Harrison's Reports (1951)

16 HARRISON’S REPORTS January 27, 1951 tage in Europe, in all the theatres they could, as an answer to the “bragging” about the American form of government. They used it also in South America. And we have no better authority for this than Mr. Nelson Rockefeller who, in 1941, as the co-ordinator of commercial and cultural relations among the American republics, reported that agents of the Axis powers were employing American motion pictures throughout South America to discredit democracy in general and the United States in particular, and that the picture they employed most to show the “decay of democracy” was “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” The Japanese, too, used the picture as an anti'U.S. weapon. And now it is being used for anti-American propaganda purposes by the Russians, the present-day aggressors. At the time this paper condemned the picture as injurious to the national interest, this writer was criticized severely by writers from within the industry. Basing our opinion on what happened with “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” this paper ventures to say that “Born Yesterday” will be used by our country’s enemies in a similar way. How will the people of other countries feel towards our country when, through a film such as “Born Yesterday,” they are made to feel that our national legislators are corrupt? What faith can they have in our nation as a promoter of peace in these strenuous days? From the experience had with “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” one would have expected that Harry Cohn, head of Columbia, would know better than to produce once more a picture showing a gangster controlling national legislators. But perhaps it is too much to expect Harry Cohn to sacrifice a possible profit for the sake of avoiding injury to the national interest. Only recently Cohn dug up an old story to produce “Emergency Wedding,” which is a remake of “You Belong to Me,” authored by Dalton Trumbo, one of the so-called Unfriendly Hollywood Ten, who was sentenced to jail for refusing to tell the House UnAmerican Activities Committee whether he is or is not a Communist. Trumbo’s name, of course, is emblazoned on the screen credits. When one considers Cohn’s action in digging up this old Trumbo story, and when one recalls that he personally attended a two-day policy meeting of producers and distributors in New York, in November 1947, and was one of those who endorsed the declaration of policy by which the producers agreed to take positive action against any of the ten Hollywood personalities cited for contempt by Congress “until such time as he is acquitted or has purged himself of contempt and declares under oath that he is not a Communist,” one wonders whether Harry Cohn is fighting the Communists and their fellow-travelers or merely tolerating them. Let us know, Mr. Cohn! COMPO BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO HAVE VETO Arthur L. Mayer, executive vice-president of the Council of Motion Picture organizations, issued a statement last weekend declaring that an error had been made in a previous announcement that the proposed change in the COMPO by-laws called for a majority vote in the new Board of Directors that is to be formed. “A unanimous vote will be necessary in both the Board of Directors and the expanded Executive Committee,” said Mayer. “I am making this announcement to clear up a misunderstanding caused by previous statements that were not in accord with the record.” Whether or not the rule of unanimous consent will serve as an aid or a hindrance to the work of the Board of Directors is something this paper cannot say, for just what the precise duties of the Board will be in the new COMPO setup have not been clearly defined in any of the statements issued to the press thus far. Harrison’s Reports will withhold comment on this new development until such time as the official text of the recommended change in the COMPO bylaws, now being drafted by industry attorneys, is made available. BROTHERHOOD WEEK Brotherhood Week will be observed this year during the week of February 18-25, and once again the National Conference of Christians and Jews, sponsors of this worthy movement, are asking the cooperation of the motion picture industry in general and the exhibitors in particular. Some 20,000 specially prepared service kits containing publicity and other material were mailed out last week to exhibitors, radio stations and newspapers to help them make observance of Brotherhood Week a big success. These kits include a 40 x 60 lobby poster in color, a window card, a press book with exploitation and publicity ideas, and a quantity of 25 enrollmentmembership cards. Enclosed also is a letter from Charles M. Reagan, national chairman of the Brotherhood Week Committee, urging the exhibitors to lend their enthusiastic efforts as well as their own personal, moral and financial support to insure the success of the drive. To carry on the fine work of promoting good will among Protestants, Catholics and Jews, the NCCJ must have funds, and this year the goal is $3,542,475. To help meet this goal, each exhibitor is being urged to sign up at least ten new members at a cost of one dollar (or more, if possible) for a year’s membership. No exhibitor should experience any trouble in securing at least the ten pledges from the people in his community. The importance of exhibitor cooperation in this great work has been aptly stated by Trueman Rembusch, National Allied president and co-chairman of the drive’s exhibitor committee with Gael Sullivan, of TOA. In pleading for the support of all exhibitors, Mr. Rembusch said partly: “During these trying times our greatest security is a strong America yet nothing can more quickly damage our American way of life than bigotry. Communism feeds on underdogs— people who have been pushed around and who feel that they have a gripe. “That is why the need for the spread of the gospel of the Brotherhood of Man is of vital importance to every operating theatre owner today. That is why an alert aggressive Brotherhood Week campaign in every theatre is just about the finest public relations that will ever be found. Of course it’s work, but it’s nice work to let the public know that the motion picture theatre is a leader in such a fine civic activity."