The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-06

| THEATRES IN LnlS country pun MY
million Americans into their doors
every week. This audience is made
up mainly of workers, for the movie
is essentially the theatre of the poor.
schools and other organizations are
equipped to show films to their own
more restricted audiences, and do so
on weekly or monthly basis. The
tremendous propaganda power of the
hundred thousand projectors outshines
all the newspapers, magazines, pulpits,
lecture platforms, and public libraries
put together. To paraphrase fam
Gus saying: LET me make the movies
and care not who writes the ser
mons"
1t takes a lot of pictures, to supply
all these machines. The program must
be ever interesting, ever changing.
Hundreds of producing and distribute
ing companies are kept busy supplying
it. Seven hundred full length pictures
and 1900 short subjects are produced
annually at an estimated cost of $780,
100000. The film industry is "Big
Business" with a pay roll of seventy
five millions, and five millions annual
#, appropriations for newspaper adver.
Using, three millions for printing, two
Millions for Autographs, and another
wo for cuts, photos, slides and other
accessories.
Film "Fact" Mostly Fable
The kind of stuff shown at the the.
aires is known to our readers-sloppy,
sentimental gush, cut to a standard
cheap pattern, and teeming with anti
labor, race prejudicial, pro-capitalist
propaganda. But low as is the charac-
ter of most theatrical film, the non
theatrical sinks lower STILL Very few
pictures are made directly for this
field because the profits therein are
much smaller So only those films too
poor and uninteresting to make the
grade are given non-theatrical first
run" The bulk of the pictures avail
able for the use of clubs, churches,
etc, are those that Noah brought with
him on the Ark. Advertisement film
and government departmental produc-
tons finish the list of non-theatrical
film sources.
If the regular theatre program is
loaded with anti-labor propaganda the
jnon-theatrical program is saturated
with it. A catalog of a film house
which appeals principally to colleges
and churches starts with the an
nouncements that it's pictures were
made by Thos. A. Edison, Inc. accord
ing to definite plan" What it really
means is that an old film company
once graced with Edison's name, went
out of business and turned its junk
over at some low price. But the
gchool or church program selector i'm
AGNES that Edison himself spent some
of his sleepless nights picking out
and planning out these particular pic
lures. The catalog goes on to say
that its listings ''can be safely placed
before any audience in church or
school without censorship" When the
workers of America achieve power
that statement will certainly no longer
De true.
Enter the "Patriotic."
The suggested program generally in
clude one or two short features, a
comedy a scenic, and a patriotic"
The last named is an undisguised eff
Tort to foster a servile spirit of cap
ltalist militarism-for instance pic
ture Of the Military School at West
Point is guaranteed to arouse patriot
ism and inspire alike the boy who will
be man and the man who has been
a boy" "The film is strengthened
with appropriate and patriotic sub
titles" a further recommendation. An.
other picture shows a boys military
school, and the bait here is: 1.-THE
boys being trained and hardened and
taught to live healthy and cleanly
lives, will grow up to be men worthy
Of the name American Still another
picture shows the Marine Corps which
is guaranteed to arouse in the observ-
er a feeling of pride in those of our
boys who revel in the slogan, The First
to Fight no matter for whom or
against whom or why or where-just
First to Fight" Great stun for our
imperialist masters, and so appropriate
for church pregnant
The features are just as rotten and
more dangerous because OF their subtl- 1
ty. The poor boy comes to col.
lege and makes the team despite the
rivalry of his rich and experienced
fellow student. Who says there's no
chance for the poor but honest? jim
my, the Boy Scout, after making sew
eral blunders thru his overzealousness
takes his trusty gun and captures a
German spy making maps of Podunk
Corners. The Noble Prince finds that
the Secret of Happiness consists of
Work and Deeds, not possessions
harmony of thought and action" The
old fiddler gets his sight back and Is