Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

Pressured Into Cole Dismissal, Mayer Testifies Pressure brought by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee even before the group started its hearings in Washington, as well as fear of Federal censorship and adverse public reaction caused him to cancel the contract of Lester Cole, screen writer, Louis B. Mayer, MGM vicepresident and studio head, testified in Los Angeles Federal Court last week. Mr. Mayer told the court two committee investigators visited him weeks before the House group started its hearings on alleged Communist activities in the studios, admonishing him to "clean house" before such action was forced on the studio by Congress or "public opinion." Mr. Cole is one of the "Hollywood ten" who refused to tell the committee whether or not they were Communists. He is seeking the restoration of his $l,500-a-week contract which was cancelled on the ground that his conduct had injured the studio. The suit is regarded as a test of the producers' announced anti-Communist employment policy. Four other writers were discharged. Attorney Robert Kenny, representing Mr. Cole and others in the Washington hearing, took time out Wednesday from the ColeMGM action in Los Angeles to release to the press a letter from Gunther Lessing, chairman of the executive committee of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, which asked the SIMPP be dismissed in the $69,000,000 suit of "the unfriendly ten" pending in Los Angeles Superior Court. Declaring that "this means the united front of the industry has been broken," Mr. Kenny said charges against the SIMPP will be withdrawn. He told the press that the Lessing letter, dated December 13, indicates that the SIMPP, under its new president, Ellis Arnall, has broken away from the Motion Picture Association at the policy level. In Washington it was announced this week that argument, on the appeals of John Howard Lawson and Dalton Trumbo, film writers convicted of contempt of Congress for their refusal to divulge their political affiliation before the House group, would probably be put off until March or later. This is in line with the Government's request for an extension of the deadline for the filing of its briefs in the cases. Mr. Mayer said he told the committee investigators "there was no Communism in our pictures — and none can get in." Settle Warner Legal Tilt with Joan Leslie Joan Leslie's three-year dispute over relief sought by her from her seven-year contract with Warner Bros, studio has been settled out of court, the actress announced this week. IN NEWSREELS MOVIETONE NEWS — Vol. 31, Nou 99— Western Berlin votes against Communism. U. S. Marines land in China as Red peril grows. Spy inquiry reveals papers taken from State Department. California pays tribute to Barkley. Sports. MOVIETONE NEWS— Vol. 31, No. 100— President Truman presented with turkeys. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt returns from Paris. President Prio of Cuba greeted in New York City. Russian air men flee from Iron Curtain. New type of helicopter. Sports. Water show. Horse racing: Citation wins $5,000 race. Spirit of Christmas. NEWS OF THE DAY— Vol. 20, No. 229— Berlin votes defy Red terror. VicePresident-elect Barkley greeted by Gov. Warren. President Truman greets President Prio of Cuba. U. S. Marines in China. Co-eds play football. NEWS OF THE DAY— Vol. 20, No. 230— Aviation's new model. Israel President visits Jerusalem. First view of the new WACs. Lighter side of the news. Pro football play-off. Wonder horse wins again. New desert paradise. PARAMOUNT NEWS— No. 32— World's biggest war plane gets screen test. Washington — new sensation at spy inquiry. Bogus $10 and $20' bills flood big cities. Report from China. PARAMOUNT NEWS— No. 33— Copter magic— preview of tomorrow's flight. Women in uniform make news. Quebec welcomes favorite son. Newfoundland fights to Join Canada. Pre-holiday visit with the President. Desert California. UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL— Vol. 21, No. 283— Crisis in the Far East. Widen spy case probe. Dutch try Nazi "Hangmen." Cuba President in U. S. Fashions for the holidays. Catty style show held. UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL— Vol. 21, No. 204— Weizmann in Jerusalem — Arabs get aid. Aluminum shoes. Perry Brown homecoming. Football — Buffalo and Baltimore. WARNER PATHE NEWS— Vol. 20, No. 33— Sportshorse racing. Football, Bills vs. Colts. Pathe records Xmas spirit around the world. WARNER PATHE NEWS — Vol. 20, No. 34— Reds routed in Berlin elections. Americans "flee Red tide in China. People in the news. Unusual automobiles. T-Men nab passer of "near-perfect" bills. Wild geese. TELEN E WS— Vol. 2, No. 50— Violence in Costa Rica. Mexico — Anniversary of Revolution. Overseas bulletins. News of the nation. The spy case. Helicopter "flivver." U. S. news briefs. 'Sports. SOPEG Wins Election Of RKO Employees By vote of 138 to 113, the CIO's Screen Office and Professional Employees Guild last week was established as the bargaining agent of white collar workers at RKO Radio. A total of 279 eligible workers had a choice between SOPEG and the AFL's IATSE Motion Picture Home Office Employees Local No. H-63. Some 20 employes refrained from voting and seven votes were cast in favor of no union. The IA's Local No. H-63 had challenged the SOPEG for control of the RKO shop in the wake of the company's refusal to deal with SOPEG until it had complied with the anti-Communist affidavit provisions of the Taft-Hartley Law. Later the union complied. Oklah oma Owners Reelect Present Officer Slate Theatre Owners of Oklahoma re-elected Morris Loewenstein, Oklahoma City, president at their annual convention held last week in Oklahoma City. Other officers reelected were: Max Brock, Lawton, vicepresident; C. B. Akers, Hobert, second vice-president, and Ralph Talbot, Tulsa, secretary-treasurer. John Griffin, Miami, was named head of the new conciliation committee with Mrs. Avece Waldron, Lindsay, and Mr. Brock as members. New directors include Phil Hays, George Proctor, Jr., E. R. Slocum, and Paul Covey. Brookings Study Asks Sharp Film Scrutiny by U.S. Washington Bureau The Government's Overseas Information Program must establish better liaison with Hollywood "both to avoid objectionable matter in exported films and to suggest positive treatment of the presentation of America or of world issues abroad," according to a study released by the Brookings Institution here Monday. The study, entitled "The Overseas Information Service of the U. S. Government," was made by Charles A. H. Thomson, on leave from Brookings during the war to serve as a propaganda policy officer with various Government agencies. Praises Contribution Mr. Thomson praised the contribution of films — both Government and industry — during the war in allied, neutral and enemy countries, both in advancing Allied propaganda and overcoming Axis propaganda. Turning to the future, he says that "the chief problems faced in the Government's film program are the reduction or elimination of barriers to international traffic in motion pictures, control of how the U. S. (or any other important topic) is presented in commercial films, and development and use of various non-commercial films for informational or cultural objects." Since present plans do not call for the Government to manufacture 35mm films, he says, the "major strategy is to see to it that channels are as free as possible for existing U. S. production to be circulated." Urging closer liaison with Hollywood to keep an eye on feature film content, Mr. Thomson cites the relations between the Government information agencies and the newsreels as an example of how that cooperation can work. "The problem of choosing topics which are at once noteworthy, which present the U. S. in a favorable light, and which do most for strategy can be worked out only on the basis of continuing collaboration." Documentary Supervision In the documentary field, the study states, many films, though dealing with facts, carry "important propaganda overtones. It is the business of the Government agency to see that these overtones are correctly estimated and used, while the central tone and treatment of the film topic are kept at desired levels of humanistic interest and scientific objectivity." Mr. Thomson says an information program should not be merely geared to the existing critical world situation but must be able to be converted quickly and easily into a war agency. He recommends less reliance generally on private agencies, and setting up information operations wherever the United States has diplomatic representation abroad. 34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 18, 1948