Motion Picture Commission : hearings before the Committee on Education, House of Representatives, Sixty-third Congress, second session, on bills to establish a Federal Motion Picture Commission (1978)

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MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. 87 Mr. ScHECHTER. I think the company that produced that picture just organized for that particular purpose. In the trade they are termed " fly-by-night" concerns. Mr. Towner. It was not any of those companies which you spoke of? Mr. ScHECHTER. No, sir. Mr. Towner, That was passed by the board of censorship, was it not ? Mr. ScHECHTER. I do not think so. That particular film, as I understand, was subsequently suppressed. Now, referring to the Mutual Film Corporation, which was men- tioned here as one of the groups, that is also a distributing or exchange corporation. It has contracts Avith various manufacturing concerns, who produce the film and release it through the medium of the Mutual Film Corporation. The following companies, I believe, release through that medium: The Keystone, Kaybee, American, Reliance. Thanhouser, Bronco, Domino, Majestic, and Princess, and others that I do not think of at the present time. I think I have already mentioned the brands of film released by the Universal Film Manufacturing Co. Thus you will note that there are a great many manufacturing concerns' that are allied with these three groups; and I will explain further that the pecular nature of the moving-picture business makes it necessary to have such an arrangement, as it is not possible nor feasible for the manufacturer to distribute its product directly to the theater exhibitors. The manufacturer sells his product. Mr. ToAVNER. Take this Majestic Co.. which you have mentioned. Mr. ScHECHTER. Ycs, sir; that is affiliated with the Mutual group. Mr. Towner. There is a Majestic line of moving-picture theaters all over the United States; that is, a line of theaters called the '• Majestic." Do they represent or are they controlled by the Majestic Moving Picture Co. ? Mr. ScHECHTER. The theaters, as I understand, have no connection with the manufacturers at all. The theater owners have seen fit to name the theater '* Majestic," but that does not in any way connect them with any producing companies. Mr. Towner. Does each of these companies you liave mentioned have a certain circuit ? Mr. ScHECHTER. Yes, sir. I will now explain that. The Chairman. How many manufacturing companies are there in all? Mr. ScHECHTER. I judgc there are about 25 manufacturing cor- porations identified with the three groups mentioned. There are of course a good many other manufacturing companies, although I can not name them all at the present time. I will attempt to name some of them from recollection: Gaumont Co., Itala Co., Ambrosio Co., Great Northern Film Co., Italian-American Co., the Kennedy Co., Klaw & Erlanger Film Co., Warner's Feature Film Co., Famous Players, All-Star Feature Film Co., Union Features Film Co., World's Best Film Co., Solax Film Co., Jesse Laskie Film Co., Milano Film Co., and many others which I can not now recall. Some of these companies last named do not