Variety (February 1959)

Wednesday, February 11, 1959 Clergy or Laity, Pressures Acute Roman. Catholiclayman groups* and to a' lesser extent the hierarchy itself, are putting unprecedented pressure on state.and local author¬ ities in virtually all parts , of the . country in an effort to bolster, retain or institute motion picture censorship. t - Those • close to the censorship battle, which looms large in a num¬ ber of states in 1959, say they have never known such intense ac¬ tivity on the part of Catholics, not only in Annapolis where a dassifi-. cation bill is pending, but in other states and communities. Where, in . the past, these pressure groups had a tendency to work behind the scenes, they’re now pretty much out in the open and lobbying vig¬ orously in the name of “decency’’ and “morality” and the safeguard¬ ing of the young: The drive to support censorship appears not to have central direc¬ tion nationally, though it’s certainly organized in given states and com¬ munities. In some cases the local bishop is apt to take a very active part, and priests may sermonize against "evils’* from pulpits^ In others, the diocese is content to have laity do the work. Catholic Spokesmen in N.Y. sav the Catholic "drive’* for “decency’ is being joined in many places by non-Catholic grouns. Latter, how¬ ever, rarely take the initiative. Letters j Letter campaigns designed to in¬ fluence local legislatures are com¬ mon-place and, particularly in states where Catholics are nu¬ merous, they tend to be effective. Organizations like the Knights of Columbus and others have sent spokesmen to top legislators, urg¬ ing a tightening up of pre-release censorship of films which has been greatly undermined by a series of court decisions. The official position of the Church certainly supports a form of censorship, but the degree is a matter of speculation. In his . 1958 book, "Catholic Viewpoint on Cen¬ sorship,” the Rev. Harold C. Gard¬ iner, S.J. says: "Since those early days when the Legion came out against federal censorship, the bishops of the United States in general .have been singularly de¬ void of active cooperation in the establishment or retention of in¬ dividual state censorship boards. One very obvious reason for this is that if the Church, which up¬ holds certain moral principles that are not commonly accepted in this country (divorce, birth control, etc,) were to be vigorous in de¬ manding the continuance of state censor boards, it would be open to" a veritable flood of attacks that it was trying to impose through the cooperation of legally constituted organs its own morality on the American public at large.” On anQther page. Father Gard¬ iner writes: "If the coercive power • of the law is too narrowly inter¬ preted, and if freedom, whether to speak or read or do anything else in a society, is taken as an absolute right, then the great and imperative human desires and needs will be lost in the shuffle.” *A Valid Practice* In his book, "Criticism and Cen¬ sorship,” Roman Catholie Gegit critic)' Walter Kerr writes: <“lt ^ sometimes seems as though the struggle over censorship were a : struggle between Catholicism and the rest of America ” The reason why the words “Catholic” and s "censorship” appear to be natural twins is, in part, becausethe Cath¬ olic. Is “committed to the principle that censorship is, under certain circumstances, a valid practice. He -j does acknowledge the right of a • duly constituted authority to act authoritatively, even in his own chosen field; and the fact serves as a base both for his quite proper Identification with the principle' of censorship and his quite improper identification with any or all of -its-aberrations.” ’ Kerr opines that attempts toout- law censorship are a waste ot time. : “My own experience is that every man and his brother winds up en¬ gaging in one or another kind of censorships He does not; further¬ more^ limit his activities to pro¬ jecting the immature; he is inter¬ ested in protecting the presum¬ ably mature, too. It s<v»ms to r?e that the effort to abol^h Urn tv‘-v ciple of censorship is ah unrealistic one, doomed to ultimate defeat.” - . As for tlie. average B&mant^th.