The Film Daily (1940)

cM 6AIIX Wednesday, February 7, 1940 . WM. GOETZ REDUCES {Newspapers See Political Censorship SPECIAL 'WESTERNER' 20TH-FOX HOLDINGS (Continued from Page 1) 284 shares of $1.50 cumulative preferred. Report of Loew's, Inc., states Leopold Friedman has disposed of 100 shares of common and now holds 712 shares. Sam Katz reports disposition of 750 shares of common, now holding two shares, and J. Robert Rubin reports disposition of 1,400 shares of common, now holding 30,015 shares. Malcolm Kingsberg reports acquisition of 300 shares of K-A-O's 7 per cent cumulative convertible preferred, bringing his total in this class to 500 shares. Michael J. Meehan has disposed of 300 shares, it was reported, and now holds 26,504 shares. Columbia Pictures Co. reports A. Schneider has added 100 common voting trust certificates to his holdings for a total of 504. Report of Pathe Film states Allan P. Kirby holds 2,100 shares of common directly: 1,000 shares through Holding Company A and 4,000 shares through Holding Company B after adding 86 shares in the latter classification. He also holds 600 shares in trust. Charles D. Prutzman reports acquisition of 200 common voting trust certificates of Universal Corp. bringing his total holdings to 900 of the certificates. Warners report Morris Wolf has disposed of 500 shares of common and now holds 450 shares directly and 167 shares in trust. Court Weighs Evidence in "Road to Glory" Suit Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington— A soldier's $1,000,000 plagiarism suit against Twentieth Century-Fox is under consideration by Justice James W. Morris after one of the longest hearings in the history of District Court. For nearly three months, the court heard a parade of witnesses and viewed various exhibits, including the film "The Road to Glory," the authorship of which is claimed by Robert H. Sheets, soldier attached to March Field. Calif. Suit was filed the middle of 1937. In supporting the contention he wrote the manuscript on which the picture was based in his home town of Jackson, Tenn., in 1935, the soldier produced eight witnesses who testified they either read the manuscript or saw him writing it. The film company argued that Sheets' manuscript was not in existence when the production was decided on, and that the scenario was the combined work of several established writers. It was in 1936 that the film was produced. Menace in Neely Block-Booking Bill {Continued from Page 1) enactment would increase admissions beyond present box-office levels to the conviction that it would be the forerunner of political censorship. In the latter connection, the South Texan, official organ of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce, sees danger of "autocratic despotism." Digest of editorial opinion of daily and Sunday newspapers and other publications follows. Lowell (Mass.) Evening Leader (Charles E. Gallagher) : Enactment of this bill will throw the motion picture industry into confusion. No theater manager would know from week to week what picture he was going to play a month hence, what he would have to pay for it and what his chances of profit or loss would be. The Neely bill will destroy efficient, economical marketing of motion picture entei'tainment. It forces an increase in the cost of motion pictures — or a decrease in value. Stripped of its camouflage, it is a price control law. The theaters would either have to charge a higher admission to its patrons or give a cheaper show for the admission paid. Either way the theaters' business would suffer and so would their patrons. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Study reveals that the Neely bill is but one more wholly impractical and highly dangerous attempt to extend the unnecessary government regulation of business. It is to be hoped that the House will refuse thus to hamper one of the country's great industries and to damage quality of picture entertainment and will reject the Neely bill when it comes up for consideration. Crowell (Tex.) News (Julian Capers, Jr.): The motion picture industry, by long trial and error, has evolved certain methods of producing and distributing its product. That these methods are efficient and satisfactory both to the industry and the great majority of patrons is selfevident . . . South Texan: The passage of this bill is at best a still further extension of government control and regulation over business and this is utterly undesirable. Moreover, the idea of prohibiting a business practice which is now quite legal and essentially unobjectionable and prescribing penalties, is very close to autocratic despotism and is obnoxious to the general citizenship. Erie (Pa.) Times: That Neely bill in Congress is loaded with dynamite. Burlingame (Calif.) Advance: Most of the layman support