Variety (January 1951)

PICTURES Forty-fifth p^AHIKTY Anniversary Wednesday, January 3, 1951 Vagaries of Film ^ggo _ ©r Bust Iiicoiigruitics of tlic Holier^THaii-Tlious —OK Via TV, NG in Tlieatres By ERIC jOHNSTON (President, Motion Picture Association of America) Washington. Peoi)le who piously intone that “freedom is indivisible,” but duck away from the idea that the motion picture should he free from official censorship, have long tempted me to pass among them with a spray gun. As of now, I am resisting this urge , in the justified hope of watching them succumb to a slow burn, embarpssed to death by condoning a vestigial absurdity on the body politic. Official censorship of motion pictures has always been silly and stupid. Now it s making itself— and those who condone it— look ridiculous. . Hypocrisy so often gets its back up and stands pat against reason. It cannot so . often abide looking foolish, This is particularly . true among hypocrites with some claim tO intelligence ; and it is especially true of those who “jest at sears that never felt a wound.” To wit: certain editors and publishers, but not too many. They classify as double-dyed hypocrites when they define freedom as Indivisible but neatly fence it in for themselves as a private game preserve against the moUon picture and the radio. Let us consider them, and then let ' us consider the ridiculous kind of company that the year 1950 has revealed them to be keeping. When the price of pulp, or a pure food and drug act— to use .extreme examples— Crimps the happiness of these gentry, the air is blue with their screams that freedom of expression is in peril. Against this heavy artillery, any force— political pr commercial— had better be dead sure that its cause is constitutionally sound . and unimpeachably just. At the first shot, most of us are instantly suspicious that dirty work is afoot, and auspicious we remain until proof to the contrary is unassailable. Freedom of the press means just that much to us, and so be it forever. While the battle is joined, no one could thunder more feelingly about the indivisibility of freedom than our double-dyed hypocrites, but with their victory. What occurs? . . . ■ •By JACK benny—— — Hollywood. For the past 39 years I have been a devoted reader of Variety. (All right. 3o my mother read it to me the first six years!) Not a Week goes by, but I must set aside enough time to read it through, from the first “boffo” to the last “literati.” Like all other young impetuous dreamers, 1 was thinking of the future the other day, and, more specifically, about what Variety would read like 39 years from now, in 1990. (Gosh! ITl be 45 then.) I could see it clearly— ^and here’s What I saw. The Moon— Bob Hope, who spent three weeks here entertaining pation troops and visiting service hospitals j rocketed back to earth late yes, ■ „ terday for a p.a, at Loew’s Kremlin. Jack Benny he planned to take his troupe next to MarSi if he could swing Government okay. Hbllywood— Wald-Krasna are trying to lure Margaret O’Brien Out of retirement to play title role in “Getting Grandma’s . Garter.” : , Eric Johnston London— Sir Daniel Kaye is making his farewell appearance this week at the Palladium. His Lordship, most popular performer ever to play here, was gifted with New Zealand for his recent four-week stand. ^ New York-^Advance sale for “South Pacific” is still at the half-million mark. . No tix available for next four months.' Insiders hear that Sally Martin, Mary’s granddaughter, is being groomed for Nellie Forbush role and will debut next month, New York— Radio insiders hear that NBC is readying a new two-hour segment to buck CBS’ strong Sunday lineup. Web reportedly will spend $327,000. a week for trombonists alone! Effort, marking NBC’s 73d attempt to bust Paley’s powerhouse, will use a choir composed of all the Boy Scouts in America, 120 highschool bands, the Metropolitan Opera, the original cast of “Gone With the Wind’! and 35 comedians, each Of whom will tell five jokes apiece. Cheers— With ReServulioiis New York— Television set manufacturers here admitted they were Ooheerned about inroads being made by new wrinkle in entertainment field tagged “Bagelox.” Unit, built into sweatbands of hats, carries audio part of TV. Instead of screen, a mirage is formed in front of viewer and will work indoors or out. Old line video personnel have hastily formed organization known as TOMPO to combat new medium, to prevent TV following fatal footsteps of vaudeville, legit, radio and midget auto races. The motion picture and the radio are right back where they were— looking in; by way of sop to iis now and then, the motion picture is unctuously chucked undor the chin as “a medium of expression”; yes, indeed, and also as an “instrument of communication.” Some of our creme-de-lacreme hypocrites were frightfully happy to give our industry three rousing cheers for rushing ^films into the occupied countries of World War II, but lift a finger for us against censorship by state or local politicians? Oh, no. Because, ha-ha, after all, we mustn’t get too big for our britches. If the people of a commonwealth or city wish to protect themselves against films that offend their sense of good taste, isn’t that their rightful say-so? , And don’t we say ourselves that the motion picture is essentially a medium of