Variety (Sep 1941)

PICTUBE8 p^ftlETY Wednesday, September 3, 1911 Colunmists Fidler, Hopper Summoned (Parsons 'Invited') to Appear Before Government Propaganda Probers Hollywood, Sept. 2. Jimmie Fidler, syndicate column- ist and radio commentator on tidings ol the film industry, was subpoenaed by wire to appear in Washington Sept. 8 to testify before the Clark sub-committee of the Senate inter- rtate commerce committee investi- gating alleged war propaganda by air and motion picture companies. Along "with Louella O. Parsons, Hedda Hopper and other columnist.<>, Fidler was originally extended an 'invitation' to Washington but de- clined with the explanation that his syndicate and radio work would pre- vent his appearance. The subpoena, by telegraph, ordered him to ap- pear, or else. If not, he was told, he would be served by the U.S. Mar- shal in the Los Angeles district. Consulting his attorney, Fidler learned that, the telegraphic sum- itMns is legal, under Senate resolu- tion 152, and that its violation may result in various penalties. Fidler sent back word that he would accept the subpoena and appear at the in- vestigation if he is provided with transporatlon and living quarters In Washington. Expenses OK Under Senate biir 159, passed last January, the Interstate Commerce Committee is empowered to give ac- cess to its funds for use by sub- committees, thereby making it legal to cover expenses entailed by sub- poenas. Kedda Hopper, currently on vaca- tion in Canada, failed to answer the Invitation immediately, and was also sent a summons by wire. Lou- ella O. Parsons will be in the east around the time of the hearing, with a personal appearance.scheduled in Dixon, 111.. Sept. 15. It is not known •whether she accepted the invitation. Dot Comiogore OK For Publicity Personals, SoRKOSetsPJLTour Hollywood, Sept. 2. Lillian Gish resigned last week from the America First committee. She went from here to Chicago to deliver her resignation in person to General Robert Wood. In the letter she stated that she did not believe that the organization would function as it has when she joined, and she was not going to be used as a cat's- paw by it to testify against the mo- tion picture industry. Bow-out was accepted. Favorable impression she created in a personal appearance at preem of 'Parachute Battalion' in Atlanta a couple weeks ago determined RKO to send Dorothy Comingore on a p.a. tour. Player was in New York last week, from where she went to Boston and Washington prior to her return to the Coast on Sunday (7) to begin work in 'Valley of the Sun.' Miss Comingore wasn't in 'Para- chute Battalion' but was sent to At- lanta for general publicity purposes, Rest of the tour was buildup for 'Citizen Kane,' in Which she made her initial screen appearance after having served with Orson Welles in the Mercury Theatre. Determined to get roles to her lik Ing, she has already undergone two suspensions in the short time since RKO pacted her. She is anxious to don title part in RKO's version of Theodore Drei.>!er's 'Sister Carrie.' Warners' Powwow Hollywood, Sept. 2. Maj. Albert Warner arrived Satur- day (30) for conferences with his brothers, Harr^ and Jack. He returns east next weekend to testify before the Senate investigat- ing committee. Just Sensitive Hollywood, Sept. 2. In a major studio story huddle, wiih high exec!!, producers and writers draped around the coun- cil table, somebody suggested the production of 'The Flying Dutch- man,' a sea mystery of ancient days, naturally with a back- ground in Holland. High exec nixed the idea. 'Wheeler and Nye,' he ex- plained, 'would accuse us of anti- Nazi propaganda.' ILLIAN GISH RESIGNS AMERICA HRST GROUP Hot Dice! Hollywood, Sept. J. Jack Townley, writer who per- formed an emergency operation as director of the Billy Conn picture, 'The Pittsburgh Kid,' at Republic, has been rewarded wilh a new con- tract by Herbert J. Yates, headman of the organization. From now on, Townley works al- ternately as a writer and a direc- tor. Veterans of Foreign Wars Laud WB s Patriotic Pix and Radio's Free Time WiHkie Defends Pix sConttnued from p«Kc 1: FOX GIVES GUN TO BIG BUDGET 'FURY' L. A. TO N. Y. Fred Astaire. Fred Beetson. Irving Berlin. Clara Blandick. Frank Capra. Harry Carey. Bing Crosby. J. Cheever Cowdin. Doug Dawson. Reginald Denny. Jimmy Durante. Matty Fox. Mrs. Jules Girden. Arthur W. Kelly. Marion Kirchner. Beth Lonergan. Victor Moore. Mary Pickford. Charles D. Prutzman. Claude Rains. Sol C. Siegel. Dr. Irving Somach. Hollywood, Sept. 2. 