- olic In approaching the iarts“with a' chip. on Ms shoulder ^nd a panicky ap^ prehension in his breast.” ? .With this attitude, “the* mass has itself become the censor. .The audience has, in'effect, taken upon itselL the extraordinarily difficult task of making and enforcing- decisions .of a political and prudential char¬ acter.’' ~ It’s these • twin ‘attitudes of' a. basic approval' of* censorship 'and fear of the impact of films; coupled with .the concern over the'matur¬ ing of the' screen, which are seen behind the “grass-toots” Catholic pressure for more and tighter cen¬ sorship. In a number of instances, the accent has. shifted from all-out support of the censor to the modi¬ fied approach .of" classification which, from ' a. purely, business point-of-view, is strongly opposed by the industry. Protection of Kids Yet, there* are those who would accept classification as a compro¬ mise of sorts. Arthur Mayer, an industry vet, said last week- in N.Y. that he, personally, believed in some sort of system “protecting” children under 12, i.e. preventing them from seeing certain pictures. However, Mayer emphasized that, in'his own mind, he had not yet established how such classification could come about Without reinsti¬ tuting all the prior evils of censor¬ ship. Exhibitors generally oonose any rating system as potentially, harm¬ ful to their boxoffice since it’s apt to cost them part of the vital teen¬ age, trade. Yet, even the Legion of Decency has stopped considering | all Catholics as a single group. In instituting its .A-IH rating (Un¬ objectionable for Adults), it in fact recognized that a difference exists in Hie adult and the juvenile mind, even on the moralistic level on which that rating body presumably operates. In many foreign countries, and particularly in Britain, the rating system prevails and juveniles are kept away from certain films. American exhibs maintain such a system would be difficult to. en¬ force and police. But, they hold, the even greater problem is inher¬ ent in the question of who decides on which films are to get the “adult” tag. The theatres go al¬ most all-out in renouncing all re¬ sponsibility for who goes to see what. What' a youngster does or doesn’t see is his parents’ business, they argue. / What concerns those whose job it is to stem the pro-censorship tide in the legislatures and local communities is the prevalence of • Catholic pressure in recent months. ! This includes Catholics joining local women’s councils and,, being most active, making their own spe¬ cial views and complaints those of i the council for whom they speak in contact with exhibitors. It’s pointed out that,’ if such pressure is successful, the resultant meas¬ ures are aot to reflect the more stringent Catholic view. P'SfMETY ENDING BORROWED TIME? Kansas Censors' Would Be Erased ' -. ByNew Law ' . Kirisas City, Feb. 10. V' Filin -censorship which has main- taihed a wobbly status In Kansas for tj?e past several years and re-, pently has been under considerable j fire may boon the way out. A bill to' abandon the state Board of Re¬ view of three women was intro-, duced into the legislature last week. The board was knocked out by a legislative action couple of years back, but persisted on a recant by the'lawmakers. It has been surviv¬ ing on funds .Which it receives by charging film.distributors $1.75 per reel for every reel used in the state on' approved films. The new bill would cut off its funds and,sell off its furniture and equipment, -thereby putting it out of existence. Four Republicans and a Democrat are backing the bill. It sets May 1 as date to cease cen¬ sorship. ; Current court dockets list at least two cases pending against the board, seeking to override its rul¬ ing banning “Case of Dr. Laurent” and-“Garden of Eden” in the state. Saskatchewan’s M-Yourself PICTURES Moot (SJ).) News Holier-lliaii-llioo About Bergman Stffl-It Helps Biz Stale Comm, on Obscene Material Sets Albany Quiz on Pending Bills Albany, Feb. 10. Minot, N.D., Feb. 10. The Empire theatre is running into an old problem in playing In¬ grid Bergman's current starrer. “Inn of the Sixth Happiness,” which opens, here tomorrow (Wed.). Because this city's only news¬ paper, the Minot Daily News, has established a dogma banning the The Jeurt Legislative Committee name of Miss Bergman, the ejdiib- on Offensive and Obscene Mate- ifor had to drop her name from nals, which in December (during a ds for the pic. So even though toe newspaper strike) held a two- Mj ss Bergman plays a missionary <by hearing in New York on mo- to "Inn," ads for the film have re- ton pictures and motton picture ferred t0 her as “that woman" and advertising, is scheduling a public -That controversial actress whose session m Albany this month on n a me can ’t be printed.” two bills pending before the Legis- „ i , . j, . t lature i The ruckus started last year They are: (1) the Conklin-Marano £ rhen “Indiscreet” played the same measure which witald require the f°d ow ^ n ^, a ll0 “ State to license motion pictures as fierjkan-thou decision enforced suitable for (a) generaL patronage, Mis s because, of her adults and adolescents, or (b) adults fP vate indiscretions, and the only, and to require that exhibitors theatre decided to run reduced note such classification when ad- ?