Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1937)

FUND APPROPRIATION QUERY RISES St. Louis Paper Reports Exhibitor Inquiries on MPTO Fund St. Louis— “Some St. Louis members of the MPTO of E. Mo. and S. 111. are wondering what has become of a ‘defense fund’ of about $15,000 collected from them last September when they were negotiating wage contracts with union projectionists,” declares the St. Louis Post Dispatch in a story on June 1 that has created considerable comment in local motion picture circles. Two Members Report Assessment I'he story goes on to say “two members of the association have told the Post Dispatch that they were each assessed $150 for the fund by the association’s labor committee, handling negotiations with the union, whose members then were seeking a wage increase of $10 a week. “The labor committee sought the fund, these informants said, ‘to settle the wage controversy.’ Subsequently the union agreed to a one-year contract which called for no increase in the basic pay of projection operators although the new contract did provide minor increases for some operators according to the seating capacity of theatres in which they were employed. Deny, Then Admit Fund “Existence of the $15,000 fund was at first denied by Clarence H. Kaimann, owner of several North St. Louis theatres and a member of the labor committee of the owners association, when a Post-Dispatch reporter asked him about it. When the reporter told him members of the association had stated they gave him their contributions, he admitted that such a fund had been raised. “ 'There was one, the same as many organizations have,’ Kaimann told the reporter. ‘It was used for many purposes.’ “To a request for more specific information about the use made of the money, Kaimann replied: “ ‘Picnics, and things like that,’ and refused to discuss the matter further. “Max Sanowski, owner of the Fairy Theatre, told the reporter he had given Kaimann a check for $150 last September to pay his assessment for the fund. Collection of the fund, Sanowski said, was agreed on at a meeting of theatre owners during the contract negotiations with the Projectionists Union. Fund to Settle Wage Demands “ ‘The labor committee told us: “You pay your assessments, and let us handle the matter.” Sanowski related to the reporter. “So we paid.” Those present, Sanowski said, understood “the matter” to be a settlement of the demand for an increased wage by the projection operators. “Another theatre owner, who would not permit use of his name, gave an account similar to Sanowski’s of the manner in which the fund was collected and the purpose for which it was to be used. “This theatre owner exhibited to the re Sanowski, Kaimann in Repudiation St. Louis — Max Saiioivski, manager of the Fairy Theatre, has repudiated the interview credited to him in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which quoted him as saying that he had given a check for $150 as a contribution to an MPTO defense fund, to Clarence H. Kaimann, owner of several North St. Louis theatres. Likewise Kaimann has stated that he “ivas talking to a reporter about something else.” Fred Wehrenberg, local MPTO president, told Boxoffice this week that the Post-Dispatch article ‘‘was based on a lot of gossip.” “/ doii’t know anything about any defense fund and if any was raised I did not contribute to it,” he said, and continued: ‘‘If some theatreowners paid somebody some money, I don’t know anything about it.” Wehrenberg added that Max Sanowski and Clarence H. Kaimann have told hint the neivspaper misquoted them. porter a canceled check for $150 which, he said, represented payment of his assessment. The check was made payable to 'Kaimann and Landau’ and was indorsed in that fashion on its reverse side. It bore no other indorsement. Wehrenberg Denies Knowledge “Louis Landau, owner of the Maryland Theatre, a member, with Kaimann and others, of the owners’ labor committee, denied to a reporter that any defense fund had been collected. “Fred Wehrenberg, president of the association, was said by Kaimann to have been a member of the labor committee, but Wehrenberg told the reporter he had nothing to do with it. “ ‘I don’t know of any defense fund,’ Wehrenberg said, ‘and if any was raised, I did not contribute to it. If some theatre owners paid somebody some money, I don’t know anything about it.’ “Another member of the labor committee, Louis Ansell, owner of the Empress and two other theatres, professed to have no knowledge of the fund. Other members of the committee, who could not be reached, were Ansell’s brother Joseph, and Benjamin Pettier, owner of a North St. Louis theatre. “When contract negotiations were begun last September, John P. Nick, lATSE vicepresident represented the union, but before they were concluded, he said, he became ill and went to a hospital. “Nick told a reporter he had never heard of the theatre owners’ defense fund. He said ‘about 10 men’ comprising the union’s wage committee, participated in the negotiations in behalf of the union. If there was a fund, Nick said, he would be interested in learning what had become of the money.” C IIHII II C A G Cl Jl^PPROPRIATELY, the high news of the week among the personalities of Chicago filmdom must necessarily be regarding those 60 or 70 hardy souls who braved the wind and weather, or at least made the pleasant 90 mile jaunt to Milwaukee and the Allied convention. Chicago not only went to the convention, Chicago TOOK the convention. There were so many localities there, especially on Thursday, that it looked almost like a Chicago convention with a few out-of-town visitors. Asking the pardon of any we might have overlooked, the local representation that we were able to record included: Aaron Saperstein, Tippy Harrison, Dick Salkin, Joint Semidalas, Van Nomikos, Elmer Benisch, Henri Elman, Abe Fader, Sam Halper, Aaron Courshon, Joe Weiss, Ludwig Sussman, Verne Langdon, W. J. Mueller, Nate Wolf, M. O. Wells, Ludwig Siegel, Morrie Salkin, Lou Abramson, Ben Katzman, Bob Hartman, Charlie Nelson, Jimmy Coston, Charlie Auerbach, Abe Auerbach, J. Manta, Charlie Miller, S. Roberts, Ben Bartlestein, Jack Rose, Alex Manta, Peck Gomersall, Melvin Sussman, Bill Pearl, Jack McPherson, Irving Mack, Art Stern, Dick Sachsel, Elmer Miller, Joe Stern, I. G. Ettelson, Eddie Brunnell, Lou Price, Ed Sayre, Joe Koppel, B. Lasker, Joe Pastor, Jack Rubin, Art Gould, Ed Wolk, D. H. Fitike, A. M. Siegel, Addie Klein, Jolmnie Mednikow, Herman Marks, Joe Berenson, Tom Flannery, M. J. Weil, Abe Gumbiner, Steve Bennis, Leo Bennis, Joe Goldberg, Harry Toler. Bill Crouch Dan Goldberg . . . without regard to their batting order. Dick Sachsel wasn’t quite the shining light this year that he was in Cleveland a year ago, when he was able to regiment the local contingent into a unified gathering which went strong for his particular variety of fun-making. There was, of course, a bit of hot-footing here and there, and a few 4 a. m. phone calls, but for the most part Dick gave the floor to another, not a Chicagoan at present but well and favorably known in our midst for many years, namely George West, who now hails from New Yawk, suh, and who ran high, wide and handsome during the three days of the convention. George was just about the funniest guy we have seen in a long time, especially when he was passing out the drinks. No matter whose they were, George passed the drinks around, and got his share while at it. For the most part, the Chicago Allied exhibitor members were just interested spectators. Not many of Allied’s national policies fit this particular local situation, except its stand on affiliated theatres, and several others of lesser moment; and although the Chicago boys were interested spectators they did not take a greatly active part in the deliberations. The seventh floor was a little too high so Louie Price didn’t jump through any windows this year. Those four inveterate pinochlers, Messrs. 68 BOXOFFICE :: June 5, 1937.