Evening star., 1939-04-03

much harder to sell theater men
"Disraeli" and abraham Lincoln"
than to sell them Mae West, and the
records prove it,"
Senator Barkley interjected:
ION the point Of Mae West and
Disraeli-I don't recall seeing Mae
West for about three years. I'd
like to know why she has vanished
from the screen. I don't mean to
indicate that I keep up to the
minute on these things, but would
like to know"
Senator Smi.h-"She's getting
old"
The audience-half of 1t forced
to stand-laughed. Senator Barkley
said his interest was serious.
THE public's taste is changing.
Shirley Temple is leading the way
now" said Mr.. Pettijohn.
When at last Mr.. Montgomery
arose to speak, long, low murmur
of "Ohs" came from the spectators.
He was dressed in bright gray suit,
white shirt and red-and-blue tie.
The bill, he said, would cut in
half the production schedules of
the motion picture industry"
While Montgomery was on the
stand, Senator Smith asked him:
Young man, you know Miss
West?"
mo, I'm sorry to say I've never
met Miss West" was the reply.
MY gracious" the Senator said.
Atkinson Interrupted.
Henry r. Atkinson of Boston was
the witness whose testimony was
interrupted by the aside of Senator
Smith. Mr.. Atkinson appeared for
the Boston chapter of the Motion
Picture Research Council. The
council, headed by Ray Lyman
Wilbur, former Secretary of the
Navy. which wrote the bill.
Block-booking is the practice of
a distributors requiring a motion
picture exhibitor to take films in a
group instead of leasing simply the
particular films he wants.
Blind selling consists of turning
over to the exhibitor pictures he has
not seen and knows little about.
Blind selling and block booking
are similar to selling drugs or foods
without labels" Mr.. Atkinson said.
He added:
1T Is basic right of American
communities to determine the kind
OF entertainment to be shown in
motion picture theaters."
He introduced into his testimony
photograph Of the intent faces of
young children watching a film.
Senator Smith remarked:
II think there are plenty of adults
who watch intently, too"
Mr.. Atkinson never made, sold or
produced a picture, Mr.. Pettijohn
said. He said:
Il know of no business which so
many people want to run who, in
my humble opinion, can't run it."
No Moral Issued Involved.
Mr.. Pettijohn told the commit
tee that there is no moral issue in
volved in block booking. He said:
This bill is proposal to destroy
the distribution system of the mo-
ton picture business-a system
which distributes daily more than
Is 900 miles of film to some 1880
theaters in the United States, with
less than a dozen miss-outs per
year, and those miss-outs are mostly
caused by severe snowstorms or
floods. In many of these instances,
pictures are delivered by airplane
at an expense many times their
rental, because the show must
go on
1T is proposal to set aside the
distribution system of the motion
picture industry without Offering
better one to take its place, which
every producer and distributor of
pictures would welcome If the sub
stitute was more efficient. econom-
ical and fair to all parties con-
cerned. This bill tears down and
destroys. 1t does not build up.
The motion picture industry
through years Of development and
constant improvement has taken a
'peepshow business with short flick
ers, shown in ex-barber shops and
restaurants furnished with chairs
moved in from the undertaker's
parlor, and turned it into an indus
try which provides cheap, whole
some form of amusement for more
than 100000 of our people each
week."
Rec0uping in South America.
Mr.. Pettijohn said while Holly
wood was losing its European mar
ket, it is more than recouping in
South America.
He called "block booking" whole
sale selling. He said the only pic
lures turned down last year by the
production code, Hollywood self
censor group, were six, all of them
sold singly and not in block book
ing.
Mr.. Montgomery said:
This bill would directly affect
the employment of some $4,000
persons who are employed in the
production, distribution and exhibi-
ton divisions of the film industry.
The acting profession which I
represent is but one of the 276
crafts employed in the industry. 1t
consists of $500 people, approxi-
mately 1000 of whom are employed
as actors in small parts, featured
roles, character and leading parts
in films. The remaining 1000 are
those who play extra parts or small
roles known as bits
THE sponsors of this bill ask the
Congress to destroy the entire busi-
ness structure of one of the largest
industries of the United States
ONE OF THE lasI{51 |lIS|