Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Tuesday, February 20, 1934 Yamins Files Complaint On Board Choices (Continued front page 1) two affiliated members and that clearance and zoning boards have three qualified independents of their membership of five. No member of the M.P.T.O.A. would be considered a "qualified" independent on these boards, but should be classified outright as an "affiliated" representative, it was said. Yamins' brief was filed with the Code Authority after several of his personal nominees had been denied posts on local boards by the sub-committee handling the appointments, of which Yamins is a member, it was learned on good authority. The Code Authority voted to exclude the brief from the record of its meeting, after it had been read by Yamins. Three More Boards Set; Busy on Others Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee clearance and zoning and grievance boards were completed yesterday and considerable progress in the naming of boards for New York and Chicago was also made, it was reported following a meeting of the Code Authority committee on board selections. Naming of the New York boards is understood to have been under discussion most of the day without any agreement being reached on their final make-up, although new agreements on individual members were reported. The Chicago boards were described as "about set" at the close of the meeting. The committee resumes its session today. The Chicago situation pivots about naming first run members. Also a city of much controversy is Boston. Philadelphia and San Francisco remained unsettled when the committee wound up at 6 :30 last night to continue at 10 :30 this morning. The six men retired last night to check up on various circuit members on tap for appointments. Naming of alternates for the clearance and zoning board for New York is up in the air. The original intention of selecting alternates who would represent Poughkeepsie, Staten Island. Long Island and Northern New Jersey met with stiff opposition. Actors Designate 14 For Code Committees Hollywood, Feb. 19. — The Actors' Screen Guild, commanding more than 700 proxies, at a meeting today unanimously elected 14 members as nominees to be presented to Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt for places on two code committees. Offered for the agents' committee were: Adolphe Menjou, Spencer Tracy and Berton Churchill. Selections for the actor-producer committee were : Ann Harding, Ralph Morgan, James Cagney, Kenneth Thomson, Richard Tucker, Chester Morris, Robert Montgomery, Claude King, Mary Astor, Pat O'Brien and Paul Muni. Telegrams Pour in On Board Choices (Continued from page 1) Motion Picture Daily flashed its correspondents all over the nation, detailing the selections and advising them to inform the men who make up the boards of their appointments. Since the authority is not advising the men directly, Motion Picture Daily informed these appointees first, many of them immediately wiring members of the authority their thanks and describing the move as a constructive one. Original plans of the authority were to have the names released today, but insistence of Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt and some of the committee members forced earlier publication of the 21 lists agreed upon. Uniform Contract in Agents* Ethics Code A uniform contract for agents representing talent is provided for in the code of ethics submitted for inclusion in the film code by the National Ass'.n. of Theatrical Artists Representatives. Action on including the document in the film code will be taken by the Code Authority at its next meeting, Feb. 26. The agents' code also provides for arbitration of all disputes between agent and artist. It stipulates that charges of misconduct against any agent member of the association must be made in writing and the charges will be heard by the association's board of directors and penalties imposed by a majority of the board. Expulsion of an agent from the association renders his contracts with talent null and void. Free performances of artists under contract to the association's members are prohibited under the code without approval of a board named to investigate the cause for which the performance is to be given. Exception Made on Indianapolis Board An exception in the setting up of clearance and zoning and grievance boards in Indianapolis has been made by Code Authority because of a peculiar situation existing in that town. With Loew's as the only affiliated circuit in that city, the authority decided to put Jack Flex on the clearance and zoning board instead of the giievance board, and therefore named two independents to the grievance list. While the third name in all grievance lists calls for an affiliated exhibitor, I. M. Halperin, an unaffiliated, was named in addition to Charles Olson. Halperin operates the Indiana. Kalmenson Transfer Brings Board Shift Promotion of Ben Kalmenson from manager of the Warner exchange in Pittsburgh to head of buying and booking for all Warner houses in the Smoky City gives the Code Authority its first important change in names already set. Kalmenson was appointed affiliated distributor member of the Pittsburgh grievance board. Because of his shift in jobs he will have to be replaced. Members of Code Authority will decide upon his successor at its next meeting Feb. 26. Exhibitors in K. C. Agree to End Price War (Continued from page 1) restricted to one program of not mort than two days weekly. It was ah: decided to set a minimum admissicr price for suburbans and subsequent' of 15 cents and abolish all 10-cer.i admissions except in a few situation; where such a scale has long beer established as a regular policy. Thi ban is effective immediately or as soot as the handful of exhibitors who failed to attend the meeting express then, agreement. Means read a wire from John Flinn Code Authority secretary, stating tha the code absolutely bans all the prac , tices which the exhibitors have agree' to do away with. E. A. Schiller of Loew's will im mediately be informed of the actio taken at the meeting with a view t ! bringing about an increase at the Mid land. Probe Sponsors for Shows in Newburgl Newburgh, N. Y., Feb. 19. — Fo lowing a notification from Code Ai thority that Division Administrate Sol A. Rosenblatt will stop free shov at the local armory if the CWA sponsoring them, an investigation being made by the owner of the Par the complainant, to find who is pa; ing for the talent. Reports have it now that the Stat> Civic Ass'n. is sponsoring the show Division Administrator Sol A. R, senblatt is getting in touch with tl Radio Code Authority to name a cor mittee of three to meet with grou of the film and legitimate theatre a thorities on the question of free rad shows. A meeting may take pla this week, if it can be arranged. Representing the film Code Authc ity are Charles L. O'Reilly, S. Kent and Ed Kuykendall. For the 1 gitimate authority are Marcus Hi man, chairman; William C Ellio president of the I. A. T. S. E., a Frank Gillmore, president of Actoi Equity. Authority Will Get Vaudeville Repoi The code committee on vaudevi will meet tomorrow at 2 :30 at authc ity headquarters to present a repc on its findings as a result of coi plaints made recently at a genei open session at the Astor. Supplementary information also 1 been secured by the committee a the report will be formally submitt to Code Authority at its gatheri next Monday. Authority Preparing A Report on Labi With the general meeting of code authorities slated to start Washington March 5, the film auth' ity is preparing a report on labor, cc ering an increase in employment the industry from Hollywood and points east and south.