Variety (Jan 1940)

PICTURES Thirlyfourth VARIETY Aintitereanr Wednesday, January 3, 1910 America's War Advantage Anent English Films; Too Top-Sided? By Michael Balcon (Production Drrfrlor, AffOVMltd Ta\k\i\o PU-uires) London, Dec. 20. , war unite when (he safely of the i.s Ihrealencd, soT^niirac- | Wt tnibarked <.n a film at the |^'°^7^;;,%„„„„„,._,he p,<,duce,.c really 'The \iith Germany. The film was Proud Valley; with Paul Robeson, set in the Welfh mining area. Alter two days yhnolinii, when already the invasion of Poland had begun, and evacuation was put into operation, yhootinj! ceased on the .«et, and the studio personnel, technical and ad- ministrative, were told they could have the weekend to make arrange- ments lor ecltinsi.lhcir families into safe areas. When wo reas.'-embled on Monday, the country was already at war, and we arrived lo the music of the air- raid sirens, and had to take .shelter. It was a false alarm, but it .<;crved to brins the reality home to us. Durihi; those days, 40 men had left their jobs to take up Navy. Army »nd Air Force jobs for which they Over two months p:i.<y:ed with no | decision either way. and this lack of | decision had almost (he effect of clos- ing the studios altOKflher, for we had continually lo bear in mind the oossibility of the woisl happenini;. So we had a layofi which we u.^ed to prepare a new arid topical sub- ject for George Formby. I mu.st pay Iribule to tho:* who remained in the studio. They came tn me olTcving considerable vol- untary cuts in their salaries. Sev- eral asked to work for. nothing until something definite was known. Those cuts had to be accep'.ed. and the Board of Directors was glad to have them at the time, particularly as the cinemas, at first closed down alto- ; gether for a week, were then be- i ing kept open only during re- The Thought That l^illed Lincoln By Claude Binyon had been earmarked. 0( Uiese, 29 i s'ricted hours, and boxofTice returns I were key men. including the martag CHARLES ALTHOFF Season"M flrcetlnfis X<iw HIb .Moolli I*w UrownV .Mu.l<'ul ins director ol the associated com- panies, Major Reginald Baker; the k-ecretary. Lieut. Gordon Rayner; my brother, X^PM'in Shan Balson, and others. ' The author and director of the Formby comedies ithough restricted mainly to' British and Dominions market.s, they are one of the studio's most valuable as.'cLs) is now Lieut. Commander Kimmins of the Royal Navy. The as.sociate producer in charge of the Formby comedies is Private Jack Kitchin, late of the Territorials and now of the Regular Army. Production manager.s, camera and soundmen and ail young artists left, in a comparatively sinall organization geared to make no more than two films at a time, a gap which then seemed impossible to fill. We de- cided to carry on with the produc- tion, nevertheless. Paul Robeson, who could quite . understandably have left for Amer- ica with his wife and son, volun- teered to stay and see the picture through. Welsh arlisU, who could have retired lo the comparative safety of their western country, to a man asked to stay on. It had its headaches, arid it had its humors. One character written into the script became first two charac- ters, as one actor was called up, and then split into three as the second actor was called, so the continuity of the story could be preserved. A topical twist was inserted into the film. We carried our gas masks, we camounagtd and blacked out our studios. We cast anxious eyes at the sky until we became used to the idea that for the lime being, anyhow, they would not be blackened by enemy planes. Meanwhile the cameras turned. 1 expected every day to lose director Pen Tenny.son, aged 27 and a Naval Reservist, and the deputy director spent days muygin.'^ up the script. There were understandably senti- mental moments when fellows said good-bye lo their friends at the studio, and while the camcias were turning. o\ir minds were occupied with Iwo things that concerned us very much: how to keep the industry alive during the war, ai>d how to harne.ss it lo the war machine so that it cculd play its part. A (eelioK of excitement carried us throuj^h tlio firsl two or three week.s —and llu I most satisfactory feeling of, "At last—thank God,' for the shadow <>f war had been hanging over us lor more than a year. But when these feelings wore off,'we got the real hnnKovcr. The picture in hand could obviously be completed without any major difficulties, and (touch wood) now that it is ready, it seems to have turned out as good as jiny v.