Variety (November 1918)

iiji^'"'■ ■ ■'■■■■■■ ,..'....■:•■ •••■■,••■.., ■..■:■[:'■■'■ :''^''''''''\'-'J^^''■'<.:■' -'^ Rv ■■-■■ ^mH: M O V I N G P I C T U R E S Or '\- ' ES-> Is*;- K^ FRANK HALL'S ORGANIZATION. " it can be autlion'tatively stated tliit by Dec. 1, Frank Hall will have organ- ized and in active working order a new distributing concern with 17 ex- changes throughout the country for the handling of not less than 48 new releases the first year. The names of those interested with Mr, Hair are withheld,'as the final papers have not yet been signed. Official announcement with details will be forthcoming in a few days. NEW YORK'S FIRST RUN $3,000. Louis B. Mayer, of Boston, has placed a price of $3,000 on the first- run privilege of the Anita Stewart productions in New York. The first of the Mayer made productioas will be "Virtuous Wives." The Boston first-run has already been closed with the Boston Theatre taking it at $1,500. SAWYER-LUBIN-RALPH INCE. Announcement is made of the crys- talization of the plans of A. H. Sawyer and Herbert Lubin in the launching of the first Ralph Ince attraction. Ince is now engaged in the produc- tion of the first big special which will be released under the banner of S. L. Pictures. '■■A' the *1ITTLE WOMEN" AT STRAND. By an arrangement effected Tues- day between Harold Edel and William A. Brady, the latter's six-reel screen production of "Little Women" will be shown at the Strand week of Nov. .10. It was directed by Harley Knoles. The four girls are played by Dorothy Beriyird, Florence Flinn, Isabelle Lamoti and Lillian Hall; the boys by Conrad Nagel and Henry Hull. Says Mary Won't Go to France. Los Angeles, Oct. 30. Mary Pickford's mother, who came East to be with her other daughter, Lottie, during her illness, says the story Mary is going to France is not so. Others say it is. Lottie Pickford has sufficiently re- covered to be removed to her home. Miss Pickford had a narrow escape. It will be necessary for her to take a long rest and she will go to the moun- tains. \ UPTOWN HOUSE. Max J. Kramer and Edward Mar- golies have taken a 99 years' lease of the block on Broadway, 159th to l60th streets, with a frontage of 197 feet on Broadway, and will erect a 2,00(]i-seat picture house with stores on the Broad- way front, the entrance to the theatre on 160th street with a dead wall in the rear. The interior will be decorated in Italian renaissance. While no permission can be had for the erection of the theatre at this time, construction work on the stores will be commented immediately. ftia'.."i.i.... iPARAMOUNT'S PRODUCING PLAN. An innovation in the plan of pro- ducing will be inaugurated on the Coast by the Famous Players-Lasky Company during the coming winter. It will consist of placing a writer with each director and his producing unit during the making of a picture. When the story is accepted and placed in continuity form by one of the firm's writers that writer will work with the director until the production is com- pleted. Operators A<k Pay for Layoff. The picture operators of the New- ark Union, No. 59 (stagehands' local "ov^r"thM, m; 21)^lasl^ Wedrit«day"de-^ manded pay for the ten days' lay-oft, through the epidemic, and also an m- crease in the former scale of wages. The managers refused and left the matter to be settled by a board of arbitration. CONSIDERING SHUTDOWN. V'iiieeting 'yes'terday (Thu'rsday)""'a't" e rooms of the N. A. M. P. I. of the principal producers of the industry was to decide whether or not the four weeks' shut down would be extended. The meeting was called last Monday, but at that time the conditions about the country due to 'the epidemic were such it was decided to extend the non- releasing period for at least two weeks. Later, however, a decision was reached whereby the association would wait until,yesterday to see if condi- tions bettered before they would defi- nitely extend the order. -Cr;!....,, WHARTONS QUIT ASSN. The Wharton Brothers have ten- dered their resignation to the National Association of the Motion Picture In- dustry, to take effect immediately. The resignations were tendered through the secretary of the company controlled by the brothers. As the, letter was not direct from the mem- btrs the Association refused to accept the resignations. Leopold and Theo. Wharton have been members since the association started and were active in defeating the State Censorship bill in Albany, it is understood that they wish to re- tire, because of the manner in which the recent conservation meeting was handled. HEADLIGHT LAW FILM. The new state headlight law recent- ly passed has been filmed by the Uni- versal Industrial Dept. by Harry Levey for Secretary of New York State Hugo. The Secretary posed for the picture showing the right angle for the auto lamps and the candle powe'r lamps that were to be used in them. ENGLISH BUYERS HERE. J. D. Tippett, representing the Trans-Atlantic Film Company of Lon- don, arrived in New York last week. W. D. Wainwright, the independent London broker, is also in New York. COPYRIGHT MATTER. In an action in the United States Circuit Court at New York in the case of The Societe Des Films Men- chen vs. Vitagraph Company of Amer- ica, last week, a decision was rendered which stated that "where authors took out a copyright they lost their com- mon law rights and an assignee\ of their cinematographing rights is not entitled to protection independent of the copyright." JAMES YOUNG SUING. S Los Angeles, Oct. 30. James Young has brought action against C. R. MacCauley to recover $15,000, alleging breach of contract for a propaganda picture. Young alleges he was engaged to direct it at $800 weekly. MacCauley, who is the New York cartoonist, denies any contract existed with Young. CINCINNATI MERGER. Cincinnati, Oct. 30. A merger of the Alhambra, Lubin and Colonial theatres, on West 5tb street, is in prospect. I. Frankel and a number of men associated with him have purchased the Alhambra. He and his partners in the Colonial—Frank W. Huss and John J. Huss—are mak- ing preparations for the consolidation. The plan is to build one large the- atre, eliminating, the competition •which'-has" ■imidiEapped -the -three- houses in competition with the the- atres farther uptown. If the merger cannot be effected, two houses will be erected, but it is thought the few barriers in its way will soon be removed. :.,,.:..,..::.?