The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-17
FLASHES and
CLOSEUPS
By DAVID PLATT

for federal and State censorship
Of films is again on the upsurge
after slight relapse during the
summer. Fifteen million Roman
Catholics are expected to take
pledge in the next day or 50 not to
patroniSe any immoral pictures and
not to allow any of their children
to see any of the Objectionable ones
blacklisted by the Legion. Foremost
in the fight against film censorship
is the Film and Photo League,
whose National Committee has re-
leased the following statement on
what it considers to be a danger
Gus skirmish between the church
and the movie industry"
THE Interfaith movie crusade
initiated by the Catholic Church
Of America threatens to become a
dangerous national movement inim-
ical to the best interests of the
movie-makers and movie-goers of
this country. Leaders of the Protes-
tant, Methodist, Lutheran and other
churches have endorsed the cam
paign to clean up the movies. The
Rabbinical Association of America
has also approved the decency
movement. The general press has
done much to aid the purifiers,
while the notorious VIM. Randolph
Hearst looms as one of the powerful
hackers of the Legion of Decency.
What are the reasons for this
campaign? What does it hold in
store for the movie maker and
movie goer? What are the dan
gers?
THE Church VS.. Movie Magnate
skirrnish can best be understood by
an examination of the economic
and political situation in which both
these institutions of social control
find themselves:
~ The undated economic crisis
that plunged the entire movie in
dustry into financial bankruptcy,
into receivership and control by
the banks.
40 The unprecedented advance
in political guidance over the in
dustry by the Federal government,
since the NR.A.
"3) The current Hollywood ten
denotes which are motivated by the
necessities of the government and
the movie magnates. (a) Escape
films = including mystery, animal,
historical and sex films (Which may
or may not clash with the moral
codes of the religious institutions)
presented as cheap and easy way
out Of the pressing every day prob
lens of the movie masses; (h) So
clal and Political problem films
including iingoistic, anti-labor pro-
war and pro-fascist films (Which
do not clash with the moral codes
Of the religious institutions pre-
sented as a guide for the capitalist
way out of the pressing problems of
the masses.
~ The loss in attendance lover
IS per cent since 1920 due to the
economic crisis and to the fact that
movie goers are rejecting the eff
forts of the movie industry.
80 The economic and political
factors operating in the movie in
duStry function likewise in the
Church, resulting in a closer union
between the Church and Govern
ment In the interest of the capital
list class as whole (for instance
the use of Church leaders in lead
ing strike breaking arbitration
posts: Archbishop Hanna of San
Francisco, Father Haas of Mime
apolis, etc.
THE whole history Of the Skin
L nlishes between the church and
movie shows, unfailingly greater
concentration of jingoistic, anti
labor, pro-wsr films after each
campaign, during the last Is years.
Concurrently, and as a result of
these campaigns there has been ex-
tended a system of city, state and
unofficial cssorship (the creation Of
State Censor Boards in six states;
appointment of Will Hays by Pres
ident Harding to the self-censoring
apparatus OF the industry, the Mo-
ton Picture Producers and Distrib-
utors Association; assumption of
right to censor by the police de-
partment of every city,
The guiding codes in all these
censorship bodies refer not only to
immortality, or indecency, but in
the main to films that "incite to
riot" capital VS.. labor" disturb
ing the peace" that show disre-
spect for officers of the law" And
while the crusaders of today state
that these codes have failed to keep
the screen clean, nevertheless these
codes have proved politically eff
fective in the interests of the CAPT.
talist class. The crusaders are now
interested in extending censorship
from the six states to an all in
elusive Federal censorship, despite
the fact that censorship is an abro-
cation of the rights allegedly guar
anteed by the Bill of Rights of the
United States Constitution.
Because this "decency" campaign
is against the best interests of the
workers in and out of the movie
industry, we call upon all movie
goers, all movie workers, all work
ers' organizations to reject the pro-
gram of the Legion of Decency, and
in doing so to reject the program
of Hollywood. The decency cam
paign must not be permitted to sub
ject us to movies dedicated to jingo-
ism, anti-labor, pro-fascism and
pro-war.