Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1941)

Alert, pensa to the Motion Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY 12 50. NO. 61 NEW YORK. U.S.A.. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1941 TEN CENTS Downey to Ask Congress View 'Liberty' Film Committee Plans to See Pictures Next Week By SAM SHAIN Washington', Sept. 24. — The first picture of those mentioned so j tar at the propaganda hearings i which the members of the Nyeji! Clark subcommittee might avail i themselves of seeing will he "'Land ft of Liberty." The members of the subcommittee I today received written invitations from f Sen. Sheridan Downey of California n to a screening of the picture he has ' irranged for Friday afternoon in the f Archives Building. Sen. Downey, it f| is reported, also will bring the question to the floor of the Senate when | that body resumes at noon tomorrow, and personally extend an invitation to all members of Congress and the Cabinet to attend the screening, which (Continued on paqe 4) Asks Senate Study Of Mexican Strike Mexico Citv, Sept. 24. — Senator Fernando Amilpa has asked the Mexican Senate to appoint a committee to investigate the conflict between the National Cinematographic workers' Union and the eight major ■^B American distributors. In presenting ▼ this bill, Amilpa said that the AmeriI; cans have "persecuted" the exhibitors If by establishing arbitrary terms for I the screening of their pictures "even \y to date and time for the exhibitions Ail, « f their pictures, even those that are R~ mediocre and of little public interest. That amounts to a monopoly and (Continued on page 4) Pa. Allied Unit Meets In Pittsburgh Oct. 22 Pittsburgh, Sept. 24. — President Fred Beedle of Allied MPTO of Western Pennsylvania has appointed Morris A. Rosenberg, past president, las chairman of the organization's 21st annual covention, to be held Oct. 22 and 23 at the Hotel Roosevelt here. Exhibitor conventions have been held annually in Pittsburgh since 1909, long before the present organization was formed, according to Secretary Fred Herrington of the MPTOA. Entry of CIO Into Industry Not Up During Pact Talks The indicated entry of the CIO into the industry through affiliations by office workers' guilds has not been broached during the negotiations here with the AFL studio unions, it was established yesterday. Producers take the position that the affiliations of industry unions are not a subject for discussion in negotiations concerned solely with wages, hours and working conditions. Heads of the AFL international unions which are signatories of the studio basic agreement either recognized the validity of this position, according to observers, or are unconcerned about the possible affiliation of some of the newer employes' guilds with the CIO, for they refrained from injecting the subject into the recent negotiations. IATSE studio locals, likewise, have made no mention of ClO affiliations in the industry. Such jurisdictional claims as they have advanced involve other AFL unions. The producers' representatives have declined to con(Continued on pane 41 PUBLIC INFLUENCES PICTURES: SCHENCK Tobey Tells Schenck: 'You Top Lawyers' Washington, Sept. 24. — After sparring vainly with Nicholas M. Schenck, president of Loew's, at the film propaganda hearing yesterday and today, Sen. Tobey burst out with the exclamation that the statement by Sen. McFarland that the witness should have the advice of his lawyer when he took the stand was "superfluous." "You," Sen. Tobey told Schenck, "could give any lawyer cards and spades and beat him any day." Browne Gives Jury Records from Union Protesting against what he called violation of his constitutional rights against self incrimination, George E. Browne, IATSE president, yesterday appeared before the Federal grand jury investigating the union's financial affairs. Browne produced records of the union dating from Jan. 1, 1934, to date in accordance with an order of Federal Judge John W. Holland, and identified them at the direction of the court. The Government is trying particularly to trace the disposition of as (Continucd on page 4) Bernhard Stresses Operation Economy At Phila. Meeting Philadelphia, Sept. 24. — Joseph Bernhard, Warner Theatres general manager, sounded the keynote for the annual meeting today of managers of the circuit's Philadelphia zone at the Kit/. Carlton Hotel when lie cautioned that expense is the enemy of profits. Warning that because of the consent decree greater initiative will have to he shown this coming season by the individual managers, Bernhard said, "There can be no dissipation of playing time under the new block type of selling." He cautioned the men representing the circuit's 121 theatres in (Continued on pane 4) Company Heads Confer in Capital on Renewal of British Monetary Pact Washington, Sept. 24. — Company executives here for the Senate subcommittee propaganda inquiry have conferred with State and Treasury departments and British officials on the industry's new remittance agreement with England which is now in negotiation in London, it was reported today. The State Department is aiding in the negotiations. A representative of the American Embassy in London has participated in all of the conferences held there to date. The American distributors are asking authorization to withdraw all of their British revenue under the new agreement which is to take effect Nov. 1 for the ensuing year. No response to this proposal has been made yet by the British Treasury and Board of Trade officials with whom the negotiations are being conducted. Under the expiring one-year agreement the companies were permitted to withdraw $12,900,000, or approximately one-third of their annual British revenue. Tells Senators Industry Does Not Mold Public; Dietz Also Testifies By BERTRAM F. LINZ Washington, Sept. 24. — The public, and public opinion, influence the motion picture industry, and the motion picture industry does not mold the publjc, Nicholas M. Schenck, president of Loew's, told the Senate propaganda investigation subcommittee today at the close of a long session in which he was a witness for the second day. Schenck, on the stand throughout the day with the exception of a short period in which Howard Dietz, M-G-M advertising and publicity director, denied charges he had attempted to coerce newspapers, told the committee he would not make pictures engendering hate but felt the M-G-M pictures attacked as propaganda merely mildly reflected conditions actually existing. Chairman D. Worth Clark, however, held that not having seen the pictures his mind was "more clear" on their character than persons who had seen them. He absolved Schenck of any intention of making pictures that would make people want war but contended, nevertheless, that was the effect of the films. Schenck disclosed there have never been any inter-company discussions of propaganda pictures. Continuing the examination of Schenck begun yesterday, Clark attempted to show that "propaganda" pictures were forced on exhibitors under the old block booking system which prevailed up to Sept. 1. Schenck refused to admit that the pictures which have been cited were (Continued on page 4) Houses Closed in Texas Hurricane Dallas, Sept. 24. — Theatres in Galveston and sections of Houston were shut down yesterday by the lack of power in the hurricane which swept the Texas Gulf coast area, it was reported here. Considerable damage to theatre property was caused, with the wind blowing glass out of marquees and signs blown down. Smaller towns along the coast were badly hit. Much water damage to theatres was reported.