Variety (December 1950)

18 PICTURES P^mfr Wednesday, December 6, 1950 Inside Stnff-Pictiires t Death of James K. McGuinness in N. Y., oddly coincided with an- nouncement by Motion Picture Alliance for Preservation of American Ideals, of which he was one of its outspoken members, that it was leaving Motion Picture Industry Council to pursue on its own a battle against alleged Communist infiltration in the industry. Letter to MPIC said the Alliance was dissatisfied with INIPIC failure thus far to get Alliance-inspired mandatory industry-wide loyalty oath or the joint MPIC-AlIiance committee talks to bear fruit. In answering Alliance letter, MPIC said loyalty oath was not a dead issue in that a commit- tee still is working on it. However, most of components of MPIC have nixed the oath, with sentiment leaning toward Screen Writers Guild oath formula, which calls for voluntary oath together with ma- chinery to enable those falsely accused of "pink” affiliations to clear themselves. Influential industryites reportedly have gone to bat in Washington to assist film executives of various nationalities who may have been enmeshed in the web of red tape that surrounds the jMcCarran Act. This law prevents entry in the U. S. of anyone who is now or ever was a Fascist or Communist. Idea behind the industryites’ intervention is to improve goodwill between Hollywood and rival celluloid interests abroad. It’s understood that a number of foreign film distributors and producers have been stalled In their attempts to come to the U. S. on business junkets through strict interpretation of the act by federal officials. Random House, which has publi.shcd a number of Broadway plays in book form, will enter the motion picture field with publication of the complete screenplay of 20th-Fox’s "All About Eve,” as written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. If the book sells well, it’s expected the pub- lishing firm w'ill turn out other original screenplays. Twentieth’s ■ ‘‘Follow the Sun,” incidentally, which is now in production, is to be j spotted in condensed form in the March issue of Readers’ Digest. Admits TV Edge Film spokesman has admit- ted the industry’s defeat in at least one respect of its battle with television. Admission w'as made by Dick Pitts, editorial director of the Council of Mo- tion Picture Organizations, be- fore members of the Associ- ated Motion Picture Advertis- ers la.st week in N. Y, ’Without mentioning it .spc- cificially, Pitts obviously had in mind the TV set manufac- turers’ warning that depriving children of video will, in ef- fect, make them candidates for a psychiatrist’s couch. He confessed: "While motion pic- tures are better than ^ want to assure you that if chil- dren do not go to the movies they will not feel a deep lone- line.ss. They will not feel ‘left out’ because other chil- dren do go. And your daugh- ter will not feel a deep bruise inside. No, your children will not grow up to be neurotics if they are deprived of the movies.” 'Articulate’ Execs Continued from page S luncheon-meeting oJ the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers in N. Y. Executive vicepresident Arthur L. Mayer, at the meeting, touched Lloyd Shearer’s closeup on the prolific Harry Warren in last week’s Colliers’ as a "great unknown” has touched off Hollywood interest anew in his biopic. George Jessel wanted to do the songsmith’s career but found AVarner Bros, controlled too much of the cream of Warren’s song- writing crop, and the Burbank plant was holding out for too fancy al “T, lee. Jesse] (20th-Fox) still thinks there’s enough later stuff in W'ar-• ^ J?n«cihlv ren’s career to make an okay.medlev. . 1 int" field, and added : significantly, "give us the funds. Payroll savings bond division of the U. S. Treasury Department has j Following the session, entered a unique tie-in with Universal. Unit is distributing a four-j are about P color poster urging the public to "Give an ear to ‘Harvey’ and his good including some formei actor , advice,” Partial head of a rabbit is depicted along with a still of;available to launca p James Stewart, star of the film. | lic-speaking tours designed to en- ! hance the public’s estimate of the by New York newspaper and mag critics squawk thiit despite ownership ’ business. Mayer also commente „y a number of the majors of music publishing firms, the titles of songs ! fhat "we are experts in .selling in musical productions are,never given on credit sheets. Only excep-; product; rank amateurs in selling lion is 2()lh-Fox. It generally takes a lot of