Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1922 - Mar 1923)

January 20, 1923 EXHIBITORS HERALD 25 Famous Players Will Take Over Lynch Theatre Chain And Be Safe At That— "If the trade journals ever engage in a popularity contest and let the exhibitors vote, I'll stack ray show against a peanut that the HERALD leads them all by a large majority." G. A. REA, Colonial Theatre, Washington Court House, Ohio Censor Repeal Bill Introduced In N. Y. State (Special it. Exhibitors Herald) ALBANY, N. Y, Jan. 9. — A bill callQg for the immediate repeal of the New fork censorship law was introduced in he Assembly today by Assemblyman -ouis Cuvillier of New York City. Recommendation that the law be abolshed was made only last Wednesday by jov. Alfred E. Smith in his message to he legislature. Close Deal This Week For Many Playhouses Negotiations Will Give Paramount Complete Control Of Big String of Houses in Southern States (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, January 9. — Some time this week, negotiations will be closed whereby the Famous Players-La sky Corporation will acquire complete control of 175 theatres in Southern states owned, leased or booked by S. A. Lynch and rive Paramount exchanges. The deal involves several millions of dollars. Included in the theatres which pass to the ownership of Famous Players will be many of the finest playhouses in the South, scores of well built modest theatres, and dozens of structures of the variety generally referred to in the trade as "shooting galleries." Michaelove To Be Retained; Franklyn in Charge Daniel A. Michaelove, general manager of the S. A. Lynch theatres, will be retained in this capacity, it is generally understood. The entire group, however, will be coordinated with other Paramount theatres and will come under the general supervision of Harold B. Franklyn. recently placed in charge of theatres by Famous Players. The Lynch chain of theatres extends were charges and conferences, which into al! of the Southern states and into ended in a truce. vVabash, Ind., Blues Are Ended by Mayor "inds People Do Not Want Shows Closed on Sunday and Lifts Ban (.Special to Exhibitors Herald) WABASH, IND., Jan. 9.— "Those Walsh Blues" will be no more. Mayor Willi has announced that the Sunday "blue w" will not be enforced here in the fuire. The mayor said he was convinced at sentiment was opposed to the "blue w" and that, inasmuch as be was workg for the best interests of the city, it had en decided that the restrictions woteld be ted. The mayor's announcement follows: 'When this agitation against Sunday oving picture shows began, strong presre was brought to bear on Sheriff Sumerland to close the shows on Sunday. I Dked over the situation carefully and deled that the people of Wabash must ant a closed city. There was much agition for a 'blue Sunday,' and much rainst it. I had no way of finding what majority wanted without trying a 'blue' mday for awhile and awaiting the reacsn. I favored a referendum vote on e subject, but this seemed impractical id expensive, so we tried 'blue' Sunday an experiment. "I find that a majority of the people of is city do not want 'blue' Sundays. I am re to administer the city's affairs in keep? with the law and the wishes of the vjority. Hence I have no alternative but remove the restrictions imposed some •eks ago." practically every city of important size. Many of the houses are located in small communities and run programs but twice a week. Some of the Cities Served A partial list of the cities served by Lynch theatres includes: Anniston. Gadsden. Birmingham. Tuscaloosa, Tuscumbia. Huntsville, Sheffield, Montgomery, Selma, Ala.; Jacksonville. Orlando. St. Augustine. Tampa, St. Petersburg. Miami. Ft. Meyers, Fla. ; Atlanta. Columbus, Augusta. Gainesville. Rome. Xewnan. Griffin. Ga.; Anderson, Greenwood, Greenville, Spartansburg. Union. Gaffney. Sumter Set Car.; Charlotte. Asheville. Greenville. Greensboro, X. C. ; Memphis. Dyersburg. Chattanooga. Knoxville, Marysville and So. Pittsburgh, Tenn. The Paramount exchanges affected by the deal are located at Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas. Charlotte and Oklahoma City. Mr. Lynch has controlled the distribution of the Famous Players-Lasky product from these exchange centers for a number of years. It is understood that the personnel of these branches will remain virtually intact under the Famous Players-Lasky janner. Storm Center in Business The Lynch chain has been a stormy petrel in the motion picture industry for years. At various times individual Southern theatre owners have charged the Lynch organization with unfair competition and "starving out" methods of acquiring playhouses. The famous "Patterson Convention" called in Chicago three years ago by Willard Patterson was for the purpose of enlisting exhibitors from all parts of the country to assist the Southern independent exhibitor to fight Lynch. It was the forerunner of the Cleveland convention at which the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America was formed. The M. P. T. O. A. opened its career with a series of violent attacks on the Famous Players-Lasky Company and Lynch. For more than a vear there Federal Body Prcbes Situation The Federal Trades Commission eighteen months ago filed information against the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, charging unfair competition and restraint of trade. It named as codefendants Lynch and several other theatre chain owners, in whose theatres Famous Players was financially interested. More recently, Lynch was made one of the defendants in a suit brought by Vitagraph. Inc., against Famous Players-Lasky Corporation for $6,000,000 on a charge of restraint of trade. Paramount Controls 850 Theatres? The Famous Players-Lasky Corporation is generally believed to control approximately 850 theatres. Early last summer it took over the Alfred S. Black New England theatres, in which it had been financially interested. It owns the Rialto, Rivoli and Criterion theatres in New York City and plans a fourth large house in the heart of the t';eatre district. It is financially interested in the Stanley theatres of Philadelphia, controlling theatres in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. It also has extensive interests in St. Louis and on the West Coast. To Quit Film Business It is understood that Mr. Lynch intends to draw out of the film business entirely, although he will retain his large stock interest in Famous P!ayers-Lasky Corporation. Among his many other interests in the South is included the "Tanlac" Company, to which many of his executives will transfer their activities. Hit by Coal Shortage (Special to Exhibitors Herald) ALBANY, N. Y., Jan. 9.— Motion picture theatres in northern New York are complaining in many instances these days of poor business brought about through low water conditions prevailing in the mill towns. Some of the houses are finding it a hard matter to secure coal sufficient to heat the places.