Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1924-Mar 1925)

February 14, 1925 E X H 1 B I T OKS HER A L J3 37 Weds Marquis LORIA SWANSON became the bride last week of Marquis de la Faliaise, scion of the oldest of French families, at Paris where she has been engaged for several weeks with the unit making the Paramount attraction “Madame Sans-Gene.” Following the ceremony she declared that the “emptiness of life” without family or home ties had convinced her that with advancing years she expects to be deprived of the plaudits of the masses at which time there must be something more substantial to look to for an interest in living. “I may be a vamp on the screen,” she said, “but believe me I am a mother at heart. I want not one baby but lots of them.” The ceremony was witnessed by Baron Raymond d’Aiguy' who acted as best man and Hallet Johnson, first secretary at the American embassy. The whole affair was considered in the light of a big social rnarriage for Paris. Yicomte de SaligiacFenon, the Baron Berlin, Count de la Selle, Andre Davin, formerly Rudolph Valentino’s understudy and now director of the Ganna Walska Champs Elysees theatre, and Leonce Perret, director of the latest Swanson picture, were guests. Previously the bride had been the wife of Wallace Beery, the popular villain, and Herbert K. Somborn, a millionaire doctor of Pasadena. Wielding of Blue Law May Prove Boomerang (Special to Exhibitors Herald) SLATER, MO., Eeb. 3. — Speaking of blue laws, this may be the bluest of blue towns within a few days. As a result of the retaliation of the management of the .Auditorium theatre, even the delivery of Sunday newspapers may be prohibited. The town wanted enforcement of an old Sunday closing law, so the Auditorium management intends to see that the law is observed in every detail. The dispute had its inception when the city council objected to Sunday shows in the Auditorium, the town’s only theatre. The theatre’s management retaliated by declaring it would insist on every other activity forbidden by the ordinance being suppressed. Mayor R. A. Jenkins announced that the city would not take the task of enforcing the law into its own hands. See Failure of Hays Parley; Exhibitors Threaten to Sue Samuel Untermeyer Will Represent New York Theatre Men if Anti-trust Action Is Decided Upon — Producers Taking Undue Advantage, O’Reilly Charges (Special to Exhibitors Herald) .\J5W YORK, 1^'ebruary 3. — Following closely on the withdrawal of Vitagraph from the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors .Association, comes the announcement that the Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce is preparing to bring suit against the Hays organization under the Sherman act, charging restraint of trade. The announcement of the proposed suit was made by Charles 1.. O’l^eilly, president of the T. O. C. C. and Nathan Burkan. the attorney for the organization. Charges Independents Can’t Get Fair Break For several months past negotiations have been pending between the Hays association and the T. O. C. C. with Burkan and O’Reilly acting for the latter. The bone of contention is the assertion that producer-owned theatres are so handled as to make pi houses not so connected from getting pictures. Many meetings ha\e been held between Mr. Hays and the representatives of the T. O. C. C. in the hope that matters could be settled to the satisfaction of everyone without resorting to the courts. These negotiations are still going on but from the viewpoint of the T. O. C. C. there appears so little chance of adjustment that they are likely to be broken off at any time and the court action commenced. It is said that conferences have lieen held with Samuel Untermeyer and that in the event of the matter going into the courts he will act as trial lawyer. Complain to Hays “We have complained to Air. Hays,” said Mr. O’Reilly, “that producer-owned theatres here in New York are taking undue advantage in controlling first run pictures. Theatres not affiliated with the producers must be satisfied with subsequent runs and are finding it increasingly difficult to make adequate returns on their investment. We have a membership of 425 in the New York area, which includes Westchester county and Northern New Jersey, who have about $239,000,000 invested in their theatres, and we are seeking relief from what we are finding is an increasingly intolerable condition. “We can’t go into the market and buy Vitagraph Announces — THAT Mae Marsh has been signed to play the lead in **In the Garden of Charity^** the Basil King story which J. Stuart Blackton will produce as a special^ and THAT E, F» Tarbell has been appointed branch manager at Omaha, TarbelVs first association with Vitigraph was in 1917, He boasts of having opened the first motion picture theatre in Florida in Sovemher^ 1903. actically a “combine” which prevents anything like a fair break on the new the best pictures, even if we are willing to pay as much or more per unit than producer-owned theatres. We recognize the right of the owner of many theatres to be able to buy at wholesale and to fix certain conditions on which a single producer may sell his product, but we object to this owner of many theatres fixing the terms on which several producers may sell theirs because we see in that efforts to stifle competition. Ask Group for Relief “We have asked the Motion Pictures Producers & Distributers for relief. We will learn soon how far they will go, or whether it will be necessary for us to gn before the courts.” i ■ “We are trying to settle the situation among ourselves,” said Mr. Burkan. “What we hope to accomplish is to reach an agreement with the principal producers-distributors-exhibitors upon a proportion of their output for the use of independent exhibitors, to cut down the area in which ‘first run’ pictures are at present confined and to decrease the time allowed for first-run films. We are hopeful of reaching an amicable agreement. It will be several weeks before all the matter can be gone into, but if an agreement cannot be reached we will be forced to carry the matter to the courts under the anti-trust act.” Big Deal Adds House to Berinstein Chain ( special to Exhibitors Herald) ALBANY, N. Y., Feb. 3.— One of the biggest theatrical deals in southern New York state in many months was consummated last week in which Harry and Benjamin Berinstein, Elmira, added the Regent theatre in Elmira, to their holdings. This gives them four theatres in Elmira, two in Albany, one in Schenectady, one in Troy and another in Newburgh. It is planned to spend approximately $175,000 on alterations to the Regent theatre, increasing the seating capacity from the present 863 to 2,500. Woodley Heads Firm (Special to Exhibitors Herald) HOLLYWOOD, CAL., Feb. 3.— The Gold Medal Pictures, Inc., has just been formed here with the election of Frank E. Wooley, president, Paul Gerson, vice-president, F. 6. Davison, secretary, and Arthur .S. Walther, treasurer.