telephoning, the reviewers j ourselves.” beef, to get the names of the tunes from publicity departments. Snipers Gang Up on Fix —- Continued from page 5 I think the film chilled him and gave an impression that Ameri- cans were not really fighters, and that. I think, was very, very sad. Charles E. McCarthy, C9MPO public relations chief, said he ! hoped industry cxecs would con- i tribute their services in visiting ; the press in the field, as a means : of clearing the distorted view of I the industry held by many editors. ' McCarthy also indicated he will groom in Hollywood,” by Dick ! induce Editor and Publisher, Pitts, its editorial director. Pitts, I newspaper pro- former film editor of The Char- i fession, to send a reporter to Hol- ^ ^ lotte .N C.) Observer left his bride . j that the true picture of And I think generally Holly- ot five days and went to Hollywood ; production centre may come wood has done an enormous for a study of the town followiilg ' focus He deplored the fact amount of damage to America in his acceptance of the COMPO job. i ^ period of vears the in- Asia. and it’s about time Hollywood | The articles, humorously written, ! allowed its" public rela- was controlled and this entirelyare slanted to point up Hollywood; flptpriorate and said he is false picture of a tremendously as a "normal” or "average” com-, th^ varietv of remedial energetic and fine and very bril- nnmity They have heer. forward- “h® coMPO has in mind liant America was shown to the ed to COMPO reps in each world. We need tremendous change area with a request that changes in Hollywood. It’s about they try to get the pieces published time it came.” in local newspapers. Francis Cardinal Spellman, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York, picked up the ball on the following day. He declared in a speech carried by the metropolitan dailies that motion pictures, radio Par Advance Coin Continued fr m p;ige 3 will prove effective. ‘Road Company’ Special coun..wl Robert W. Coyne reported a "road company” of the industry’s planned exposition next fall will be sent on tour if it proves successful in N. Y. He said the tour could be coordinated with ap- pearances by stars in the various key cities. Invitation to join the COMPO fold, was issued by Mayer to A MPA, with the latter’s acceptance regarded as a foregone conclusion. Mayer also disclosed that under consideration as COMPO members are the fan mags and theatre equip- and television have had bad effects play on which the pic is based, on the minds and behavior of chil- ‘ and Greshler. Greshler provided dren, completion bonds himself. There Speaking before 500 persons at was no bank involved in the ft- j the annual conference of the New nancing. ork State Assn, of Judges of Chil- Whole deal has been a swiflie. dren .s Courts, the Cardinal de- pic went into production on July ^ . . 18 and is slated for release exactly • nioving picture has moved : six months later—Jan. 17. Shoot- , c,m,.n«rc indeed. It has moved from a lim- ing took 21 davs Greshler brought i manufactiueis and suppliers. ited number of public theatres to ■'eLf two weeks ^ fX'if.n'iw million.s of private homes, where screened it for the Par exec staff i defined but appaiently crime stories and their horrors add i i„ the Paramount theatre Nov. 22 i » semi-official basis, to the infamy of the massacre of the innocents . . . Today a man's home is no longer his castle, for the locked door no longer keeps out the trespasser. Now, any broad- casting radical may enter the home and under cunning disguises sow the seeds of juvenile bewilderment and delinquency.” and had a distribution deal from the company two days later. Deal was facilitated by; Par’s de- sire to hang on to the product of the Martin-Lewis team. It has dis- tributed their first two pix, "My Friend Irma” and "Irma Goes West,” which were made by the without the veto power held by the 10 charter groups. Also slated to address the AMPA conclave last week was COAIPO president Ned E, Depinet. How- ever, his extended stay on the Coast in huddles with Howard Hughes on RKO affairs prevented his appearance. Depinet wired re- ‘Twist’ Tiff Continued from page 3 Brandt attempted to persuade a Texas* exhib to breach a contract to play "Twist.” The ELC letter, according to the Brandt spokes- man, further notified that the dis- trib would hold Brandt and "your colleagues who participate in this kind of action fully liable for any damages which may accrue to us” as a result of contract breaches. Brandt yesterday branded the ELC letter as "nothing more than