Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1948)

jnday, November 1, 1948 MOTION PICTURE DAILY 3 joming Events )day and Tomorrow— Allied Theatre Owners of Texas annual contention, Dallas. ov. 3 — 20th Century Theatres (Canadian) annual convention, Taconto. d-)/jf)-ll — Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana annual autumn convention, Hotel Antlers, Indianapolis. ov. 12-13 — West Virginia Theatre Managers Association convention, Terrace-Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati. ,'ov. 17 — Motion Picture Pioneers' ninth annual dinner, WaldorfAstoria, New York. l-K-0 Approves {Continued from page 1) ble to both the Department of Jus.ce and to RKO. The decree is contingent upon the tockholders' approval within 90 days f a plan of reorganization which will reate two new companies, one to hold he RKO theatres and the other to iold its production and distribution .ssets, both owned by the existing tockholders. _ , The board approved in principle a ax -free reorganization of RKO hereofore approved by the U. S. Treasury department. The plan will be subnitted to the stockholders shortly. I The agreement which would be made effective by the judgment and J:he reorganization is believed by the [nanagement of RKO to be for the best interests of the company and its [stockholders under all of the present circumstances. The management [stated it has no doubt that this arrangement will permit the continued ['successful operation in a highly competitive market both of the RKO -.theatres and of the production and i distribution companies. A. P. Issues Story on Quigley's Code Authorship A SSOCIATED PRESS N ewsfeatures released for publication yesjl terday in member newspapers the following story concerning Martin Quigley's authorship of the industry's Production Code and its subsequent adoption and implementation: By CYNTHIA LOWRY AP N ewsfeatures Writer Odium, Hughes {Continued from page 1) to see RKO proceed with "this advantageous settlement." Odium's resignation at this time is regarded as clearing the way for Atlas to eventually exercise its option to buy Hughes' controlling interest in the new RKO theatre company when it is established. Odium's withdrawal from the board avoids an interlocking interest which the Government might find objectionable. 11 Reissues to Toddy Eleven Western reissues have been acquired by Toddy Pictures here for distribution. They are: "Under Western Skies," "Riders of the North," "Law of the Rio Grande," "Sons of the Plains," "A Man's Country," "West of Cheyenne," "Phantom of the Desert," "Westward Bound," "Lonesome Trail," "Code of Honor" and "Beyond the Law." DOUGLAS 4-ENGINED New York, Oct. 30— (AP).— Eighteen years after the movie industry developed a formal, written conscience, it's now disclosing the author of the self-censorship code. "I asked to be kept out of it," explained Martin Quigley, film trade journal publisher, in an interview, "because I figured it should not be known as the work of one man; that it should be considered as having spontaneously arisen from the conscience of the industry." The code, as it was called, was adopted at the time the young film industry was under bitter attack. As the Motion Picture Production Code, specifically drawing the line of what would be banned in picture entertainment, it was immediately accepted. At first it was referred to as the Hays Code, after Will Hays, Moviedom's first czar. Today Quigley is happy to take his bows for authorship. Recently the Motion Picture Association of America, headed by Eric Johnston, passed a formal resolution "bearing witness" to his contribution, so did the Association of Motion Picture Producers of Hollywood. The gray-haired, quiet-mannered Quigley also is pleased because "radio, television and even the comics industry are basing their codes on that of motion pictures." 'Free-wheeling Attitude' on Taste Quigley started in the picture business after he saw "Birth of a Nation," and by 1922 was already concerned with the free-wheeling attitude of film producers in the matter of good taste. Criticism of movies mounted steadily through the 1920s, heightened by a' succession of scandalous episodes in the private lives of film notables. Quigley, who had been "screaming editorially" for years about the social and moral significance of motion pictures, sat down in the summer' of 1929 and drafted a document. In it, he outlined specifically a ban on certain subjects which he felt could, if por trayed, lower moral standards, offend good taste, or encourage sympathy for wrong-doers. A few months later he worked over his draft with Father Daniel A. Lord, a Jesuit priest