Evening star., 1947-10-23

mittee fatty refused to give him the
list, he said
On another occasion, he con
tinued, he was attacked by Mr. Cole
guild vice president, and sent a
reply for publication in the Screen
Writer, ofiicial publication of the
organization. The Editorial Board
refused to publish it and informed
him his answer to Mr.. Cole was not
consonant with the friendly aims of
the Screen Writer'S Guild"
Asked if there was any difference
between reported Communist learn
ings of Mr.. Trumbo and Mr.
Kahn, past and present editors of
the Screen Writer, Mr.. Niblo COM
mented: That is just a case of
Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum"
rs Mr. Kahn a Communist
Committee Investigator H. A. Smith
inquired.
TT is my opinion that he is," Mr.
Niblo responded. But I can't prove
it any more than Custer could prove
that the people who massacred him
were Indians"
Stellar attraction yesterday was
Robert Taylor, who drew prolonged
applause from the audience when
he said If he had his way all Com
munists in Hollywood would "be
sent back to Russia or some other
unpleasant place"
In other developments yesterday
afternoon:
l. Screen Writer Morrie Ryskind
who collaborated on the Pulitzer
prize winning "Of Thee I Sing" tes-
titled that the Screen Writers Guild
is now completely controlled by
Communists"
Two Called Sacred Cows"
2. Howard Rushmore, former Com
munist Party card-holder and now a
New York newspaperman, decribed
Charlie Chaplin and Edward G.
Robinson as sacred Red cows" of
the Daily Worker, who always were
given favorable publicity and lot
OF It" in the Communist newspaper
tPaul v. McNutt, special counsel
for the Motion Picture Association
and the Association of Motion Pic
ture Producers, amplif1ed his views
about the committee hearings last
night In q radio talk here. .
The rights of the press and radio
are jeopardized If the screens
rights of free speech are trampled
on" he declared.
1T doesn't require a law to Grip
Pile the right of free speech" he
said. Intimidation and coercion
will do it,, Fear will do it. The
motion picture industryf cannot be
a. free medium Of expression r. It
must live In fearof the damning
epithet 'un-American whenever it
elects to introduce . new idea, pro-
duce a picture critical Of the status
quo, or point up through picture
some phase Of our way of life which
needs improving"
Proof of Subversion Denied.
Mr.. McNutt said testimony at the
current hearings has not produced
"one shred of evidence" that the
motion picture industry puts sub
versive propaganda on the screen.
The president and Board of Di-
rectors of the Screen Directors
Guild announced in Culver City,
Calf, they are telegraphing House
Speaker Martin and Chairman
Thomas denying testimony of Pro-
ducer Sam Wood last Monday. Mr..
Wood told the committee that Com
munists tried to control the guild
and that John Cromwell, a director,
tried to steer the guild into the
Red river"
A group OF Hollywood personages
including Eddie Cantor, Henry
Fonda, Benny Goodman, Myrna
10y. Gregory Peck and others
termed themselves THE Committee
for the First Amendment" and pub
lished an advertisement in screen
trade publications. They declared
they were "disgusted and outraged"
by the Washington hearing. which
they described as IAN attempt to
curb freedom of expression and to
set arbitrary standards of Ameri-
canism."
Mr.. Taylor began his testimony
yesterday by observing he had
noticed an increase in Communist
activity in the movie industry in
the past four or five years. He had
seen movie scripts, he said, that
appeared to me slightly on the pink
side"
Are there any elements in the
Screen Actors Guild that you con-
slider follow the Communist Party
line?" he was asked.
Acted Like Communists.
He replied that at general meet
ings Of the guild he had seen actors
who, If they're not Communists.
work awfully hard at being one" !"
He named Actor Howard De Sylvia
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