an insidious attempt at intimida- tion,” Circuit chief denied he at- tempted to induce anyone to breach a booking contract but has- tened to add he wouldn’t hesitate to make known his opinions re- garding "Twist.” The film, he con- tinued, "in my opinion can only fan the flame of inter-racial big- otry.” Exhibition of "Twist,” Brandt went on, could result in "irrepar- able injury to the motion picture industry in general as well as to theatres which show it.” Brandt concluded his blast with the com- ment that he had expressed his opinion and "I shall continue to freely and honestly express it.” ELG had announced late last month that Robert J. O’Donnell, general manager of Interstate Theatres, had booked ‘’Twist” to play a' number of the circuit’s houses in Texas in Januarj'. Board of the Motion Picture Assn, of America will meet in N.Y. on Dec. 19 to consider the Eagle Lion Classics’ appeal from the de- cision by the Production Code Ad- ministration to refuse a PCA seal for "Oliver Twist.” PCA, which is headed by Joseph I. Breen, oper- ates within the framework of MPAA. Eric A. Johnston, MPAA presi- dent, and William C. MacMillen. Jr., ELC prexy, held an informal meeting on the matter in N. Y. yesterday (Tues.) at which John- ston promised the board’s answer to the appeal will be made known immediately following the Dec. 19 huddle. Later yesterday, MacMillen re- ported that the N. Y. Statb Censor Board approved "Twist” without change. Approval was given, by Dr. Hugh M. Flick, representing the Board of Education. Fa gin Key to Protest Breen rejected "Twist” on the grounds that the central character in the story, Fagin, is a strong anti- Semitic caricature. Basis for his ac- tion was the clause in the Produc- tion Code which directs: "No film or episode may throw ridicule on any religious faith.” Breen’s ruling was made known last week, shortly after EEC’s an- nouncement that the film was slated to play numerous houses in the Interstate circuit in Texas be- ginning Jan. 18, MacMillen said ELC is now awaiting the appeals ruling before making any decisions on what to do with the film. This, of course, leaves open the possibility that ELC could defy the MPAA board if it sustains Breen’s denial of the code, by releasing the film anyway. Distrib is not a member of MPAA. JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS TO CONDEMN TWIST National Jewish organizations, including the B'nai B’rith’s Anti- Defamation League, will condemn "Oliver Twist” via nationwide publicity, if Eagle Lion Classics goes through with its present plan of releasing the J. Arthur Rank film in the U.S. Jewish agencies do not plan any boycott, censorship or picketing in connection with the picture, being themselves averse to such activities, but hope the stand they take against it will dis- suade the public from seeing it. Organizations at this time are waiting for ELC to clarify its stand on the picture, in view of the prob- able withholding from it of the Production Code seal. Most of the agencies viewed it at a private screening two years ago and, at that time, condemned the portrayal of Fagin in the film as being a replica of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels’ caricature of the Jew. Mulvey-Grinieff Continued from page 3 eari'erfif Grihler''’^fermei?y the J grets, commenting that -a man s clave at least in part answered “IT/® ' nSs Cardinal Snollman’s eharve Fn„r i Wallis-Hazen he retained rights for , “ess. eontributing factors inone of them i one-a-year outside. Op- film.s. radio o)' TV) for child dis- i the next five of these out- lurbanccs were named bv Dr T in-' films is held by York Pictures, ret I a Bender, a corporation jointly owned by AMPA’s next session, set for Jan- uary, will honor the trade press. named by Dr. Lau- senior psychiatrist i •» . at New York University-Bellevue • Lewis and Greshler. York Medical Centre. Her conclusion, ! ^ corporation set up by the she said was drawn from 15 years 1oilmen, Screen Associates,; of experience, in observing some owners of "War.” \ 10 000 children. \Vhether further pix are pro- Faclors contributing, to delin-runder the York setup is qiu'ncy, Dr. Bender said, were a tl^>whtful, since Greshler has since ^ no home during infantile year.s li-cd a $1,000,000 suit involving ^ ^ P<i>’ent.s who are psychotic or Martin & Lewis against Music 1 ■ ino I ^ poor human beings, belong- Corp. of America. He charges the j ^ rnciiir ** minority with the i h'^tter with inducing the comics to ! Phoenix Meet Continued from page 3 their agenda listmg was too gen- eralized