The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-25
and
CLOSEUPS
By LENS

nAflD FLAIIy NaVlOfldl secretary
- of the Film and Photo League,
stepped over to the microphone of
Station WARD in Brooklyn the
other day in an attempt to present
his organizations position on the
questions of motion picture censor
ship and the Legion Of Decency.
Platt had come by invitation, and
upon signal from the announcer
began to read a prepared speech.
No one asked to see the script, and
at 4:30 pm. the electric impulses
carrying his words to thousands Of
listeners we're flashing through an
astonished ether. Up to this point
our story might well be mistaken
for a dissertation on the Blessings
of Democracy, or Where There's a
Will, ETC., but, relax with me, dear
reader, and lend ear to the central
figure of our plot:
Il was going along fine for
about five minutes explaining the
origin of the Legion of Decency,
citing a long string of films that
had been banned and pointing
out that certain films blacklisted
by the Detroit Legion were hailed
by the same organization in Chi
cagO. 1 went on to show that
complete unanimity did exist,
however, on the question of what
films were decent and worthy Of
presentation to the millions of
American moyiegoers: the reac-
tionary No Greater Glory
World in Revolt Mad Game
etc. emphasized the fact that
the attitude of the Church In
matters Of film censorship was
closely akin to that of the Fed
eral Governments and that the
general tendency was toward strict
federal supervision and censor
ship.
Il reminded my invisible audi
ence of the similarity between the
present campaign and the one Of
some ten years ago which also
leaned toward repression and
anti-labOr legislation. / quoted
from an article by Tom Brandon
in the DAILY WORKER some
years ago that it was during this
earlier campaign that some of
the greatest figures of our coun-
try in the Cabinet of the late
racketeer President Warren Ga
malieI Harding were differing the
U. S. Treasury and taking nome
every negotiable asset that was
not nailed down.
"At this point ! was cut off,
told to stop speaking, and the an
nOuncer spoke into the mike some
thing to the effect that 1 was in
terrupted because Of time require
ments. Later was told, You were
libelling the Church, Mr.. Platt,
and 1t is against the police of this
station to favor one group against
another"
That Platt learned little bit
more about capitalist censorship on
that occasion than he knew before
he came to face the microphone of
WARD at AIT Fulton St., Brooklyn,
is very evident.
And 1 thought for a moment
they had interrupted me because
my voice didn't carryl" Platt told
me after the incident.
1t carried the truth, my friends,
but today, truth is in itself revolu-
tionary."
"A CALL TO ARMS" is now in
n its third week Of production.
AND here is the latest and best
n on the Height of Optimism. i.
A headline in the New York
Times: Birmingham Will Com
bat Communism With Plays Put On
BY Relief Workers" Also the
Height of Irony, etc.
AND after the poisonous Gabriel
n Over the White House" -. THE
Vanishes" is soon to be re-
leased. Much worse, hear. +. i.
DERTHOLD VIERTEL believes that
u the "betterment and future of
pictures depends on ideas you be-
lieve in, that you want to fight for"
Apply this principle to world
film production today and you have
the explanation of the greatness of
Soviet productions and the 1croaking
decay of Hollywood. i. And this
is true despite the fact that Viertel
may have meant it in different
sense.
THE newsreels of the Alexander
Barthou assassination are an
masterpiece of cine
camera reportage. Italian fas-
cism produced Is films during the
whole year not enough to fill
the schedule of single theatre,
You can't milk dead COW, Benito.
:, The anti-Nazi boycott has closed
another UFA theatre in Budapest.
. What group is raising $1,000
to produce a film version of Pre-
cedent?" +. To Amkino: We're
anxiously awaiting the release of
Dziga- Vertoff's Two Songs About
Lenin." When? The forth
coming issue Of New Theatre con-
tains an article by Richard Watts,
Jr, on radicals in Hollywood movies
. also film correspondence from
Moscow by Jay Leyda !. and while
I'm on the subject of New Theatre.
F. A red carnation to Herbert
Kline for brilliant job in making
the originally anemic mag what it
is today. >.
The success of the Daily Worker
100000 drive means better, larger
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