20th-Fox today started rolling on three big productions, 'Son of Fury,* 'Renriember the Day' and 'Rise and Shine.' First-named has a budget of $2,- 000,000, according to the studio. Ty- rone Power tops the cast. Others are Maureen O'Hara, George San- ders, Roddy McDowall, John Carra- dine, Virginia Gilmore, Elsa Lan- chester, Harry Davenport and Dud- ley Digges. John Cromwell directs. Sets for the picture cost $135,000 and it has the longest shooting sched- ule, 69 days, of any 20th-Fox pro- duction in several years. Philip Dunne wrote the screenplay from 'Benjamin Blake,* novel by Edison Marshall. 'Day,' starring' Claudette Colbert and John Payne, also started today. Henry King directs. George Barnes is first cameraman. Tess Slesinger and Frank Davis wrote the screen- play from the Philip Dunning-Philo Higley play of the same name. The other one to get the gun is Mark Hellinger's first -production, 'Rise and Shine,' adapted from James Thurber's 'My Life and Hard Times.' Linda Darnell and Jack Oakie top the cast. Allan Dwan is directing. N.Y. to L.A. Al Daft. Jock Lawrence. Harpo Marx. Tyrone Power. Budd Schulberg. Maj. Albert Warner. Vera Zorina. Dietrich's Bosted Gam Stymies Filming on lady' Hollywood, Sept. 2, Shooting on 'The Lady Is Willing' has Seen postponed indefinitely, awaiting the recovery of Marlene Dietrich, who fractured an ankle on the set when she fell while protect ing an infant in her arms. Ankle will be in a cast for at least a month, but Miss Dietrich will be able to work sooner in close-ups Mitchell Leisen, producer-director at Columbia, has doused all lights to await further developments. Hays 'Indignantly Denies' Clark Scrams Siegel Hollywood, Sept. 2, Colbert Clark, associate producer In the Sol C. Siegel unit at Para- mount, pulls out Sept. 13 after six months. on the lot. 'Fly By Night,' recently flnislied, was the last of five Alms on which he worked. Financial differences are reported •s the cause of Clark's resignation. He moved to Paramount from Re- public with Siegel. Kozinsky Bros, to Mono Hollywood, Sept. 2. Kozinsky brothers. Franklin and Maurice, who produced 'Paper Bul- lets' independently, signed with Monogram to make on* film, 'I Killed That Man.' Phil Rosen directs from script by Ctorge Bricker. Striking the keynote of the film industry's position towards the im- pending senatorial investigation of 'war propaganda' films. Will H. Hays, president of the MPPDA, in a letter addressed to Senator D. Worth Clark, subcommittee chairman, de- clared the accusation 'is resented and indignantly denied.' Missive was dated Saturday (30) and was in re- sponse to an invitation to Hays to appear before the subcommittee. Hays wrote: 'You have invited me to ap- pear before your Sub-committee considering proposed Senate Resolution 152, and as you have been advised, I welcome the op- portunity to do so. 'The Resolution is based upon charges that the motion picture industry has been engaged in propaganda 'designed' to incite the American people to war and that the alleged propaganda 'is in the hands of groups inter- ested in Involving the United States in war.' 'No more false and shameful accusation could be made, strik- ing as it does not only at the loy- alty of the persons concerned, but at the quality and extent xjf their personal patriotism to' a country and cause in which they so vitally and sincerely belffcve. This accusation is baseless. It is resented and indignantly denied. 'In order that your Committee may prepare lor its hearings on this Resolution, it seems proper that you be advised of the posi- tion of the motion picture indusr try. "The Industry will prove that the charges made against it are wholly unsupported by the facts and constitute an unjustified at- tack upon, and challenge, to, the fundamental American principle of freedom of expression. 