-o have, made here in more pcacdul days. Qoota's Native Advantages Bui what of (he future'.' One diffi- culty aflci' another became apparent. At IcasI 80;i of the production in- dustry here is normally dependentj on the shelter of the Quota-Act. • Ima.sine fiur consternation when we' learned Ihat the President of the | Board of Trade had intentions of | doiiii! away with Quota. We could I not help feeling either ton the: slrcrigtlfof-evidence) that American i interests in this country k-new th*. |' fell to somethmg like 20%^pf nor- ; „, New York mal, so that films we had made under YOKEL BOY. Majestic, New rorK normal budgets now looked like be-I' UeUirnlnK to the comfdy of ihe SAM BISCHOFF DUE TO JOIN COLUMBIA Sam Bi.schoff will leave the War- i ner fold shortly,. though he has qon- ' tract until September of (his year. • Indications are he will go to .Co- i lumbia on a three-year deal as top on the lot at salary six normal ounccis now iuukuu . i*..,,., .....p, — : , ; comintr heavv lo.sses The layoft -"how, you'll split your sldts humh- . S^i:!-w^L'^nd-Ihen. l,ap^ly. ' ' all salaries could be returned to pre- ['.'i^/.'^li^.^'l^.'J'ijji ,, ,he most l.tlarl<...s war rates. , exhllaratlnR fiddlor that « v.t . Our studios, being one of Ihe | ran a-bow across a set of violin, fortunate minority not directly de-j ."U Ums" \\y VictOT E. Bardet. pendent on the Quota i we have no i ticup with any .\nierican outlet),! we decided to go inio production be-.| tore the Board of Trade made the ! P"osition clear about the Quota Act, i since to go on wailing inactively, was threatening the wellbeing of the j studios. The Board of Trade, after over two months of fencc-.squatting, an- nounced its tardy decision; to main- tain the Quola Act, anyhow until the end of March, when the posi- tion comes up for further review. Want V. S. Sympathy, Bui— In my own view, Ihe' delay in an- nouncing this was inexcusable. We knew, here, that American financial interests had to be taken into con- sideration, and we recognize clearly , ^ that, particularly in lhe.se time.s, the j Piot-ucer friendly neutrality of America-.so ^^h't he got when he left Col valuable to this country-should be\^°""' ^e^" ^80. in every way encouraged and as-! Likely, too, that with outside pro- sisted by the maintenance of the best , ducer-directors also making product possible trade relationships. Yet for ; for Columbia, two producers, whose us, who for years have fought to re-1 contracts expire within next six , gain for British film production the | months, William Perlberg and Ever- footing it tragically lost in the last ett Riskin, will leave the lot. Fred- war, the American influence on pro- , die Kohlmar leaves this month on auction activities here at times is , completion of his final picture. a little lop-sided. And I feel that the | American interests themselves would , 1U|.|„-. P«iiit«J n| NRP haye been better advi.sed (taking a j nicllO rCCVcQ 31 nD\j long view of it) to have adopted a more helpful and encouraging atti- tude. That was one of our major difti- cultie.s. Another, which cannot be underrated, was that rriany available British artists and technicians are in America and look like slaying there .for duration, having been encour- aged to stay there by iheir Consuls, Conver.scly, what will happen to -Hollywood,-,Ian. 1, Joseph Lincoln died early in 1939. He died .seated at breakfast «iih his wife, ind there wore eggs and crisp bacon before him, and ihe morning was sunny. Until one moment before he died Jo.soph Linculn on that day was one of (he few happy men on earth. Joseph Lincoln had spent seven years in Hollywood. He ha<l jumped from a publishing house ofl'ice to a .seat on the editorial board of g jnulioii picture studio, and from there (9 an ornately carved priKluvrr't de.sk. and from there to his post as aide and advisor to the man whose name represented Hollywood. Faithfully .his salary had a.scended with him. During Ihe (list of his .seven years in Hollywood this Lincoln w";i.