Exhibitors Herald (Oct-Dec 1920)

October 16, 1920 EXHIBITORS HERALD 45 Southern Illinois Gives Strength to State League Fifty Members Added to Membership Roll at Springfield Convention — Officers Prepare Plans Li3iMj for Holding Meeting at Peoria BY EDWIN S. CLIFFORD (Staff Representative, Exhibitors Herald) SPRINGFIELD, ILL., Oct. 5.— Southern Illinois lined up solidly with the Illinois Exhibitors' Alliance at the semi-annual convention of that organization held in the St. Nicholas Hotel here, September 29 and 30. Fifty exhibitors added their names to the I. E. A. membership roll and affiliated with the M. P. T. O. A. during the two-day session. At the enthusiastic closing session Thursday morning, plans were outlined to bring the membership up to 100 per cent in this territory, and every man present left, armed with application cards, and pledging that he would do his part in the drive. Will Call Session at Peoria Joseph Hopp, president of the alliance, announced that another convention will be staged at Peoria within the next two months to reach the theatre owners in the central part of the state. Before the close of the winter, he declared, the Illinois Exhibitors' Alliance will have the largest membership of any league in the history of the state, and he expressed the hope that Illinois would send at least 200 to the national convention of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America at Minneapolis in June. Joseph Hopp William A. Steffes. president of the United Theatrical Protective League of Minneapolis, was present to extend a personal invitation to the exhibitors to go' to Minneapolis. Berman and Burford Speak Featuring the convention were the addresses of Samuel I. Berman, personal representative of Sydney S. Cohen, president of the M. P. T. O. A, and W. D. Burford of Aurora, a member of the investigating committee of nine of the national organization. Burford brought with him a first-hand account of the national association's negotiations with Adolph Zukor, the hearing of the charges against Alfred S. Black, and many other matters taken up by the M. P. T. O. A. during the last few weeks. The interest in his report was manifested by the fact that he was repeatedly called back to elaborate on various points and to answer questions plied by a score of the exhibitors present. Raise $4,200 of Quota Berman preceded his appeal for donations to the national organization by an interesting and fiery talk on the need and value of organization, in which he outlined what the M. P. T. O. A. had already accomplished and the problems it must face within the next few months. At the conclusion of his talk, Sam Katz of the Balaban & Katz theatres, Chicago, placed a check for $1,000 on the table to start the donations, and was quickly followed by J. A. Rubens of the Aurora Theatre Company, Dee Robinson of Peoria and M. M. Rubens of the Princess theatre, Joliet, who donated $500 each. W. W. Watts of Springfield with $300, Charles Lamb of Rockford with $200. Harry Koffman of Chicago with $200 and Joseph Hopp, William H. Cadoret and Henry V. Meeteren with $100 each followed in rapid succession. Three men were kept busy receiving and recording the money as it came in. At the conclusion of half an hour, it was announced $4,239.50 had been raised. Joseph Hopp Presides Joseph Hopp, president, opened the convention early Wednesday afternoon, giving a brief talk on the success of the national organization and the state alliance and predicting important successes in the future. For the purpose of expediting matters, he appointed the following committees: Credentials and Registration — Fred Hartmann, Chicago; W. W. Watts, Springfield; J. A. Rubens, Aurora; Henry V. Meeteren, Chicago; Ben Uran, Mattoon; Louis Landau, Granite City; W. N. McConnell, Quincy; A. W. Barth, Carborrdale. Resolutions — Charles Lamb, Rockford, W. D. Burford, Aurora; Dee Robinson, Peoria; William Cadoret, Kankakee; M. M. Rubens, Joliet; Charles J. Law, Peoria; H. E. Nelson, Quincy; J. F. Dittman, Freeport; Joseph Hopp, Chicago; A. Siegfried, Decatur, and B. A. Wormald, LaSalle. Call Rembusch Disloyal Following the adoption of a resolution declaring allegiance to the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, the convention adopted resolutions criticizing Frank Rembusch of Indiana for his attack on Sydney S. Cohen in a letter, which was "played up" in two eastern trade publications. W. D. Burford, in speaking of the resolution, said that the trouble between Rembusch and Cohen started when the M. P. T. O. A. refused to pay Rembusch $3,250, which he claimed were his expenses prior to the Cleveland convention. Continuing, Burford said that he had learned Rembusch went from Cleveland to New York, where he "obtained $5,000 from five producing companies," and that Lewis J. Selznick had asked the M. P. T. O. A. "When do I get the $1,000 back that I loaned to Rembusch?" "Indianapolis exhibitors repudiated Rembusch's action," declared Burford. "They apologized for it. Rembusch was at the Indianapolis convention. He heard these charges against him. But he did not take the floor. He had nothing to say." The Resolution in Full The word of the resolution is as follows: Under whose leadership the Illinois Exhibitors Alliance has become one of leading state organizations of the nation. Whereas, An attack has been made on the integrity of our national president, Sydney S. Cohen, by one Frank Rembusch in which false and libelous charges are made against the national president, and, Whereas, the Motion Picture News and Moving Picture World printed those false and malicious statements in full, now, therefore, Be It Resolved, That the exhibitors of the State of Illinois in convention assembled at Springfield do hereby denounce the action of the said Rembusch as disloyal and slanderous, and, Be It Further Resoh-ed, That the secretary of the convention be and he hereby is instructed to send a certified copy of this preamble and resolutions to our national president, Sydney S. Cohen. The resolution was adopted by a unanimous vote. Act on Other Questions Many resolutions which have been adopted by practically all of the state organizations were introduced at the session and adopted unanimously. These included: For uniform contracts. Against activities of the F. I. L. M. clubs. Against censorship. Against advance payments (including a pledge not to make payment in full more than seven days before the play date). Against star stealing (including a pledge to discountenance it in every legal way). Against producers building theatres. Against the "music tax." Against percentage booking. Declaring screen ownership to be in the exhibitor. Pledging support to independent distributors and producers. As each resolution was introduced, W. D. Burford and Sam Berman gave brief talks on what the national association is doing in regard to the various topics treated. Endorse "Exhibitors Herald" A resolution expressing appreciation to Martin J. Quigley, publisher and editor of Exhibitors Herald, for his efforts in behalf of the independent exhibitors, was adopted unanimously. It was as follows: Whereas. Martin J. Quigley, Editor and Publisher of Exhibitors Herald, has openly and ir