Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

1 Jay, August 25, 1960 Motion Picture Daily 3 j' Set to End 9urgh Festival Hope for End to All Prior Censorship Special to THE DAILY [NBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 24. Jam Goetz' "Song Without the story of Franz Liszt, has selected as the final picture to own at the Edinburgh Film al here. Another Columbia reCharles H. Schneer's "I Aim Stars," opened the festival, distinction of having both the id the last film to be exhibited festival is an honor accorded »nce before at Edinburgh. Coi releases were also the re: of that distinction when "On Vaterfront" and "The Caine y," were so honored. tit of W. R. Hospital n\paign 'Encouraging' piicipation of circuit and inde3ii4 nt theatres in opening weeks of lis -ar's campaign to raise funds for ie /ill Rogers Hospital has been n^iraging," Eugene Picker, fund isi; chairman, said here yesterday, s . Monday, 1544 theatres had ted 'd to take up audience colleconjind conduct the annual Christas alute among their employees, los jf the collections are scheduled ir p latter part of August and first eej of September, although some e !: for October and November, "^lile the picture is encouraging fj; time" Picker said, "it repre•ntpnly about 22% of the ultimate •qtsd goal of participating units— hij is 7,000 theatres. If the rate of ■spjse continues to step-up as it is h the past few days, we can ■as ably expect to again acoomlist:he kind of job our industry is Jte. for when it comes to helping ur I other man." 71 Circuits Pledged circuits are particularly recoil ve, with 71 already pledged, igricant of the industry's endorsement the hospital's project to build ie 'ill Rogers-O'Donnell Memorial -W'ch Laboratories and to expand s « rk is the fact that most of the irgj circuits signed up for the udjice collections immediately after lehmpaign was launched, Picker (rid d out. Among these are: AB-PT, •alfj in & Katz-Publix Great States, iufiU Paramount, Florida States, ox ; termountain, Interstate & Texas 'on idated, Monroe Amusement, 'arabunt Gulf-Tenarken, Tri-States, 'dejan, Armstrong, Arthur Enterrisj Associated Drive-ins, Atlantic, ^tlaktoz, Basil, Bloomer, John C. 'olt Brandt, Century, Chakeres, ™ a Circuit, Cinerama, City Enter;nt, Commonwealth, Dickinson, Durwood, Delft, Frisina, Harris, a Illinois Interboro, Iowa 1, J. J. Theatres, Jamestown, Kerasotes, E. M. Loew, s, Malco, Manos, B. S. Moss, J. Garland, Nal-Pac, Fox-Midwest, borhood, RKO, Randforce, Wal er LID ixi ttt Call • M ( Continued from page 1 ) case, Times Film refused to submit the film "Don Juan" for censorship when it applied for a license to exhibit in Chicago in December, 1957. When the police department denied the license, the court fight to get the picture shown without pre-cerisorship began. Bilgrey said yesterday he is optimistic for a clear-cut ruling against all prior-censorship because the present case is the first motion picture suit to come before the high court in which the content of the film is not an issue. In previous cases the issue was generally "obscenity." At points in the "Don Juan" case as it traveled through the lower courts there was "some speculation" that the picture might be "obscene," Bilgrey noted. Yet one judge, in stating that he had no jurisdiction in the case, said no one could tell what the film was like when it was not part of the record. Other Decisions Recalled Prior Supreme Court decisions in film censorship cases were "broader," Bilgrey said, "and voided censorship standards. But they never made priorcensorship itself an issue." In his 38-page printed brief Times counsel argues that the existing provisions in the Chicago censorship ordinance should be voided "as standing 'Don Juan1 No Longer Distributed by Times "Don Juan," the Austrian film at issue in the censorship case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall, is no longer the property of Times Film Corp., plaintiff in the suit against the City of Chicago. U.S. distribution rights to the picture have reverted to Wien Films. The picture is described as an adaptation of Mozart's opera, "Don Giovanni." in the way of the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments." The brief calls upon the high court to reverse the decisions of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, which upheld the city's original refusal to grant the license, and the United States District Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which upheld the riding of the District Court. Bilgrey's arguments take issue with the Court of Appeals contention that "it is common knowledge" that the motion picture industry does not "exercise a wholesome, voluntary censorship" over its product as do "the responsible owners of newspapers and Goldstein OK's Draft Of 'Goodbye, Charlie' From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 24.