Variety (June 1916)

18 MOVING PICTURES BOARD OF TRADE DISSOLVED; NEW ORG ANIZAT ION FORMING Seventy-four Representative Film Men Out of Seventy-five Gathered Favored Creating New Body. Exception W. W. Hodkinson. The Motion Picture Board of Trade lias dissolved and is now a memory. At a luncheon given last week at Delmonico's about 75 of the most representative men of the trade gathered for the purpose of forming a new organization from the remnants. Walter W. Irwin, chairman of the executive board of the Board of Trade, presided and very frankly stated his organization had not met the functions for which it was created and it had been determined to dissolve. He expressed the hope a new and stronger organiza- tion would be formed with the mem- bership of the old "board" as a nucleus. On motion he asked those in favor of creating a new body to arise. The entire gathering rose, with the exception of W. W. Hodkinson, presi- dent of Paramount, who explained his vote by saying he wanted to know more about the policies of the pro- posed organization before he com- mitted himself. The Paramount people are strongly in favor of the Hughes Censorship bill now pending before Congress as a means of regulating the industry, while the manufacturers of the old "B. of T." are just as strongly op- posed to it. On a motion it was proposed the minority abide by the judgment of the majority, therefore the reluctance ot Hodkinson to take a decided stand, as the old "B. of T." manufacturers will be strongly in the majority if a new body is formed. One of the old timers in the game who was present had this to say: A "The people back of this movement mean well but they will never be able to accomplish their plans as at present constituted. There is no community of interest between the exhibitors and manufacturers in the same organiza- tion. In these days of fierce competi- tion exchanges will take away \a serv- ice from one exhibitor and give it to another for a slight increase in rental. Every exchange is practically con- trolled by the manufacturer and how the exhibitor could pool his interests under such circumstances, with the people according him such treatment, is something for the organizers to worry about. I do say the manu- facturers should get together and form an organization of their own and en- courage every exhibitor to join the M. P. E. L. Each body can then ap- point a committee of equal number to co-operate on matters affecting the en- tire industry. This plan will un- doubtedly go through if the makers of film can forget their petty jealousies and suspicion of each other but it is very doubtful. There is no question about the exhibitor. His organization will grow stronger and stronger until he will be in a position to dictate to the manufacturer, unless the manufacturer is just as thoroughly organized." The committee of 12 consists of three men drawn from each branch of the industry. W. W. Irwin, Jesse Lasky and W. W. Hodkinson represent the manufacturers: W. A. Johnson, Stephen Bush and Tracey Lewis, the film publishers; Lee Ochs, John Witt- man, and L. L. Devine, the exhibitors, and J. Hallberg, N. Powers, and Ed- ward Earl the accessory men. This committee after formulating plans will report back to conference committee at another luncheon to be held in Delmonico's in three weeks. "FATHER OF CAMERAMEN" DEAD. Henry Riemers, age 43, died at Belle- vue Hospital, New York, last week. He was the first to use a motion pic- ture camera and establish a laboratory in the U. S. The deceased was called the father of cameramen. Mr. Reimers started in the picture business many years ago with Selig of Chicago, remaining with that establish- ment a long while, during which time he travelled the world over several times. At the time of his death Mr. Reimers was with the Diamond Feature Film Co. A brother, F. C. Reimers, 520 Jack- son boulevard, Chicago, survives. CANCELLED BALBOA RELEASES. Los Angeles, June 14. The Balboa plant has let out 75 people, owing to the fact that their three-reel releases on the General pro- gram are to be discontinued, at the re- quest of the General. The people let out formed three companies which were employed in turning out the multiple- reel features. Ritchie, the head of the scenario department, and author of a number of stories produced by Balboa, resigned a week before the general cleanout. INCREASED TAX IN CANADA. Toronto, June 14. New regulations respecting the fee lor each reel of film submitted to the Ontario Board of Censors have been incorporated in the rules under the Theatres and Cinematographs Acts. Up to the month of June the censor fee for every reel was $1.50. According to the new clause, the charge for gen- eral films is $2 per reel. One film distributor