Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1917 - Jun 1918)

X H I B O R H R D oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo o o o President Thanks Exhibitors For Aid in w ar © o Washington, D. C— [Special.]— Praise and appreciation of the nation-wide co-operation of the moving picture © 0~ A J A A — — *• — »■ mv v-v V|A.1U11VU \J A. 111". 1UU 1 1U5 JJlVw I U 1 V. theaters in war publicity service is expressed by President Wilson in the following letter addressed to William © o o o 0 0 IlcCormick Blair of Chicago, director of the Four Minute Men : © "The motion picture theaters of the country are rendering so substantial a service in aiding the Four Minute © Men as spokesmen of the national cause that I would not willingly fail to acknowledge the debt the country owes © to these managers. Their response to requests has been hearty, and their co-operation is most helpful. © "Will you please convey to them my appreciation of their aid in giving this exclusive privilege to yow © «3 speakers? "Woodrow Wilsox." © This letter will be read by 25,000 Four Minute Men during this week in motion picture theaters everywhere © in the United States," Panama, Alaska, and Hawaii. It is expected that nearly every theater in the country will be © covered. & 0 0 0 0 © OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Mitchel H. Mark Prominent Exhibitor Claimed by Death Mitchel H. Mark, president of the itrand Theatre Corporation, New York, ied suddenly at his home in Buffalo, v Y., on March 20, following a brief lness. Mr. Mark was one of the pioneers of he film industry, having given one of ne first public presentations of motion ictures in a small improvised theatre in illicott Square, Buffalo. He also conducted a chain of penny rcades throughout the east and became ell known in amusement circles before le cinema theatre became popular. At the time of his death Mr. Mark wned three theatres in Buffalo and was irector of several producing and disputing enterprises. The Strand The:re, one of the largest and handsomest Duses devoted exclusively to pictures . New York, is one of a large number was interested in both in the United :ates and Canada. Shortly before his death he completed :gotiations for the erection of a new otion picture palace at Fulton Street id Rockwell place, Brooklyn, which ill be one of the largest and most comete in the country, it is said. It will ive a seating capacity of 4,500. Mitchel H. Mark was born in Greenlle, S. C, in 1862, and came to New ork when but fifteen years of age. For number of years he conducted a hat ore in Buffalo before becoming an exbitor. Mr. Mark is survived by a wife, two ughters, a brother, Moe Mark, and a iter, Mrs. W. Rosenthal. avid G. Rogers Joins United Pictures Theaters David G. Rogers has resigned as tional organizer of the Motion Picture ;hibitors League of America, and affil; ed himself with the United Picture leatres of America, Inc. He will have 3 headquarters in Minneapolis. Plan to Merge Big Booking Circuits Meeting of Exhibitors to Be Held in New York To Consider Amalgamation of Co-operative Renting Propositions Indianapolis, — (Special to Exhibitors Herald.) — As a result of the visit to Indianapolis of Lee A. Ochs, representing the United Picture Theatres of America; Charles C. Pettijohn, representing the Producers and Exhibitors — Affiliated, and C. E. Shurtleff, representing the Hodkinson plan, at various times during the past week, an open meeting for producers and exhibitors from all parts of the United States has been called by Frank J. Rembusch, on behalf of the directors of the American Exhibitors Association, to be held April 8, at the Astor hotel in New York City. "So many plans are being offered exhibitors in the movement for co-operative buying," said Mr. Rembusch, " it is almost impossible to settle on one that will answer the needs of all. While some of them incorporate ideas well worth utilizing, they all lack one or two essentials necessary to the continued wellbeing of the exhibitor." For that reason he is urging the exhibitor and producer to get together in an open meeting to iron out their differences and settle on one plan that will meet the requirements of all the exhibitors, and at the same time offer the producers a comprehensive working plan. Mr. Ochs presented the merits of the United plan to a score or more of Indiana exhibitors at a meeting held March 18 at the Hotel Severin, while C. C. Pettijohn and Mr. Shurtleff visited a number of the largest exhibitors in Indianapolis to present the merits of their two plans. On Thursday, however, these two men met Mr. Rembusch. At the close of their conference, Mr. Rembusch made the following statement Exhibitors Face Crisis "Producers and exhibitors of motion pictures during the last year, and especially for the last six months, have been confronted with the most adverse and unfavorable conditions in the history of the industry. The reports received by 17 the Allied Exhibitors' Legislative Commitee show that 40 percent of the motion picture theatres have either closed their doors or are only showing half the usual time, and many exhibitors are running their theatres without profit. "On the other hand, many producers of pictures are, if we may believe reports, also in a desperate plight. "A careful study of these conditions will convince any one that the fault is not entirely on account of the excess taxation, which may have aggravated the condition to some extent, but it is the lack of co-ordination and co-operation within the industry that is causing great loss to both exhibitor and producer. "The general complaint is over-production, inefficiency, senseless competition in distributing costs, caused, to a great extent, I believe, by the general disorganized condition of affairs, not only in the industry itself, but in the world of finance upon which the structure of the industry rests. Many Plans Afoot. "Within the last few months, we have heard of many remedies for this condition. Some are good, and some are not so good. But back of them all, and woven in the fabric of their scheme, is the general idea that if the producer and exhibitor could, as a class, get closer together, each could afford mutual protection to the other. There is no film company today but what has a special department to consider the problem facing the exhibitor. On the other hand, exhibitors are beginning to appreciate and realize the many difficulties that producers are laboring under. "To this one fact, I think, can be attributed at this time, the number of cooperative plans being offered the exhibitors by various agencies which offer a mutual agreement between exhibitor and producer calculated to give real protection to both. (Continued on page 22, column 3)