Variety (March 1959)

28 PICTURES PiStiErri Wednesday, March 11, 1959 Hit New York State "Making Profit’ Out of Triple-Cost Censor Fees Elegance Fades Greensboro, N. C. t March 10. Badin Theater at Badin, N. C., once the most elegant 4 ‘Opera House” between Rich¬ mond and Atlanta, has been demolished. Blame: drive-in theatre, tele¬ vision, time. Albany, March 10. 4 Strong, open support for the long-sponsored bill to ‘‘take the • profit out of censorship in New York State” has been undertaken this year by Commerce and Indus¬ try Assn, of New York. That important organization has held conferences with T. Norman Hurd, director of the Budget Divi¬ sion, and his staff, has filed with Hurd two letters, as well as a memorandum with Senate and As- 1 sembly members of the Committee { cn Public Education. The “facts of life’'’ with respect to the motion picture industry are given, in all three, with a definite¬ ness and a completeness new to CaDitol Hill. S. Arnold Witte, counsel, for the Association’s Governmental Affairs Department, wrote the second let¬ ter (memorandum is unsigned in Itate"? M^moUon j Members of the Maryland legis- picture censorship fees.” . ' lature earlier thjs month were be- The “injustice” of the tap for; ing flooded with letters from chil- prints—$2 per 1.000 feet—on top;dren of the Roman Catholic faith, Maryland-Style Form Letter For Juveniles SASKATCHEWAN BANNINGS Year-Late Report Filed—396 Films ^Reviewed’ Regina, Sask„ March 10. Saskatchewan's film censor re¬ jected three films in their entirety for the fiscal year which ended nearly a year ago on March 31, 1958. Banned were “The Delinquents,” “Teenage Doll” and “Woman of Rome.” A report tabled in the legisla¬ ture showed 41 films were approved after having certain sections of dia¬ logue and scenes deleted. All told 396 full length 35 m. films were reviewed. More than half were classified as adult and unsuitable for children. Most of the films, 290, came from the United States. Of the balance, 64 came from the United Kingdom, 16 from the Soviet Union, 11 from Italy, nine from West Germany, three from France and one each from Ireland, Denmark and Mexico. of a $3 rate per 1.000 feet for re viewing original films—is berated. New York is onlv state still retain¬ ing motion picture censorship hoards which charges fees “far in excess” of censorship operation costs—“three times as much.” * Communications candidly de¬ clare the motion picture industry to be "‘a sick industry-’ No one knows what Governor. follow: pleading for their support of mo¬ tion picture censorship legislation. The letters appeared to be of the form-letter kind, i.e. typed out with the “Dear Sir” and the signa¬ ture written in by hand. Excerpts from one such letter (from a Baltimore youth, a mem¬ ber of the Catholic Youth Organi¬ zation of St. Martin’s Parish-)- Rockefeller’s attitude is toward mo¬ tion picture censorship and the fees charged under it in this state but all observers realize the pres¬ ent fiscal situation is “tight.” Governor Harriman vetoed pre¬ vious repeal measures “solely on the ground of revenue loss.” KANSAS BACKS DOWN; CHALLENGES VIRGINIA Even as the Kansas state censor backed down last week and agreed to license “The Case of Dr. Lau¬ rent,” Times Film Corp. chal¬ lenged the constitutionality of the Virginia censor in an Action brought in the Richmond circuit court. Both cases were handled by Felix Bilgrey, counsel for Times Film and one of the leading cen¬ sorship attorneys. The Virginia statute was chal¬ lenged in connection with the ban¬ ning of Jean-Paul Sartre’s “The Re¬ spectful P T 'ost i t”‘<? ” a T : m?< Film release. i In Kansas, the State Board of Mo-; tion Picture Review had demanded j the "natural childbirth” scene cut J from “Dr. Laurent.” Trans-Lux ‘ Distributing, the releasing com¬ pany, refused and the battle was on. During its course, John Ander¬ sen, Kansas Attorney General, ruled that the board had exceeded its powers, and he called for a drastic revision of the censor’s “I appeal to you to vote in favor of a proposed bill to pro¬ tect myself and other youths from movies that,contain sub¬ ject plotter harmful to our yet immature minds. I recognize the fact that God has designed my mind to know the truth and my will to ‘ choose the good. Unfortunately since my mind is immature and my ivill often weak, I am not able to make proper evaluation of the truth and the good. “I realize that my parents have' the primary responsibil¬ ity to direct me. Yet I recog¬ nize the fact that because of their limited ability and power they often have to depend upon our State and our Re¬ ligion to help them to deter¬ mine what may be presented to our minds as truth. “I cm hopeful that - the State Legislature . . . will provide a law that will prevent the movie industry and the dis¬ tributors of movies from