Variety (October 1919)

lELZNM ORGANIZES UNIQUE PICTURE DISIRIMITING CONCERN ifatioiMd Picture Theatres, Inc., Has $5,000,000 Woilk •! 0' Pkefened Stock—Pnmioter Himself Buys All Common Stodc for $100,000—Active Co-operation and r^ 'WholeJiearted Support of R^r^^ Jf;/^;,:Z«Mfis J^MsBkk la at It again. Not with ftmnlns the Repablic Dls- vtiUmting Corporation a fortnight ago, k» la now about to spring another itea ,iqpon the exhlbltora ot the country. ^'^:^:'-VhtM time It takea the fonn ot the >>';:;MlKUonal Flctore Theatres, Inc., organ- ^^ViiiMd under the laws of Dealware, with Vl lv a^ capital stock consisting of 60,000 sbarea w non-voting 7 per cent, cumulative ;^mfleRed stodc (preferred not only aa tm ^Mtaid% but aa to assets aa fieB) {>tta par vtfnt nC IMS mi^ Cwwi* ^, ; .Mipk Mmw tttt ptetnre exUMtocs may ^•^i*;^^ ilipiilba la ynCerred shares and only l^|^^^.tt.-C0BiiflefkMi with a franchise' for the ' f, ;v of motion pictures Issued by vlfntlonal Picture Theatres, Inc. Ejxblbltora will i>e classified according to ia schedule and wlU be strlcUy limited rip . the amount of iftaacpv JaiteitaA by ^-tlie rating chart . TtM preferred sUKdc will be sold at vtyar. Out of his holdings of common " '•took Selznick will give one sliare of C-'temmon stock with each Aare of iire- ■s'.litmd. stock purchased. He will aeeept V . dividends for himself only' on as many 'i^-r^-AnteB ot common stock as stiaU be held : V.W exhibitor^ waiving divideada on tha the franctiise contract will follow in gen- eral the regulation form vt exhibitor, contract, the mutual Intereata wlU permit the eltmlnatloa or tlon of the harsh provb^ooa and n- atrtetlMii of Um tract ■ambw ia olBdala on- dv toMmtttf «( the boavS of directors nay, after oonatderatkm of the case, ex< etelae their vested authority and void tlw Crtnehlse of the delinquent without pre- Jndlca to his stock interest, although at hla option, be may require the organi- zation to repurchase same at cost plus accrued dividends. For the benefit ot stockholders and ia order to establish Just but profitable prioea for non-member exhibitors, each pietnre owned by the corporation will ba aaseased on a basis *oC twtoa tlw ac- tual coat of nMiattfaa WhOb It will ba tho paUqccC tlw ooipocatlaB to i «■ owi win ba ii to bo aada thicough oc :«N |: jtea»d «( nnetacs. Vbara win ba t '^Va insure the active co-operation and Miole-hearted support of influential . icapresentative exhibitors who become virlce-presidents or directors of the con- -iCem, and also to insure the main body Of exhibitor members that these officers are financially committed to the success .of the enterprise, e&ch of such vice- presidents and directors (according to he Importance of their territories) must bscribe for a substantial nuadMr o( •ma of the preferred stodc insure the fullest co- isa will bo graated aay «(« pir ' in addition to 7 par cent on the pre- farred stock, stockholders are to receive dividends on the common stock as flol- ■lows: Excess earnings from franchise contracts; earnings from non-member exhibitors; earnings from foreign dis- tribution. Selznick is about to place this propo- sition before the eKhibitora of the coun- try in the form of a prospectus, showing the basis upon which stock allotnwafii aad assessments arfe to be made. JQ EVIDENCE Los Angeles, Oct. 29. Kenneth O'Hara, studio manager at the L. J. Oasnler plant, has been sued for divorce by Beulah Booker O'Hara, picture actress, on the ground of cruelty. O'Hara rejoined with a counter- charge of cruelty. Hia story was borne out by Mrs. Hazel West, who came by aeroplane from Santa Barbara to tes- tify. She stated that O'Hara's wife and ber mother beat him up. (yHaca. dadarad fortlwr hia wiCa GEIBQBS OETTDra SOME SEBSB. ' Harrisburg, Oct 29. r Pamuorlvanla State Board oC Cen- I been opont&v t togr Idaas tai aooM. SMuat la^sabw to nabaria tloB «c ObaloMB Anr U a instead of Uttat will save moeta tlmo° aad «UIb tbo Issutng of films approved lqr".flW' board from the Pittsburgh and tha main offlce at Philadelphia, almost simultaneously. Distributors and exhibitors of the State have long complained about the delay of getting titled approval seals and certificates of approval. ffeMB the Philadelphia! office only. Only one-approval seal Instead of two will be Issued with each picttu-e ap- proved and this will mean the saving of nmny thousands of dollars for the State. The seals wlU now be issued Imme- diately after a picture.film is^i^roved by the board. The baoid wiU also laaoe a monthly by tho CBOSS COUNTST EXCHANGES. Plans for the wectloB, constittetlal^ aad mklntenance of a chain, of film as^ f bnOdlnss tluoagfaont'tha Unilitl ij aiQ JMm MitertiaMit by liw aiisiil^;! gi». y»t loaal Asaweiatiim at tb*^ HMm^ Pletnie Indiiatxy, lite. .'