Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 11, 19 3 0 Motion Pit1 nro News 34c Musicians of Seattle Yield to Orchestra Defi Seattle — Withdrawal by the Seattle Musicians' Union of their objection to the importation of a first chair cellist from Chicago this week assured this city another season of concerts by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The move came after an ultimatum had been delivered to the union executives by the Symphony board of directors, threatening to cancel the scheduled concerts and disband the orchestra because the union musicians refused to rehearse with "outside" artists while local musicians were unemployed. A loss of about $60,000 in salaries to union musicians of this city would have resulted if the concerts had been cancelled. Union officials explained that they had no objection to the use of imported musicians, if all local musicians who were competent were used. In the case at hand, however, they agreed to make an exception, when it was learned that the Symphony board would not be dictated to in the matter. The entire action may set a new precedent in this city, as the same policy is maintained by the union in regard to the use of imported players in local theatre orchestras. As a result of the differences between Conductor Karl Krueger and the Unions, rehearsals for the past week have been called off and it has been found necessary to postpone the opening concert until October 20, instead of October 6, as originally scheduled. Tacoma Theatres Dynamited in Labor Dispute Tacoma, Wash. — Police here are seeking vandals who placed two dynamite charges which partially demolished the Community theatre and slightly damaged the Sunset. The front of the Community was blown out and flying debris damaged the interior. A bundle of dynamite is believed to have been placed in the box office. The projection room and machines also were damaged. J. R. Porter is owner of the house. A stick of dynamite at the Sunset blew a hole in the roof. Both were early morning explosions, so no injuries were reported. These two suburbans are among the 11 in Seattle, Everett, Bellingham and other cities of this region involved in a dispute with operators. The exhibitors are insisting that only one man be employed in the booth, with the union holding nut for two. Guards are being doubled at all of the houses involved, the managers appealing to the police for protection. Seek Solution St. Louis — Renewed efforts are being made to break the deadlock in the musicians' strike here, a special committee of the union having been given full power to act in negotiating a settlement. Threat was made this week of a sympathy strike by operators and stagehands unless the musicians' row is settled. Operators Sue Theatres; Charge Contract Breach Cincinnati — Frank W. Huss, Jr., and Jennie Carlin, doing business as the Ohio Theatre & Show Co., were made defendants in a $26,000 damage suit brought by .Moving Picture Operatives' Protective Union, Local No. 165, who contend that the sale of the Gem and Rex Theatres, operated by the defendants, was made to Dixie Amusement Co., on May 22 last, solely for the purpose of getting rid of a contract which the theatres had with the plaintiff to furnish operators. The Dixie Amusement Co. also is made a party to the suit. According to the petition, the union alleges that the contract was to continue in effect until September 1, 1931. It charges that the alleged sale of the theatres was a pretense, and result of a combination and conspiracy by the operating company to breach the contract. Singer Predicts Return Of All-Vaudeville Shows Seattle — Mort H. Singer, executive of the RadioKeith-Orpheum circuit, arrived here this week to confer with union theatre employees "ironing out" contract problems and difficulties for the ensuing year. Tacoma, Spokane and Everett musicians and operators, in addition to the Seattle group, are represented in the meetings now being held. Singer commented favorably upon the fact that large theatres throughout the nation are retaining their orchestras, and predicted that some day vaudeville will come back into its own, without the feature photoplay as an adjunct. At the conclusion of his meetings here, Air. Singer will leave by plane for San Francisco, where meetings with the Northern California union organizations are scheduled. Gayne Whitman in Serial Hollywood — Due to injuries to Fletcher Norton, Gayne Whitman has replaced him in the cast of "Fingerprints," a 10-episode serial in production at Universal. Strike or No Strike, Warners Reopen Aldine Philadelphia — The Aldine, closed for 40 weeks, reopened Wednesday with Griffith's "Lincoln." which will play on a road show basis. The house was scheduled to open two weeks ago, just after announcement of the strike among musicians, but since it was then one of the focal points in the argument, the opening was cancelled. Now it appears that, in spite of the threatened general strike, the StanleyWarner interests are going ahead with the opening, without an orchestra, of course. One of the protests lodged against the striking musicians by the StanleyWarner company was that this theatre was forced. under the last contract, to pay $1,111 a week for musicians it did not use. There have never been stage shows or presentations at the Aldine. Musicians Riot When Ordered on Sympathy Strike Philadelphia — Desire of the striking picture musicians to enlist the aid of other members of the entertainment world recoiled on them at a "secret" meeting when they were ordered by Joseph Weber, national president of the American Federation of Musicians, to join in a sympathetic strike with the stagehands and amusement helpers who were endeavoring to force hotels, cafes, night clubs, dance halls, and broadcasting stations to employ union help. Weber's letter ordered the strike to begin Oct. 15. This drastic order, affecting all of the 3,000 members of the Musicians' Protective Association of this city, instead of the little more than 200 picture house musicians, invoked a near riot when John Colaprete, president of the local union, read it to the assembled musicians at their headquarters. As soon as the order was read, there were shouts from all parts of the hall, where had congregated almost 3,000 men, practically the entire membership, and a score of men attempted to speak at once. Though reminded by one speaker that the stagehands and operators were apparently willing to walk out with the musicians, the film quarrel was not soon patched and that reciprocity was only fair and just, the sentiment of the meeting seemed strongly against the walkout. Several speakers were shouted down and two actual fist-fights were started before the meeting arrived at some semblance of order. A committee was named to confer with Weber in the matter. K. C.'s 'Non-Union' Union on Scalping Party — And How! Kansas City — A stench for a stench is the policy adopted by the new projectionists association of non-union operators which was organized to battle alleged gunman tactics of the union operators who are said to have stench-bombed a score or more "scab" houses. The new association, called Sound Projectionists' Ass'n, sent a letter to union theatres stating that if non-union houses are stench-bombed, the former will retaliate by bombing union houses. The warning is said to have thrown a scare into union ranks. Fourteen independent theatres are employing projectionist members to the new association and others are expected to join within a week. Opposition to the demands for two men in a booth and excessive wage scales were the reasons for organizing the new association. Six Week Minimum for Two Roxy Films Seen Fox expects "The Big Trail" and "Just Imagine" to run a minimum of six weeks each at the Roxy, New York.