entic¬ ing me and my friends to ex¬ pose our minds to falsehood and our wills to evil simply for their own gain.” Bygrares Named 1958 Personality in Britain London, March 3. _ _ __ Max Bygraves has been voted rutesT'and* regulations'to conform * Show Business Personality of 1958 with the Kansas Supreme Court rul- \ by the Variety Club of Great Brit- “The Mnnn ■ ain. Michael Rederave is cited as Is Blue.” This, finally, resulted in a reversal of the board's ruling on “Dr. Laurent.” Art Policy Falters Toledo, March 10. This city had two art theatres for a while-rioth managed by Gene Kent Nitz—but because of lack of product, the Plaza on the South Side has been closed temporarily. The larger Westwood in West Toledo will continue its regular programs. best actor and Bernard Breslaw as most promising newcomer. Appropriate Silver Hearts awards will be handed over at a luncheon at the Savoy Hotel March 10. Five artists will be honored in all, others being Richard Attenborough and Sylvia Syms who are rated film actor and actress of the past year. Presentations will be made by Robert Morley, Beatrice Lillie, Harold Fielding, Brian Rix and Carl Foreman. It’s the seventh year in which the ceremony’s been held. County DST Even If State Is Not St. Paul, March 10. Even if the state legislature fails to take action to extend or make permanent daylight saving time which only was enacted statewide for the past two summers and which is bitterly opposed by Min¬ nesota exhibitors, the counties in which the three largest cities, Min¬ neapolis, St Paul and Duluth, are located, still may have the fast time. This is a state Attorney General Miles Lord ruling. He cites the fact that, while the 1957 statewide DST bill has expired, another measure also passed by the 1957 legislature gives the three coun¬ ties authority to enact it after next July 1. . This measure will take effect again even if the lawmakers do not act on DST at all and it also affects counties contiguous to the Twin Cities and Duluth, he says. The Senate general legislation committee has been conducting public hearings on the DST propo¬ sals now before the legislature. Proponents, including the Minne¬ sota Golf association, little league baseball, chambers of commerce and securities brokers, have been heard. Exhibitors, who claim DST bad¬ ly hurts the boxoffice and who hope that the legislature will act to. make it illegal anywhere in Min¬ nesota, and other opponents are having their inning , with the com¬ mittee this week. VI iy Dynamic new dimension in TV programming PROFESSIONAL CO HP 031 ATI ON PRODUCTS DIVISION TM AHPEX CORP. REDWOOD CITY. CALIFORNIA Albany, March 10. Expansion of winter operation by "Alan V, Iselin led to his re¬ opening the Auto-Vision Theatre, at East Greenbush, Friday (27), with Bernz-o-matic car heaters. Iselin had taken a similar step last fall at the Turnpike Drive-in, West- mere, outside Albany. Public and concession buildings at both automobilers are heated. In charge of the Auto-Vision (which, incidentally, was the first drive-in located in the Albany ex¬ change district, a pair of Holyoke, Mass., projectionists having built it), is Boh Lamorit. He recently joined Iselin’s Tri-City Drive-ins, as assistant general manager. Lamont had been associated with Lamont Theatres for many years— most recently, as general manager. That organization closed its local office Jan. 1; sold a short time thereafter, the Riverview Drive- in, at Rotterdam Junction, to Fabian Theatres, and has been con¬ ducting negotiations with Walter ■fieade, Jr., for his purchase of the Sunset Drive-in at Kingston."* The first ozoner in this vicinity to install car heaters was the Hol¬ lywood, at West Sand Lake (back of Troy). A smaller outdoor than the Turnpike and the Auto-Vision, it operates weekends during the winter.* Iselin’s policy is full-week. Protestants Reluctant to Censor Albany, March 10. It’s now the turn of the various religious Organizations to he heard on the question of censorship of. films and advertising as implicit in four related bills introduced by the Joint Legislative Committee on Offensive and Obscene Materials. The N.Y. State Catholic Welfare Committee, representing the hierarchy and Roman Catholics in N.Y. State, already has come out flatly in support of the bills. The Protestant State Council of Churches remains to be heard from. The Council is known to be concerned re the impact of films and .tv, but at the same time hSs its reservations regarding restrictions on the flow of ideas “how¬ ever unpopular they may be with our own or other groups ” The Council’s 1959 Statement of Legislative Principles states: “We will not uncritically support every measure proposed in the guise of preventing indecency." The N.Y. Board of Rabbis has come out as being flatly opposed to censorship. Chi’s Bluenosed