The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

THE NATIONAL MIRROR 13 Kent Denies Cruelty in Making“Jesse James" Belated AHA Charges Voided by OK Re petition Kuykendall Sees Value in Historical Tieups Says Records of American Towns Can Be Kept Colonel Harry A. Cole Chosen Allied Leader Washington Meeting Sees Texan Elected Expressing surprise that charges of cruelty to horses should be leveled now at the 20th Century-Fox company on location some months ago on "Jesse James,” president Sidney R. Kent last week denied the allegations of Sydney H. Coleman, president, American Humane Association. While Kent admitted that an "accident” had occurred while the picture was on location, he declared: ”... the very fact that the scene was repeated without injury to horse or rider is definite proof that it was purely accidental and not because we were compelling either horse or rider to take an unnecessary risk. "The same rider, all of the horses that were used in the scene and the original accident was caused by a premature fall of one of the horses. In our opinion 20th Century-Fox is no more responsible for this accident than a polo player would be if he fell in a game of polo and one of his ponies was injured.” Indicative of the attention the company pays to the prevention of possible inadvertant acts of cruelty, Kent, in expressing surprise that the Coleman charges should have come so long after the alleged cruelty, stated that an AHA representative had for three years "watched us at our request whenever we were shooting a picture with animals,” that "never once have you, the AHA questioned our purposes or motive.” Kent also pointed out that the representative "on the ground” had made no criticism at the time, objection being raised only after the New York release of the picture. Whitney Announces Bibliography James Hay Whitney, president, Museum of Modern Art Film Library, New York City, announced January 16 that the Library is sponsoring the publication of a bibliography of unprecedented scope and size which will provide the world’s most comprehensive guide to the literature of the motion picture. The work, which will comprise three volumes under the testative title of "The Film in America,” is being prepared by the Works Progress Administration Federal Writers’ Project of New York. It is regarded by the Film Library, a large group of individual sponsors as a reference book which will make possible a systematic approach to the theory and practice of the art of the motion picture. Publication of the first volume is in progress, a substantial proportion of the preliminary work on the remaining two volumes has been completed. In its final form, the work should prove invaluable to exhibitors and students of cinematographic history and progress. MPTOA president Edward L. Kuykendall fortnight ago requested exhibitors to cooperate with Chambers of Commerce by working with major film exchanges for making of strips of film or particular sequences from a particular feature to help start and develop an animated historical record for every interested American city and town. Said Kuykendall, in part: "Between $135,000,000 and $150,000,000 will be spent by Hollywood on pictures reaching the screens of American theatres during 1939. There will be represented in this total expenditure hundreds of thousands of dollars which will be apportioned to research and re-creating scenes in earlier American life in set construction. "None of these scenes and few of the country’s early landmarks can be found except, in many instances, in faded photographs or drawings in public libraries or old books. "Hundreds of Chambers of Commerce throughout America are spending many thousands of dollars gathering historical data of their particular cities and towns. Their records at best are confined to inanimate exhibits upon which are dependent students of local history as well as inquiring tourists. "Motion pictures, in many instances, re-create authenticated animated versions of earlier days. These touch on almost every city in the union, at least it is safe to say they already have since the inception of the film industry. Time after time Hollywood writers and research workers a; well as architectural artists return to a city where is situated the story locale for another feature. "There is very definite value in a celluloid bi-product of this kind, a very obvious one which has escaped notice over all these years. It should be particularly interesting to Chambers of Commerce.’” Quiz Winners Ready February 20 Winners of the $2 5 0,000 Movie Quiz Contest will be announced through the theatres who participated in the Motion Pictures’ Greatest Year campaign, February 20. Arrangements have been made so that the names of the winners (both national and local) will be delivered to each theatre whose pledge is paid in full. This information will be delivered by a confidential source to the manager of each theatre at 8 P. M. February 20 all over the country. This will enable exhibitors to schedule the announcement any time after 8.30 P. M. Financial Notes Columbia — Amendment filed with SEC again defers the effective date of its voting trust certificate registration, until January 31. On January 18, Columbia again filed an amendment to defer the effective date of the registration statement, this time until February 7. Meeting in its annual session in Washington the board of directors of the Allied States Association last week elected Colonel Harry A. Cole, long-time (since 1919) Dallas, Texas exhibitor, president of the organization, to succeed four-term Nathan Yamins, Fall River, Massachusetts. Cole has been serving as chairman of Allied’s negotiating committee. Other officers elected were Charles H. Olive, Washington, secretary; P. J. (Pete) Wood, Columbus, Ohio, recording secretary; Herman Blum, Baltimore, Marvland, treasurer; Abram F. Myers, Washington, general counsel and chairman of the executive committee. On the executive committee are Cole, A1 Steffes, Sidney Samuelson, Nate Yamins, Martin Smith. The 1939 general meeting will be held in Minneapolis. Allied indicated that it will continue to negotiate in the matter of the trade proposals. The body, in a resolution, indicated that there must be a complete and definite plan before action will follow. The organization also indicated it will proceed along lines leading to legislative relief and litigation. William F. Rodgers, appearing at the meeting for the distributors, asked Allied’s cooperation. Present at the Washington session were Abram F. Myers, Sidney Samuelson, Al Steffes, Ray Branch, Colonel H. A. Cole, Herman Blum, M. A. Rosenberg, with William F. Rodgers, Gradwell L. Sears, Abe Montague, L. Levinson, Tyree Dillard, the last two being attorneys. These men met in conference on the present proposals. H. M. Richey, RKO, addressed the banquet as toastmaster. He said that the industry has a real job ahead in the matter of various problems. Nearly 100 attended the banquet. IS ;/ MUCH ABUSED TERM.! There is Only One— VoIgT 12 "l MONTGOMERY AVE PHILA.PA DECORATIVE LIGHTING [ DRINKING FOUNTAIN/ DIRECT ION /IGN/ January 25, 19)9