<: j siiy; gangling youngsler with a belief expressed privately to his w'ife thai motion pictures wore dod.uing the issue. In his .second yc.ir hv be- came vaKue about whatever issue pictures were dodging, nurini; his third year Lincoln started enlerUtiniiig his friends in the Roman .vlyie By the seventh year he owned race hor.scs and spoke of the Amci icaii people as stupid bums. Tlieii. suddenly. Lincoln became sick to his stomach. This liappvn.M lo men. And it is hard to tell exactly w hy,-although everybody kimw.v; Lincoln walked out <i!j..llollywo6d. He walked out on a magniliceiil salary and a wonderful home and the California climate. He did this delibeialoly. lau.^h>iiB while he did it. and his w-ifc was lauvhiu.i;, log. His wife was still pi city, but .she was lire<l. The Lincolns after .seven years were leaving Hollywood. slufTy with food and prai.se. but pennile.ss. It is hard to tell about being penniless after .seven years in Hollywood, although everybody knows. Lincoln went lo the head of the publishing firm in New York and said he was ready to go back to work. The publisher stiucd. ,M siilO a week? Cei taiiily! Who is worth more'/ And .<:o Lincoln bounced about with the weight gone from his shoiil- • der.s. and he helped his wife pick the little farinhou.se outside New York. They added a breakfast room where the sun would hii it lull, and here they would give thanks each morniiig for life aiwl Iictiunn and eggs and crisp bacon and $100 a week. In this breakfast room Joseph Lincoln died, early in 19.3!). Tlie ninrn- ing was .so bright and Lincoln's wife no longer was tired, and belore hlin was thjs plate of eggs and crLsp bacon. "God bless our home.' said Lincoln. "God bles.s the sun and the b;.oon ■ and eggs and my $100 a week.' Lincoln's wife nodded happily 'And,' she said, 'God damn llu- S 1(H,- 000 you made last year.' Lincoln laughed. For a while he laughed, and (hen there xvas loo much tightness in his throat and his eyes popped. He made a s-igliiiig sound and slunn)ed forward with his face in his breakfast. His wife sat stiffly. She knew Lincoln w^as dead and she know what had killed him. What she said had brought lo them a sudcU ii. lun i ible realization. What she had said had brought the thouEhl that killed Lincoln. For Joseph Lincoln, lying dead now at his table, suddenly had re- membered, as had his-«He. that every penny of his salary for 1JI39 would not pay.the income lax for his last year in Hollywood! Bioff Moves In On Studio Carpenters; Other H wood Craftsmen Affected Over Garbo Publicity Hollywood. Jan. 1. NBC is accused by Metro of put-1 ting the .studio and Greta Garbo on | the spot by publicizing an olTer of a | $S,000 donation to the Finnish Red ! Cross if the Swedish actress would [ appear on the network's 'Curtain the reputations and "the popularii; 1 balls' program Sunday (31). ; of British artisls. writers and tech- '■ Proffer was scorned by the studio nicians in Hollywood, if Iheir work and Miss Garbo was not even ap- , in American films is sent here, when | prized as she recently gave $S.000 this country is enduring real hard- ships and dangers? Under these circumslances. I do not think American producers have a-siife investment in these names as far as this market land it is a con- siderable market) is concerned. What are Ihe .subject.s which the British film producer should concen- trate on at this lime'.' .My own view is the following categories: (1). Comedy film."—that's what the troops 'and the civilian population Want more than any- thing el.se at this time. . (2). E X c i t i n g . tictionalized dramatization of aspect.' of this War; which do not dwell at all on slaughter. For example, we have in hand a storv—lictiorialized - showing the heroic work done by the convoys of the ve.ssels that_ bring food lo u.' from overseas. 13). Honest but exciting por- trayals—realistic in Ihe highest degree—of ordinary people liv- ing ordinary lives. " Film glamor was on the wane before war broke out; Ihc war killed it. <4). Escapist subjects — those to Finnish Relief and has reportedly - turned down radio offers running as , high as $20,000 for a half-hour pro gram. Fla. Band Date Delays Vallee's Producer Bow Hollywood. Jan. 1. : Rudy Vallecis production career at | Republic has been halted tempo-, rarily through an option clause in his ; contract fiH-^a band dale at Miami. ! Pact called for one week with ex-; tensions up to five. 