Variety (December 1954)

so PICTURES Wednesday, December 15, 1954 Catholics Intone Solemn Pledge To Eschew Legion-Condemned Films Chicago, Dec. 14. Films, specifically “immoral” films, are a growing church issue in Chicago. Pledges to shun all pictures nixed by the Legion of Decency were voiced by Catholics everywhere in the city, per the urging of Samuel Cardinal Stritch. Parishioners made the pledge aloud during masses last Sunday (12). Cardinal Stritch himself conducted the recitation of the anti-pix pledge at Holy Name Cathedral. Pledge ran, in part: “ “/ condemn indecent and im- moral motion pictures, and those which glorify crime or criminals . “I promise to do all that I can to strengthen public opinion against the production of indecent and immoral films, and to unite with all who protest against them. “I acknowledge my obligation to form a right conscience about pictures that are dangerous to my moral life. /Is a member of the Legion of Decency, 1 pledge my- self to remain away from them. I promise, further, to stay away altogether from places of amuse- ment which show them as a matter of policy.” Pinpoint Trans-Lux Row between the National Le- gion of Decency and N. Y.’s Trans- Lux Theatres was brought to the fore the past Sunday (12) when Catholics in attendance at mass re- newed their pledge to refrain from attending films condemned by the Legion. Coupled with the pledge at the Church of St. Ignatius Loy- ola in Manhattan was a statement, read from the altar at all masses, criticizing the chain “for showing indecent and immoral pictures in past.” It was added that appeals to management for a “change of policy” produced "no action what- ever.” According to Legion sources, let- ters were written to Trans-Lux on the executive level, as distin- guished from house managers, stat- ing objections to films which have been played. Queried anent this, an official of the circuit said, “I don’t know what they’re talking about and am not interested in dis- cussing it.” Legion’s beef is that Trans-Lux houses have played “Moon Is Blue,” “French Line” and “The Miracle,” all of which were given a “C” (for condemned) classifica- tion by the Legion. Circuit is represented as feeling that approval of films by the state censorship board suffices. Hit Boxoffice Nerve . Albany, Dec. 14. Renewal of the Legion of Decency Pledge, affirmed in all churches of the Albany Catholic Diocese Sunday (12), was accom- panied by a sermon or instruction at each Mass "on the work of the Legion of Decency and the Cam- paign for clean literature.” In- creased emphasis on the Legion’s purpose goals and film classifica- tions was ordered by Bishop Wil- liam A. Scullf. The withholding of patronage angle—hitting theatres “in the box- office, where it hurts”—was under- lined in a number of sermons here- abouts. The alleged tendency of drive-ins to play “off color” pic- tures was severely criticized by one Albany priest. KAYE’S 3D DENA FILM, ’RED NICHOLS STORY’ Hollywood. Dec. 14. Danny Kaye’s Dena Productions has set a deal with Paramount for a third picture, “Red Nichols Story,” starring Kaye, with film to be made by Dena on 50-50 profit participation basis with Par. Pro- ducer and director are not yet set. Kaye’s first two pix for Dena, “Knock on Wood” and currently shooting “Court Jester,” were writ- ten, produced and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Pan- ama. Hollywood publicist Helen Gould a veteran of the anneal Panhandle Dinner joettt recalls Toasting 9 n 9 Roasting, Or Vice V ersa * * * an omitting byline piece in the upcoming 49th Anniversary Number of PfaziETY DUE SOON Beat Down Move » For Censorship In W. Germany Film industry elements in Frank- furt, Germany, have beat down a move for state censorship, member companies of the Motion Picture ExQprt Assn, in N. Y. were in- formed over the past week. Various youth organizations, gov- ernment reps and others had sought to set up machinery to clas- sify pix for certain age brackets and to raise to 18, from 16, the minimum age of persons free to at- tend films of general classification. Advocates of the official blue- penciling thus had sought to wrest the functions of the trade’s Self- Censorship Board. MPEA companies were told, however, that the censor forces, at a meeting in Hanover with the Intra-Industry Council and the Dis- tributors Assn., agreed to the Self- Censorship Board’s retention of its powers until Jan. 1, 1957. As part of a compromise, the film men gave the youth organizations the privilege of filing minority reports on product. Binford Now Sanctions Negro Talent Films; Censor’s Tax Trouble Memphis, Dec. 14. Lloyd T. Binford, Memphis’ censor, who previously banned films with Negro talent, is now passing such product. Since greenlighting “Carmen Jones,” Binford has also okayed “Cabin in the Sky,” “Halleujah” and “Green Pastures.” Last three had been given the expected Bin- ford banning treatment in the past. Binford’s main objection to Negro features has been co-ming- ling of Negroes and whites as “social equals.” He stated this quite frankly as his motive. Income Tax Rap Lloyd T. Binford, Memphis’ 88- year-old censor has been charged by Government with owing $2,800 in income tax from the sale of a farm near Duck Hill, Miss., in 1949. Binford is disputing the claim and has asked for a hearing in the U. S. Tax court here. Warners’ Finance —_ Continued from page 3 during the 1954 fiscal period, but this was offset by an increase in the remittable foreign rentals. The decrease in domestic revenue is unusual, since most of the major film companies expect to show an increase in the domestic take this' year. Film rentals and sales for 1954 hit $67,014,000 as compared to $66,379,000 in 1953. Current cash assets are $10,857,094 as compared to $9,805,486 in 1953. Total income for the ’54 period was $72,093,000, costs and expenses were $63,467,- 000, provisions for federal income taxes totaled $4,100,000. and pro- vision for contingent liabilities was set at $550,000. According to prexy Harry M. Warner, the operating results of the first quarter ending Nov. 27, 1954, although not yet available, will show a gain in the gross do- mestic and foreign film