Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1925)

November 14 , 19 Z 5 1147 Mogler Robbed of $ 1 , 1 29 By Four Bandits Four young men in a large automobile crowded Joseph Mogler to the curb as he started to drive away from the Mogler Theatre, 3936 North Ninth street, St. Louis, Mo., at 9:15 a. m. November 2 and robbed him of the Saturday and Sunday receipts of his three theatres totaling $1,129. The theatres are the Mogler, Bremen and Excello, all situated in North St. Louis. Mogler was on his way to the Bremen Bank, 3600 North Broadway. Mogler is president of the St. Louis Motion Picture Exhibitors League and a vicepresident of the national organization of exhibitors. Ten minutes after the hold up of Mogler a lone bandit wearing a mask which came down to his shoulders entered the office of the Washington Theatre, Granite City, 111., and held up Louis Landau, owner, and his manager Richard Howard, escaping with two days reeeipts totaling $1,694. Landau and Howard were preparing to take the money to a near-by bank for deposit when robbed. Atlanta Film Board Names New Officers At the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Film Biard of Trade held Monday, November 2nd, George R. Allison, Atlanta manager of Fox Film Corporation, was elected president. C. R. Beacham, local manager of First National was chosen for Vice President, and James H. Butner, manager of Educational Film Exchange, Treasurer. E. L. Cole, who has filled the position of executive secretary since the inception of the Film Board of Trade, was re-elected. Inspiration to Expand Production HAVING gradually completed its reorganization plan Inspiration Pictures, Inc., is now prepared for an expansion of production activities. In addition to the Richard Barthelmess product ions thare will be a second unit starring Dorothy Gish. The new schedule now calls for six or seven pictures for the coming year, and in addition to Barthelmess and Miss Gish a number of other J Boyce Smithprominent stars will be signed. Walter Camp, Jr., is President ol Inspiration with J. Boyce Smith General Manager. The scenario department includes Mrs. Violet E. Powell, Don Bartlett and C. Graham Baker, Mabel Livingstone who has handled publicity for many stage and screen stars, has been engaged to serve as director of publicity for the company. Four Barthelmess pictures have been produced by Inspiration during the past fifteen months. They are: "Classmates," "Shore Leave," "Beautiful City" and "Just Suppose." Believe Removal of Tax on Admissions Up to $1 Will Be Recommended THAT the Ways and Means Committee will include recommendations for removal of taxes on admissions up to and including $1 in the tax reduction program to be urged on Congress, is the growing belief of observers in Washington. There is a possibility that the Committee may carry the reduction further and exempt $1.25 and $1.50 admissions to take care of baseball and vaudeville admissions. However, such action is considered doubtful. The report of the Committee will be ready by December 7, according to Chairman Green. The reductions will range from $300,000,000, the amount recommended by Secretary Mellon, to $500,000,000, the highest amount suggested by members of the Committee, several of whom believe that the reductions can be increased over the figure set by Secretary Mellon. It is rather generally felt that the capital stock tax will be repealed and that the Corporation income tax will be reduced ten per cent. Theatre Owners of N. J. Meet Board of Directors Have Session at Camden; Kelly Case Is Discussed AT a meeting of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey M. P. T. O. A. on Thursday of last week at the Walt Whitman hotel in Camden, New Jersey, one of the principal topics under discussion was the suit which E. Thornton Kelly is about to institute in the Equity Court of the State of New Jersey. This case, arising out of a plea for relief because of Kelly's inability to obtain play dates within a reasonable time after the pictures for which he had contracted had been released, engaged the attention of the Board for a matter of two hours. This, the fourth regular session since the Asbury Park convention, was opened by Sidney Samuelson, Chairman /of the Board, and after routine matters had been disposed of, the attention of the board was claimed by the report of the President Joseph M. Seider, which included a review of the activities of the organization in the political campaign in New Jersey and an analysis of the possible results. In line with the campaign laid out at the last national convention reports were made on several matters. For one, that of a reduction of the charge for light and power, which was handled by a sub-committee consisting of Messrs. Unger and Hildinger who reported progress with a considerable saving of revenue in sight. Another matter discussed was that of the Famous PlayersLasky-Traco theatre case. R.'F. Woodhull, President and Sidney S. Cohen, Chairman of the Board of the Directors of the M. P. T. 0. A. were complimented for the manner in which they handled the Kingston Armory exhibition matter whose permit for the use of the Armory for motion picture exhibition purposes was revoked by Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York. Joseph M. Seider drew the attention of the Board to the strength of the organization's treasury. He also reported on the contemplated activities of the M. P. T. 0. A. with regard to the proposed amendment to the Federal copyright law, stating the request of A. Julian Brylawski, Chairman of the Administrative committee of the national organization, that the theatre owners of New Jersey interest themselves in an effort to defeat this proposed amendment and also asking that they request their congressmen and senators to vote against the amend ment in the form in which it is proposed. A satisfactory report was also made relating to the adjustment of the dispute with Pathe regarding the release of the Harry Langdon comedies. There was a dinner served before the session was called to order and a vote of thanks was rendered Directors Benjamin Schindler of Camden and Jacob Fox of Burlington, N. J., who acted as hosts. Pete Adams will be the host of the Board when it convenes in Pattei-son on November nineteenth. Film Arts Guild To Revive Screen Classics Several of the outstanding artistic successes of the screen will be revived at a Broadway theatre under the auspices of the Film Arts Guild, Inc., an organization with offices at 500 5th Ave. The movement will be launched soon, it is announced by Symon Gould, director of the Guild. A theatre will be engaged in the near future. The Guild has requested newspaper reviewers to submit lists of what they consider the 10 best productions made for the screen. Among the pictures which will be shown are "Broken Blossoms," "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," "The Miracle Man," "The Golem," "Women of Paris," "Intolerance" and "Birth of a Nation." Warners Show Picture in Aeroplane ARNER BROTHERS conducted an aerial pre-release showing of a picture the morning of election day. The audience was composed of motion picture critics seated in the cabin of a giant Sikorsky plane soaring 3,000 feet above Roosevelt field on Long Island. The showing was conducted as an experiment by a joint committee of Sikorsky engineers and Warner Brothers. The demonstration proved the practicability of showing films in planes and synchronizing musical accompaniment supplied from the ground. Station WGBS, Gimbel Brothers, broadcast the music which was played by Herman Heller's orchestra and picked up on the receiving sets in the cabin of the plane.