'Vallee may iiol ' be able to report at the studio until Feb. \. tcresling screen biographies of grea; personalities of the past, etc. That is the viewpoint of the com- mercial producer, whose primary consideration is to help keep the ■induslry alive during war. 1 have not mentioned the obvious things, such .as docunientaries and instnic- tional film.s, specially . designed for instructing the Board ol Trade's intention beforcU reality outside the cinema wall.* .services and the that make audiences forget the -<;. civilian .population in their part in we did. As opposing political factions int^^ .'^mong "fhe.se 1 would include highly imaginative thrillers—iii- ihe war. I believe that the .screen will emerge through this war as Ihe lextbouk of our time. As Result of Bioff Scandal, Gov. Horner Sues Daily for Libel Chicago. Jan. 3. Another repercussion of the Wil- lie Bioff scandal is the filing of a libel suit by Gov. Henry Horner of Illinois against the Chicago Daily News and its publisher. Frank Knox. Gov. Horner asks $250,000 damages, charging he was libeled in an edi- torial printed on the front page of the News regarding the various post- ponements ill the extradition hear- ings on the Bioff matter. Editorial was headed. 'Why Delay.' and questioned the right of holding up the order to extradite Bioff from California in order to serve the re- mainder of a six-month prison .sen- tence for pandering in 19'22. Gov, Horner's petition for dam-- ages covered three major ixiinls, Ihe fir.sl of which claims that The News and Knox, in the editorial, implied improper niolive.s to-the governor in postponing the Bioff extradition hearings. Second, that there was . a misrepresentiitioii of llie facts, and third that Knox was really trying to undermine the Democratic parly, and recited that Knox was Republi- can vice-|)re.sidential candidate in 1936 and since then has been trying to increase his own innuence in Republican party politics.' Governor, in his petition, described Ihe various events in the hearings and stated that he postponed deci- sion so as to allow both attorneys to present further brief.s and argu- ments. Hearing is now scheduled for Jan: 10, the original move for the extradition of Bioff having been made on Nov. 23, 1939. Reported that States Attorney Tom Courtney has declared that the delay in acting on the Bioff matter is unprecedented and that it .is the .first time any such situation has arisen in the seven yeai-s he has been prosecutor. Hollywood, .liiii. 2. New demands, covering abnul fiO'r of work now done by sIikMo car- penters, have been made upon film producers by Willie Bioff. another step in drive to a.ssuine control by the International Alliance of Thea- trical State Employees over iiU in- du.stry labor. Jurisdiction claim filed with ■ producers also would require plumbers, plasterers, moulders and sheet metal workers to carry lATSE cards when working on any special effect to go before (he camera. Claim is made by Bioff in list .'ub- milled to Pat Casey, producer l.iLor contact, that grips are eiitilleti (o handle all culouLs. remakes, erection and wrecking of .scaffolds, storing and caring for sets, and other details concctcd wilh this Lvpe of work. Un- der Bioff demands, propmakers would be allocated all work peiiain- iiig to erection of special effects. whetliA'wood, plaster, iron or sheet riiflalf Plumbers aiul plaslerers would DC permitted to conlimie some of this work on special effect.'--, but would be required to cany lA cards 111 addition to one from Iheir own local. Studio execs e.stimate thai car- penfers would Io.se about ."id', of their pre.sent jurisdiction if the new Bioff demands are J^ranted. Hinff contends this work was formerly done by grips and prop makers. I'lil that carpenters, gradually look it over. It has been disclo.sed. how- ever, that the work originally be- longed and was allocated lo the i-r- penlcrs, that the lA a.ssiimcd juris- diction, but that it was.-takeii back by carpenters during the iiileinal strife in the lA ranks. Jo.seph Cambiano, Inlernatinnal repres.cntailve of .studio carpi iiter.s- is due here first of week from his home in San Maelo, Cal.. to go into a huddle on the newest lA demands. If lA insists on taking ovir car- penter work in Ihe studios, prodiu- tion, it Is hinted, may siitfer by « jurisdictional fight bctwctn the (wo group.s.