Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

.March 25. 1922 EXHIBITORS II ERA LD 37 Film Proposition to Be Offered League Van Praag Announces Deal May Be Entered Into With Big Company (Special to Exhibitors Herald) KANSAS CITY, KAN., March 14.— Two big surprises are in store tor exhibitors who attend the semi-annual convention of the M. P. T. O. of Kansas at the Hotel Lassen, Wichita, on March 27 and 28, according to M. Van Praag. president. The first pertains to film rentals. A large company has made the M. P. T. O. K. a proposition that never before has been equaled, Mr. Van Praag has announced, and this proposition will be put squarely to the exhibitors for the first time at the convention. The benefits to be derived by exhibitors is unestimatable, according to Mr. Van Praag. To Make Changes Next, surprise No. 2, will not be quite so pleasant, but will open the eyes of hundreds of exhibitors, says the president, who added that it will deal with the exposure of the tactics of a certain large producing and distributing company in the Middle West territory. An abundance of facts and data have been gathered and it is certain that no charge will be made unjustly, Mr. Van Praag said. Expect Biggest Conclave Many successful conventions have been held in Kansas, but never before have such elaborate plans been arranged for a meeting as the one which is to be this month. From Governor Henry Allen of Kansas down to minor and less authoritative officials of the state, they'll all be there, ready to "go to bat" and lend all possible aid to the exhibitors. Attorney General Richard Hopkins. Assistant Attorney General Griffith, H. H. Motter of the Internal Revenue Department, and others will be among the principal speakers. Set Date for National Anti-Blue Law Parley (Washington Bureau, Exhibitors Herald) WASHINGTON. D. C, March 14.— Announcement has been made by the Anti-Blue Law League of America of a national anti-blue law conference to be held at St. Louis, June 23. 24 and 25. The purpose of the conference will beto "settle the question of whether or not the people of the United States want blue laws and interference with their right as to the observance of Sunday." St. Louis was selected as the meeting place because of the agitation of the reform movement in Missouri. Fox and Universal in New Offices at K. C. (Special to Exhibitors Herald) KANSAS CITY. MO.. March 14 — Fox and Universal have moved into their new exchanges here, the Fox branch being located at Nineteenth and Wyandotte streets, while' the Universal office is at 1710 Wyandotte street. Made Associate Editor (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES. March 14.— Carey Wilson is now associate editor of the Cioldwyn scenario department. Ohio's Chief Censor May Be Ousted by State Executive Mrs. Evalyn Snow Is Ordered to Stop Tours and Devote Time to Work — Governor Requested To Name Advisory Board (Special to Exhibitors Herald) COLUMBUS, O., March 14. — Internal strife, politics, and alleged inefficiency in conducting the affairs of her office may result in Mrs. Evalyn Snow, Ohio's chief censor, being ousted. As an initial step in relieving Mrs. Snow of her autocratic power, she has been ordered to put an end to her practice of going about the state making speeches about censorship and instead to devote her time to regulating films. Mrs. Snow also has been ordered to permit Mrs. Clara T. Barnes, assistant censor, to resume reviewing pictures. Since she attempted unsuccessfully to remove Mrs. Barnes from office, Mrs. Snow has not permitted her assistant to do any censoring. Governer May Name Advisory Board Another change which the present trouble may bring about is the appointment by the governor of an advisory board which is provided in the law. This would permit the industry to appeal from the arbitrary and dictatorial rulings of Mrs. Snow. Unless this board is appointed, it is hinted that a number of distributors will take the matter to court. tivities was expressed by the Columbus. Cleveland, Cincinnati and other larger dailies. Film exchanges assert that Mrs. Snow's recent tours have caused them to lose valuable bookings, as she refused to permit anyone else to censor the films, this autocratic rule resulting in many films piling iin on the shelves waiting for her O. K. Editorial Attacks Her In commenting editorially upon Mrs. Snow's autocratic censorship, one of the larger dailies of the state declared: No Unconstitutional Censorship Completely typical of the bureaucratic mind and of the present tendency to substitute force for law is the action of the chief of the State Moving Picture Censorship Department in prohibiting the display of criticisms of her official actions. This unwarranted and arbitrary |>ower is erroneously derived from an individual interpretation t>f the statute creating the censor's office. Even the most cursory reading of the law will convince the average inquirer that the censorship was intended to apply only to pictures and their titles, and solely for the purpose of preventing the exhibition of immoral or harmful scenes. To hold that it applies to printed matter entirely innocuous in character, but displeasing in text to those criticised, is either folly or tyranny. Clearly this attempt at control infringes upon the federal bill of rights which guarantees the freedom of the press and defends the claim of every citizen to speak and write freely upon any subject. The picture screen has become a broad avenue of publicity ranking next to the printing press itself in that respect, and it must be kept open and unobstructed. The country had a powerful lesson upon the subject of harsh restriction of free speech furnished it by the postal officials of the last administration. This invasion of liberty was properly rebuked at the polls.. In the same court and decisive fashion the Ohio authorities must forcibly be reminded that there is a constitution and bill of rights in this state which are not subject to repeal or suspension at the whim of an angry* or vexed minor official, for the moment clothed with power. If the censor thinks that the lot created by the critics is intolerable, there is an obvious way open of escaping these hardships. Publish Public Letters Newspaper offices have been flooded with letters from readers denouncing censorship and Mrs. Snow. Prominent space has been given these comments. The front page columns have been devoted day in and day out to stories detailing late developments in the situation which may result in abolition of Ohio's censorship board. It is possible that the question will be taken to the polls in November. The censorship squabble originated when Mrs. Snow cut from "Topics of the Day" this reference to censorship: Movies are the democratic amusement of a democratic people. These pebple are the best judges of what is good for them. They exercise natural censorship by patronage for good pictures and boycott for bad ones. Any additional censorship is superfluous. In addition, Mrs. Snow aroused condemnation ot ber activities when, after "'The Law and the W oman" had shown in a number of theatres, it was barred from further exhibition by the chief censor. Arouses the Public Mrs. Snow has succeeded in arousing the antagonism of the press, the public and officials. Her statement that the people were not fit to judge for themselves and that only 10 per cent of the people think at all brought a storm of protest. Editorial derision of her ac CORINNE GRIFFITH, in a scene from "Island Wives," her latest Vitagraph