Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

BRITISH INDUSTRY IGNORES TELEVISION Film Interests Give* Little Attention to Medium, but Government Is Ready by PETER BURNUP in London A condition of inertia appears currently to characterize the attitude of motion picture interests this side — whether British or American — in regard to television. It's a surprising circumstance. The Hankey Committee — appointed by the Government "to prepare plans for the reinstatement and development of television after the war" — issued its report early in March, advocating therein that "there should be no avoidable delay in restarting a television service." It is also significant that the local radio trade is engaged in an extremely intensive and insidious lobbying and advertising campaign. Despite these facts, only casual, sporadic, discussion of the matter is to be heard in film circles. Patient canvass reveals that none of the industry's organizations proposes placing television on its immediate agenda. Maybe that attitude of don't-let's-be-in-toomuch-of-a-hurry is conditioned by the Hankey investigators' opinion that the cleaning-up of the British Broadcasting Company plant at Alexandra Palace, pre-war television transmission centre, would take from nine months to a year from the end of the European war ; and that no public announcement of the Government's intentions has yet been made. May Give Word Any Time It is hoped by some industry observers that Britain's cinema industry won't find itself caught once more on the wrong foot in consequence. For the inside slant is that Government, any time now, may give the word. For one thing, no responsible engineer acquainted with the facts believes that the Alexandra Palace reconditioning will occupy anything like nine months. On the day of the Hankey report's publication, for example, C. O. Stanley, chairman of the Radio Industry Council's television committee, described the suggested time-lag to us as "absurd." Said Mr. Stanley : "I believe the place could be ready, technically, in a few weeks. And if there were not enough artists they could send out films." Said Alfred Clark to us only recently — Mr. Clark is the newly appointed president of the Radio Industry Council — "We are having very happy talks with the Board of Trade; we hope to have our new pattern television receivers on the market in well under those nine months." Was Done in Nine Days Once Also, there is the fact pf that "close-circuit" transmission carried out at Alexandra Palace for the benefit of visiting delegates to the Empire's Broadcasting Conference as long ago as February. It then took D. H. Munro — he is slated to take charge of the B.B.C.'s video service so soon as it resumes — not nine months to dust the cobwebs off his plant but as many days. Imminence of the resumption of at least a tentative service is apparent. Mr. Munro is in daily attendance at Broadcasting House; walks abroad with a portentous portfolio of plans ; has an elaborate index of the whereabouts in various specialized branches of the armed forces of all his pre-war experts; presumably could obtain their release at a moment's notice. Also, there is the whole tenor, expressed in the discreet idiom of Whitehall though it be, of that Hankey report. Boldly, the report maintains that Britain's "was the only regular broadcast television service anywhere in the world" before the war ; insists that no effort be spared "if this country is to hold a leading position in the television field." To Restore Export Trade But, more than all that, is the Government's repeatedly expressed determination — it motivates all Britain's official policy nowadays — to restore as far as may be the country's export trade sacrificed in the exigencies of the war. Says the report in this regard : "There are obvious advantages in the development of an export trade (in television) apart from its direct financial return. It would stimulate the export of sound broadcasting apparatus and would demonstrate the technical ability in British manufacture which in cognate fields (radiolocation, etc.) has been of such vital importance during the war and which before the war put the United Kingdom in a leading position in the art of television." Bluntly, it is suggested and in spite of anything motion picture men may believe, it's a sure bet that there will be an early, all-out, Governmentally-blessed effort to make Britons "television-conscious." The Hankey inquisitors recommend that at the outset the pre-war 405-line scanning system be utilized, but that vigorous research work be pressed at once which will lead to definition of 1,000-line quality and to colour and stereoscopic effects. That "vigorous research work," it is known, is now at a high level in laboratories belonging to the manufacturers of radio components ; discussions also are Under way which may well lead to a national pooling of television patents. No Joint Effort Planned But there's no indication to date of an acknowledgement even of the plainly expressed Hankey suggestion that film men should get together with the B.B.C. on the matter of theatre-screened television. It's a pity motion picture people, at least, aren't permitted a look at a document, filed in the archives of Britain's State Papers and copies of which still bring wry smiles to Whitehall's higher-ups. It's a secret history of television's whole career, prepared at the instance of the Cabinet Secretariat and circulated among Winston Churchill's colleagues to their great enlightenment and not to say diversion. Mr. Churchill, in all war's preoccupations, demanded to know television's background and what it all added up to in the post-war setup. The upshot was as sprightly-written a piece of history — it's composed under the strange pseudonym of "Ivan Vinogradoff" ; just another example of that inveterate British civil service diffidence— as ever we've studied. What is more, it tells of things that the curious British public would give its ears to learn; documented accounts, for example, of the secret efforts made to boost certain share-prices on London's Stock Exchange when the B.B.C. was known to be anxious to abandon its Baird transmitting system in favor of Marconi-E.M.I. and of slightly unseemly wrangles and endeavors which attended the first televised broadcasts in Ostrer-controlled cinemas. The chastely, slyly devised piece reveals not only a complete acquaintance with its subject, but embraces remarkable prophesies of television's future. There's one who is closely watching the march of events, J. Arthur Rank. He is chairman of Cinema-Television, Ltd. ; has interests in other companies directly concerned with the medium. Australia Sees Television No Early Competitor by LIN ENDEAN in Sydney Accelerated by the close attention accorded television by the overseas industry, there is considerable discussion going forward locally. Straws in the wind are extensive editorial coverage by local industry journals as to the possible effect on motion picture routine, and the fact that the Motion Picture Distributors Association recently entertained Sir Ernest Fisk, associate of Marconi and a world authority, who leaves Australia to become managing director of the powerful Electrical and Musical Industries of London. Sir Ernest confirmed that television in the home was a complete practicability today. For example, television pictures could be transmitted from England across the Channel to France, and from there, by relay stations, the Continents of Europe, Africa and Asia could be covered. Again, across the Behring Straits, images and sound could be televised| throughout the United States, Canada and Central and South America. Not Yet Serious Threat To compete with motion pictures, Sir Ernest said, television programs would have to provide at least comparable entertainment for the public — and it was only then that television could be considered a serious competitor of the motion picture. He stressed that the motion picture could be shown many times before it exhausted its audience andf boxoffice potentialities, whereas a televised pro-: gram would be limited to a single presentation and could hardly be repeated evening after evening for' the same audience. Politically and economically he believed that many problems would have to be overcome before television became a vital rival of motion picture! exhibitors. Stuart F. Doyle, formerly internationally known in motion pictures as head of the major Australian' circuit, Union Theatres, and now a power in radio: and heavy industry, also forecasts strong competition for theatres. Norman Rydge, managing director of Greateif Union Theatres, leading nationwide circuit, after] a five-month study of America's entertainment, be-; lieves that television offers no danger to the mo-£ tion picture. "It will entertain certainly," he said,' "but not beyond the ordinary radio field." Fuller Circuit Sold One of the biggest deals in the history of local show business is the acquisition by Robert J. Kerj ridge of the Fuller theatre interests in New Zea^ land. Mr. Kerridge has been a dominant personH ality in New Zealand theatre operation for many! years, and with this purchase becomes the holder of one of the strongest circuits in Australasia. His control, as a result of negotiations, embraces 130 theatres. Sir Benjamin Fuller, pioneer with vaude-j ville, legitimate stage and grand opera, in both Australia and New Zealand, within recent years has branched out in the Australian scene of film exhibition, and his circuit now is a major key centre first release group. 38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, APRIL 28, I94E