Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

44 EXHIBITORS HERALD January 28, 1922 Another pose of Will H. Hays who will head the producers and distributors organization. (Photo by International.) of late in that direction and I am sure it is essential that such tendency be checked." Exhibitors Make Statement The exhibitors' attitude toward the offer made to Mr. Hays was made known in a statement issued by the board of directors of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America at a meeting here last week. The statement said: "Our purpose in presenting this statement is to correct the erroneous impression that the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America is in any sense a party to any arrangement now under way affecting Mr. Hays. This we state that it may serve to clear up any misunderstanding which may exist and make it perfectly plain to every official and individual in the country that the owners of the motion picture theatres are separate and distinct in their relation, have no affiliation with the manufacturers or producers of pictures and therefore have in no sense been parties to the move under discussion." Opposition Is Expressed Some opposition to Mr. Hays' acceptance of the industry's proffer has been voiced. Senator Harrison, Democrat, Mississippi, declared that if the industry "gets the biggest politician in the Republican party to head that industry, we must look upon it with suspicion." "Why is Mr. Hays selected by the motion picture industry to acept a fabulous salary?" asked the senator. "What is the purpose of making this tender? Is it because he is close to the powers that be? Is it because he controls four or five thousand postofficcs throughout the country and the mails? Is it because he has the ear of the president of the United States and sits in the circles of the administration? Is it because he helped to elect the house of representatives whose duty it is to frame tax laws and tariff measures? Is it because he played such a large part in the election of senators who control the policy of the administration in this body? Significance to Offer "They have chosen him because they think he can do the work. There is more significance to the offer being made to the postmaster general than to any other cabinet officer. He came into prominence because he was a great organizer and politician." It is said that the group of sixty-rive producing and distributing companies he will head has a combined capital of more than $250,000,000. Expected to Form New Organization By JOHN S. SPARGO (NetU York Editor, Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Jan. 17.— Now that Will II. Hays has accepted the much talked of position as director general of the film industry, it is expected that the formation of the new national association of producers and distributors, which appeared to have been temporarily lost in tin shuffle, will soon be resumed. Likewise, th ■• fate of the present N. A. M. P. I. will soon be known. Is Great Organizer As an organizer, Will Hays has a reputation second to none, and one of his first duties is expected to bring about harmony between the various factions of the industry. As a start in this direction. Mr. Hays will be asked to outline his plans for a strong national association, either taking over the present organization, or discarding it entirely and forming an entirely new association, composed, of course, of the producers and distributors now making up the membershiu of the N. A. M. P. I. The first move towards forming a new association was made last November. At a meeting of producers and distributors a committee consisting of Gabriel Hess, Saul Rogers, John Quinn, Lewis Inerarity and Ralph Kohn was appointed to work out the details. After several meetings and much discussion, the preliminary plans were worked out and then apparently things came to a halt. Plans Leak Out Much guessing was done as to what was happening, but nothing could be learned until it leaked out that an offer had been made to Mr. Hays to head the new organization, at a salary said to be $150,000 per year, with a contract to run for three years. Lewis J. Selznick is said to be the producer who first suggested Mr. Hays for the position, and it is said this met with the immediate approval of William Fox. Adolph Zukor, Carl Laemmle and several other of the heads of the large companies. Mr. Selznick and Saul E. Rogers, the latter representing Mr. Fox, were delegated to negotiate with Mr. Hays. The latter took the matter under consideration and while he was doing this, all action looking to the forming of a new association was held up, it being the wish of the producers to have the assistance of Mr. Hays in the making of the new organization. Hays Calls Selznick After Mr. Hays made the announcement Saturday in Washington that he would accept the position, he called Mr. Selznick on the long distance telephone, informed him of his decision and asked that a meeting be arranged for some day this week to .talk over the details of the work and work out the terms of a contract that will be agreeable to all concerned. Until Mr. Hays states his views on the matter, the fate of the N. A. M. P. I. will remain unknown, but it is generally believed that a large part of the machinery of organization which the N. A. M. P. I. has built up during the past six years will be utilized by the association headed by Mr. Hays. Term Expires in June William A. Brady's term of office as head of the N. A. M. P. I. docs not expire until next June, and what action he will take in view of present developments and those yet to come will be watched with great interest by the entire industry. One of the things producers and distributors are said to be most anxious to overcome is the lack of harmony between their organization and the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, the exhibitor organization of which Sydney S. Cohen is the head. It has been well known that there has been no great love lost between the N. A. M. P. I. and the M. I'. T. O. A. and it was felt by some of the producers that the best interests of the industry were not being advanced by the leading organizations of these two most important branches of the film business being at loggerheads. Another important change in the personnel of the association is to have its membership composed entirely of producers and distributors, eliminating all of the other divisions which arc now represented in the N. A. M. P. I.