Harrison's Reports (1943)

IN TWO SECTIONS— SECTION ONE Entered as second -class matter January 4, 1921, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. HARRISON'S Reports Yearly Subscription Rates: 1270 SIXTH AVENUE Published Weekly by United States 115.00 Rrt«T«lA19 Harrison's Reports, Inc.. U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 jvwjhi xoi^ Publisher Canada 16.50 New York, N. Y. P. S. HARRISON, Editor Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 -n ■ • <^ ■ p,_„„t T^Htain i>; 7K ^ Motion Picture Reviewing Service Australia New ' Zea^^^ Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Established July 1, 1919 India. Europe, Asia .... 17.50 Editorial Policy: No Problem Too Big for Its Editorial Circle 7-4622 35c a Copy Columns, if It is to Benefit the Exhibitor. A REVIEWING SERVICE FREE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF FILM ADVERTISING Vol. XXV SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 1943 No. 1 Let Us Fear the Censor More Than Censorship! It seems as if Lowell Mellett, Chief of the Office of the War Information Bureau of the Motion Picture Industry, is not so responsible a public official as the office he occupies requires. Not so long age he stated publicly that the habit of sitting three or four or more hours on one's "metaphysical fanny," with one's mind afloat in a fictional world, hardly equips the American population for the serious job of dealing with real life. Harrison's Reports felt that a statement of this kind was not in conformance with the duties of his office and, in an editorial headed, "Loose Talk," published in the November 28 issue, took Mr. Mellett to task. That the Hterary thrashing this paper gave Mr. Mellett for his loose and, in one phrase, vulgar talk was justified, may be evidenced by the fact that Mr. Elmer Davis, Chief of the Office of War Informa' tion, rebuked him, as you all undoubtedly know, by stating that the OWI has no opinion regarding the amusement habits of the American people, his office's job being merely to "furnish the people with factual information and what they do in their spare time is none of our concern." It seems, however, that Mr. Mellett did not take Mr. Davis' hint and, again meddling in something he has no business to meddle, sent a letter to the prO' ducers instructing them to submit to his office all motion picture scripts, treatments and screen plays for approval before they are made into motion pictures. The letter naturally disturbed Hollywood and, when the producers' feelings became known to the Office of War Information, Mr. Elmer Davis again rebuked Mr. Mellett by issuing a statement expressing amazement at his action. "By the widest stretch of the imagination," Mr. Davis said, "I don't know where Mellett got his authority. "The Presidential order creating the motion pic' ture bureau of OWI includes only morale and training films and those of the armed forces." When Lowell Mellett reali2;ed the blunder he had committed he hastened to issue a statement by which he tried to assure the producers that he was mis' understood, calling the agitation of the industry "a tempest in a tea pot," and that it seemed to him as if the controversy had been "inspired by some one unfriendly to the motion picture industry." Just how any one could misinterpret his letter is beyond understanding. For instance, one of the paragraphs of his letter reads as follows : "For the benefit of both your studio and of the Office of War Information it would be advisable to establish a routine procedure whereby our Hollywood office would receive copies of studio treatment or synopsis of all stories which you contemplate producing and finished scripts. This will enable us to make suggestions as to the war content of motion pictures at a stage when it is easy and inexpensive to make changes which may be recommended. "We should like also to set up a routine procedure and arrangement whereby our Hollywood office may view all pictures in the long cut. While this is rather late in the operation to introduce any new matters, it would make it possible for us to recommend the dele' tion of any of the material which may be harmful to the war effort. . . ." Can anyone misinterpret the meaning of these paragraphs? Notice that Mr. Mellett did not request copies of such stories as deal with the war or with the morale of our armed forces; he requested copies of ALL stories, and demanded to view ALL pictures. In connection with this episode, let me call your attention to part of a new item that appeared in the December 21 issue of the Hollywood Reporter: "But since that time, Nelson Poynter, head of Mellett 's local office, has seen fit to go from studio to studio, criticizing their efforts, asking and virtually demanding scripts for his inspection and even trying to get one or another of the studios to make a picture or pictures from ideas he would submit. . . ." Harrison's Reports does not know what Mr. Poynter had in mind, if the Hollywood Reporter's statement is true, when he tried to induce studios to make pictures based on story ideas of his. But in view of the fact that inducing the producers to make stories from ideas furnished by him is not part of his duty as a representative of Mellett's office, consequently, this paper believes that Mr. Poynter had exceeded his authority. This matter requires Congressional investigation. But since the producers feel that it would be impolite for them to request such an investigation, Harrison's Reports feels that it is up to the exhibitors to interest some Congressman to demand the airing, not only of Poynter 's but also of Mellett's behavior. The industry has never declined to cooperate with the Government. Consequently, Mellett's and Poynter 's conduct smack of personal censorship. We do not fear censorship in times such as these, but let us fear the ambitious censors.