The Washington herald., 1921-03-05

Will pass tnG ceusOI.
"At the present time Miss ,Heikes-
Justice continued. ''the manufac-
turer does not know the probable
fate Of his prediction IN the various
States, for local regulations vary
throughout the United States.
There should be no further regu-
lation of moving pictures until at
least the producing factors have
righted themselves. {
MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY
FACES CRISIS AT PRESENT.
The moving picture industry faces
a crisis at the present time, for at
present the manufacturers are at a
veritable standstill, what might be
called a reconstructive period. They
have been kept between the devil
and the deep sea- so called, by the
board of censors in the various
States, and because Of the enormous
salaries paid out in moving picture
star competition. and other outlay
now found needless in moving pic
ture play production.
THE industry has pulled up short
and called a halt, and producers are
endeavoring to eliminate all super
fiuous stars. directors and scenario
writer's, waste and needless expen-
diture. Producers now declare that
everyone in the industry will be
called upon henceforth to deliver
100 per cent efficiency or leave the
business"
Moving picture censorship would
be the first rung on the ladder of
what Miss Heikes-Justice terms
''the blue law aristocracy."
1--WE, as an industry" Miss Justice
declared. do not threaten to put
the world Of clergy out Of existence
We wish to be friendly with them.
and offer them now the hand of
good-fellowship, but we shall not
stand for that hand being bitten
by any underhand dealing.
I'VE are Americans over here. Let
US be natural-let us be sincere IN
our fellowship-and let us not al
low ourselves to be imposed upon
by any blue laws. Each and every
one of us has some manner OF re-
ligion-it may be only a great re-
ligion of the heart. but II is real.
Motion pictures are the peoples
amusement, and they are the amuse-
ment of the lawmakers, OF the
scholar and the man and woman OF
culture.
I'VE are calling the best brains
of the literary world into the IN
dustry Every author of the screen
feel, is anxious to write clean
story. Every producer covets the
clean play, IL he can get It, we
do not require any house clean
ing by these blue law propaganda
af
their kind of cleaning already.
WILLING TO ELIMINATE
OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES.
at is the natural instinct of the
American people to respect any in
dividual or set of individuals who
hold good intentions, even IL they
are wrong, provided they are will
ing to listen to reason. But We
can no longer give these propa-
gandists and blue law instigators
the benefits of the doubt as to their
waterlogged the Constitution of
the United States. They have kill
ed the sociability of the nation.
Now they mean to deprive the peo-
pie of their innocent amusement
They should be halted before they
go further"
Miss Justice says that producers
are willing Ito eliminate features
which are >likely to provoke un-
favorable criticism.
Producers, however, should be
come more familiar with the wants
of the people," Miss Justice says.
TOO much has been left to the ex-
hibitor, who strives to please his
audience but does not know wheth-
er he has until the picture has been
projected on the screen.
81 mingle with the audiences in
the New York motion picture hous-
es great deal and listen to the
criticisms and comments of the pa
irons with great interest. Among
the cultured and discriminating the
chief objections seem TO De on the
score of such features as the stupid
story covered up with an elaborate
setting and gorgeous costuming.
Simplicity and truth Is too often
lost by the directors setting.
"But for every picture we see
needing censorship We see ten which
do not. All the industry should not
be made to suffer because of the
faults of few. / have been driven
over this beautiful city and have
been shown many of the handsome.
wel1-regulated motion-picture the
aters here. They are a credit to
any city. and I say. Let the ex-
hfbitor live'-he is doing his best.
And when the industry has again
reconstructed itself and II does cut
down these big salaries and produce
its pictures with strong, all-star
casts with good stories, you will
have better pictures and your the
aters will be likely to lower their
prices, although they are now much
lower here than in New York"