of the Neely bill springs from approval of the aims of its author rather than from appreciation of what the practical results would be . . . . . . there are objections to this bill which only a fuller understanding of its contents and of the movie production problems enable one to discover. Dallas Jewish American: Thanks to pettyfogging politics and obstructionist tactics, the fifth largest industry in the United States — the Motion Picture Industry — faces annihilation. Already passed thru the Senate is a bill known as the Neely bill.. .. Lubbock (Tex.) Journal: "Blockbooking" is, without doubt, a cumbersome and, in many respects, a decidedly poor method of retailing motion picture films. It may be that "block-booking" should be discontinued. But the "Neely bill" would do more than merely discontinue a trade practice which is of no moment to the public at large. It would, in effect, set up more or less of a federal censorship of the movie industry. . . . Columbus (Ga.) Sunday LedgerEnquirer: The impression given by wording of the bill is that the moral tone of pictures would thus be improved, but close students of the matter both in and out of the industry assert it would have little such effect. They say it would touch only those producers already under the Hays board of censorship, while the independent producers, not under this board, who are said to produce the really objectionable pictures would not be affected by the law, as they usually sell their wares after finishing them and submitting to the exhibitor. Torrington (Conn.) Register: Wholesome public opinion is the most effective agency for better pictures. This Neely bill may bring about a dangerous political censorship with no really beneficial results for the public. South Philadelphia (Pa.) American Weekly: With such legislation on the statute books of the nation, it is inevitable that the theaters remaining open will be forced to advance admission prices to meet the increased cost of film automatically brought about by the tremendous increases in the cost of production and distribution. Thus the public would have to share in these increased costs in the form of higher admission. Kansas City (Mo.) Journal: The result would be a chaotic condition in which originality and enterprise by producers would be discouraged and the indusrty blocked from continuing the phenomenal progress it has made in its comparatively short limetime. . The bill also amounts to unnecessary tinkering ... Federalsburg (Md.) Times: We urge all our readers to write or wire their Congressman immediately, protesting the possible passage of the Neely bill. Bridgeton (N. J.) News: The mov TERMS MAY BE ASKED (Continued from Page 1) lease road show engagements. It is also said that advanced admission prices on all bookings may be/**ked. "The Westerner" is to be rek ~ by United Artists. ~tod Five New Film Companies Get New York Charters Albany — Five new film industry companies have been chartered by the Secretary of State: East Coast Animation Co., Inc., New York City, to produce and distribute motion picture cartoons, capital 550 shares preferred stock $20 par value and 450 shares common stock non par value. Byron Rabbitt, Jack Rubin, Sam Morganstern, incorporators. Bergere Pictures Corp., New York City, capital 200 shares non par value stock, distribute motion pictures. Charles Ettinger, Miriam Tobias, Pauline Scharf, incorporators. Trident Film Corp., New York City, capital $20,000, deal in motion pictures. John Redchuk, Mary Redchuk, Vasile Avramenko, incorporators. National Recording & Equipment Corp., New York City, capital 200 shares non par value stock, deal in motion picture equipment. Joseph Allentuck, Bernard L. Seligman, Jacob J. Milman, Incorporators. Carkey Theaters, Inc., Gloversville, capital $20,000, exhibit motion pictures. Joseph F. Perrone, Joseph Perella, James F. Rossi, incorporators. Ascap's Radio Study Ready The radio committee of Ascap yesterday completed its study of the broadcast-license situation. Formal presentation of the report to the Ascap board will be made shortly. Ascap is currently completing a new setup of branch offices west of the Mississippi. It will operate directly 15 branches with its own managers in charge. Among the cities included are San Francisco, Portland, Denver and Los Angeles. Chi Club Will Move Chicago — Chicago Amusement Club will move to new quarters in the Stevens Hotel. ing picture industry has been its own best regulating agency, and may be counted upon to continue its present policies of fair dealing within itself and with its public. Censorship has ceased to be necessary except in a few isolated cases. The industry's own censorship supersedes that of any group or agency and its conformity to public taste and morals has had few setbacks in recent years. . . .