receipts over those of the corresponding period of last year—“resulting In J substantially higher net profits.” One of the great experiences in my career as a director was working with f ' % the Army of the United States on THIS IS YOUR ARMY QUanied C. Shinn&i Present assignment: executive producer-director Th« Charles E. Skinner Productions Suite 312 — 1600 Broadway New York 19, New York COMMERCIAL — TELEVISION — THEATRICAL LIVE AND FILMED PRODUCTIONS Ohio Censors Left Jobless Education Director Sweats Out Wording of New Law—Not Sure State Legislature Will Pas* It Columbus, Dec. 14. Ohio’s Education Department is looking around for something to occupy its three film censors and the five others who are employed in the Censorship Division, be- cause they are fast running out of things to do. When the lightning, which had played around its head for several years, finally struck on Dec. 1, the Education Department was totally unprepared for the Ohio Supreme Court ruling that its censorship division was involved in “unlawful and unreasonable” operations. Last week there was only a small backlog of films on hand: those that w'ere already there and un- processed or those that were in transit when the decision was handed down. These are being screened and returned to the dis- tributors. When these are gone, R. M. Eyman, state director of education, will have to find work for them in some other section of his department. However, Eyman says, the office will “accept and review films vol- untarily submitted to it,” and the $3 fee per 1000-foot reel will still be charged for any so submitted. But it is considered unlikely that any distributor will submit his films and pay a fee “voluntarily,” inasmuch as the courts have put the censors out of business. Eyman says his office is now sweating out the job of writing a Flick s Views On Sexsationalism new censorship lAw for Submission to the State Legislature in Janu- ary. He admitted it is a tough job and at least one State House ob- server has said the censorship law can’t be written that won’t be toss- ed out by the courts. “In waiting this law,” Eyman said, “we’re floundering around Never Volunteer! \ Membership of the Inde- pendent Motion Picture Dis- tributors Assn, has been ad- vised by its counsel, Ephraim London, not to submit its fi’ms for censorship in Ohio. The attorney general of that state has advised that the censor statute there is invalid in the light of a State Supreme Court decision. Film distribs had been asked to submit for the censor seal voluntarily pending a de- cision by the Ohio legislature. with terms. Words like ‘obscene,’ ‘vulgarity’ and lewdness’ should probably be used.” Eyman, who says he is neither optimistic or pessimistic about the effectiveness of a new law, seems to be all for changing some old hard and fast rules if censorship is voted back by the Legislature. “Maybe the Education Depart- ment isn’t even the right place for censors,” he has said, although he did not say he w’ould suggest a switch to another department. His idea seemed to be he would be glad to get rid of it if he could find some other department ready, willing and able to take it. By using sex and outright exploi- tation pictures to test censorship statutes in various states, the in- dustry is doing more harm than good, according to Hugh M. Flick, the N. Y. censor. Flick’s reference was to the ap- peals pending with the N. Y. Board of Regents re the film “Mom and Dad” and with the Appeals Court in Pennsylvania re “She Shoulda Said No.” Latter, incidentally, was passed by the N. Y. board. The “Mom and Dad” case in- volves a brief scene involving the birth of a child. Flick objects to the exposure of the woman’s geni- tal regions, Distrib claims that they aren’t really shown and that anyway, the whole thing’s educa- tional. Indicative of the fact that it con- siders “Mom and Dad” a hot pota- to, the Board of Regents hasn’t as yet been able to make up its mind on what to do. Observers feel that the Board, possibly with a view to what happened in Pennsylvania, isn’t anxious to risk another court battle on the legality of its N. Y. censorship statute. In Pennsylvania, when the “She Shoulda Said No” case reached the court, the judge “reluctantly” up- held the distributor, stating that, under the U. S. Supreme Court rul- ing, the Pennsylvania statute was too vague to apply. It’s pointed out by interested in- dustryites that, until and unless the Supreme Court removes its res- ervations re the illegality of pre- censorship of films—however small these reservations may be—the battle against the scissor-wielders can not be won. While the court has not had an- other censorship case before it since it ruled on “La Ronde” and “M” earlier this year, it’s general- ly felt that, in the light of those de- cisions, the court does believe in some sort of pre-release restric- tions re pix, centering presumably on the terms “incite to crime” and ^obscene.” However, there has been no indication whatever on what definitions the justices would accept for these standards or in- deed whether they would uphold them if a specific case involving such issues were to be brought be- fore them. In the “La Ronde” decision, when the court spelled out its be- lief in the right of the screen to equal protection under the first and fourteenth amendments with the press, the justice maintained that—despite this equality—some form of pre-release censorship may be legal and proper. Eyman also favors a cut in the fee charged for censoring films, a suggestion bound to make him un- popular with state politicians and workers. He broached the idea of charging only what it costs to cen- sor a film. This would cut the cost more than 75% and reduce the fee to something like 75c or less. (Cen- sors collected $233,774 for the fis- cal year ending last June 30. Their expenses were only $48,336. The surplus of $185,438 went to the visual education department for its film library.) The education director admits that the censors themselves take a dim view of this suggestion. “They tell me the complaint by film peo- ple about the fees is just an alibi,” he said. 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