“ s nientionmg only Cary Grant vertising the showings*of the films. by name. Manley act proposing the li- Despite—or maybe because of— censing of all television programs, the paper’s pious crusade, “In- e&cept current events, press ex- discreet” did boffo business in this cerpts, news and sports—broadcast city of 30,000.' over stations in New York State,. Regina, Sask., Feb. 10. Censorship of films for Saskat¬ chewan, which had been done out¬ side the .province for some 40 years, is now being handled in Regina. The censor’s headquarters are in what Was once the vice-regal suite of a home long occupied by the province’s - lieutenant-gover¬ nors. Building, known as "Saskat¬ chewan House, is being used now for the provincial government’s adult education program. Censor is William E. Murray, 44, who was appointed last Octo¬ ber to succeed the late Rev. D. J. , Vaughan. Miss M. Adele MacPher- son assists. She’s been on the job since 1950, served as acting cen¬ sor for a year and is a vice presi¬ dent of the Canadian Censors* Assn. Projectionist is Ken Thom, formerly of the Broadway theatre and two drive-ins in Regina. In the past, censorship has been done by government appointees who have been based at Winnipeg, Man., where quarters and facilities were shared with the censor for that province. Rental in recent years was costing the Saskatche¬ wan government $5,000 annually. When overcrowding made for unsatisfactory accommodation, it was decided to bring the branch back to Regina. Only once before has censoring been done in Regina and that was under the late Rev. Vaughan from 1945 to 1950. To date, Murray has completely rejected only one film, the Brigitte Bardot starrer, “And God Created Woman,” French import. Murray moved into the censor’s post after having served as di¬ rector of film sales for General Films Ltd., Regina. and the payment of a licensing fee of f 50 for each 30 minute program f M 1 The first-named bill, which was 4 1410 UU AIAU F introduced in the 1957 and 1958 sessions, has open support from I 1 ---_ _ the Catholic War Veterans and (jPHdlir^lJlIAIUilPir other Catholic groups in Brooklyn. VWUOVI ^UbllVlILI I It’s opposed by film industry, al- ! though no formal opposition has T* /1| aM 9 been registered yet. 111)1 I lOlfljpff C A Madison Avenue advertising * ““ VlHgJJvll O agency, presumably with motion picture clients, did recently write . Upsurge of film censorship forces Assemblyman Luigi R. Marano a jn certain areas of United States, strong letter of objection. Its “un- served to bring into focus the forcibility” was one of the points operation of an anti-censoring corn- emphasized by the ad agency. oat force that for long has been j -_ overlooked. This is the beyond- _____ public-view function of a special NO-GUTS EXHIBITORS Motion Picture Will ACCEPT CENSORS; K wor ? s underground if ILL Avv lil l vluiuvnu movement, for the reason that Change of heart on the part of lobbyists are not too keen about some exhibitors has been noted in being identified. The underground the field of censorship. Theatre- aspect of the MPAA function Is men in some areas actually were carried to the point that various unopposed to local blue-penciling film com^my presidents, whose of pictures with the reasoning vote determines the extent of the emphasized by the ad agency. NO-GUTS EXHIBITORS WILL ACCEPT CENSORS that this was “the safe way.” MPAA scope, are unaware of the In other words, the exhib could specifics. More than likely, they get into no trouble; he played don’t even want to know of what's with ease those pictures okayefl going on. They’re interested only by the censors and simply es- in the results, not in the tactics, chewed product that would be- The MPAA unit, headed by Man- come controversial because of the ning (Tim) Clagett, has the official censor’s attitude. title of liason with state legislators. Now though this stance of cau- The department amounts to a net- tion is vanishing. Theatremen work of agents; among them largely more and more—it’s been especial- are private lawyers and, secondar- ly noticeable in Ohio—are standing ily, some exhibitors, up in the fight for “freedom of Their job is to maintain close the screen. watch on censor-shin trmrtc in EDDIE STEVENS TO ST. LOUIS Eddie Stevens has been appoint- Their job is to maintain close watch on censorship trends in each state -legislature's session. They watch for indications of a bill to create a panel to' watch over the ed United Artists branch manager m ?rals of the local community as in St. Louis,, according to James R. mi £bt be affected by films. The Velde, UA general sales, manager. agen ?