'We have been accused of u.s- ing the screen 'as an instrurnent of Government propaganda.' We conceive it to be the obligation and duty of the industry to co- operate in every way with our Government in connection with the National Defense Program recommended by the President and adopted by the Congress of the United SUtes. 'To yield to the demand that picture makers ignore the fact that we live in an era of destruc- tion and tyranny that surpasses the blackest period of barbarism, that all the principles upon which American life is based are being destroyed in a great part of the world, would best serve the purposes and interests of the most bitter enemies of our way of life. There can be no com- promise by the industry with re- spect to thU issue.' mark his first public appearance as private counsel since he re-entered law practice following l:ist fall's campaign, was reached on last Sat. (30). He returned to New York from a visit with friends in New Hampshire, and met with film execu- tives through Sunday evening and nearly all day Monday. In the group that surveyed the situation with Willkie were Austin C. Keough, chairman of the law committee of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of Amer- Inc; J. Robert Rubin (Loew's) and Joseph H. Hazen (WB), and representative of the Motion Picture Producer's Assn., of Hollywood, who had come east for the purpose of coordinating the Industry's answer to the charges contained in the Senate resolution. Latter group included Herbert Freston, Mendel Silberberg and Maurice Benjamin, latter of Loeb St Loeb. Los Angeles attorneys. Isolatlonlstio Committee As an outspoken supporter of President Roosevelt's foreign poll cies and an adherent for unity of action in America for full aid to Britain and speedy national defense. Willkie will lace a committee of senators who are overwhelmingly isolationist in their views. Only one of their number, S^n. Ernest W. MacFarlane (Dem., Ariz.) is a sup- porter of the Administration. The others, in addition. to Clark, are Homer T. Bone (Dem., Wash.) and the two Republicans, Charles W. Tobey, N. H., and C. Wayland Brooks, 111. Willkie is said to subscribe to the belief that the unprecedented Sena- torial procedure of holding a hear- ing by a sub-committee to ascertain if charges will support a more thor- ough investigation by ti\e Senate committee on interstate commerce is a debatable matter. He is not likely, however, to raise the issue, so de- termined Is he that the film indus- try's record of the past 18 months will completely explode opposition. He has given the film leaders to un- derstand that their, services for na- tional defense have set a high standard for other industries. Entry ol Willkie into the Iray climaxed a week of numerous con- ferences preparatory to the Wash- ington investigation. Some confu- sion was reported because a com- mittee subpoena had been served on Nicholas M. Schenck, president ol Loew's, to appear as a witness. Sub- sequently, it was explained that ser- vice of the subpoena was premature and had been ordered as a matter ol routine because ol delay in ad- vising Chairman Clark ol the film Industry's roster ol willing wit- nesses. Other top executives had been listed lor subpoenas but none was served lollowing a meeting In Washington on Saturday (30) be- tween Clark and Keough, who out- lined the plans lor voluntary coop- eration and information. Whether additional film leaders will appear before the committee than previously programmed is a matter now left to WiUkie's discre- tion. Listed to testify, however, are Will H. Hays. Walter Wanger, presi- dent of the Academy ol Motion Pic- ture Arts and Sciences, Y: Frank Freeman, president ol the Motion Picture Producers Assn., of Holly wood, Barney Balaban, Darryl F. Zanuck and George J. Schaefer, chairman ol the industry's general committee on national delense. Thomas Mitchell Back Hollywood, Sept. 2. Thomas Mitchell, hurt in a horse and-buggy crash last spring, goes hack to work next week at RKO in •Joan ol Paris,' with Michele