entertainment? To be sure it is, and to be sure we do, but reason totters a little in wondering what is decent and what isn’t, and who says which is what and where you draw the line between entertainment and information. Let us pass modestly by the fact that there is more leg art and cheesecake in the average newspaper morgue than shows up on the screen in a decade; let us also pass over the fact that eminent family journals are plastered with illustrations that would make a burlesque fly sheet look insipid. One wonders if some publishers read their own publications. Let us see hoW ridiculous official censorship of motion pictures is revealing itself to be. Example A: In Marshall, Texas, where W. L. Gelling was thrown in jail for showing “Pinky,” in defiance of a city censor board’s edict, the book, “Quality,” by Cid Ricketts Sumner, bn which “Pinky” is based, is in the Carnegie public Ubrary and circulates freiely. Life and Look, for instance, reproduced scenes and dialog from : the picture, “Pinky,” and both magazines had unrestricted sales in . Marshall. How silly can you get? . / How silly does a presumably intelligent citizen appear When he says it’s all right to show a picture that holds still, but you mustn’t show the same picture when it’s moving. Example B: : Some time ago the Pennsylvania state board of censors attempted to extend its authority to the projection of motion pictures by television. No, said the Federal district Court; you can’t do that, and, rto. said the Cirtuit Court of. Appeals, and that body spoke acidly of the “antique method of censorship Which Pennsylvania endeavors to effectuate in the instant case.’^ So what is the situation in the Keystone state? A motion picture may not be Shown in a Pennsylvania theatre without the prior approval of the state board of censors, but the same film may be shoWn over television without censorship. By this profound reasoning, the good citizens of Pennsylvania are periled by contamination if they see an uncensgred film in a theatre, but there is no such dreadful menace hanging over them when they see the same uncensored film in the family living room/ I believe that fortune is smiling shyly on our unremitting campaign against official censorship by plopping these and a whole scad of other ridiculous antics of censorship operations into our hands. We didn’t go hunting for them; they simply came, which makes it all the better. South Bend, Indiana— Although all spoHing events have been beamed into homes and theatres for the past 25 years, Notre Dame plans to break with tradition. U has quit all radar-video-radio contracts. School has built structure called “a .stadium” and only people sitting there will henceforth be able to view gridiron tussles. How this will affect programming has yet to be determined. . Hollywood— Wald-Krasna repbrt their deal with Garbo is ready for inking. Famed: silent Swede will star in “The Betty. Hutton Story,” .New York — ^The Four Singing Crosbys, smash brother act, will he honored at a testimonial dinner at. the Wal-, dorf-Astoria next week to mark their 40th anniversary in show business. Sentimental highlight of the event, which will be attended by top entertainment brass, will be appearance of their father, Harry Lillis Crosby, who will be flown east from his home in Pebble Beach. Oldtimers will recall Crosby pere as a popular singer in his day, sometimes nicknamed “Bing.” INSIDE S’TUFF— PICTURES— What film hero had breakfast with his wife in New York, jet-shipped to Hollywood for lunch and a meeting, rocketed to Hawaii for a run on the beach and dinner with a former top femme vocalist, arid was back in New York to take his wife to the Stork that night— -arid she, none the wiser? ChiGago— Darryl F: Zariuck’s new production, “No Way Qut of a Gentleman’s Agreement,” broke the all-time record at the Emporiurri here for rainy Tuesdays between 2 and 2:30 p.m. In novel tieup with Marshall Field, the 1,200-seater sold 800 tickets and 350 pairs of rubbers, 427 umbrellas during torrential downpour. Hollywood— Reversing the usual pattern for Success, Wald-Krasna announGe that .in addition to movie interests they are also undertaking manufacture of aircraft. They have purchased the Huge Stool Co., and will convert it to rocketship production. INSIDE STUFF^TELEVISION-New Kinescope process is nearing point where it will look like film, according to release from the Airialgamation of Television Research^ ers. Predict west coast will soon quiet gripes aboiit washed-out quality of New York-born shows. Des Moines, lowa-r-Popcorn and candy manufacturers starting big push to. cut out showing of films in their chain ^^staUrants. Claim that latest crop of good flicks has caused eatery biz to dive, patrons being diverted from food by films. Hollywood— The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has acquired the i0,000th sweater knitted by Joan Crawford. The gracious star made the special garment in gold lace to Oscar’s dimensions, while sitting on the set of “Mildred Pierce, Girl Flapper.” Hollywood— JACK BENNY ENTERS PIC PRODUCTION—First film produced by former comic will be “The life of Wald & Krasna.” Ellis Arnall By ELLIS ARNALL (President, Society of Independent Motion Picture , ProducSts) It is becoming increasingly obvious that our nation has entered into an era of national