Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1952)

Tuesday, April 1, 1952 Motion Picture Daily 5 MPAA Meets With Legion {Continued from page 1) 38 Writers (Continued from page 1) tipped off that it contained some "veryhot" material. Actually, however, most of the testimony was merely a rehash of information long since made public. Denied Contact After '45 Miss Ettinger admitted having been a Communist Party member in New York City, where she worked for Paramount and Columbia, from about 1935 or 1936 until 1940 or 1941. She denied any contact with the Party after going to California in 1945, and also stoutly denied Committee questions as to whether any agents had tried to use her Party membership as a means of getting her to hire particular writers. Wheeler asked particularly whether agents John Weber or George Willner had ever done this. Under Committee instruction, Miss Ettinger had prepared a list of all writers hired by Columbia from the time of her arrival in California in 1945 until her testimony last fall. She said there were over 900 names on the list. Wheeler then said he had reviewed this list, and "I have recognized 38 as having been identified as having been members of the Communist Party." Vague on Names The witness was vague on naming persons she had known in the Party, meeting places or other specific information. She admitted knowing as party members Lee Sabinson, Nicholas Bela, Lester Fuller and Martin Berekeley. Asked whether there would be any discrimination by Columbia against writers who cooperated with the Committee, Miss Ettinger said there would be "absolutely none." She declared "We are desperate for good writers and that is the way we hire them." Hughes Asks Names Of SWG Panel Hollywood, March 31. — Howard Hughes, managing director of RKO Pictures, has asked the Screen Writers Guild for the names of those on SWG's credit panel who voted in favor of granting film writer Paul Jarrico credit for work on "The Las Vegas Story." Hughes' bid for names was one of the five questions posed to the SWG after it had termed the Jarrico dispute a labor problem that should be arbitrated. The guild formally charged Hughes with having "breached" the minimum basic agreement signed with the studio in 1951 and said that "we have no choice but to protect his (Jarrico's) professional rights." Jarrico, who refused to tell the House Committee on Un-American Activities whether he was a member of the Communist Party, has filed a $350,000 Superior Court suit against Hughes charging contract violation and personal damages. On March 17, RKO filed suit denying Jarrico's contribution to the "Las Vegas Story." When YOU Need Special \ TRAILERS. SPECIALLY £ Good & Fast ^ SEND IT TO flUH HICAG0, 1327 S. WABASH W YORK, 630 NINTH AVE. Association headquarters here. Practically the entire session — which lasted all yesterday afternoon and evening and from 10:30 this morning until seven tonight — dealt with criticism of the industry by the Legion, the House Un-American Activities Committee and other sources. Recent Legion Article MPAA spokesmen said the meeting with the Legion officials was by far the most important part of the twoday session. The American Legion monthly magazine recently carried an article declaring that Communists are better entrenched in Hollywood now than ever and naming some 30 pictures made by persons who the writer said had Party or Communist front backgrounds. The District of Columbia department of the Legion had said it would picket every picture on the list and would ask the national Legion to order nation wide picketing. At today's meeting, MPAA president Eric A. Johnston and the other film officials outlined to the Legion spokesmen all that Hollywood has done to combat Communist Party members, from the Waldorf Astoria declaration on. They emphasized the court suits and possible damages which the film companies have laid themselves open to. The Legion officials, it was understood, reported that they could not commit the Legion but promised to take the matter up with the executive committee. Officials said it was likely Pabst Named (Continued from page 1) closed that Pabst had led his branch to first place in the national UA sales drive recently completed. The local meeting also included the personnel of the Atlanta and Charlotte offices. Attending from Atlanta were Byron Adams, branch manager and salesmen, Jordan, Forst, Robuck, Craddock and C. D. Touchon, office manager. Charlotte was represented by branch manager H. Keeter and salesmen Booley and Hunsuc, along with office manager J. Heximer. Heineman and Youngstein, accompanied by Milton E. Cohen, WesternSouthern division manager left here today for St. Louis where the next meeting will take place on Thursday. Urges Italian Films For Major Bookings "We now feel that in the United States market certain Italian pictures must be treated the same as our own product and play the major circuits instead of art theatres," it was disclosed here yesterday by a spokesman for Loew's International president Arthur Loew, who has been in Rome from New York atending a company sales meeting. Hennessy Back to 'Frisco San Francisco, March 31. — Mary Hennessy of the San Francisco agency which bears her name, will return there from Los Angeles April 7, upon completion of a publicity assignment in connection with the Downtown Paramount Theatre reverting to the direction of United Paramount Theatres. there would be further discussions between the MPAA and the Legion. The report of the House Un-American Activities Committee was discussed, according to MPAA officials, but "absolutely nothing was said" about making a request to the committee for a formal conference on the report. Representative Doyle, California Democrat, recently suggested that the industry seek such a meeting. List Those Attending Attending the two-day session, in addition to Johnston, were 20th Century-Fox president Spyros Skouras, Loew's president Nicholas M. Schenck, Paramount Pictures president Barney Balaban and studio head Y. Frank Freeman, Universal vicepresident John J. O'Connor, Warner vice-president Samuel Schneider, Columbia vice-president Nate Spingold, RKO treasurer William H. Clark, Republic counsel Theodore R. Black, MPAA vice-president Joyce O'Hara, general counsel Sidney Schreiber, and information chief Kenneth Clark, and West Coast studio attorney Maurice Benjamin. Rules Against AFM (Continued from page 1) not have any prior claim on pictures, but would have to share with the rest of the creditors." AFM's local counsel said a decision on whether to appeal will be reached this week. Texas Move (Continued from page 1) here that if the high court turns down the state's bid, that would be tantamount to indicating approval of a review. However, it was also pointed out, the court still would have to rule on jurisdiction purely in connection with the plaintiff's appeal. The MPAA and others who are looking upon this case as a means of eliciting from the Supreme Court a ruling on the constitutionality of motion picture censorship had hoped that the state would not intervene. On March 13, Judge H. N. Graves of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin surprised the industry by signing appeal papers authorizing Gelling to appeal his conviction for .showing the 20th Century-Fox production in violation of a Marshall censorship ruling. Hollywood History Featured on TV Hollywood, March 31. — The first reel of "Yesterday's Newsreel," a Paramount television production compiled from film clips of the past 50 years, will feature the history of Hollywood. Making its debut Wednesday over Paramount's KTLA, the Hollywood history will include shots of Henry Ford assisting Thomas Edison with a demonstration of the first motion picture camera, and personalities such as Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Mary Pickford, D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, and others. I Meet the GIRL One Big Affair starring EVELYN DENNIS KEYES OKEEFE thru UA