-Robert Goldstein, interim production head of 20th Century-Fox, has approved the first draft of "Goodbye, Charlie" from the screenplay by I. A. Diamond. The picture, taken from the Broadway play by George Axelrod, will star Marilyn Monroe as soon as she completes "The Misfits." Goldstein set production plans for a November start. Goldstein also announced the purchase of "Miracle of Guadalupe" by James O'Hanlon and assigned Henry Hathaway to handle direction. ley United, Rugoff and Becker, Schine, Skirball, Skouras, Smith Management, Springer, Stanley Warner, Steinberg, Steifel, Switow, Trans-Lux, Tri-City Drive-ins, United Artists, Wehrenberg, Wolfberg. Others are coming in daily. Exchange area distributor and exhibitor committees are working on developing an increased enrollment of independents. This segment is also expected to far exceed its last year's ratio. A. Montague, hospital president, warned against any "letting down of our efforts because of the good response we are meeting. We're off to a good start, it is true. But we've got to stay there. We must keep the pressure on. We still need some 5,500 more theatre-pledges before we can relax and consider the mission aecom ade, Robins Amusement, Row plished." Mooring Is Leaving For European Visit From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 24.-WilIiam H. Mooring, syndicated Catholic movie-TV columnist and reviewer, will leave by Air France, Aug. 30 for Paris, London, Madrid, Rome and other European centers of production. He is scheduled to return about Oct. 10. In Rome he will be received by Archbishop Martin J. O'Connor, rector of the North American College, who was recently appointed president of a new Vatican Secretariat to study trends and influences in all communications media. The Archbishop for the past 12 years has been president of the Pontifical Commission for Motion Pictures, Radio and Television. Mooring will file from Europe, column and feature material, for the 50 Catholic weeklies and Extension, national monthly which subscribe for his service. Robert F. Nichols of "The Tidings" reviewing staff will cover current previews. More 'Wind' Previews Fourteen additional previews, making a total of 77 simultaneous showings, have been set for Stanley Kramer's "Inherit the Wind" on the evening of Aug. 29. The United Artists release will be shown in principal cities in the United States, Canada and overseas on the same evening. Some 125,000 movie-goers are expected to attend the performances. television broadcasting systems" over their respective product. "The alleged dangers which the lower court suggests as a justification for prior censorship of motion pictures," the brief points out, "exists no less in the vast majority of our states and cities where no prior censorship of motion pictures is present. In addition to Chicago, only a handful of cities and four states (New York, Virginia, Kansas and Maryland ) impose prior censorship on motion pictures. . . . The court may take judicial notice that the standard of morality is at least as high in the vast numbers of states and cities which have no motion picture censors, as it is in Chicago." Goldwurm Hits 'Throttling' In a statement cabled from Europe yesterday, Jean Goldwurm, president of Times Film, attacked "throttling screen restrictions" and said he hoped the present action would "lead to the eradication of the infantile practice" of prior censorship. "I acknowledge only one censor— the American public. Moviegoers are not captive audiences. They have the intelligence to accept or reject motion pictures as they deem fit— and they most certainly should have the right to do so." In the action now before the Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Motion Picture Association and the Independent Film Importers and Distributors of America are filing briefs as friends of the court on behalf of Times Film. Ordinances Listed In the amicus brief submitted by MPAA there is an appendix furnished for the information of the court, which contains a compilation of all of the active and dormant municipal ordinances in the United States. The MPA brief is being submitted today in Washington by Sidney Schreiber, general counsel for the Association, and Miss Barbara Scott of the MPA legal staff. Film Licensing Fees Could Be on Way Out Should the U.S. Supreme Court rule against all prior censorship of motion pictures, as is hoped for in the Times Film Corp.'s "Don Juan" suit, it could also mean the end to the the imposition of license fees on films by municipalities, Felix Bilgrey, counsel for Times Film, said here yesterday. They could "fall by the wayside," as he put it. On the other hand, Bilgrey noted, the court has in the past upheld fees even on newspapers, though strictly on a licensing basis with no control allowed the local government on what is going to be said in the newspaper. The same might possibly apply for films, Bilgrey said, pointing out that a city could tax film on the basis of examining it to be sure the celluloid is fireproof. Any such excuse would probably be upheld in the courts, in his view.