Exhibitors Herald (Jul-Sep 1922)

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July 8, 1922 EXHIBITORS HERALD 15 New Code Of Ethics (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, June 27.— A code of ethics is to be a part of the uniform contract agreement reached between Will H. Hays of the M. P. P. D. A., and the Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce. The code, as written by Mr. Hays and his coworkers, follows: 1. While a salesman has every right to trade among respective customers to obtain the best offer possible for his product, after he has selected a particular exhibitor whose offer he believes to be the best, and takes a written application from such exhibitor he should forward the same to the home office and make no further effort to sell the same service to any other exhibitor in competitor's territory until the application so forwarded has been formally rejected or accepted. 2. No paid advertising should be inserted in any feature picture, comedy, scenic or news reel. 3. In the event of the adoption of standard clauses for a uniform contract, contracts already taken for 1922 — '23 product — should be carried out in the spirit of the new form of agreement. Ruling on Play Dates Stirs Kansas Theatres (Special !o Exhibitors Herald) KANSAS CITY, MO., June 27. — A war between the film board of trade of Kansas City and Kansas exhibitors is brewing. A recent ruling of the board provides that no postponements of play dates will be accepted by the board. Formerly, an exhibitor who had booked a picture and desired to change the play date, two weeks in advance of the showing of the picture, could do so by paying for the picture, and then showing the picture at a more convenient date. Kansas exhibitors are contending that an exhibitor has a better knowledge of the most suitable date for the showing of a picture and that many circumstances may arise between the booking of a production and the play date, which makes it highly necessary that the play date be postponed. Orders Suspension of Waco Censorship Law (Special to Exhibitors Herald) WACO, TEX., June 27.— Judge H. M. Richey recently granted an injunction suspending operation of the censorship ordinance. The application for an injunction alleged that the law was unconstitutional and that the censors were operating without authority. Agree on Uniform Contract; Hays Meetings Harmonious T. 0. C. C. to Conclude Conferences Soon— State League in New York and M. P. T. 0. A. Will Continue Sessions With M. P. P. D. A. (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, June 27. — So successful and amicable have been the series of conferences between Will H. Hays and the three exhibitor bodies during the past two weeks, that the first of the series — that with the Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce — has practically completed its work, the ends accomplished being satisfactory to both sides. The uniform contract — long the rock upon which the good ship harmony has wrecked — has been agreed upon to the smallest detail and the agreements between the exhibitors and the producers-distributors are now in the hands of the attorneys being translated into legal phraseology, after which the document promulgated will be signed by the representatives of both sides. Expect to Conclude Negotiations Without Delay The conference between Mr. Hays and the M. P. T. 0. A. and the M. P. T. O. N. Y. will be continued this week, but as there is but slight difference in the agreements desired by these two exhibitor bodies from those settled upon with the T. O. C. C, it is believed that "Peace and Harmony ; Confidence and Cooperation" program will go through without delay, unless some unforseen eruption occurs in the negotiations with the national organization. Concludes Conferences (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES, June 27.— Myron Selznick, who recently journeyed to New York to confer with the sales heads of Select Pictures Corporation, which distributes Selznick pictures, is returning to Los Angeles this week and promises several interesting announcements. The Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce and the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of New York, are to all intents and purposes one organization insofar as demands in the peace negotiations are concerned, and there is no doubt that the agreement reached with the T. O. C. C. will be satisfactory to the state body. Demands Not Unreasonable In all the negotiations between Mr. Hays and the T. O. C. C. a give and take program was followed. The exhibitors were asked what they wanted, and they were given almost everything they asked for. Mr. Hays stated what the producers desired and that was settled without difficulty. No unreasonable demands were made, both sides recognizing the spirit of fairness evinced by both parties to the deliberations. The actual agreement will not be made public until it comes from the hands of the attorneys and the signatures of both sides attached, but the excerpts from correspondence outlines the terms of the document. In a letter to Bernard Edelhertz, chairman of the board of directors of the T. O. C. C, Mr. Hays describes the contract as follows: Eliminates All Penalties "The present draft eliminates all penalties on both sides. "It sets up what I hope will prove to be a workable and fair method of selecting play dates which will cure at the same time the evils both of over-buying and over-selling. "It provides for the delivery of all pictures released by a distributor during the period of the contract, which we hope will reach the complaint that it has been the practice occasionally to withhold a picture intended to be delivered when the contract was written but which by reason of superior merit was subsequently withheld because it was believed it would command a higher price. Provides Uniform Payment "It cuts down the period of payment of license fees from seven to three days in advance of shipment of the film. "It provides for a uniform payment for film lost or destroyed. "It provides in every case of a re-issue or a re-named negative,, that the photo-play should be specifically enumerated in the contract as a re-issue. Agree to Assign Contracts "To cure the complaint that signed applications of exhibitors are not acted upon with reasonable promptness, we propose to provide that unless a written acceptance is mailed within fifteen days from the date of the application by the exhibitor, such application shall be deemed withdrawn. "We have consented to the assignment of contracts in the case of a sale of a theatre, under suitable regulations, and, finally, we propose with your co-operation to promulgate a mutually agreeable code of ethics, a copy of which is enclosed, in which we announce and declare our views as to certain practices to be observed by both parties, which do not properly belong in a formal contract and tend to unduly extend it." Roach Keeps All Units Active During Summer (Special to Exhibitors Herald) LOS ANGELES, June 27.— Hal E. Roach has implicit faith in the future of the motion picture business. In fact, his confidence is so marked that the immediate future is going to bring about a big revival in the industry, that he will maintain a full production throughout the entire summer. Where a year ago he had only two comedy companies working, Mr. Roach will have four producing throughout the coming hot months. All his products will be distributed through Pathe. Vogel Back in States (Special to Exhibitors Herald) NEW YORK, June 27.— William M. Vogel, prominent exporter, has returned from a two months tour of Europe. Mr. Vogel controls the foreign rights on the First National Charlie Chaplin comedies, W. W. Hodkinson product, Urban film library, Triart pictures and Chester comedies.