatre chains. Second, keeping their own house in order. There is only one way in which these battles on two fronts can be carried on — by a STRONG, SOLID, SINCERE ORGANIZATION. Fill the gaps in the independent ranks! Show a solid, impregnable line and the majors will never dare attack, nor will the members themselves break discipline. We urge the best minds and the honest men in the independent ranks to formulate a really fair code that will accomplish what the Government-created code failed so miserably to accomplish. We urge them to seek no assistance from the producers, for they'll get none — on the level. We urge them to create an eagle that will scratch when attacked, that will be democratic, yet all-powerful, that will be subservient to but one basic principle — FAIR PLAY. HERE IS A CHALLENGE THAT SHOULD NOT GO UNANSWERED FOR THE GOOD OF THE INDUSTRY! MO WAX