declared that the increase of 50 cents for the censor- ing of standard film will make a differ- ence of $10,000 to Toronto film dealers, as 20,000 reels arc censored here in a year. ASKS FOB A RECEIVER. Percy L. Waters and Gerald C. Clark on Monday made application for a receivership for the General Film Co., charging mismanagement. They arc the owners of a large block of pre- ferred stock in the General, which they received for their exchanges when the General was formed. This application has been in contem- plation for some time and was fore- casted in Variety months ago. There is nothing new in the situation other than the bringing to a head of a long- fomenting legal battle precipitated by the preferred stockholders, who feel they are likely to be shut out through the- payment to the manufacturers of so much money that there will be little or nothing left to be distributed among the holders of the preferred stock. The summons and complaint re- quests an answer to the application within 20 days from service. 'CIVILIZATION 99 IS STRONG. The opening week of the Ince feat- ure film, "Civilization" at the Criterion, New York, brought up the receipt to $9,000, said to be the largest first week's gross for a picture ever shown in New York. It exceeded "The Birth of a Nation" on its first start at the Liberty, when the "Nation" film did not strike a gait until a few days after opening. "The Fall of a Nation," now at the Liberty, is also said to have beaten the "Birth" film's opening receipts for the first three days, "The Fall" getting $3,500 the last three days of last week. Ince's "Civilization" will also be ex- hibited in Chicago, commencing June 25, at the Grand opera house. EDWIN AUGUST RESIGNS. Edwin August, who has been for some time under a long-term contract with the World as one of its important directors, retired from the employ of that company on Tuesday after a sharp tilt with William A. Brady. It is un- derstood he received a substantial check in exchange for a surrender of his contract. BONITA Of the internationally known team, BONITA AND LEW HEARN, who are just completing another successful tour over the Orpheum Cir- cuit ami who offer $1,000 for a new act suitable for them to use the coming season. Authors Ret busy! Weeks June 11th and 18th, Orpheum, Los Angeles, Cal. BOOMING EXPOSITION. Chicago, June 14. Local Exhibitors are on the hustle getting things in shape for the Illinois convention and exposition here the sec- ond week in July at the Coliseum. The committees in charge have opened spe- cial headquarters in the Masonic Tem- ple, where applications for floor space are pouring in from all sides. The chairmen of some of the committees declare that there will be some big surprises in store for the visitors, and some of the biggest picture stars are being asked to attend. One prominent western manufacturer has planned a "surprise" all by his lonely. While the show date is from July 12 to 18, the convention proper starts July 10, when the exhibitors will transact some important league business. One of the "catchlines" of the expo is "See Motion Pictures Made," and this idea will be worked to its fullest advantages. Word has been received from New York that Sam Spedon, the Vitagraph publicist, is arranging for a "conven- tion special" that will bring the east- ern manufacturers and exhibitors to the Chicago show. The press committee, headed by George Laing, chairman, and C. C. Whelan, is working like a beaver, and the results are being noticed. Following the booming he did for the show in New York where he at- tended both picture shows, William J. Sweeney went out to Omaha May 25, where he attended the big picture ball and incidentally circulated some good reports of the Chicago expo. FLOOD OF CHAPLIN. The early part of the week the Times Square section was flooded by the latest Mutual Chaplin release, "The Fireman." The picture is being'shown at both the Strand and the Broadway for the full week, beginning last Mon- day, and the New York and Stanley both showed the film on Monday and Tuesday. WEDDING KEPT SECRET. Los Angeles, June 14. Seena Owen and George Walsh were secretly wed in San Diego five months ago and have just announced the event. Both are members of the Fox company. ILLINOIS MAY SHOW FILMS. Chicago, June 14. It is gossip that the Illinois which has been the home of "Chin Chin" may assume a picture policy for the summer and that in a fortnight or so it will open with the new Annette Kellcrmann picture. WAR TAX RAISES THE COST. The film brokers who are doing busi- ness in Australia are complaining that the war tax of four cents a foot on all film imported into the Antipodes is cutting deeply into their profits. If you don't advertise In VARIETY, don't odvortlM.