Mor- gan, French importation, as the lemme star. Picture starts Sept. 8, with David Hempstead producing and Robert Stevenson directing. BOSSmO OWN B£AINCHILD Hollywood, Sept. 2. First executive job by Felix Jack son, new associate producer at Uni- versal, is "The Llle ol Thomas New- som,' his own screenplay. Filming starts late this fall, with Jackson working under production supervision of Bruce .Manning, his former writing partner. Philadelphia, Sept. 2. Patriotic films produced by War- ner Bros, were given high praise in a report by a special committee ol the Veterans of Foreign Wars which ended a five-day convention heie Friday (29). Singled out for special praise were Warntfs' 'Service Wllh the Colors' and 'Meet the. Fleet,* which the V.F.W. said had furnished 'a fine medium through -which to teach Americanism to the youth ol our country.' Most ol the films are being shown under the sponsorship ol the V.F.W. 'We hope that more films ol this type will be produced by film com- panies so that more people will, through seeing these films, realize some of the sacrifices that have gone into making this country ol ours,* said William L. Wilson, chairman ol the patriotic film committee. 'I leel that perseverence and a de- termined effort on the part ol all ol us will result in our spreading the doctrine otAmericanism through the length and breadth of our land and at the same tirne assist our Govern- ment.' The veterans also gave a pat on the back to the radio industry which, they said, had given them $250,000 -worth of radio time free last year in order to aid the V.F.W.'s Ameri- canism program. Sen. Clark Assures Fibn Biz of 'Ample Tnne for Rebuttal' Washington, Sept. 2. Ample opportunity for the picture industry to offer all the rebuttal tes- timony it desires, after the commit- tee gets through with its own quizzing, was promised by Senator D. Worth Clark, .Idaho Democrat, at a huddle with Charles C. Petti- john, general counsel of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America, Inc., and Austin C. Keough, the Paramount attorney serving as chairman of the industry's self-de- fense committee. Trio had heads to- gether most of the morning Satur- day (30), with Peltijohn and Keough offering to bring any individual wanted from ranks ol companies making up the Hays organization. The committee expects to spend all its time the first week hearing the 'prosecution.' So lar, that comprises only Senators Gerald P. Nye, North Dakota Republican, and Bennett Champ Clark, Missouri Democrat, uncompromising members of the iso- lationist bloc high command. Film figures won't be put in the witness chair until Monday (15), whjle no definite arrangements have been made for going into radio's conduct and the way commentators have handled the war-peace hot potato. 'Inconvenient' for Fidler Only person known to have been subpoenaed, besides Nick Schenck, was columnist Jimmy Fidler. Sum- mons was issued after Senator Worth Clark had a reply that the col- umnist-commen't or could not con- veniently accept the invitation. Commenting merely that he had been led to believe the committee could get much valuable information from Fidler, Clark said he was not par- ticularly desirous of going into the the squawks about CBS restrictions on free criticism. Instead, he felt the probers ought to have the benefit of general knowledge of Hollywood conditions that a veteran legman could provide. Fidler attracted at- tention to himsell by sending nu- merous Senators copies of his indict- ment of CBS, which was published in the Congressional Record at Sen- ator Nye's request. Lacking funds to hire a special force, the Senate committee is not working up any case of its own. Rather, Chairman Clark is letting Nye and Clark ol Missouri prepare data to back up accusations in the investigation resolution and has given major producers latitude to submit synopses of any pictures deal- ing with the controversial peace- war topic, Clark wrote for informa- tion about the features that might treat this theme and said he'd like descriptive matter, without singling out any films as "horrible examples ol warmongering.'