Motion Picture News (Jul - Sep 1930)

28 Motion Picture News July 5, 1930 Does Playing Films Contrary to Release Date Violate Copyright? Court to Decide Paging Schnozzle Hollywood — Flo Ziegfeld, who knows a thing or two about feminine pulchritude, told the gang out here that "A good nose is the most important feature a girl can have." Can you beat that! We have been hitting the high spots for two years with the most beautiful girl in the East, and never recognized beauty. She has a beak which extends just one-half inch below her chin. Ore. Methodists To Support Bill For Gov't Control Astoria, Ore. — Resolutions commending the agencies promoting the enforcement of the 18th amendment and rapping the picture industry were drafted by the committee on temperance, prohibition and public morals of the Oregon annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal church. The draft of the resolution pertaining to films reads: "Whereas, the American motion picture is undermining the Christian influence of home and church, menacing law-abiding citizenship and misrepresenting the American life to the nations of the world; and "Whereas repeated efforts to improve the moral standards of motion pictures by co-operation with the industry have failed to secure desired results ; "Therefore, be it resolved, that we co-operate with the Federal Motion Picture Council in America, in its effort to obtain the passage (if the bill declaring the motion picture to be a public utility and providing for a federal motion picture commission to regulate the trade practices of the motion picture industry and to establish definite moral standards to be applied before the production of films which are to be licensed for interstate and international commerce, the expenses of the commission to be paid by the license fee of pictures." Baltimore Daylight Time Goes to Fall Referendum Baltimore — Daylight saving will be placed on the ballots at the coming general election in November, according to a ruling handed down by the attorney general. Thus the question which has agitated Baltimoreans for the past few months and which is now in effect in Baltimore on a "voluntary" basi> with many people and organizations observing it, but all the picture theatres operating on standard time, excepting one, will have a referendum and the people will be able to vote on it. Distributors Ask Damages From Cincy Exhibitors In Unique Action Cincinnati — Something entirely new in film procedure has been launched here with filing of suits alleging violation of the copyright law by an exhibitor for failure to observe release dates on films involved. Moses Wilchens, Raymond G. Julius and Isaac Frankel are defendants in the unique action brought by Paramount, Universal, M-G-M and Educational. The Colonial and Ohio, which the defendants operate, allegedly violated the release dates stipulated by the distributors. Damages of $6,250 and costs are involved in the action, because the defendants are suing under terms of the copyright law which stipulates damages of $250 for each violation. The suit covers 25 pictures. In addition to damages, the plaintiffs ask a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from any further alleged infringements of the complainants. Gov't Taking Legal Steps To Stop Balto Song Plugs Baltimore — With a view to taking legal action against those engaged in publishing and selling song sheets in Baltimore, O. Norman Forrest, Assistant U. S. District Attorney, says an investigation is being made now. Forty Baltimoreans may find themselves liable to action for infringing the music copyright laws and indictments may be sought against them because it is reported that no royalties have been paid on the songs published in the sheets sold, each of which contains about 100 songs. These sheets have been circulated by an organized body in Baltimore, it is claimed, and under the copyright laws, according to Forrest, each of the distributors, printers, peddlers and wholesalers of the sheets is liable to fine or imprisonment. Fox Installs Earphones Hollywood — Sixty-four of the Fox West Coast theatres will be equipped with earphones for the deaf. To equip these houses will require 694 sets. Technicolor May Earn $5 Estimates place earnings of Technicolor for the current year in excess of $5 a share. Hoot Ropes Sally Hollywood — Hoot Gibson and Sally Eilers, his leading woman in recent pictures, are now in Canada on location— for their honeymoon. They were married Friday night at Baker's Ranch, near Saugus, Calif., with 100 picture celebrities as wedding guests. Carmen Pantages was maid of honor and Marion Nixon, Mae Sunday and Marie Prevost were bridesmaids. Buster Collier was Hoot's best man. After the ceremony the newlyweds left for Banff, Canada. French Swedes Hollywood — When Warners start production on the film version of their Broadway musical comedy, "Fifty Million Frenchmen," the comedy team of Olsen and Johnson will have the featured leads. The team is under term contract for pictures to Warners, and recently appeared in "See Naples or Die." Lloyd Bacon has been assigned to direct "Fifty Million Frenchmen." Copyright Bureau Warning Sounded By Ohio Leader Columbus — The copyright protection bureau'll get you if you don't watch out is the substance of a warning to members sounded by P. J. Wood, emphasizing that no verbal agreement or consent for holdingover prints "is any protection to you." The copyright bureau, maintained by distributors, is "very active gathering evidence against theatre owners who, intentionally or unintentionally, are holding over films beyond the number of days specified in their contracts." Get it in writing, summarizes his advice to members. "Many theatre owners have engaged in the practice of holding over pictures for extra days upon the assurances of the salesman that it was perfectly all right with the exchange to do this. Please remember that if there was no objection to such a practice, the salesman would be willing to write it into the contract. In the future, if you are told by a salesman, or a booker, that you are at liberty to hold pictures an extra day or two, please immediately report to this office the name and connection of such person giving you this erroneous advice. "Bear in mind that these 'hold-overs' constitute a violation of the copyright law and that the amount of damages asked by the Copyright Bureau is out of all proportion to the film rental involved. Do not think because your contract specifies $20 for a two-day run, and you hold the picture over for an additional day, that the payment of $10 to the exchange will be accepted in settlement. "If you are now showing pictures beyi "id the number of days specified in your contract or 'confirmation of play dates' without the consent of the exchange, discontinue the practice immediately, otherwise you are bound to pay a heavy tribute for abrogating the 'run' provision of your contracts. This applies not only to features but to newreels and short subjects as well. "Let me caution you once again — if the salesman won't write it in the contract, his verbal promises or assurances are insincere and of no weight whatsoever."