The Exhibitor (1956)

Skouras Heads Drive For March Of Dimes 24 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR ACLU Submits Program To Relieve Self-Appointed Censor Pressure New York — The American Civil Liber¬ ties Union and its anti-censorship affili¬ ate, the National Council on Freedom from Censorship, last week submitted to the MPAA a plan to relieve “censorship pressure” exerted on the film industry by self-appointed reviewing groups. The plan presented to Eric Johnston, MPAA head, by Patrick M. Malin, ACLU executive director, and Elmer Rice, chair¬ man of the anti-censorship affiliate, calls for the MPAA to collect information to help it decide if objections to certain film subjects “are based on solid evidence and represent the opinion of the motion pic¬ ture audience rather than the opinion of one particular group.” This could be ascertained, it was said, if opinions were solicited from a crosssection of movie goers, experts on the film subject to be covered, and psycholo¬ gists and social scientists “who have some knowledge of human behavior and what stimulates it.” The group added, “We believe that one of the most serious restrictions on free¬ dom of expression is the code’s (Produc¬ tion Code) prohibitions against any treat¬ ment of certain topics, including the use of certain words. ... It is generally un¬ derstood that these prohibitions were in¬ corporated into the code in the past because of the strong objections of certain self-appointed reviewing groups. By their continuing pressure these groups, in effect, have required the industry to ac¬ cept their standard of socially-acceptable film subjects and treatment. “Needless to say, these groups have a constitutional right to express their opin¬ ions, and the Union defends this right, but when the expression hampers free ex¬ pression and deprives other members of the community of seeing certain subject matter treated in films, then it is proper to offer objection. . . in framing the code to meet the demands of these groups, the MPAA has not only given up an important measure of freedom, but it has done so without determining if the public agrees with their opinion and whether the evils inveighed against by these groups could reasonably be expected to follow. We submit that if the MPAA adopted a firmer basis to ap¬ praise the likelihood of these evils, it would probably find it unnecessary to in¬ clude the taboos it now does in its code.” Individuals involved in the three-part survey should not be official personnel of the MPAA, the ACLU said, “or this would obviously raise questions about the inde¬ pendence of their findings. They should be free of any ties with the MPAA and recruited from outside the industry.” Malin and Rice emphasized that their groups wanted to MPAA cede abandoned. “We believe the freedom of expression of creative artists in the motion picture in¬ dustry would be advanced if the code were abandoned, and we hope and urge this will be done. But, so long as the MPAA continues its code, we believe that attention should be given to these pro¬ visions which especially limit free ex¬ pression.” Film Council Campaigns Aaainst "Red" Production HOLLYWOOD — The Hollywood AFL Film Council announced last fortnight that it is inaugurating a nation-wide campaign to expose Communists engaged in producing pictures in Italy and France for U.S. interests and with U.S. financing. The titles of all pictures made from now on in which Communist union mem¬ bers are employed in preference to members of anti-Communist unions will be widely publicized. The names of the companies involved and the American interests also will be made known, it was stated. Copies of this resolution has been sent by the Council to all interna¬ tional unions in the AFL-CIO with the request that members support the campaign. N. Y. Exhibs Organize To Fight Local Tax New York — A committee representative of all motion picture theatre owners in the city of New York has been formed and will present to Mayor Robert F. Wagner the urgent necessity for repeal of the local five per cent admissions tax, according to a joint announcement by the Independent Theatre Owners Association and the Metropolitan Motion Picture The¬ atres Association, the two exhibitor as¬ sociations in the metropolitan area. A meeting has been scheduled with the Mayor for Dec. 7. Serving on the committee are Harry Brandt, ITOA president; Solomon M. Strausberg, MMPTO president; Eugene Picker; Emanuel Frisch; Sol Schwartz; William Namenson; Julius Sanders; Ro¬ bert W. Coyne; D. John Phillips; and Mort Sunshine. New York — Spyros P. Skouras, presi¬ dent, 20th-Fox, will serve as national chairman, motion picture and theatre in¬ dustry division, 1957 March of Dimes, it was announced last week. Basil O’Connor, president, National Foundation for Infantile Pai’alysis, de¬ scribed the appointment as “a major step forward towards what we of the March of Dimes hope and pray will be a decisive campaign to advance the protection of the people of this country now and hence¬ forth against paralytic polio through use of the Salk vaccine and to extend the maximum benefit of our scientific knowl¬ edge to those who are stricken by the disease.” O’Connor revealed that he had received a letter in which Skouras stated, “We of the motion picture industry have joined our efforts in past years towards the at¬ tainment of your great objective of vic¬ tory over polio, and now that your effort has reached that all-important stage where victory is in sight, we are proud and happy to help finish the job of the March of Dimes. I know that your or¬ ganization will see to it that all is done that can be done for past polio victims. I know you will not let these people down. That is part of finishing the iob, and you have my assurance that we of this industry are wholeheartedly willing and eager to do our utmost.” Douglas Suit Upheld Hollywood — Kirk Douglas’ suit against Walt Disney Productions was upheld last week by Lcs Angeles Superior Court Judge Leon T. David, who denied a mo¬ tion for dismissal as requested by Disney attorneys. Douglas, in his suit for $415,000, charges that pictures of him and his children, taken at Disney’s home, were used with¬ out his knowledge and consent on the “Disneyland” TV show. Considering his action a test case, Douglas has stated that any money recovered in the action will be turned over to the Motion Picture Relief Fund. The New York Scene ( Continued from page 8) the Technicolor Corporation. He was very pleased with this method of picture filming and processing and thought it had several advantages. It could take in accurate detail in tremendous depth and scope even to a thousand feet away, and the negative could put out prints in any format desired, whether it be CinemaScope, Vista Vision, wide¬ screen, or regular ratio. His film will probably go out in the CinemaScope version. He brought over another film he recently completed which he co-produced with Vittorio De Sica called “The Roof,” which is English-titled. It is “neo-realistic.” No releasing arrangements have been made as yet for this one. THE METROPOLITAN SCENE: Joe Slevin, after six years as advertising, publicity, and display manager for all British Government documentary films released here, leaves British Information Service to join the McGraw-Hill Book Company as head of adver¬ tising and promotion of its Text-Film and Language Master Departments. He also has a background in production. . . . The Loewdown, claimed by Loew’s to be the only daily house organ in the world, published its 7,000th issue last week according to ad-pub director Ernie Emerling. . . . The Museum of Modern Art has put out a comprehensive 24-page booklet called a Report on the Film Library 1941-56 wherein is described the efforts made on preservation, acquisition, and circulation of films. A list of the product end. an outline on the circulating film program is included. . . . Danny Kaye came home t ' Brooklyn last week when he appeared at a Boy Scout fund-raising affair. . . . The forthcoming comedy, “The Iron Petticoat,” starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn, which is being released by MGM, gets the humorous treatment in a 12-page pictureand-caption pamphlet put out by the company. ... A cute mailing piece out by Uni¬ versal on “Rock, Pretty Baby.” ... A novelization of “The Living Idol,” Albert Lewis’ new MGM film, comes out in January through Signet Books. December 5, 1956