Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY '.lesday, February 20, 1934 Charges Wide Smoke Screen By Agitators {Continued from page 1) L the XRA — a method of distributing ibid selling pictures which has helped maintain the price of screen enteriinment to a universally popular tale." Pettijohn did not mention the M.P. .search Council by name, but he aid "professional organizers of camaigns to discover 'scientifically' what's •rong with the movies have joined lands with agitators who have luscled in the business, to cry from he housetops that block booking flocks the lily white pictures which ney say the public demands. "The pity of it is," Pettijohn connued, "that many splendid comlunity groups have been led to beeve by the reams of publicity spread ty such agitators that what these roups call 'bad' pictures are forced pun the unwilling exhibitor through ie practice of block booking. What ney are not told is that these fine ictures are the very features most iften canceled." Pettijohn said that a survey connoted last week showed not one canellation on a Mae West film. "Those who advocate legislation .gainst block booking as a panacea .hich will automatically insure the xhibition of socially valuable pictires," he continued, "are assuming lat the local theatre manager would ook only such pictures if he were electing them one by one. The fact and it cannot be denied, the local heatre manager does select only those ictures which in his opinion would ring the greatest box-office return l proportion to the cost. 1 "The racketeers within the industry vho feed upon selfish interest and ;itigation agitate on subjects having 3 do with motion picture trade pracices have helped to build up misunerstanding and agitation outside of ne industry because it is either profit • ble or they hope to make it profitable, jvlost of them do not have a single • ollar invested in the industry. They ire self-appointed leaders and their -acket is for personal profit only. "The motion picture industry caniot be helped by more governmental 1 egulation or censorship. The best I nd most effective formula to follow [s one of self-regulation." pt. Louis Decision Goes to Operators (Continued from page 1) heatres are raised as follows : From £0 to $75; from $56.50 to $66.50; j rom $42.50 to $47.50, and from $40 to <:45 per week. ' The total involved, if the back pay uling stands, is about $14,575. Fred Yehrenberg, president of the M. P. r. O.. says he would appeal to Gen•ral Hugh S. Johnson and to the :ourts, if necessary. He especially 'bjected to any attempt to carry s ode arbitration ruling beyond Dec. 7. Between April 16 and Aug. 19, last, operators consented to cut their pa^ )Ut at the end of the summer season nsisted on being increased to the ngher scales. Dr. Patton has communicated his decision to the NRA. M. P. Federation to Name New Secretary Appointment of a new secretary of the Federation of the M. P. Industry is slated to take place next Friday when the executive committee of the organization meets to select a successor to Alec Moss, who resigned to join Paramount. Also to be discussed at the session are the double feature situations in Chicago and Milwaukee, and finances. It is expected a $10 charge on each negative reel, plus a small tax for positive prints, will be decided upon to bring in a total of approximately $50,000 annually. Harry Thomas, president, returned yesterday from a three-week vacation in Miami. Loew Building Only 2 Australia Houses Loew's for the present is limiting theatre construction in Australia to two theatres, one in Melbourne, which will be ready by June, and another in Sydney, which will be completed next year. Arthur Loew, head of foreign activities for the company, leaves in three weeks for a tour of all Europe and will be gone several months. He has just returned from Australia and says theatre business there is very good. Dembow Says Para, Out of St. Joseph Kansas City, Feb. 19. — Denying reports Paramount has lease interests in St. Joseph, Mo., theatres, Sam Dembow, Paramount theatre operating executive, said here recently that all interests in those properties have been turned over to Dubinsky Bros. The deal was a development of the Publix-Dubinsky partnership dissolution of a year and a half ago, when Dubinsky took over three Publix houses in St. Joseph. M-G-M Undecided on Stage Productions M-G-M is undecided about invading the legitimate production field, it was stated yesterday despite reports to the contrary. According to reports, Edgar Selwyn, who returned to the coast Saturday, is due to return in August to act as adviser on the project. At M-G-M headquarters it was admitted the matter has been under discussion. M-G-M Changes End Of "Laughing Boy" Following the stand taken by Universal in "King for a Night," M-G-M has remade the ending of "Laughing Boy" and now has the heroine die as the picture closes. In the Universal film, Chester Morris goes to the chair when he takes the blame for a murder his sister committed. 52 Fires Last Year There were 52 theatre fires in New York during 1933, of which 38 were in film theatres, according to the annual report of Fire Commissioner McElligott. The report does not indicate whether this represents an increase or decrease over the number of theatre fires reported during the preceding year. Washington Round Table Dinner a Wow Washington, Feb. 19.