Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

March 4, 1922 EXHIBITORS HERALD 35 Ask 10 Per Cent of Sales Made During Exhibitor Week New York Theatre Owners Organization Designates Seven Day Period Beginning November 12 for Special Drive in State "Exhibitors Week" and "Exhibitors Co-operative Associations" are becoming prevalent, bringing the theatre owner into a phase of the business in which he has been least active in the past. Attention was first called to these activities when St. Louis theatre owners launched an exhibitors' co-operative exchange. Then followed the organization of the Exhibitors Co-operative Association in Kansas City, the sales agreement between Vitagraph and the M. P. T. O. of Nebraska as announced in the Herald last week, and the decision of New York theatre owners to conduct an "Exhibitors Week." Recent developments in these activities follow : 9 Held to Grand Jury In Collapse of House; Seven Theatres Shut (Washington Bureau, Exhibitors Herald) WASHINGTON. D. C, Feb. 21.— Nine men, all of Washington, were ordered held to the grand jury by the coroner's jury investigating the collapse of the roof of the Knickerbocker theatre which resulted in the death of ninetyeight persons. Following this announcement seven of the city's theatres were ordered closed by the board of commissioners after an inspection of all playhouses in the capital. The houses closed are: the New National, Poli's, Metropolitan, which is a Crandall house; Columbia, Maryland, Foraker and Cosmos. The men ordered held to the grand jury in the Knickerbocker crash are: R. G. Geare, architect; J. H. Ford, engineer who designed the roof; Morris Hacker, building inspector when the house was erected; Frank L. Wagner, the builder; Donald Wallace, general superintendent of construction; R. G. Fletcher, superintendent of Hammett Fireproofing Company: John L. McDonald, steel contractor; Thomas L. Costigan, engineer and computer for the District, who passed on the plans, and Julian R. Downman assistant building inspector when the house was erected. Brady Defends Films In Talk Before High School of Commerce (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Feb. 2r.— William A. Brady, president of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, speaking before the. High School of Commerce, vigorously defended motion pictures. Alluding to his debate of the previous week with Dr. John Roach Straton, in the Calvary Baptist Church, Mr. Brady said: "If I felt as Dr. Straton seems to, I wouldn't talk about morality. I would go down to a theatre where they are producing a dirty show, or I would go to a dance hall, and there are some, I am told, just around the corner from his church, where women dance with very few clothes, and I would haul the managers of both places to jail." Little Arguing Opens Theatres on Sunday (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Feb. 21.— The day following the closing session of the Albany :onvention, President Charles O'Reilly ind Secretary Sam I. Berman, of the M. P. T. O. of N. Y., dropped over to WaterAiet and settled a little argument which ■vas keeping the motion picture houses Mosed on Sundays. After getting everyhing smoothed out to their satisfaction Mr. O'Reilly induced the mayor to get he council together to listen to the arguments of the New York men in favor of mnday showings. As the result an ordiiance authorizing the opening of the louses on Sunday was quickly passed. Lynch Buys Fairfax (.Special to Exhibitors Herald) MIAMI, FLA., Feb. 21.— The Fairfax heatre has been purchased by S. A. Lynch, eaving the Biltmore the only independent heatre here. Plan Booking Affiliation With Exchanges (Special to Exhibitors Herald) KANSAS CITY, MO., Feb. 21.— Organization of the Exhibitors' Cooperative Association here, the purpose of which is to improve film conditions in the Kansas City territory, was completed last week. Organization work has been under way for the last six months. An affiliation for the booking of certain kinds of pictures, approved by the purchasing committee, is planned. Cooperates With Leagues The new organization will in no way blend with the work of the Missouri and Kansas state exhibitors' associations, but will cooperate with those leagues at every opportunity. Arrangement has been made with Joe Fox, president of Phoenix Film Corporation, whereby three films will be accepted each month from that concern, provided they are approved by the purchasing committee. These officers were elected: President. C. H. Burkey, Summitt theatre, Kansas City, Mo.; first vice presi(Concluded on page 38) Editorial Stirs Wide Comment "Printers' Ink for Pictures," an editorial by Martin J. Quigley, appearing in February 18 issue of the HERALD, has aroused a general discussion within the industry. The following comment from Ernest Shipman, producer, is typical of many of the letters received: "It is certainly too bad that we fellows who spend or cause to be spent more money in the daily papers than all the other amusements or other organizations, almost, should be made the target for all the cheap witticism and airy persiflage that is being handed to us. "If we would take half of one per cent of our expenditures and place it in a fund to promote a protective publicity campaign, it would be a mighty fine investment." Exhibitors Week Opens November 12 (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, Feb. 21.— Following closely on the action of the M. P. T. O. of Nebraska — and without knowledge of that body having done so, as detailed in last week's Herald — the New York state exhibitors at the Albany convention made provision for an "Exhibitors Week." The date set is the week of November 12 and the New York plan differs in some essentials from that of the Western exhibitors. There but one company's product is to be used and the return to the exhibitor organization is based on a sliding scale. In New York during "Exhibitors Week" three companies will be selected as participants, and 10 per cent of the gross sales of pictures in the state will be turned over to the M. P. T. O. state organization. Action Taken at Conclave The New York action is provided for by the following resolution which was adopted at the Albany convention: BE IT RESOLVED, That the week of November 12, 1922, be designated and observed as "Exhibitors Week" and it is the sense of this convention that your president and executive committee enter into negotiations with three prominent independent distributors for the purpose of entering into a contract that not less than 10 per cent of their gross receipts from the sale of film in the state of New York during the above week will be paid into the treasury of our state organization, said payment to be made not later than November 25, and that the exhibitors of the state of New York bind themselves to support this resolution and to contract for their film through the designated distributors to the limit of feasibility. According to officials of the M. P. T. O. A., there is some likelihood of making "Exhibitors Week" a national affair. This has been suggested by several of the large distributors who have called President Cohen on the phone and asked to be included in the three companies provided for in the resolution. When the resolution was presented at Albany, the only companies named las having expressed a desire to get in on the plan were Vitagraph and Robertson-Cole. Chief to Select Committee Just what companies will be selected will be chosen by a committee yet to be appointed by President O'Reilly of the state organization.