of St. Louis, "who always had been interested in the theatre." Worried Will Hays enthusiastically adopted the document and it was immediately accepted by the industry. However, there were no teeth in the code, at first. That came four years later, after many violations. Bishops Organized L. of D. Roman Catholic Bishops organized the Legion of Decency to effect a change in the character of movie fare. Among other activities, they obtained pledges from Church-goers to keep out of movie theatres. Business dropped off — and the film producers hurriedly organized a • special police authority to force compliance with the code. Joseph I. Breen, a former employee of Quigley's, was named chief policeman. "The Legion of Decency's campaign, you might say, was ended by the existence of the code," Quigley said. "The code is rooted in the objective principles of morality. It's based on the theory of applying the fundamental moral principles of the Ten Commandments to motion pictures. And the Ten Commandments are subscribed to by the principal religious beliefs in the modern world." The Production Code specifically sets down the ways in which crimes against the law, sex, profanity, religion, national pride and offensive subjects should be handled. It outlaws completely nudity, cursing, vulgarity, obscenities, details of crimes and the use of certain words. Quigley has seen his code copied all over the world. "What's more," he said, "it has been pretty amply demonstrated in our own film _ industry that, aside from moral considerations, the code has been good business." JLY OVERNITE TO*l • M « NEW YORK ■ •T«< 07 . . DC-4 • 1 2 HOURS Sky cruises inc. 108 W. 43rd St. CALL BRYANT 9-3707 Hotel Diplomat Mexican Producers Seek Reissue Curb Mexico City, Oct. 31. — Mexico's film producers are militating for an official curb on exhibition of U. S. reissues here, many of which, they assert, are cutting into their own current product by being shown at firstrun admission scales without being identified as reissues. This competition is a further source of irritation to local producers because several of their costly productions have been box-office failures. Roth To Serve JDA Judge Lester William Roth, vicepresident of Columbia Pictures, has been named California state chairman of the Joint Defense Appeal, it was announced here at the weekend by JDA headquarters. 'Song Is Born' Music Aids Runyon Drive Climaxing a year of negotiations with the American Federation of Musicians and top record manufacturers, Samuel Goldwyn announces that an album entitled "Giants of Jazz" will soon be placed on sale, with proceeds going to the Damon Runyon Memori al Fund for cancer research. Thi AFM has agreed to waive all royal ties normally due the union in order to aid the fund, while Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Decca and Columbia will make the album without profit. Goldwyn has contributed the entire jazz music sound-track of "A Song Is Born" to the project. Featured are Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Barnet, Mel Powell, Page Cavanaugh Trio, Golden Gate Quartet, Jeri Sullivan, Benny Carter and Zutty Singleton. ASC Relations Drive Is Termed a Success Hollywood, Oct. 31. — American Society of Cinematographers' public relations program under the direction of Esther Tow to win increased recognition for photographic work in Hollywood films has been declared a "complete success" by Fred W. Jackman, ASC executive vice-president. Pointing out that the program will continue on an intensified basis, Jackman explained the ASC has been seeking closer cooperation with other branches of the industry. Mexico Expands 16mm. Mexico City, Oct. 31. — Mexico now has 350 theatres exclusively exhibiting 16mm. pictures, 152 of these being in the Far Western area. ► As pilot of United's famous DC-6 Mainliner 300 flight, "the Hollywood," I'm pretty well used to the idea of people crossing the continent in a few hours. >But some of our passengers, upon landing in Los Angeles, often perform what I believe is known as a "double-take." They've seen the schedule: "Lv New York 12 noon, ar Los Angeles 8:45 p.m." But now that it's actually happened, it seems like magic. >The brief hours go fast partly because of the luxury of the great DC-6 Mainliner 300. The air conditioning. The cabin pressurization that means low-altitude comfort at smooth, high levels. The roomy twin compartments and lounge. Delicious meals. And pretty, helpful stewardesses. >But don't forget those four big Wasp engines of mine, revving away so powerfully. They give 300 miles the brush-off while you're playing a game of gin rummy! United Air Lines Pilot on