— Theatre men here are still talking about the first gathering of members of the Managers' Round Table Club of Motion Picture Herald, which began at 11 o'clock Saturday night and ran into the early Sunday morning hours at Club Michel. Among the merrymakers were showmen from the District of Columbia and points some distance away in Maryland and Virginia, film exchange managers and salesmen and representatives of other industry branches. Stephen T. Early, one of the Presidential secretaries, presented on behalf of Martin Quigley the January Quigley award to Kenneth Grimes, manager of the Warner, at Morgantown, West Va. A. J. Brylawski, Washington M.P.T.O. president was toastmaster. Among the guests were: Deputy Administrators William Farnsworth, E. N. Frensdorf and Avber Cater; W. H. Doherty, radio code aide: J. Bradish Carroll, NRA paymaster, and Thomas McGuire, code advisor. The committee in charge included : Walter Morris, Metropolitan Theatre, chairman ; Frank Boucher, city manager for Warners, at Hagerstown; Carter Barron, manager, Loew Theatre; Harry Hunter, Washington branch manager for Paramount ; Frank LaFalce. Washington zone manager for Warner theatres, and Maurice Blouin and Bill Ewing, his ad chief and assistant ; Lou Brown, Washington Loew Theatres ad head, and Guy Wonders, production head for Washington Warner theatres. Zukor, Hays Called In Rembusch Trial (Continued from page 1) Abramson, independent producer, who recalled what he said was a promise made by Zukor to an exhibitors' convention in Minneapolis in 1921 that Paramount would not build or acquire any more theatres thereafter. Depositions of Indianapolis exchangemen were read into the record yesterday and considerable statistical evidence from industry reference manuals was introduced. Erpi Reports New Ruling Erpi reports that the validity of its license agreements has been upheld by the U. S. District Court for the western district of Oklahoma in an opinion by Judge Edgar Vaught. The suit was for recovery of equipment installed in the Savoy at Shawnee as well as for unpaid charges. The court, Erpi says, ruled in its favor both on recovery of the equipment and for the full amount of money claimed. Arthur, Marco Back Harry C. Arthur, vice-president of F. & M., returned yesterday from a tour of the west and midwest, where he negotiated several theatre deals. He visited St. Louis, Denver and Salt Lake City. Mike Marco, who met Arthur in Denver, is in New York and will remain for two or three days. Mitchell, Durant Signed Hollywood, Feb. 19.— Upon completion of their roles in "Fox Follies," Fox signed Mitchell and Durant to a new contract calling for three pictures. 7 Ohio Theatre Men Backing Unit to Full (Continued from page 1) November with Ernest Schwartz, Cleveland, as president, with the combined financial and numerical strength merged into one state organization, has given the independents renewed hope of ultimately, if not presently, effecting repeal of the 10 per cent amusement tax, the paramount objective at the moment. Efforts are being directed to enroll every Ohio independent exhibitor in the new unit. Pete Wood, state secretary, will hold regional meetings in Cleveland and Cincinnati each alternate 30 days at the headquarters of the local organizations, which will continue to serve their respective areas. A secretary will be stationed at each office to record interim proceedings. Wood will retain his residence here for the present, at least. In reviewing film sales in Ohio, Wood told Motion Picture Daily independents pay practically one-half of the total rental of the state. Out of 540 independent houses in Ohio, averaging $150 each for weekly film rental, the annual aggregate is roughly $4,250,000, Wood explained. On the other hand, the 90 circuitowned or controlled houses, including recent acquisitions by Mort Shea and Meyer Schine, pay approximately $4,700,000. The figures in both cases are conservative, Wood said. There are 10 Ohio situations which have one or more circuit-controlled or affiliated houses, which do not have an independent house. The Cleveland M. P. Exhibitors' Ass'n is putting maximum effort behind code proceedings in general and those affecting the independents in particular, M. B. Horwitz told exhibitors at the meeting. To date, he said, the organization has spent around $7,000 on code matters, including his expenses as delegate to the code conferences at Washington. "But it's money well spent," he declared, "and in time will begin paying substantial dividends in various ways." Creel Takes Hand For Studio Labor (Continued from page 1) Creel, head of the California NRA. came here today and went into a huddle with Charles Cunningham, local NRA chief, and Judge Ben Lindserecently appointed labor complian'officer, to check with Pat Casey. Casey said Lindsey's appointment would not conflict with the work of his board which, he said, is now studying and clearing up asserted code violations as quickly as possible. Mrs. Mabel Kinney, who was in Sacramento over the week-end, said the studio board would swing into action immediately. She blamed government red tape for delay. Rhoden on Vacation Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 19. — Elmer Rhoden, local district manager for Fox theatres, has left on a three-week vacation in Florida.