> * n * given area, becoming Stevens replaces D. J. “Bud” Edele a PP r *sed of the nature of such a who was named N. Y. branch man- P 0531 *"® measure, undertakes to ager. discourage support of the same Film Trade Body-Checks A proposal that the Production Code institute an audience rating system on films It approves was mixed unequivocally last week by the Motion Picture Assn, of Amer¬ ica on the grounds that it would “establish an unthinkable, unwar¬ ranted and completely unjustified abridgment of freedom of choice .” The rating idea had been one of two submitted to and "considered j by a subcommittee of the Produc¬ tion Code Committee of the MPAA : board. The second proposal in- i volved a 1 new procedure under : which appeals could be taken from a Code approval of scripts; That innovation was turned down also; In commenting on tie commit- ; tee's refusal to havd the Code rate films for adults and juveniles, cha*rmah Ken Clark said: * - “Such a system would com? ' nit highway robbery upon* the : American family, and its in- Not Parents, Classify dividual responsibilities. It would rob the American family of tiie opportunity to go and enjoy motion pictures to¬ gether, and to determine what pictures it wishes to see.” He said that rating bills now pending, in’ the New York and Maryland legislatures “assume ... that the. American family can't be trusted, and 'should therefore ab¬ dicate its freedom. If those who propose these laws, believe that they would protect the family from .the indecent or the obscene, or . even tbe ’distasteful,. they are woefully mistaken/' . The Cede itself is the best guar¬ antee agaiist obscenity and inde¬ cency on the screeni Clark, opined. ‘-‘The- law - should -not be the de¬ terminant of degree of maturity in any American faml’v. Isn’t it pre¬ posterous'to tb'af ftbns may be obscene for people of less than Stevens joined UA in 1951 as a am ® n > g tbe ° ther local local law city salesman in St. Louis. Before fakers. If the measure gets out of that, he was with Eagle Lion and ^ assoc ^ates Universal at the MPAA headquarters in ------ Washington are notified and there¬ upon “go to work.’’ Tj’Jsm T m The work is that of resisting the HHilX JL/UW* pressure for prior censorship by 2 locally-appointed groups. Clagett # i, 1 joins his confederates in the local MTVfy* If f community In the fight Contacts bl'liT A. (^IXliXiCsO are ma ^ e wi th the anti-censorship J elements. And the battle of persus- 18 years of age and not obscene ®i° n i® ° n - for people only one day older?” Clagett’s role is one of unifica- Statement didn’t mention that tion and then strategy. The local this type of film rating is in force lawyers in the hire of MPAA, the in several important overseas mar- exhibitors and others on the MPAA kets, notably Britain and Germany, side go to mat against clergy and MPAA attitude, in fact, continues associates who are pressing for to.be that all films are good for censorship. They romance the all people, Le. that motion pictures solons via'.person-to-person' argu- are still the absolute mass medium ment and tiy for newspaper sup- they used to be. It assumes that port that, in turn, could influence teenagers see films with their par- the legislators, ents and ignores the distinctly This amounts to a campaign of “adult” trend in production during major proportions, but, to repeat, the past year. through me years it has been lack- Those Industry execs who harbor ing a spotlight.. sympathy for one form of class!- The absence of publicity, which fieation or another say they recog- Is by design, reflects an industry nize the difficulty of having the attitude. While MPAA president Codes itself do the job, considering Eric A. Johnston and his colleagues the frictions this would inevitably in the - industry have been out- create between the Code and pro- spokenly opposed to film censor- ducers. On the other- hand, they'd ship they don’t want identity with ! prefer the Code to classify rather big - business lobbyists fighting ; than outside groups like the state against, say, the local parish ; censors. • priests.