Exhibitors Herald (Jun-Aug 1923)

54 EXHIBITORS HERALD July 21, 1923 LETTERS From Readers A forum at which the exhibitor is invited to express his opinion on matters of current interest. Brevity adds forcefulness to any statement. Unsigned letters will not be printed. You Write Him, Boys. LYONS, COLO.— To the Editok: You must prove to me that you are not a subsidiary of Paramount. — O. J. Ramey, Lyons theatre, Lyons, Colo. The Case Stated Perfectly HARDIN, MO.— To the Editor: Opportunity for writing upon the subject of the Theatre Seating Capacity Tax law as promised you has been denied me because of the press of other matters. This act was passed by Congress when our country was supposed to be at peace with the world, but was in reality placed upon our industry because of expense incurred, I am told, with Mexico. Be that as it may, our contention is that it is and always has been an unjust and an unconstitutional measure. We all desire to boast of our freedom and the writer would not decrease, but rather magnify love of Country. Because of this fact we feel that it is well to call attention to the assurance that is given us that our laws are builded upon "equal justice to all and special privileges to none." If this is true we desire to know why cigar factories who have the equipment to manufacture one million cigars in a given time are not made to pay a tax on this equipment rather than a tax on the amount of their sales, or the quantity of goods made. This same inquiry might be carried to embrace flour mills, shoe factories, clothing, candy factories, meat packing companies, perfume, tooth paste and various other industries embracing the purely industrial and what might be classed as luxuries. We cannot force ourselves to believe otherwise than the passage of this measure was class legislation pure and simple, notwithstanding we are given assurance that the CONSTITUTION OF THESE UNITED STATES precludes such laws. Our representatives seem to know who the suckers are that will stand for continued imposition and just as long as the Moving Picture Exhibitors pay this tax without protest and the proper presentation of the unjustness of the act, no one need fool themselves into believing that it will be repealed. True, it has been modified, as we were forced at the beginning, when operating a house seating 500 people, to pay $100.00 per annum. Before the change was made reducing this in the smaller towns, I wrote the Representative from this district that a child in high school who could not see the injustice of the Act should be returned to the chart class. We pay our admission taxes whether or not there is sufficient funds taken in at the box office to pay for the film we use. Then why foist upon us an equipment tax merely because the exigencies of the business requires that we install, or make provisions to accommodate the public, provided they do not elect to remain at A scene from "Daytime Wives," a new F. B. O. production by Lenore Coffee and John Goodrich. home and toast their shins at their own fireside, or hie themselves by auto to some free band concert that our dearly beloved uncle has permitted to go scott free on the tax matter, leaving our extra equipment for taxing purposes only. Any exhibitor doing $5,000.00 worth of business annually can afford to pay 1 per cent tax to the government. Anything in excess of this amount is an injustice. — Chas. D. Weakley, Odeon Theatre, Hardin, Mo. Doesn't Like "Historicals" PHOENIX, ARIZ.— To the Editor: Wish you would publish this letter. It might do some showmen some good in regard to the serials that Universal makes. I used to run all the serials they made. For five years I ran three serials a week, but when they went to making and advertising history serials and when one would see them, they were a piece of junk. No history to them at all. Take "Robinson Crusoe" or "Winners of the West" or any one of them "Buffalo Bill," they are a joke and since I quit the Universal serials, I made more .money in showing a complete show than I ever did with serials. — A. R. Cavaness, Plaza Theatre, Phoenix, Ariz. A Fund for Blind Operators RUGBY, N. D.— To the Editor: I have been wanting to write this letter for a long time, but I have been so busy that I hardly had time, but after seeing the picture I ran last week I just had to find time and try and start "A Blind Operator's Fund" so that they can be retired from operating. Sometimes I hardly blame the exchanges for sending out poor prints, as most of the films I get have been run in the big towns, and some of them have holes punched in them for switching signals. The holes are punched in the middle of the square, and last week's film had them as big as a Canadian five-cent piece. I want to start "A Blind Operators' Fund" to eliminate the larger holes from being punched in the films. The manager of any theatre ought to fire his operator if he can't place switching signals on the film so that no one sees them but himself and manager. Please, managers, see that your operators are more careful from now on, for the bad operators arc causing some good managers to lose money. — Oscar Troyer, Lyric Theatre, Rugby, N. D. PURELY Personal Interesting news about exhibitors and people with whom they come into direct contact. Readers are invited to contribute items for publication in this column. Address them to "Purely Personal." William Smalley, owner of a chain of nine theatres in New York State, and one man admits that he is making money, is taking the bull by the horns this summer and cleaning up in a different method by the same persons who attend his theatres in the fall and winter months. In other words. Mr. Smalley is running dancing pavilions in Cooperstown and Fort Plain. At the latter place he has converted the former Rialton into a first class dancing pavilion and attracting large crowds. * The Twelfth Street Theatre, one of Kansas City's down town first run houses, operated by Frank L. Newman, will be under the management of Skouras Brothers, present lessees, after July 1, according to Milton H. Feld, manager of the Newman theatre. Mr. Newman will concentrate his efforts on his other two houses, the Royal and Newman. Skouras Brothers own twenty-four houses in St. Louis, with Spyros P. Skouras as president. A new pipe organ will be installed in the Twelfth Street theatre. * Jack Roth, manager of the Isis theatre. Kansas City, charged with manslaughter in connection with the fatal injury Mav 12 of R. T. Jester, drug salesman, in a motor car accident, was released at his preliminary hearing in a Kansas City justice court when no one appeared against him. * B. Barsky, former state rights salesman in the Kansas City territory, now is distributing a picture of his own, "The Deer Slaver," a James Fenimore Cooper story, and he says he's "getting by" with it fine. * W. E. Truog, Goldwyn district manager, left Kansas City for Des Moines this week to prepare for the opening of a Goldwyn branch there. An Oklahoma City Goldwyn branch, under the direction of the Dallas, Texas office, also is slated to be opened. * J. H. Bradford, a veteran film salesman in the St. Louis territory, has been added to the sales force of the Kansas City Selznick office and left Monday for a visit to the key towns. * While C. G. Oliver, F. B. O. booker, Kansas City, is away on a vacation, J. A. Masters, office manager, is doing the "heavy" in his place. Mr. Oliver is spending his two weeks in Tupelo, Ark. * Work was started last week on a onestory brick building at Eighteenth and Wyandotte streets, Kansas Citv, which is to be the new home of the Educational branch. It is expected that the building will be ready to occupy about August 1. * Carl F. Weiss, former owner of the Linwood theatre, Kansas City, died recently. He leaves his widow, Mrs. Orah Weiss, and his mother. Mrs. Sue Weiss, besides a large number of friends in the film industry.