Exhibitors Herald (Jun-Dec 1917)

EXHIBITORS HERALD SMALL EXHIBITORS FACE RUIN IN BIG U. S. TAX Varner Warns Entire Film Industry Must Give Concerted Action to Defeat Ten Per Cent Tax on Film Theatres; Petti john Aids in Drive on Legislators Washington, D. C. — (Special to "Exhibitors Herald). — The necessity tor conned action on the part of the entire film industry in an effort to bring about the ?ath of the ten percent war tax on motion picture theater receipts, was issued to hibitors throughout the United States this week from the capital by H. B. Varner. the American Exhibitors Association, who is representing the film theater men's terests. The war tax measure which, when it first came up some time ago, was killed in e Senate, but recently came up again in the House of Representatives, now is ing pushed by the solons who favor taxation without exemption of the industries. W. W. Wilson Warns Exhibitors . According to Congressman W illiam L Wilson, of Illinois, who does not i.or taxation of the pictrue theatre rek pts, owing to the fact that the motn pictures are aiding the government i: spreading propaganda from the diff ent departments, unless the exhibitors i the country band solidly and bring fcry influence to bear upon congressman and representatives from the vari. ics states, some kind of tax will be (iced upon the motion picture theaters, -larry M. Crandall, of Washington. 10 operates motion picture theaters, h sent telegrams to many branches of t American Exhibitors Association a:ing the exhibitors to communicate \':h their congressmen, it is. pointed out by officials of the .lerican Exhibitors Association that i i tax is placed upon the theaters that rny exhibitors will be forced out of hiiness. Varner Again Leads Fight 1. B. Varner, who was instrumental i bringing about the death of the propied tax when it reached the Senate. 1 p.v is bending every effort to stop it ii:he House of Representatives. i peculiar phase of the proposed tax i;the attitude of the owners of several Re eastern theaters, particularly in York. everal of the eastern motion picture tiater owners are in favor of the tax, its said, and have so expressed thems> es before the finance committee in V shington. The admission prices c rged at the larger theaters range fr'n twenty-five cents up to $1. Ail o them are houses of large capacity ai will be only slightly affected by the H tax measure. (owever, should the ten percent tax b-imposed upon all houses, regardless o:;ize, the attendance at small theaters wild be materially reduced, and in a slrt time they would be compelled to snend. AE. A. AND OCHS MEN CO-OPERATE AT CAPITAL ew York. — Factional interests were forotten this week in Washington w n representatives of the American E ibitors Association and the M. P. E L worked together in behalf of the e> b'.tors against the proposed war tax. . B. Varner, chairman of the legisla e committee of the A. E. A., and Charles C. Pettijohn, general manager of the A. E. A., sent a wire to Lee Ochs. advising him that the situation was serious for exhibitors. Ochs was out of the city and in his absence Mr. Blumenthal sent broadcast a number of telegram? ind Grant Anson hurried to Washington to co-operate with Mr. Varner and Mr. Pettijohn. "Mr. Blumenthal and Mr. Anson are entitled to their share of credit for anything that may have been accomplished In Washington that will prove beneficial to the exhibitor," said Mr. Pettijohn on his return to New York. "Both men co-operated with Mr. Varner and myself and all factional differences were torgotten in our work for the exhibitors of the country. A. E. A. Aids All Exhibitors. "The American Exhibitors Association has pledged itself to look after the interests of the exhibitors, whether they are members of the Association or not Our interest centers principally in the small exhibitor who owns a theatre in a small town where he can't afford to charge a high admission fee and who already is forced to pay such a high rental for his film as to make it almost impossible for him to realize a fair return on his investment. It is the small exhibitor who would suffer most from a high tax. and it was in his interest that Mr. Varner and T went to Washington." FRANK THWARTS OCHS LEAGUE IN MOVE TO FREE $5,000 EXPO FUNDS Joseph Hopp Declares He Was Not National Officer When Served With Papers, But Judge Finds Loop-hole to Give Plaintiff Legal Action Officers of the Ochs League branch of Chicago were thwarted this week in their attempt to free $5,000 of the gate receipts and other funds from the 1917 Exposition, which are held intact by garnishment proceedings instituted some time ago by Louis H. Frank, Fred J. Herrington and Judge A. P. Tugwell, all former office holders in the Ochs organization. Through a technicality, Ludwig A. Schindler, 1917 exposition manager, Joseph Hopp, Robert Levy and William J. Sweeney, in Judge Richardson's municipal court. Thursday, September 20, endeavored to set aside the bond of Mr. Frank filed in the garnishment proceedings on the grounds that at the time the proceedings were instituted Hopp was not yet installed officially as an officer of the national body of the Ochs League and therefore could not accept service. However, Judge Richardson decided that Mr. Frank should file another bond in the case, and in order to get legal service on the Ochs organization Mr. Frank has been ordered to advertise the matter for forty days. The new hearing of the case will come up November .5. Until that time the $5,000 and other Ochs League funds will remain intact, awaiting the decision of the court. During the court proceedings Attorney Knox, representing Mr. Frank, produced a letter written by Hopp to Lee A. Ochs alluding to certain league matters. The subject matter of the correspondence produced concerned the money taken in at the 1917 exposition. A copy of this letter was printed in ''Exhibtors Herald,'' issue of August 28. The letter, Hopp declared, was not signed by him as first vice-president of the Ochs League. KLAW & ERL ANGER SEEK TO RESTRAIN TRIANGLE FROM ISSUING "POLLY ANN" FILM Theatrical Producers in Supreme Court Proceedings Allege Use of Title is Infringement upon "Pollyanna" Stage Play Klaw & Erlan^er and George C. Tyler, of Xew York, have begun proceedings in the Supreme Court to restrain the Triangle Film Corporation from using the title "Polly Ann' for the photoplay in which Bessie Love stars The theatrical producers allege that the use of the title is an infringement upon "Pollyanna." (Continued on Page IS, Col. 3)