The Film Daily (1931)

THE DAILY Tuesday, June 30, 1931 RKO AND COLUMBIA BATTLE FOR BASEBALL LEADERSHIP With Columbia's baseball nine holding the edge over RKO for league leadership, the battle for stellar honor-, ami possession of the lii m 1) mi n silver trophy, waxes more torrid each week-end. The leading team met last Thursday night onlj to have the game called after nine innings of hard play with the final -cure of 3 to 3. The game will be played off later in the sea...n. Ed Wherity, president of the M.P.A.A., claim this season's tussle to be the most exciting since the league was formed. Names of the manager ami team captains who are urging their men to victory, and their league standings are: Columbia, 1,000, Jack Bass, Charles Levy; RKO. 1.0()0, E. Waxberg, S. P. Griaidis; Warner, .750, Phil Abrams, Irving Krassner; E.R.P.I., .576, rt;e Lawrence, Tom Moylan; Fox, .400, Dave Massover, Harold Gutman; Nat'l Theaters, .285, M. Ellingson, G. Vroome; RKO Pathe, ,167, Harry Storm, F. Haggetter; RCA, .000, Lou Bucken, B. F. M<Clancy, Film Daily's 22-inch silver trophy for the winning team in the M.P.A.A. Baseball League. HECKLING THE FILM INDUSTRY (Continued from Fa.. Since thi distribution of honoraria was done aboveboard, and in view of the tact that demands for money on the part of church officials was equal!) as common, the issue seems to result in an even break at best. MORE important, however, and what seems to contain the keynote of the situation, is that the churches have not been successful in diverting »hc screens to ther special desires. They want motion pictures to "contribute to the efforts in which the churches are engaged to promote responsible citizenship, inter-racial understanding, industrial justice and international good will." Quoting again from the church statement: "As a great agency both of instruction and entertainment, the motion picture must become the purveyor of all that is best and richest in our culture and the ally of the uplifting and refining forces of community life." ALL of which is very fine, except that the minute the screen tries to be anything but a medium of enter'ainment it will cease to be "a great igency" of anything and will kill itself off in a fraction of the time ■equired to build it up to its present oositon. There is no more justification for 'he church to expect the screen — an Industry that someone else developed at tremendous cost and in the face of religious opposition all along the line — to be utilized for the advancement of their ends, however worthy, than there would be in expecting trie -ailroads or the utilities of the counfiv to do the same thing. When the motion picture was struggling to make something of itself, the churches were among those who booted it around from pillar to ,)o-t. Now that it is "somebody," they are anxious to annex its influence. THE biggest ailment of the film ndustry is that there are entirely :oo many organizations, institutions ind busybodies who want to convert it to their particular desires. Churches want it for the dissemination of their doctrines. Big corporations want it as a medium of advertising. The legitimate stage interests want it to kick off pronto so they can take over the ground. And so it goes. The screen can serve only one master. It can't be in the show business. in educational work, in advertising, religion and social uplift all at the same time. * * * ONE of the Federal Church Council's "conclusions" hits at the morals of film folk. It declares thai, with the coming of talkies, the industry was invaded by a horde of legitimate and "undis ciplined vaudeville actors, many of them notoriously lacking in moral and esthetic standards." This slanderous thrust not onlj was uncalled for, but it is unsubstantiated by anv facts in the Report. As a matter of record, the film community can match its private life with any, and come out very favorably. Unfortunately, personalities of the screen must suffer the spotlight on all their actions at all times. One divorce in a film colony of 20,000 persons is broadcast all up and down the land, whereas a city of the same population could have 50 divorces and nobody outside that town would hear about them. The least hint of scandal involving a film name is front-page news for the world, while the trangressions that go on daily in every locality seldom become beyond their own neighborhoods. There is continual snooping into the lives of motion picture people, with great magnification of anything "bad," whereas lesser important mortals can do almost anything without notice from the press. Which explains why J. B. Priestly, to cite one of many, on his lecent trip from England to Hollywood, was shocked to find the film capital "terribly respectable." * * * THE Federal Church Council hits it on the head, however, when it states that "much of the criticism up to this time has been uninformed upon many important practical aspects of the problem." And when it says "there has been hitherto no comprehensive, competent agency, convincingly disinterested in both administration and program, which could supply competent and helpful criticism and guidance to the industry," it raises the question — can there be any such disinterested attention? Anyone delving into the structure and operations of the film industry — or any other industry — must have some interest in it. Why should a disinterested person undertake such a burden? • Surely, in the face of the "conclusions" it has drawn from its report, the Federal Council's efforts cannot be classed as disinterested. Nor can the film industry, forced to defend itself against a horde of hecklers, be expected to maintain a wholly impartial composure. The human element exists on both sides. * * * IF there is any conclusion standing out more prominently than anv other in the case at hand, it is that the film industry will do well to not pav too serious attention to its critical" tormentors, but just keep right on trying to do its best in the business of providing wholesome entertainment. PERCENTAGE IS BANNED BY MARYLAND M. P. T. 0. (Continued from Page 1 ) a percentage and guarantee on certain picture on its program. The resolution is as follow-: "That we, the member of the Motion Picture Theater Owners of Maryland, are opposed to playing pictures on a Percentage Ba-i-. Anj member violating this ruling shall be fined or suspended at the discretion of the Board of Director-." Court Bans Twisting Of Arbitration Clause (Continued from Page 1) Herbert T. Silverberg, attorney representing Paramount, asked the exhib for the appointment of an arbitrator in accordance with the 1930 regulations. Failing to get action, Silverberg made a motion in the Supreme Court for an order directing arbitration to proceed and to appoint an arbitrator for the exhib in connection with the four 1930 contracts. Suit also was entered on the old contract. Crosby thereupon filed notice based on the old contract clause providing that an exhibitor may cancel contracts if the distributor rejects arbitration. Silverberg argued that arbitration no longer existed under the old contract, and the court upheld him, also holding that even if such a clause did exist the two contracts were separate and distinct. Church-Hays Office Feud Stirs Up Lively Interest (Continued from Page 1) Carl E. Milliken, secretary of the Hays organization, in a statement forwarded from the coast, said in part: "My resignation from the Federal Council is an expression of my personal feeling, as a member of the Administrative Committee, concerning the unfortunate position in which such a clouded report places the Federal Council." Hiram S. Brown, Jr., To Be Asst. to 'Roxy' (Continued from Page 1) plans for Radio City and will possibly accompany him and several architects when they leave on the Europa. July 23, for a tour of foreign cities. TO-DAY'S cs2=^ big m EVENT 1 AS SEEN BY r^. THE PRESS ^ * "By the terms of his recently signed long term contract with Fox Films, James Dunn must not weigh more than 157 pounds. A pound more and he won't be permitted to play opposite such slim beauties as Sally Eilers." — Fox Film.