Motion Picture Classic (Jul-Dec 1930)

How FREE On The Screen As Dirt, An Seeing that girls do not "indecently kick:" Evan Chesterman, chairman of the Virginia Board of Censors, that spares not even newsreels The Movie Audience Total weekly attendance in the U. S. 115,000,000 Children (up to 12 years) — 8 per cent. 9,200,000 Adolescents (12 to 16 years) 20 per cent. 23,000.000 Adults— 72 per cent 82,800,000 Number of Censors and Approximate Cost KANSAS 3 at $2,500 per year ' Expenses: $8,000 per year.. J.i-'.-'i'i. MARYLAND 3 at $2,400 per year 1 4,, Expenses (est.): $21,800. . . NEW YORK One diiector with four \ assistants, opcratini;; expenses^ $60,000 $60,000 ■■ OHIO 2 at $2,400 per year > ann Expenses: $23,000 »i27,KOO PENNSYLVANIA 1 at $4,800 per year'^, , 1 2 at $4, SOO per y ea r , i $26, 1 00 Expenses (est.): $12,100 VIRGINIA 3 at $2, SOO per year 1 «7c nnn Expenses: $17. SOO $25,000 $185,400 By CAMPBELL EVERY citizen may freely speak, write and publish his sentiments on all subjects." This declaration of popular independence, found in the Ohio State Constitution, is repeated . . . either in these exact v^^ords or in some variation of them — in every State Constitution in this country. The provision is supposed to reiterate the sacred first article of our Federal Bill of Rights, which guarantees us all sorts of delightful privileges — if we can get them. However, six of our sovereign States have grinned cheerfully at the constitutional guarantee, and chirruped: "Sure. Except if he tries to do it on a motion picture screen ! Which means that more than thirty million people, living in the six States of Kansas, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, have their motion picture entertainment carefully denatured for them before they have a chance to look at it. However, there is nothing very new about that — or wasn't, until the talkies came along and proceeded to put an entirely different complexion on the matter. A very rigid control of the screen was submitted to by the inhabitants of the States mentioned and by all the motion picture producers, and while many people growled, nobody did much of anything about it. Then came the talking screen, and now there is as neat a fight brewing as you'd want to witness, even in Donegal. And it all hinges on that lucky group of thirteen words at the beginning of this tale— or at least on the sentiment embodied in tJiem. Censorious Mr. Kipling IT was Rudyard Kipling who said that as a nation we would be all right, if only we had a sense of humor. As he had lived among us for a number of years, he felt that he knew what he was talking about; but most of us have been frothing at the mouth ever since. "Still," adds Mr. Kipling, "you have moving picture censors, you know." Of course, it is true that here in Hollywood have been gathered the best available talents, solely for the purpose of turning out good entertainment for all the world. And it is equally true that this entertainment is both difficult and expensive to make, and most of it is real entertainment — when it leaves the studios. But you inhabitants of the six States mentioned stand a mighty slim chance of seeing — or hearing — exactly what Hollywood has sweated to make for you. You get a more or less emasculated version, carefully edited by perhaps twenty-five State censors — genial, broadminded souls, to whom you pay many thousands of dollars to decide whether you shall or shall not see Armand kiss Claudia on the neck; whether perchance you may hear Harold say to Gussie: "Gee, kid ! I'm goofy about you ! Gimme a long, hard kiss!" Also," before I forget, there are a number of cities in the 24