Boxoffice-11.11.1950

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State Censors Called
To National Meeting
NEW YORK—Film censors from six
states which have statewide censorship
rule will meet in New York December
7, 8, in what is expected to be the first
effort to solidify the official censorship
approach on a national basis. The call
for the meeting has been issued by Dr.
Hugh M. Flick, head of the New York
state censor board. No reason for the
cal-ing of a conference of state censors
was given, but it is believed that recent
court decisions on film censorship, the
anticipated fight by the industry through
new court actions such as the Marshall,
Tex., case, and problems created through
television films are among the topics to
be considered. In addition to New York,
censors from Pennsylvania, Kansas,
Maryland, Ohio and Virginia are expected
to participate.
Texan Ready to Fight
Censor All the V/ay
MARSHALL. TEX.—W. L. Gelling, manager
of the Paramount Theatre here who
was fined $200 for showing "Pinky" against
orders of the local censorship board, will
take his case to the United States Supreme
Court, if necessary, to fight the conviction.
It may well become the pivotal case on
which the high court will rule on whether
motion pictures comes under freedom of the
press, the trade believes.
Robert H. Park of Beaumont, counsel for
East Texas Theatres, Inc., which owns the
Paramount Theatre, is preparing an appeal
to the state court. If the appeal is unsuccessful,
he will ask the Supreme Court to
hear the case.
Meanwhile, Philip J. O'Brien, New York,
of the Motion Picture Ass'n of America, was
in Marshall last week to observe the trial
in the county court. Eric Johnston, MPAA
president, has spotlighted the Gelling case
in several speeches the last two weeks and
it is understood his organization is ready
to make a test suit of the censorship. The
direct action of a local censorship body
against a small town theatre operator is
expected to establish a clear-cut case on
which the high court can rule.
Gelling was jailed last February for 18
minutes and released on bond. He showed the
picture two more days and again was arrested
and posted bond, but he was not
jailed the second time.
20th-Fox Will Circulate
Trailer Free to Houses
NEW YORK—Twentieth Century-Fox will
make available late in November to all theatres
without charge a trailer plugging .six
films set for release between December and
February. Among the films to be plugged
are; "American Guerrilla in the Philippines,"
a December release; "I'd Chmb the Highest
Mountain," a February release; "All About
Eve," "For Heaven's Sake," "Halls of Montezuma"
and "The Mudlark."
Kramer-Katz Again Try
For Control of UA
NEW YORK—Stanley Kramer and Sam
Katz admit they are again negotiating to
take over control of United Artists. Conferences
have been held within the past two
weeks, but what Mary Pickford and Charles
Chaplin will agree to is still unknown.
Miss Pickford is said to be doing most of
the negotiating with Chaplin doing most of
the listening every time she presents a new
proposal. Usually he says "no." There is
nothing new about this; the principal change
is the increasing frequency of the proposals,
because the day is approaching when UA will
run short of independent product.
The company's producers already are
making new affiliations. Harry Sherman,
Benedict Bogeaus and Horizon Pictures (Sam
Spiegel-John Huston) have made deals with
Eagle Lion. Kramer, who has the confidence
of financial interests, hopes to line up 15 pictures
in 1951 and an increase the following
year, and he intends to do this through producers
now being signed.
Kramer's new distributing company is
concentrating on roadshowing of "Cyrano de
Bergerac," but he and Katz and George J.
Schaefer intend to expand the distribution
setup either through a deal with an existing
distributor or by acquiring control of an existing
distributor.
Kramer is self-confident and aggressive.
His theory is that if he can get the product
the distribution will be easy. In this case, if
he gets the product, he will make the UA
position more difficult.
Observers agree that somebody has the
cart before the horse and an emergency will
develop shortly. Paul V. McNutt and his associates
set out to get financing before assuring
a product supply and discovered financial
interests looked askance at the plan. Before
McNutt entered the picture Gradwell Sears
had been trying to raise funds, so that UA
could help finance its producers and thereby
exercise some measure of control over their
product. This bears a lot of resemblance to
the Kramer idea.
Gossip has it that Miss Pickford can see
ahead to the day after Kramer delivers one
more picture under his contract when he
might blossom out as head of a combined
distribution and production setup for independents.
She is said to have listened to
several proposed deals since McNutt and his
associates acquired an option.
In the meantime the financing of independent
production has taken a number of
turns. S. H. Fabian's proposed financing organization,
with important exhibitor backing,
has finally blown up. The Society of
Independent Motion Picture Producers plan
to get $10,000,000 from the Bankers Trust Co.
and others—after submitting the books of
members—has floundered. The independents
didn't want to undergo this scrutiny.
So when new groups approach Miss Pickford
with new plans for taking over UA these
days she inquires about product, according
to report. So far, Kramer has been the only
man who has insisted he can solve this problem.
Chaplin continues to be the Sphinx who
won't answer the $64 question.
Film Salesmen Protest Insinuation
They Are Forced Selling Villains
MILWAUKEE — Film salesmen, through
their national organization, this week sharply
answered implications at recent exhibitor
conventions that they were the "villains" in
alleged forced selling of motion pictures.
Dave Benzor, general counsel for the Colosseum
of Motion Picture Salesmen of America,
has sent an open letter to general sales
managers of all distributors saying, in effect,
that film salesmen objected to being maligned
in the exhibitor-distributor controversy.
Benzor's open letter was directly in answer
to statements made by several general salesmanagers
at the recent Allied States Ass'n
convention to the effect that any salesman
caught forcing the sale of pictures would be
fired.
"The salesman seems to have been made the
villain of this rather poorly written drama,"
Benzor said. "Generally speaking, film salesmen
can carry a load of criticism with good
humor. But when their employers attempt,
by means of some very shifty footwork, to
sidestep responsibility and point a sanctimonious
finger at the salesmen, that's where
the salesmen must take a stand."
Benzor said the position was untenable.
"Not only is it a sad commentary on the
loyalty of the sales managers toward their
own personnel, but the 'charge' which caused
the difficulty, if it has any validity, can hardly
be laid at the door of the salesmen," he
said. He said the one notable exception was
RKO's Robert Mochrie.
The letter pointed out that salesmen do
not get commissions or bonuses, and it makes
no difference in the salesman's pay check
whether he sells the exhibitor one picture or
ten. "So why should the salesman engage in
forced selling?" Benzor asks.
"The answer is simply that he does not.
His continued employment is based on a relationship
of mutual trust with exhibitors. High
pressure methods would never stand the test
of time when practiced in the same territory
month after month."
"We are persuaded," Benzor commented,
"that the salesmen were maligned less out of
malice than thoughtlessness. We are equally
sure that in the future political expediency
during another such meeting will not dictate
such an intemperate censure of the very men
upon whom rests so much of the burden of
each firm's financial success."
BOXOFFICE November 11. 1950
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