Harrison's Reports (1934)

120 HARRISON’S REPORTS thority to be a permanent alternate for such member shall be approved by the Administrator.” Nowhere in the Code is there a provision empowering an alternate to appoint another alternate. On the contrary, it is specified that an alternate shall act only in an emergency. But have they? There are producer members of the Code Authority who have attended only one meeting, some only two meetings and very few of them attended more than one-third of the meetings ; they have conducted the Code Authority business with, as said, their third and fourth rate assistants in direct violation of the Code, which calls for ‘‘bona fide executives.” It is my opinion that such acts of the Code Authority as were performed by second, third or fourth alternates, are illegal, for they have been performed by persons who are not entitled to sit as members. And it should not be difficult for an aggrieved exhibitor to obtain an injunction against the Code Authority on these grounds. There are other points on which the Code Authority has, in my opinion, acted illegally. These will be discussed in a forthcoming issue. You have paid your money to the Code Authority for the maintenance of the Clearance and Zoning as well as the Grievance boards only because you hoped to get a square deal. By the modification of one of the basic Code provisions a square deal is being denied you. Can any one blame you, then, if you refused to pay any more assessments to the Code Authority? If the Code is to be used by the majors for themselves let them stand all the costs. IRRESPONSIBLE HARRY WARNER On July 19, Harry Warner gave a luncheon on the Coast in honor of Mr. Jim Farley, Postmaster-General and National Chairman of the Democratic Party. In the course of his speech, Harry Warner said among other things the following : “I didn’t mean to talk about this, but it is highly important to our company. When the Cardinal of Philadelphia says it is a sin to go to the theatre this is very un-American, because it is confiscation of a great industry, and of the livelihood of thousands upon thousands of people. “I hope the Postmaster-General will issue a new stamp with a picture of one of our girls out here on it, charge an extra cent for it and send the proceeds out here to take care of the distress that would be caused if the Cardinal’s advice were taken.” I did not intend to comment upon this statement of Harry Warner’s, but because he used the expression, “It is confiscation of a great industry and of the livelihood of thousands upon thousands of people,” I reconsidered my original decision lest those who are fighting against indecent pictures think that Harry Warner speaks for the entire motion picture industry. I inquired around among some of this industry’s executives how they felt about that statement of Harry Warner’s and found out that every one of them considers it thoughtless and irresponsible. Harry Warner called Cardinal Dougherty “un-American.” For what? For indicating to the Catholics of his diocese not to patronize the dirty pictures Warner Bros, has been making. It is evident that Cardinal Dougherty could not touch Harry Warner’s pride to discontinue making such pictures, for Harry Warner has no pride: any man who can stand up before a Senate Committee and justify his having sold his company’s shares short, acting, as said, like the gambler who, while playing poker, put his opponents with their backs against a mirror, such man has no pride. The only place where he could hurt him was his pocketbook. And Cardinal Dougherty proceeded to hurt him in his pocketbook. Harry Warner seems to have no conception whatever as to what are the duties of a host, particularly when the guest is a devout member of the religion one of whose representatives he censures, the leader of one of the two big parties, and a close friend of the President of the United States. In his desire to take advantage of his guest to get publicity, he put him into an extremely embarrassing position. It is fortunate that Mr. Farley happens to be a Catholic ; otherwise the Government would have been placed in such an embarrassing position as to call for explanations to soothe the feelings of the Catholics, who form approximately one-fifth of the population of this country. Will H. Hays has been called the Czar of the motion picture industry. This is one time when I really wished that he were a Czar, to send Harry Warner to Patagonia, if JuIy 28 1934 possible, so that he may do as little harm as possible during these troublesome days, and give us a chance to straighten out the industry’s problems. We, in the motion picture industry, know how conceited he is. His conceit came to him when Ambassador Gerard named him as one of the big men of the United States. Harry Warner did not realize that Ambassador Gerard’s act was one of courtesy, to repay Harry Warner, in a way, for his producing a picture of the Ambassador’s activities in Germany preceding the declaration of war against Germany by the United States. But he thinks Mr. Gerard meant it. The Lord have mercy upon us all if all our big men were as thoughtless as Harry Warner. If Cardinal Dougherty bid all the Roman Catholics of his diocese to keep away from picture theatres, Harry Warner is more to blame than any other person in the industry, for in the last three years his company has produced more indecent, immoral, and demoralizing pictures than any other. And if what I have been told by a trustworthy person is accurate, he will not change, for a high executive of Warner Bros, told him that now they are going to make their pictures dirtier than ever. The situation in Philadelphia can be relieved, not by offending statements, but by good pictures. If Harry Warner should give up making indecent pictures, following the example of the other producers, there can be no doubt in any one’s mind that the ban will be lifted, not only in the Philadelphia territory, but also in every territory in the United States where similar action has been taken. The Philadelphia territory exhibitors would serve their interests greatly if they should repudiate Harry Warner and refuse to buy Warner Bros, pictures unless they received from that company an assurance that they will discontinue making unclean, indecent, and demoralizing pictures. CLASSIFICATION OF PICTURES The following new pictures have been classified by the Detroit Council of Catholic Organizations ; they have been taken from The Michigan Catholic: RECOMMENDED: Dick Turpin, Dude Ranger. The Ghost Train, Jane Eyre. Sandy Rides Alone, The World Moves On, and We’re Rich Again. NOT RECOMMENDED: Affairs of Cellini, Bachelor Bait, The Fighting Lady, The Personality Kid. and The Woman Who Dared. The following pictures have been classified by the Chicago Council of Legion of Decency (Father Deneen) : CLASS A (good for the families) : Beyond Bengal, Charlie Chan’s Courage, Doomed to Die, Ever Since Eve, Handy Andy, Jane Eyre, Lost Jungle, Mystery Squadron, Old-Fashioned Way, Through the Centuries, Vanishing Shadow, Wandering Jew, War’s End, Whom the Gods Would Destroy. CLASS B (Not Forbidden — Suitable for Adults, mainly, by reason of the fact that they are offensive in spots through suggestiveness of vulgarity, sophistication, or lack of modesty) : Bachelor Bait, Countess of Monte Cristo, Devil’s Brother, Friday the Thirteenth, Guns for Sale, House of Mystery, Murder in Trinidad, Personality Kid, Stamboul Quest, Twentieth Century. CLASS C (indecent, immoral, and entirely unfit for showing) : Glamour, Morals for Women, Men in White. Picture Brides, Riptide, Registered Nurse, Smarty, Upperworld. DISAGREEMENT : The Chicago list puts “Countess of Monte Cristo” on the Class B classification, whereas the Detroit list on the Recommended. The Chicago list places “Twentieth Century” on the Class B (adult) list, whereas the Detroit list in the Not Recommended. For the complete lists, see the Second Section of last week’s issue. MARTIN QUIGLEY’S EDITORIAL ON THE “DECENCY” CAMPAIGN Under the heading, “The Decency Campaign— Inside and Out,” Mr. Martin Quigley, publisher of Motion Picture Herald and Motion Picture Daily, published an editorial in the July 21 issue of the Herald, by which he calls upon all those who are fighting against indecent pictures to unify their efforts so that what one list praises the other list may not condemn and vice versa. Harrison's Reports is in full accord with Mr. Quigley’s statements.