Cinema: Crusade

All of the U.S. movie industry’s vast ballyhoo machinery whirred into high gear this week to support a feverish crusade. Its goal: repeal of the 20% federal tax on movie admissions.

A special 50-ft. trailer flashed from every screen, 20,000 posters lobbied in theater lobbies, 40,000 stickers bristled on box-office windows, millions of petitions and postcards flooded the land for forwarding to Congress. The clamor echoed on the radio and in the press. To a public that wants to pay less for its entertainment, the trailer offered this catchline: “You have just paid 20% more for your ticket because of the federal nuisance tax.”