Warners

—
Protests and Bookings
Race on Stromboli'
NEW YORK—At the weekend it appeared
that a national race was in progress with
RKO on one side trying to roll up as many
bookings as possible for a February 15
opening of "Stromboli." and with clergymen,
civic groups and exhibitors on the
other side trying to roll up national opposition
to the booking of any Ingrid Bergman
films.
Observers agreed that women and the
younger set among moviegoers would be the
judges of Miss Bergman's future as a screen
attraction. Public reactions to escapades of
screen stars is unpredictable, as has been
demonstrated in the Flynn, Mitchum and
other cases.
JOHNSTON IS NONCOMMITAL
&ic Johnston, MPAA president, refused to
make any comment in response to a request
from a coast ministerial union that he attempt
to bar "Stromboli" from the screen, and
RKO went ahead with its plan for general
key city openings February 15. This is the
day on which, it is expected, Miss Bergman's
Mexican divorce will become effective.
In order to do this RKO canceled tradeshowings
scheduled for February 14 in some
places and February 15 in others. The sales
department moved swiftly and set the New
York opening for the Criterion Theatre and
38 RKO houses with 300 bookings in other
cities.
In the meantime ministerial associations
were publishing protests, individual clergymen
were expressing themselves from the
pulpit and by means of communications to
newspapers, and columnists were having
field days. From the trade standpoint interest
centered in the decision of Interstate
Circuit of Texas and of other smaller organizations
not to play the film.
Karl Hoblitzelle, president of the Interstate
circuit, which operates more than 175
theatres in Texas, issued a statement in
which he declared that "We regret exceedingly
the unfortunate circumstances and publicity
which surround the picture. Without
having any desire to act as self-appointed
censors, we feel that we would be rendering
our communities a disservice to exhibit
this picture."
ALLIED UNITS OPPOSE FILM
In Indiana, TYueman Rembusch, president
of A.ssociated Theatre Owners of Indiana,
recommended that the picture not be played
and J. p. Finneran, author of Allied's socalled
Finneran plan for disciplining of film
stars, announced that he would not book the
picture into any of his 12 theatres.
North Central Allied issued a bulletin in
which it suggested that its members take
newspaper space and radio time to inform
patrons that they will not play the film,
pointing out that if the film is played it
will be the exhibitor who is blamed.
In Ohio, the attorney general handed down
an opinion that the state censor board is
without authority to recall its approval of
"Stromboli," originally given January 30. Dr.
Clyde HLssong, chief state film censor, was
told that there is no legal authority for
the recall of a film because the state cannot
Ban on Ingrid s Films i
Spreading Over U.S. \
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:',~^^.:' huUfiiUi Tlieiitrr Cliitin
American Women
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Urged to Boycott |
Ingrid's Pictures
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The above reproduction of newspaper
clippings is indicative of press reaction
to the showing of Ingrid Bergman films.
go into the private lives of characters in the
cast. Dr. Hissong thought he had a legal
right to recall the film although his original
approval indicated there was nothing objectionable
about the film itself.
The Memphis Press- Scimitar editorially
opposed the banning of the picture and other
Bergman films, although the town's wellknown
censor, Lloyd Binford, banned the
film. "If the people want to stay away from
the pictures to rebuke Ingrid Bergman and
Roberto Rossellini for their conduct, they
are free to do so," the newspaper commented.
"But this is not a field for official public
censors to enter. Official banning would tend
to defeat its own purposes. The mere banning
of a picture prejudices many people in
favor of it and tends to heroize those who
made it."
During the week, there also was an attempt
in the Texas legislature to introduce
a resolution seeking to ban the picture in
that state. By a 67-43 vote, the house refused
to take immediate action on the legislation
and referred it to a committee.
Chicago Censor Okays
Showing of Picture
CHICAGO—The Chicago censor board has
approved "Stromboli" for showing at the
Grand Theatre, starting February 15.
Police Captain Harry Fulmer, head of the
board, commented: "It's the board's job to
judge a film on its merits and not worry
about the personal life of the actors. If we
werp going to delve into the past of every
Hollywood actor, we'd be eliminating about
two-thirds of the films."
Guilds Should Enforce
Discipline: Sullivan
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.—The responsbility
for disciplining erring members of the industry
rests with the guilds to which they
belong because producer chastisement is
ineffective, Gael Sullivan, Theatre Owners
of America executive secretary, told
the opening meeting of the annual convention
of the United Theatre Owners
of Illinois. He did not mention any individual
by name.
"Each segment of the industry has its
own guild and its own definite obligation
to its members—actors, directors, technicians
and the others," he said. "Each
guild has the right and the duty of selfdiscipline.
Each guild must work aggressively
to advance the welfare of its worthy,
conscientious members. Each guild
should have the grave responsibility to
discipline those members whom they find
to be fugitives from moral decency and
offenders against good taste. That is
where the real responsibility lies.
"All the codes in creation will not help
unless there is some penalty for flaunting
those codes, and when any members of
the separate guilds run out on their responsibility
to the accepted canons of
good taste and right acting, they should
be answerable to their guilds and disciplined
in line with their public offense
and disciplined also in line with what
that guild considers a public offense."
Sullivan said that "Individual producer
chastisement of any erring star is ineffective
to prevent any star's further employment.
Combined producer chastisement
may well be a violation of the nation's
laws."
Ask Atlanta Court Ruling
On Freedom of Screen
ATLANTA—U.S. Judge Neil Andrews was
asked this week to decide whether motion
pictures come under the freedom of the
press provision of the Constitution.
Samuel I. Rosenman. New York, counsel
for Louis DeRochemont and Film Classics,
producer and distributor of "Lost Boundaries,"
contended that motion pictures are entitled
to the same privileges that newspapers and
other publications receive. Christine Smith,
city censor, and the board of directors of the
Carnegie, through attorney J. M. B. Bloodworth,
argued that films do not come under
the freedom of the press provision and are
subject to community censorship.
Rosenman became nationally known as
personal adviser to the late President Roosevelt.
If Judge Andrews upholds Rosenman's
view, the local board of film censors, and
similar boards throughout the nation, possibly
could be outlawed.
DeRochemont is seeking an injunction
against enforcement by the board of its banning
the showing of the racial film on
ground that it "would adversely affect the
peace, morals and good order" of the city.
The legal arguments involved a 35 -yearold
decision of the Supreme Court in an
Ohio case that motion pictures do not come
under the press freedom clause. Rosenman
argued that the points of the case have been
swept away by the Supreme Court and asked
Judge Andrews to "throw away this last
obstacle."
16 BOXOFFICE :: February 11, 1950