emergency and international crisis. Irrespective of whether the future holds war or peace, Our country Will soon be on a wartime basis. There rire many who believe that a wartime economy will be the order of the day for years to come* The motion picture industry Will, as every American business, feel the heavy impact of these emergency conditions. On Dec. 13, 1948, I had the honor of becoming President of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. At that time ,18 independent producers were members of the Society. In the two-year period since then, the Society’s membership has doubled. This is indicative of the fact that independent production is still virile and continues to occupy an important place in the motion picture industry. But it is ho secret that at this time the independent producer is confronted with perplexing and confusing problems. In truth, the entire industry is beset with serious trouble; uncertainties are on every side and at every hand. While the membership of BiMPP is twice that of two years ago, fewer pictures are. being produced by our members and the returns from these pictures are far short of What might reasonably be expected. The inroads of television, the monopolies in exhibition, the need for strong distributors, the restrictions in foreign markets, increased taxes and cost of production, afford the independent many headaches and offer small comfort. However, in spite of these difficulties, experience dem . pristrates that the amusement indust^ thrives on wartime coriditions and the attendant economic regulations and resulting controls. It is not pleasant to say .that the entertainment indus» try thrives in a wartime economy; but, factually, that is true. The more difficult it is to obtain houses, automobile^ television sets, washing machines, the more money the public Will have to spend on entertainment. All this simply means that the picture industry Will enter into a period of increased importance and activity. This, in turn, means increased boxoffice receipts. Organized in January, 1942, under wartime Conditions, the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers will, in these days of new emergency conditions, continue to render service to its members and to work in cooperation with the entire industry in all matters and things designed to promote its welfare and success. 'The work of the Society for the past two years has dealt with opposition of exhibition monopolies; opening of foreign markets for independent product; opposing unfair quotas and discriminations; handling day to day problems, arid cooperating vvith other organizations in broad industry affairs. : As the nation moves irito the wartime economy, the Work of the Society will become more importarit in aiding the independent producers in their attCmpt to solve the baffling problems of priorities, controls, labor shortages, involved allocations and the other vital issues that will arise. 1951 will be a year of challenge and opportunity to the independents and to the American motion picture industry. I know that those involved will render patriotic service in seizing the opportunity in meeting the challenge. Hollywood. George, the cook at the roadside cafe, had been fired arid there were tears in his eyes as he ordered a drink at the bar. “Don’t you understand, George?” said the bartender patiently. “You’re canned for being drunk all the time, and I got Orders to serve you no more drinks. They want you to get out of here while you can walk.” George shook his head bitterly. “Gratitude,” he said, and then his chin went up. “All right,” he said, “I’ll leave now, but they can’t stop mb from coming back here to be buried.” * “Okay, George,” said the bartender, “you can come back here to be buried. Goodbye.” “I’m going to write it down that they should bury me under the left one of those two oaks up back of the cafe. I burled the best friend I ever had under the right oak, and I’m going to lay there in peace beside my old pal, Tom.” The bartender only shrugged, but I had to know more. You buried your best friend up there?” I asked. “Old Tom,” said George, and there were tears in his eyes again. “Didn’t you notify anybrie?” I asked. “Didn’t you get a permit or something?” “You don’t need a permit to hury a cat,” said George. He si^ghed. “You know what was wonderful about old Tom? He loved drunks-— and the drunk he loved best of all was me. ’ Some nights I could hardly make it up the hill to niy room, aud old Torn would be so happy he’d purr arid rub against my legs So hard I’d firid myself half way down the hill again. The minute I’d hit the hay old Tom would hop into bed with me and curl up like he was ill cat Heaven. But let me coirie home sober and old Tom would give me a hurt look and walk right out of the room. Sometimes he wouldn’t come back for two or three days, he’d be upset. “What happened that you had to bury him?” I asked. I found him on the highway,” said George. “Flat as a pancake. I could have buried him iuid big envelope, but I folded him up and put him in a box.” George shook his head sadly. “Torn was always so careful on the highway. I guess what must have happened was old Tom saw a car zig-zagging down the highway, figured it was a drunk, and run out to meet him.‘ If that was it, at least I know old Tom died happy.” ^Claude Binyon.