Harrison's Reports (1950)

.Entered as second-class matter January 4, l'J21, at the post office at New York, New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. Harrison's Reports Tearly Subscription Rates: 1270 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS Published Weekly by United States $15.00 (Formerly Sixth Avenue) Harrison s Reports, Inc., U. S. Insular Possessions. 16.50 M v I, on itf v Publisher Canada 16.50 Wew Iork «*«■« p. S. HARRISON, Editor Mexico, Cuba, Spain 16.50 A Motion Picture Reviewing Service Great Britain 17.50 Devoted Chiefly to the Interests of the Exhibitors Established July I, 1919 Australia, New Zealand, India, Europe, Asia .... 17.50 Jtg Editorial Poiicy: 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. XXXII SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1950 No. 38 INDUSTRY UP IN ARMS AGAINST MARTIN-LEWIS TELEVISION SLUR A perfect example of "biting the hand that feeds you" was displayed last Sunday night on television by comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in a comedy skit that belittled and ridiculed the motion picture industry in a way that was nothing short of vicious. The scene was the front of a motion picture theatre, and the skit opened with Martin, as the theatre manager, vainly trying to entice customers by marking down the admission price from 80^f to 60^ and then to 40^, and finally hanging up a sign that offered "easy credit terms.11 To show how bad business was, the skit depicted a balcony usher rushing out of the theatre stark, raving mad, the result of loneliness. The rest of the skit had to do with Martin attempting to persuade Jerry Lewis, a passing 'teen-ager, to buy a ticket. He succeeds with the aid of the cashier, a sexy female in a low-necked, split-skirted gown, who does a partial strip-tease to lure Lewis into the theatre. Worked into the proceedings were gags that depicted Martin and his staff of ushers shuddering at the mere mention of television, and a situation that showed them brow-beating Lewis into buying a box of popcorn. All in all, the skit purported to show, in a humorous way, of course, that television has just about bankrupted the motion picture theatres. As a result of this objectionable skit, Arthur L. Mayer, executive vice-president of COMPO, has sent a vigorous protest to Frank Folsom, president of the Radio Corporation of America, parent company of NBC. Mayer wired Folsom as follows: 'This organization, representing all branches of the motion picture industry, strongly protests attack on our business contained in Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis show on WNBT Sunday night. In depicting motion picture theatres as places shunned by public both producers of show and WNBT have done serious damage to this industry. We cannot believe that you as responsible head of Radio Corporation of America condone such irresponsible attacks and we ask that you take steps immediately to see that this scene is not repeated on other stations." At the time this is being written, Mr. Folsom had not yet replied to Mr. Mayer s wire. Another protest came from Harry Brandt, president of the Independent Theatre Owners Association, who, in behalf of his organization, said the following, in part, in a telegram sent to Hal Wallis, producer of the "My Friend Irma" pictures, in which Martin and Lewis are featured : "Theatre owners in the New York area are outraged. ... In this sketch, Martin and Lewis ridicule motion picture exhibition and production and present the industry in the worst possible light. "Personalities who work for financial gain in the industry and who continue to profit through the medium should not slur or smear the industry which is so good to them. Only recently, the Screen Actors Guild urged all its members to help promote motion pictures whenever the opportunity arises, particularly in other mediums of communication such as radio and television. Apparently Martin and Lewis are unaware of this effort, as witness their completely distorted picture of industry conditions. "By virtue of your contract with them, we ask you to take whatever disciplinary action you can to curb their future antics in tearing down the good public relations that we are building up through COMPO. Martin and Lewis are guilty of a disservice to you, to Paramount Pictures which has released their films, to the exhibitors who play their pictures, and to the entire industry, and particularly to themselves as independent producers." Another who was quick to comment on the illadvised Martin and Lewis skit was Abram F. Myers, National Allieds general counsel and chairman of the board, who had this to say, in part, in a special bulletin issued early this week to his membership : "It is bad enough when any performer, regardless of whether he has ever appeared in pictures, uses the medium of television to ridicule and deride the movies. It is most reprehensible for players who have been elevated to stardom and enriched by the movies to do so. And when players who are appearing in films cur' rently playing in the theatres go out of their way to slander the movies, it is time for the motion picture industry to do something about it. "A case in point was the Colgate sponsored show featuring the erstwhile movie comedians Martin and Lewis, which was televised last Sunday evening. The performance, we are informed, consisted of a burlesque of the motion picture business. . . . "While this show was being given over television, free to anybody having access to a receiving set, motion picture exhibitors (including our informant) were playing Paramount^ 'My Friend Irma Goes West,1 featuring the comedians Martin and Lewis and charging an admission price therefor. "If this were merely an isolated case, it still would be in bad taste but we might shrug it off as one of those things. But panning the movies is becoming a habit of television comedians and unless a halt is (Continued on bac\ page)