The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-20

THE United States produces more than eighty
five per cent of the worlds motion pictures.
One hundred and ten million people see these
films each week in the United States alone
1t is with peacockish pride that Will Hays,
so-called "czar" of the industry and arch-hypo-
critic, proclailns that the motion picture is now
two and half billion dollar industry!
But the motion pictures are not merely an
industry in the same sense as say, the steel
or oil industries. Besides being tremendously
profitable enterprise almost entirely in the
hands of four powerful trusts (Fox. Warner
Bros, Paramount Famous-Lasky and Radio
Keith Orpheum, it is at the same time power
full instrument in the hands of American i'm
perialism for doping the minds of the workers
with wholesome entertainment and for
spreading ter-revolutionary propaganda.
The New Saloon.
To large extent the movies have taken the
place of the saloon and the church in the every
day lives of the workers 1t is this compe-
tition with the church that accounts for the
frequent attacks on the motion pictures by
religious organizations. Only the other day
the General Conference of the Southern Meth
odist Episcopical Church launched an attack on
the movies which was given lot of publicity
in the capitalist press. g. the motion pic
and religion the church has had to face in
many years" So the proclamation read in part.
A keen competition which cannot fail to end
UP in the triumph of the more modern motion
picture with its "talk''~ and color" and "wide
film" and stereoscopy."
AS to prohibition, the cultural minimum
which the capitalist class permits the workers
to enjoy is much more proftably supplied in
the form of mbecc films of the current mys-
terry brand than the time spent in saloons.
While whiskey results in lowering of the
productive capacity of the worker, the film
kills two birds with one stone by. Supplying
him while allowing him to retain his working
efficiency. Ford may threaten to fire intoxi
Gated workers, but he will only find words of
encoura cement when it comes to their seeing
movies.
And speaking of films that dope the minds
of the workers, the last eighteen months have
exceeded all possible limits in output of moro
mic films. There is no need to name films to
prove this, suffice it to quote Adolph Zukor,
head of the largest film producing, distributing
and exhibiting organization in the world, who
offers the following excuse in defense of films
that are an offense to the intelligence of even
a 14.year old child. "The intelligence of the
average movis-goer is that Of fourteen-year
old child" Hollywood does not psoduce special
films for children. The same Wholesome en-
tertainment" is dealt to children and adult
minds alike. Any wonder that the Soviet Union
has found it necessary to forbid the admittance
of children under sixteen into theatres showing
films made in the United States.
Children and Movies.
The question of children and the movies de-
serves little more attention. The tragedy OF
juvenile delinquency that capitalism creates is
closely allied to the movies that shown
to American workingclaas children, over ninety
per. cent of whom attend movies from once a
month to seven times . week.
Movies is the real stuff. They amt like
at home. That amt real life--home. It's just
hollerin' and fightin' all the time and--kids.
Pas drunk Ma yells and the kids cryin.'