Bluecoats Foes of Censorship Win Council Seats But Their Colleagues Aren’t Cordial to Clipping Cops Test of Blue Sunday Barre, Vt, F March 10. The question of Sunday films will come before the Barre City Council for the first time at its March meeting, it has been revealed by Mayor George N. EstivilL The proposed Sunday enter¬ tainment ordinance will also cover baseball, lectures, con¬ certs, etc. Italian Priest: France ‘Offensive More n’ Yanks Washington, March 10. In Italy, American films were less “offensive” than French and Italian product last year. National Catholic Welfare Conference said here. Reporting a study made by a Catholic priest in Rome, the Coi*- ference said France rated worst by sending Italy the greatest percent¬ age of “morally unacceptable” films in 1958. The priest screener said 28 out of 48 of the French pix were morally off-key. Italy ranked behind France by producing 54 out of a total 150 which offended Catholic morality, according to the report. But of all the* films, including U. S. product, shown in Italy last year, 90% gained “acceptable” ratings. This compares to 93.5%, the Catholic group calculated for 1956. “These statistics are disquieting,” Msgr. Calletto, the report’s author, declared. However, he saw no need for legislation to curb “im¬ moral” film exhibition. BROKER SUES SCHINES FOR HOHL SALE FEE Schine Chain Theatres Inc., Schine Ten Eyck Corp. and the Sheraton Corp, of America are named defendants in a $50,000 action filed in N. Y. Federal Court by David Blake, a business brokei*. Blake charges that the defend¬ ants failed to pay him the $50,000 in connection with the sale of the Ten Eyck Hotel in Albany. He claims that he was hired by Schine in May, 1953 to sell the hotel and contends that the defendants, through an alleged conspiracy, defrauded and excluded him from negotiating the deal. NO ANTI-TRUST PROVISO Modern of Chi Answers Houston Theatre Claim Chicago, March 10. Chicago’s Modem Film Distribu¬ tors, handling sex hygiene pic¬ tures, deny they guarantee exhibs against local censorship action, as contended by Houston operator Marvin Bell. Latter had sued for $150,000, claiming he had that assurance from Modem when he booked “Street Corner” into his four theatres. He lost the case in a Houston court. Execs at Modern also point out that “Street Corner” had played Houston twice before,' with no trouble on either occasion. Chicago, March 10. Critics of Chicago’s pesky mo¬ tion picture censorship setup were cheered by the outcome of last week’s Windy City primaries. Among the. victors were Aldermen Leon Despres and Seymour Simon, both slated to co-sponsor a hill that would drastically revise the film¬ snipping powers of l the police. Measure chiefly would. exempt adult (over 21) audiences from cen¬ sor discretion. Political reasons, hpwever, are stalling the bill’s introduction. The sponsors require much more cor¬ diality in the council than they now enjoy, especially since Despres, an independent, knocked over his Democratic rival in the fact of a citywide Democratic tide that saw them clinch 45 out of 50 seats. But even without administration dis¬ pleasure over this, the proposal would still meet broad hostility in a city noted in the trade for its prudery toward the cinema. In part, of course, this tradition stems from fact Chi is the largest Roman Catholic diocese in this hemis¬ phere, and any effort to legislate a softening of the censorship code must reckon with the fact that more than half the councilmen are of the Catholic faith. BRITISH CENSOR ASKS CHANGE IN REVIEWING London, March 10. John Trevelyan, secretary of the British Board of. Film Censors, has suggested that the age (16) at which young .people can see “X” films is too low. This is be¬ cause certain productions, though harmless to adults, could, in his view, be extremely dangerous to adolescents. Speaking at the National Film Theatre, Trevelyan said these films, made in the U. S., were usu¬ ally rather violent and -dealt with adolescence. If they were a true guide, he could only say the prob¬ lem of the Teddy boys in Britain was of milk and water compared with the problem in the U. S. Yet the films could be seen by youths and girls of 16 years and upwards. The British censor said that vio¬ lence and brutality, particularly when associated with sadism, had replaced sex as the first item on the censor’s list since the war. In¬ dicating the changing pattern of censorship, Trevelyan said that once it was unthinkable to permit a scene showing a man and woman, unmarried, in a bed together, un¬ less one of them had a foot on the floor. Today, such scenes were treated purely on their merits. PERFECT LOCATION ! Approx. 2000 sq. ft., 346 W. 44 St. Suitable for film exchange, record dlstrib., opposite 20th Century Fox, Capitol -Records. Call Jack Beniamin, Cl 6-5110.