^lliams;answers: zyi^ (Continued from page 42) sadWing down, of one star's effort with productions featuring stars of lesser magnitude and uncertain drawing power, who are paid and maintained by a producmg-distributing-exhibiting organization not for exhibitor benefit, but on the dog-in-the-manger principle. ' How many of the real big atara are there on the programs today whoso) productions exhibitors cap book with the certainty of a profit on them individually without signing a contract for other releases which feature stars with no particular box-office value and which consume, in rentals, what h^ makes in profit on the big star? No exhibitor will object to a service contract giving him exhibiiion rights to a series featuring a star of known box>office value. But it is now an old and taken.for-grmnted trick to compel him to pay out hid dollars for unprofitable pictures to get the big fellows just because a concern wants everything in sight and has to "make the strong cany the weak" to stifle and offset a theoretical competition. " . If exhibitors could get the big star productions without the unprofitable ones, he could afford to pay more for those of known value. And the stars of known value would enjoy a corresponding increase in income. And more exhibitors, who cannot afford the premium demanded in rentals on "forced" productions, would book the big star features on an independent and individual basis, thereby swelling materially the gross income from each big star production, making^ possible the payment of a greater sum to the known-value stars than is possible under the restraining conditions which exist on some programs. . Mr. Zukor asks, anent a, certain star whose identity I do not presume to hazard a guess: "She has a contract vhich eventually expires. The producer cannot ignore his investment in that star, his efforts of years, his associates and their interests, he is. compelled to offer still more for the contract which be could have obtained without a counter-offer for far less." This counter-offer, he declares, is made by a group of exhibitors joined on a cooperative basis. But he does not: characterize them, in this particular reference, a^ exhibitor- produceirs. He then asks: "Who pay's?" and promptly answers: "The exhibitor." "" Again he is right, but assuming that this "group of exhibitors joined on a cooperative basis" understand the value of specialization, permit me to point out how the exhibitor would pay. The total cost for • each of that star's productions would be divided between rentals from hundreds of exhibitors, in addition to those who would book hersproductions on program, who could not afford the premium which has always been demanded. The result: Averaged down, each.exhibitor would pay proportionately less than is now the case and still return a gross income which would show a substantial profit, irrespective of the normal and commensurate amount paid such a star for each production under distribution conditions of that character. If Mr. Zukor means First National when he refers to box-office values "inflated by the exhibitors themselves through their producing competition," I suggest that he read again my quotation from First National's articles of incorporation. -v^ • Suppose- a "certain staj ♦ ♦ ♦ of great eminence" is investigating the field before signing a new contract and First National is considered as an outlet for the productions. Our proposition is simple. It is predicated on the doctrine of specialization. We would say: _ . "Should we distribute your productions it will be with the condition that we have no interest in your producing company. You are privileged to direct its destinies untroubled by us. We would rent your pictures to exhibitors without demanding their life's blood to get them. They wouldn't be obliged to take any other productions as a penalty for their good opinion of your box-office value. Accordingly, we could thereby obtain more bookings and consequently, greater income at rental prices which would be reasonable. We have no expensive overhead. We are not handling one success to three failures. Therefore, we can afford to pay you—a known star with a known value—a figure commensurate with your ability to bring people to the theatre." That is our argument, our policy and our creed. This is the dawn of a new era in the motion picture business. Greater quality in productions is demanded by exhibitors. And they wilPfdrce manu- facturers to supply it. They are getting to the point where they will b* .«hle to defend themselves against attempted producing-distribuling-exhibUing monopolies. . . .1 • -.^ .•■'■^*^'' All that «ny exhibitor asks is a fair, square deal—with the privUege of booking pictures featuring stars who have a known value in his box>office, who possess the ability to make productions containing quality and entertain- ment consistent with the merits and standards of the star and public demand. The day of the individual producer is here. He is the fellow who is specializing in productions—striving, unhampered or worried by other interests, to create the very best product of which he and his star and associates are The" day of the independent distributor is here.. He is the fellow who is bending his every energy—working without responsibilities and cares of a producing organization to detract from his time and thoughts—to the specialized task of the equitable booking of productions of known value. . ,., And the day o'f the independent exhibitor is dawning—the day when hH will be free from monopolistic dictation in the selection of his retail wares. The foregoing ideas and suggestions for righting to an even keel any trouble-tossed ship sailing shallow financial waters and needing the name ot a box-office magnet to stabilize and add the necessary weight to an otherwise insufficient ballast are uncopyrighted, and there will be no prosecutions if they are applied without my consent. .^^'^"- Lambert Suing Vitagraph for Title. Richard Lambert, through his attor- ney, Alfred Beekman, of House, Gross- man and Vorhaus, is suing the Vita- gfaiph""€&!Kpa=flyf<5r=$2&iOO0 -damages • for the alleged appropriation of his title, "The Blue Envelope." This was the name of a legitimate Lambert pro- duction of several seasons back. The picture company also ^issued a film under the same title. Santschi Returns to Coast. Tom Santschi, who played the heavy opposite Geraldine Farrar in "The ,, Wi!d..£at,",,rfitMt:njei.t(? ..th;^..Co^fU??L Saturday without signing a contract with Goldwyn. The company wanted to place him under its management for the next two years, but a differ- ence over the question of salary pre- vented a consummation of the deal.