Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1936)

July 18, 1936 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 39 DROPPING OF CUBAN REVENUE INCREASES FOR CENSOR BOARD An increase of 11 per cent in the receipts of the State Division of Motion Picture Censorship in Virginia for the fiscal year ended June 30 has been announced by Mrs. Elizabeth Churchill Chalkley, director of the division. Receipts totaled $33,051.50. More than 5,000,000 feet of film were examined during the 12 months. Only four or five films were rejected and fewer deletions were made than in previous years. CoolingPlantsKeep New York Theatres Near Normal Gross Air conditioning plants in leading motion picture theatres of New York proved their box office value last week during the record heat wave which seared the city, according to a survey made by the Motion Picture Daily. While thermometers climbed above the 100-degree mark, the cooling waves of chilled air radiating from the lobbies of the theatres to the sidewalks attracted many pedestrians and were instrumental in holding grosses at or close to normal, according to the check-up. Over the week-end, business dropped slightly owing to cooler weather and the pull of beaches and resorts but receipts held up well on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the three days which marked the peak of the hot spell. Other cities in the country were seriously affected by the heat, only outstanding pictures returning respectable figures. A notable exception in most of the cities in the path of the heat wave was "San Francisco." In New York, Loew executives decided to hold the picture at the Capitol for the fourth week after it recorded $48,000 in its second period. The theatre reported record business Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening and theatre heads attributed part of the success to the cooling plant. Many people, according to the ushers, remained to see the picture for a second and third time and others remained for long periods in the lounges. Most other large houses in the city reported normal or better than normal business in spite of the heat. National Decency Legion Reviews 9 New Pictures Nine new pictures were reviewed and classified in the list for the current week of the National Legion of Decency, with seven classed as unobjectionable for general patronage and two noted as objectionable in part. The new films and their classification follow : Class A-l, "Unobjectionable for General Patronage": "Border Patrolman," "The Bride Walks Out," "Meet Nero Wolfe," "M'Liss," "Private Secretary," "Three Cheers for Love," "Trailin' West." Class B, "Objectionable in part: "La Porteuse du Pain," "Spendthrift." CENSOR Abandoning of New York Board Indicated After U. S. Embassy Protest, But Hernandez Differs While action was awaited on a formal protest filed by the United States Embassy in Havana with the Cuban Government, large distributors this week continued to withhold pictures from the Cuban board of censorship set up in New York City under Roberto Hernandez. The formal protest, said to be unusual in such matters, declared that establishment of an office in New York for the censoring of American product destined for Cuba would be in violation of the Cuban-American reciprocal trade treaty and would result in discrimination against American films. It was further pointed out that no such censorship has been established by Cuba in any other country. Reports from Cuba after the protest was filed indicated that the Government of the island will abandon the plan. Senor Hernandez, who announced last week that he would leave for Cuba "within the next day or two," but was still in New York on Tuesday, said that he has received no official word from Carlos Pelaez, Cuban Secretary of the Interior, concerning the possibility of abandoning the plan. He declared last week that he was told by telephone to settle all disputes on his own authority. The head of the new but as yet inactive board insisted when the announcement was first made that the move was purely "a convenience to American distributors. Executives of distributing companies, however, have observed that if their convenience is the sole issue, they prefer having their films reviewed by the Havana censor board, as has been done in the past. Sees Dangerous Precedent Major Frederick L. Herron of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America declared that the American companies are unalterably opposed to the establishment of the board in New York not only because of the $10 per reel fee to be charged for the privilege of having their pictures censored, but because it would initiate a dangerous precedent for other countries. Major Herron also denied that he has refused to confer with Senor Hernandez. The Cuban official had complained last week that the MPPDA executive "refused to see me or discuss the matter at all," and had declared, "I am willing to 'play ball' with him if he will be reasonable, and if he could convince me that Havana is the proper place for the censor board I could stop the whole thing in 24 hours." Surplus for Propaganda Films Surplus funds collected by the board in New York, which distributors have estimated would be about $50,000 annually, would be used for production of propaganda films for Cuban consumption, Senor Hernandez later said. He added that he per PLAN SEEN sonally would be in charge of the making of the pictures. He denied that establishment of the board was a political "plum," as had been suggested by distributors, and said that the reviewing fee of $10 a reel is not arbitrary, but would be subject to adjustment if the distributors or their representatives could convince him that it is unreasonable. Asked how much more costly the new arrangement might be for American distributors than the old plan, Senor Hernandez replied that he did not know how much American companies formerly paid members of the Havana censor board. He said he was certain that payments were made to members of the old board, although not required under the law. Aims to "Clean Out" Old Board Announcing his scheduled trip to Hanava, Senor Hernandez said that one of the first tilings he would do on his arrival would be to "clean out" the old Havana censor board. He plans to appoint five women to replace the five men of the board, he said. The Havana board, under the new arrangement, reviews only foreign product. Senorita Maria Garrido and I. M. Benoliel have been appointed to the New York board and Senor Hernandez said he will ask that Pablo Suarez and Joze Bosch be appointed while he is in Havana. Meanwhile major distributors are not sending pictures to Cuba because the Government there has refused to license them for exhibition unless they have been approved by the New York board. The supply of American films in Cuba accepted there before establishment of the New York board on July 1st is said to be running low. Ban on ' 'Pastures ' ' Lifted in Ontario In deference to the views of Canadian clergymen who had protested the ban on the showing of the Warner picture version of Marc Connelly's fable, "The Green Pastures," in the Province of Ontario, Prime Minister Mitchell Hepburn this week lifted the proscription against its public showing. In removing the ban the Premier said : "I have not altered my opinion one iota. I still think the picture is a burlesque of the Scriptures, but in the face of opinions expressed by prominent clergymen I am not going to be arbitrary in ihe matter and pit my judgment against theirs. I am prepared to let the public judge whether my views or theirs were right." Louisiana Measures Killed The majority of legislation threatening theatres and films in Louisiana is automatically dead as the legislature adjourned this week. Among other bills left unapproved are the chain theatre tax, definition of Bank Night as a lottery, anti-standing room and seat sale measures. The censorship bill is expected to remain inoperative.