Exhibitor's Trade Review (May-Aug 1925)

May 30, i925 Page 33 News of Exhibitor Activities ARBITRATION BOARD PROCEDURE COMES UP BEFORE N. Y. MEETING BUFFALO, N. Y., May 22.— Members of the Buffalo and Albany zones of. the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of New York State, Inc., will hold a joint meeting in June, probably in Syracuse. Uniform procedure in arbitration will be agreed upon and definite rules and regulations established at this session. Representatives of the Film Boards of Trade of Buffalo and Albany will attend. Buffalo representatives of the exchanges will be Frank J. A. McCarthy, president of the Film Board of Buffalo ; Marvin Kempner, Paramount ; Sydney Samson, Bond Photoplays, and Henry W. Kahn, MetroGoldwyn. At this conference definite territory boundaries will also be established for the Buffalo and Albany zones. J. H. Michael, chairman of Buffalo zone, says the meeting may be held June 2, but is awaiting confirmation from Albany, both as to the date and the place of meeting. The members of the arbitration board for May in Buffalo are : Howard Smith, Palace Theatre ; Jim Wallingf ord, Allendale, and Barney Wohwinkle, Oriole. The exchange members are Sydney Samson, Bond ; Marvin Kempner, Paramount, and Jimmy Speer, Dependable. ♦ ♦ REMODELS THEATRE SEDRO WOOLLEY, Wash., May 22.— F. G. Abbott, owner of the Dream Theatre, who has been completely overhauling and remodeling his house, opened informally before two large audiences. Mr. Abbott has set his screen against the back wall, giving an excellent perspective from even the front row seats. A huge organ has been installed, and draperies and furnishings are new throughout. PLAN $100,000 STRUCTURE JONESBORO, Ark., May 22.— The Jonesboro Amusement Company, of which E. W. Collins is manager, has had plans prepared by D. J. Wolpert, architect, for a reinforced concrete, brick and terra cotta, two-story, 70 by 120 feet, theatre building, to cost $100,000. The structure will be of the Spanish type of architecture, with tile floors and corridors and composition roof. It will contain ten dressing rooms, two rest rooms, two offices, stage, mezzanine floor, balcony and gallery. It is hoped to have it ready for the fall season. * * * FILM EDITOR WEDS ST. LOUIS, May 22 — Miss Eleanor Speer, motion picture editor of the St. Louis Times, has become the bride of Jerry Flanders. She plans to continue in newspaper work. ADDS 2 TO CHAIN SIKESTON. Mo., May 22.— C. W. McCutcheon has added the Midway, Fornfelt, Mo., and the Home, Blytheville, Ark, to has string of houses. He operates in Sikeston and Charleston, Mo. * * * CRAIGMONT, Idaho, May 22. — The Film theatre here has closed. F. A. Smith was manager. In New Serial Neza Gerber Plays Lead in Ben Wilson Serial, "The Power God," for Davis Distributing Division, Inc. TWO LARGE DEEDS IN SKOURAS DEALS ST. LOUIS, May 22.— Two of the largest deeds of trusts involving theatre property ever recorded here were filed with Recorder of Deeds William Tamme. One deed is for $4,500,000 and is given as security for an issue of serial bonds on the proposed Ambassador theatre and office building, which Skouras Brothers Enterprises will build at Seventh and Locust streets. The other deed for $800,000 protects the bonds of the Metropolitan Theatres Corporation on the new St. Louis theatre, Grand boulevard and Morgan street, which is scheduled to open in September. Skouras Brothers have awarded the general contract for their theatre and office building to the Boaz-Kiel Construction Company and the work of clearing the site is now under way. BUFFALONIAN IN FRANCE BUFFALO, May 22 — Joseph A. Schuehert, owner of the Columbia and Colonial and interested in several other Buffalo houses, is now in Paris, France. * ♦ ♦ EASTMAN TO AFRICA ROCHESTER, May (22.— George Eastman will visit Martin Johnson, noted explorer, at his British East African camp next year. * * * FILM MAN IN RESORT FIRM BUFFALO, May 22 — Al Teschemacher, former booker at the Buffalo Pathe exchance and now owner of the Casino theatre here, has been appointed treasurer at Crystal Beach this Summer. His brother will operate the Casino during his absence at the Canadian shore resort. * * * OZARK. Mo.. May 22 — H. H. Hunt has sold the New Theatre. FILM MEN COMPEL MAYOR TO EXPLAIN NEWSPAPER ATTACK WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 22.— Moving picture men including both exchange officials and exhibitors tackled Mayor Webb of Winnipeg in his den following the publication of a statement made by the Mayor that, if the moving picture shows were not watched, they would be as harmful as the bars or the "dope" peddlers. This statement was made before the Council of Women. Those who took up the matter with the Mayor included A. S. Clatworthy, of the Vitagraph branch; Charles Wrener, of United Artists); Charles A. Meade, Lyceum Theatre; D. L. Fisher, manager of the Garrick Theatre and president of the Manitoba Motion Picture Exhibitors Association ; Walter F. Davis, manager of the Metropolitan Theatre; George M. Graham, manager of the Classic Theatre ; H. N. Jernberg, Province Theatre; Harry Morton, Gaiety Theatre, and George Law, Universal. When confronted with the clipping of the newspaper bearing his speech, Mayor Webb declared that he intended his remarks as a warning. "Let us have a censorship that will raise the tone so that there will be nothing shown that will affect the moral status of the boys and girls," said Mayor Webb. "The bars would not have been put out of business if they had been respectable. People were angered by the way they were conducted and wiped them out." Fisher and Clatworthy declared frequently the theatres put on beautiful performances but received no support from the general public. Again and again a producer had brought "beautiful, well-done, artistic hightoned pictures" only to find them a commercial failure. Mayor Webb felt that only women with three or more children should be appointed to censor boards, but Clatworthy believed that such women would have no time to devote to film censoring. George Graham declared that the Mayor's words had hurt the moving picture business and pointed out that in his own Classic Theatre he had taken pictures off the screen because he thought they were harmful. Further, Graham declared that the movies had more influence than the pulpit. He mentioned troubles, however, that arose over "religious pictures." George Law claimed that Manitoba had the soundest censor board on the whole continent. Manager Davis of the Metropolitan also had great praise for the Manitoba censors. Mayor Webb promised to write to the papers explaining his opinions. * * * CHANGES THEATRE NAME BROWNSVILLE, Tenn., May 22.— The Metro is the new name for the Fine Arts Theatre here. * * * FIVE THEATRES CLOSE _ ST. LOUIS, May 22.— Houses in this territory reported closed include: Vadakin Theatre, Bethany, 111.; New Palace, Rovalston, 111.; Opera House, Irving, 111; Palace Theatre, Creak Springs, 111., and Amuse Theatre, England, Ark. * * * HAITI, Mo.. May 22 — J. L. Dorris Is again in charge of the Empress here.