Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

3 Stock Issues To Be Floated in London Shortly Socialists Attack Rank Child Clubs In Parliament by PETER BURNUP in London Socialist members of Parliament took a tilt last week in the House of Commons at J. Arthur Rank's Children's Cinema Clubs and demanded that the Home Office hold an enquiry into the organization" of the Club and the Saturday matinee entertainment provided. Among the allegations made in support of the demand were that the Clubs encouraged escapism and prepared children for mass suggestion and exploitation, creating an atmosphere of mass hysteria. (On one Saturday alone 498,000 children attended 390 of the Clubs.) Various M.P.'s read letters from schoolmistresses who complained of the singing that opened the Club's meeting, who complained of the standards of behaviour, of the gangster serials shown, of the fostering of uncritical reception of ideas. Asks Rules Be Tightened Another member, complaining of the "general lack of discipline" which heralded the actual screening of the film stated: "If the rules (of the Club) are not tightened up', we shall develop future citizens with a false sense of values, a nation of robots and automatons, whom glamour would prevent from facing up to the realities of life." Several other members, all of them Socialists, made their various points of view. Advantaging what is known here as the "child problem," they pressed for a special Youth ^Department to be set up by the State to which this business of cinema clubs might be committed. But back of all the speeches was an obvious concern that Mr. Rank, unless he is controlled by the Labour Government, would be in the position of being able to put over subtle anti-Socialist propaganda to a half-million children weekly. The only Conservative to speak was Lord Winterton, a director of Mr. Rank's Odeon Company, who had little diffculty in proving that the clubs were run at a loss and that they were started by Mr. Rank only because of his concern with child welfare. Makes No Commitment Winding up the debate, the Home Office Under-Secretary said it might be appropriate to have an inquiry to ascertain what should be done to give direction for the next stage in the development of a "very important work," but he declined to say whether that inquiry would be held. He did add, however, that no Government department could interfere with the quality of films. Mr. Rank to date has refused to comment, although he has put himself on record as favoring any investigations of his clubs. " Fancy — a lot of grown men discussing the noise we make at the pictures on Saturday mornings. —bu NEB. London Daily Mall British Writers Follow Cain Lead London Bureau Lining alongside James M. Cain and his proposal for an American Authors Authority, the British Screenwriters' Association has in contemplation the creation of a Screenwriters' Authority which, if it comes into being, will cause ferment among producers here. Roger Bray, writer for early American films and now in England, told the Association's November meeting the proposed Authority would have vested in it, on trust for the respective authors, the copyright of all works by the constituent members and that in negotiations with producers the screen rights only of a given subject would-be discussed. Film writers this side are frequently compelled to part also with many secondary rights. The suggestion is that the Screen Authority shall negotiate the several rights separately and that, moreover, it shall not permit a producer a "freeze" a writer's material indefinitely. So impressed were the Screenwriters that an extraordinary general meeting of their Association has been called for after Christmas when the matter will be threshed out. Moreover, it is understood that informal discussions have been opened between writers here and Mr. Cain with a view to some international understanding. The plan certainly will meet with opposition from the Society of Authors, counterpart here of the American Writers' Association. The Authors have their own longestablished practice in dealing with publishers and the like. But, say the Screenwriters, let the non-film people have it their own way; we are concerned only with our own problems. Legal difficulties undoubtedly will arise, but these already are in process of being taken care of by the Screenwriters' advisers. London Bureau Fiduciary motion picture issues continue to excite the confidence of that ordinarily conservative City, the London money market. Currently three are pending for the immediate future ; another planned for the New Year. The three are British Lion Studio Company, Ltd., making another £1,000,000 issue; and two J. Arthur Rank companies, General Theatre Corporation and Moss Empires, the former to become exclusively a cinema organization, the latter to be concerned solely with vaudeville. At present the two organizations handle both. Another Rank Issue Further, it is believed that Mr. Rank is planning yet another issue for early in the New Year, this time for another £1,000,000 of Odeon Theatres stock whose proceeds will be devoted to the redemption of the company's short-term indebtedness. British Lion — that is the name under which Sir Alexander Korda's sometimetermed Sound City Studios* now are known — are making another £1,000,000 issue, composed of £500,000 first mortgage debenture stock at par and £500,000 five per cent convertible to £1 notes at par which will carry an option to convert into ordinary shares for a five-year period beginning April 1, 1947. This is the second big issue made by British Lion this year. In accordance with his "rationalising" plans, Mr. Rank has decided that for the sake of tidiness General Theatres shall sell to Moss Empires the music halls they own, with Moss selling to General Theatres their two motion picture houses. The occasion is marked by another of those refinancing operations, the aim of which is the wiping out of what the Rank coterie regards as unwieldy equities. Tax Burden Cited The staggering burden of taxation which the British industry is called upon to bear is seen in the recently released financial statement of Gaumont-British Picture Corporation which had a total taxation charge for the year ended March 31 last of £1,579,590, an increase over the previous year, when £1,353,618 was collected in taxes. The net profit for the year was £469,509. The dividend on the ordinaries for this year I2y2 per cent for the previous year, 7y2 per cent. ' In connection with the heavy taxes, Mr. Rank has a crumb of comfort for his stockholders, claiming that the corporation has not yet benefited to any appreciable extent by the Government's recent reduction of excess profits tax to 60 per cent. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 7, 1946 29