as to promise immediate specific action. Meeting idea has not been-entire- ly dropped, however, Board mem- bers of the Motion Picture Assn, of America, at a session set for Dec. Special Screenings . Dallas, Dec. 5. « A community relations board of Jewish leaders here saw "Oliver Twist” in the Majestic screening room at the invitation of R. J. O’Donnell, veepee and general manager of the Interstate Theatre Circuit, which plans to show the pic throughout the circuit starting ! Jan. 19. The committi^e asked to reserve judgment for a few days and to discuss It further. O’Don- nell, for his part, said he had not finally concluded to play the film and had asked the expressions of opinions. The matter of Texas exhibition is, therefore, still in status quo with. deci.sion pending. The In- 1 terstate circuit in the past has I never played a pic wdthout the Johnston Office seal and, further, has slielved some that have had the approval seal on grounds that they might incite intense racial or religious reactions. only if Grinieff could demonstrate that there was real money avail- able for both production and con- tinued operation of the company. Mulvey repeatedly said he had no interest in a shoestring opera- tion or one that w’ould require continued promotion. Grinieff has apparently not been able to pre- sent him w'ith the UA presidency on such a platter. To fill out the round of denies, attorney in Hollywood for UA co- owner Mary Pickford also asserted lack of knowledge of any imminent Grinieff deal. He is, however, knowm to have been in huddles for the past 10 days with the new Hol- lywood group which has appeared on the scene with a proposition for taking over the limping company. Meetings continued yesterday, with a decision said to be imminent. Grinieff is an importer and fi- nancier of foreign films and has made quite a pile of coin in buy- ing residual rights in U. S. pix for distribution abroad. He and his partner, Robert Haggiag, have been associated with Mulvey in a num- ber of deals. Harry Muller, UA controller, flew^ to the Coast over the weekend, but that is understood to be a somewhat different proposition from negotiation for sale of the company. He is reportedly in Hol- lywood with facts and figures to prove to Miss Pickford’s co-owner, Charles Chaplin, that the company is in imminent danger of running out of coin and that radical action is needed at once. Paul V. McNutt, who took -over as board chairman last July, held a short and not very sweet session with Miss Pickford in New York Nov. 23. He showed her clearly and succinctly that the owners must take steps at once if they didn’t want to see their entire in- vestment go Into a bankruptcy court. It was then decided to send Muller west with the black-and- white to demonstrate similarly the condition of UA to Chaplin. While out there, it is understood Muller’s figures are also being used in the negotiations with the^pnew group that has shown interest. This syndicate is unidentified, but is said not to include Stanley Kram- er-Sam Katz or Harry Popkin, w'ho have figured in UA negotiations before. rcsu!tinf» “"i K , vuniito lu Amcnca, ai a session set tor Dec. readingi -I' ’’'efe PsychosesT^^"^"^^ i ■■■Meantime. Greshler has acquired !^o*nsfde?a«om L?helZod ‘iJIh f t wimelf roliing^oS^\Ts^'fi.^f^^ Fisher for his |the "state of the industry” confer- ‘i. /» — A AotAv.* ivrx liewspaner ^ant" H Production. Alex Gottlieb w^ will then be set/with full eeries 12‘’articles"aUeS • At "coeSr* irLtie.*™ ", Dorfmannas Feature Edmund L. Dorfmann, who’s pro- duced a number of shorts and documentaries in the past, rolls a full-length feature in New York in about six wrecks. Film will be "Echo of Evil,” from a story by Manuel Komroff. Di- rector and cast have not been set «s yet. Army-Navy Biz ContliAUcd from page 9 personnel to operate and is less cumbersome. Paramount device, w^hile more costly to operate, has the advantage that the films may be re-iiscd. WBKB, B&K Chi tele station, re-ran the Illinois games the following day for a clothing company sponsor. Original cost of both systems is pegged at $25,000 with no appreciable difference in picture quality. Because only two Chi houses took part in the football experi- ment, Wallerstein said the costs "were staggering.” However, con- sidering the public’s increased awareness of theatre TV as a re- sult of the venture, the experiment was considered a success. "To continue this education,” public must be offered more big screen video; even though immedi- ate dividends are not apparent, Wallerstein opined.