^^ It la purposed patting up a model fitai^' exchange building in every motion piof ^ ture distributing center and so avalfj^f trouble with fire departments. Frederick H. Slllptt the executive sec- retary of the association, after a three- . day stop-over in Cleveland, returned to i this city Tuesday and was hopeful ot;j the plans being accepted by the mem^ j bars of the. film exctiange committee ot.: the association. They were in epeclaf- conference at the Claridge, Wednesdi^. afternoon, and he declared that the phniigf as he had pecfeetad them to date woidd ' ba approved. - Vho bnHdiaci auo to ho ht Clavelanli vilb.a Hat of ▲ eafgr.wlllbo taUwCttato. OOMDH} HEBE. Baltaa aoldlw- poo t -pwywtnii shactly aflw tha- ezact dati dependant' an duty as a Italian army. lyAnnunzlo, wiio wrote the anrlpt of *X!ablria," the first film feature to reaeb the big legitimate houses at the |2 top price of admission. In vogue at the Broadway theatres five years ago. has been in communication with several American picture producers recently. Harry Raver, in charge of the ex- ploitation of "Cabirla" in America, has made D'AnnunzIo an offer to write and co-direct another spectacular picture on the order of "Cabirla," based on the Flume situation. The details of fliis have not been closed, further arrange- ments awaiting D'Annunsio's arrlvaL A phase of the Raver , offer to D'AnnunzIo calls for the establishment of a studio in New Toric and anotha r In Italy, with lyAnnnnito oceopyhw tha voat ot cananl aivarviaor over the doehv auUvlUao oC boHi. sun AflAOBX B. S. MOfiS. lOMNd MwiMib WW aC the *;ibxfc Onhott Bafhtag CW liaa ba«ni anit acKhwt Br IT. Mom o( tM Bcaadway Staaatar far 9>MM lajnnca allied to-base baan anstafnad «a .the ataga oC •:'lMt. The accident I to tha negligeaea of ^MABEL NORMAND'8 CONTRACT Mabel Normand's contract with Gold— wyn Is about to expire, and she Is in New Tork at present conferrlas with «i« beada of that'oonoem. irtatife to a Ab attractlva bamM owar bar R i« a B d wato ad that sroan4 baa al-^^ tor the boildfaiK^ jpbidi to loeatad ob W9lbma»,w^:i Vhe ptauw for the <Sefa«'; land building wllf be perfeclted and tto' deal closed, Elliott said, with the atrlv«i of the interested parties ;f(«B that cttf last Thursday. They are undertaking this work right now. Elliott declared, in a spirit of greater co-operation ttian would ordi- narily be experienced if the work ot building went ahead from the stand- point of building Individually. In all cities where they so far propose build- ing, men of financial standing are giving every posalUe aid. he aald. and the bantf 'l were taking up the proposition with en^ thusiasm. The site tor the Cleveland boUdtaig to ho «B the «enMr of Ontario and 0^ > A. abnl; fthtnv «C tlg>' win be mr- a-parcel post subr^- a d^fot tor the Amerleui Ballway Etxpress. "With (bis it Is estif ^ mated that a great saving in the mattdrl; of freight handling will be accomplished^" : as well as making one haul to the sta- tion In contrast with the customary two' or three trips. Elliott also said that the arcliitecturM plahs are so far In advance In tho mat^: . ten of vaults, alleyways and other para* phemalia with respect to the storage of films that the Are departmento of lb*. various municipalities scareeiy gto*'; credence to their progress. v ' It was also said that the praaldent of . the Baetman Kodak Conpaay was gH^ lag every aaaletaiiee nnattettegly to ^ pmjaet, and tlM ] to band with tiNm to the RELEASINQ CO0Y .FEATURES Jm, J. Oaaalar has gone to New Tock. 4 to hnaage. tor .the release .el. to* < for. tbato Muxmii/i ' > ■ . • J'.i .• BabarttOB-Cela are tlw Mpoctad jwr;