Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

MOTION PICTURE HERALD MARTIN QUIGLEY, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Vol. 165, No. 5 Terry Ramsaye, Editor OP November 2, 1946 RADIO PLIGHT JUST to look over into the next pasture, consider the case of radio. The art and industry of broadcasting has been getting a lot of cuffing around from the critics, official and unofficial, in print and out. In fact, a new columnist has arisen on a wave of wide attention to his often bitter comment on what the air waves are saying. Now comes Mr. William S. Paley, chairman of the board of Columbia Broadcasting System, with poignant remarks before the convention of the National Association of Broadcasters, in which he calls for some self-regulation. Mr. Paley points out that a recent independent survey has indicated that radio has been doing a job held to be satisfactory by 82 per cent of the American people. He finds that, while radio "must serve the masses", it must "secondarily also serve the specialized needs of minority groups". Which leads him in turn to find that "most radio programs ignore the interests of smaller groups". In that he finds the frequent source of much criticism of the radio. The observation is made that the intellectual critic "takes pains to discriminate when he purchases reading material or attends the theatre . . . but becomes abusive when he turns on his radio and does not find his current enthusiasm being debated at the moment". Some motion picture criticism is like that. However, Mr. Paley does find his industry at fault when he says: "Too long now we have tolerated . . . the cynical and irresponsible ones among us. We have allowed them to escape in the crowd for the lack of a spotlight to single them out. They have done us all real and great damage." "And so I suggest," he continues, "that the association, with care and deliberate intent, formulate a new and detailed code of program standards — a code which will prohibit practices which detract from the good name of radio. . . . And I suggest that we be prepared with determination to enforce it — and that in the spotlight of publicity." The motion picture will be understanding that. BERGMAN ON "CLIMATE" JUST as Mr. Paley was discussing radio and minority audiences, Mr. Maurice A. Bergman of Universal-International was out in Cincinnati talking to Mr. E. B. Radcliffe of the Enquirer about the coming of pictures "for various segments of the film-loving public and new audiences — just as there are books for a wide range of special reader interests". The Radcliffe interview records that Mr. Bergman holds that "The climate is right for changes in methods of production and distribution". Elements of the "climate" mentioned included: International competition, stimulation of domestic producers toward adult fare by the quality of imported production, especially British, also a new willingness of bankers to give the longer term financing required for specialized independent production, and the rise of theatre facilities "offering special screen fare for an adult audience" where such pictures can by long runs return their costs. This recognizes that majorities can be tyrants, even in the arts, have been in fact in screen and radio. TRENDINC THIS industry, with so much a-simmering in federal litigation and its years of fencing with the Department of Justice, may regard with interest impending changes of Administration policy now in the making in Washington. There is much talk of some modifications of approach to all business, and such observation in politically astute quarters as that the Federal Trade Commission has been "more interested in witch hunting" than working out plain and constructive codes of business policy and practice. President Truman is somewhat indirectly being quoted as saying that he wants the rules for business made clear. There is the while criticism, by embarrassed official personages, who indicate that the anti-trust law enforcement policy of the Department of Justice, under the charge of the militant Mr. Wendell Berge, is not in tune with the thought in other and important sectors. It all has to do, of course, with politics and campaigns of tomorrow. JULES BRULATOUR THE demise of Mr. Jules E. Brulatour closes one of the importantly formative careers of our industry. It was he who first saw that the larger destiny of the motion picture was in free access to its technology. That technology for those days was considerably concentrated in the film itself. Eastman raw stock, negative and positive alike, was so essential to competent production, and yet so tightly held by the Motion Picture Patents Company, that it became a black market necessity to the independent producers. It was Mr. Brulatour who persuaded Mr. George Eastman to prevail on the Patents Company to release its contract control, right in the midst of the patent wars in the courts, and so made the basic material available to all producers. All interests prospered, while Mr. Brulatour rose to fortune as the raw stock agent of Eastman Kodak. Along with that development the Brulatour enterprises included laboratory service, with highly competent processing of film by his Paragon Laboratories in Fort Lee. He became also, incidentally, a financial participant in many the production project. Jules Brulatour prospered without' ostentation, enjoyed a quiet elegance, and became known to the world of Broadway principally as a debonair figure at first nights. He was often the subject of pursuit by curious magazine editors and their writers, but someway he managed to be in print very little. "I have been most fortunate," he observed some years ago. "I acquired a good product in high demand and have sold it." He did not seek laudation for that. — Terry Ramsaye