The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-21
BY TOM BRANDON
Continued from yesterday

IT IS significant that only a few
4 months after this historical
Movie, Church and Confessional
Conference, the movie producers
and distributors we're able to boast
Of having boycotted an independ-
emily produced and exhibited film
that exposed the corruption of Con-
gress and Congressman. The film
that brought condemnation Of the
industry and the Church was IN
the Shadow Of the Dome" based
on play IF Christ Came to Con-
gress"!
Such film was not decent" It
did not fit in with the standards of
the Clergy Movie-U. S. Conference,
which had decided (as the very lit
eral Moving Picture World. Feb.
1920, put IT'D that pictures we're to
be shown to foreigners and weak
ling Americans to inspire them to
the mission of Democracy
Six months later, however, the
Church and movies had their
model: Ralph Ince's an the Land
of Opportunity" 1t is almost need
less to add that the great masses of
American workers and farmers who
at this time were seriously ques-
tioning the validity of their sasri-
fees in the World War, were told
in THE Land of Opportunity" that
the conception of the equalization
Of wealth" was absurd and anti
social and under the present system
we were living in the best Of all pos
sible worlds because we lived in the
land Of equal opportunity"
Decency in 1894
THE present Church crusade,
1 somewhat more subtly con-
Quoted, nevertheless contains the
essential features of the earlier
campaigns. The similarity in OBJ
jectives can be discerned by a close
up Of the current crusade. This
campaign, like the former cam
paigns, abounds with hypocrisy that
is concealed under the cover of de
cency" What is this "decency"?
Does the Church want pictures that
tell the truth about life in America
today? Do they want films that
will help achieve decent living and
working conditions for the working
men and women and their chill
dren?
The "Black" and white" lists is
sued by the Bishops Of Detroit and
Chicago expose themselves. A first
glance shows the sheer hypocrisy of
their claims to "decency" - the
Church does not agree on what is
indecent!
The Detroit Council of Catholic
Organizations have placed on the
Recommended List: Double Door,
1t Happened One Night, Little
Miss Marker, 20 Million Sweet
hearts.
Rev. F. G. Deneen, representing
the Chicago Catholic Churches. in
his lists, disagrees. He charges that
the behavior Of Shirley Temple,
Claudette Colbert, Ginger Rogers.
etc, in these films on the Detroit
list, should not be seen by every
body-they should be in Glass B.
On the other hand, Father Deneen
says that the following will harm
nobody and can be seen by the
whole family.
The Chicago Catholic Churches
have told their followers, 20. K.
See thesel"; Bulldog Drummond,
He'll Cat, Lost Patrol, Melody in
Spring, One is Guilty, The Witching
Hour, A Very Honorable Guy, Or
ders Is Orders, etc.
But 10 and behold The Detroit
Council says, mol These films are
partly indecent and should not be
attended by everybody Only adults
should take a chance on these"
The Chicago guardians Of de
cency" say, Absolutely No" to:
Here Comes the Groom. Hate
Women. Let's Try Again. Murder in
the Vanities, The Thin Man, Sing
and Like 1t, and some 25 other cur
rent films.
While the Detroit guardians of
"decency" say, These are not so
bad. Adults may go. but lock the
children up at home"