Exhibitors Herald (1925)

36 EXHIBITORS HERALD June 20, 1925 mm * ^ Gilmore Threatens War With Hays for Actors Equity Schiller and Rubin Sail to Complete Gaumont Deal — P. A. Parsons Heads A. M. P. A. Nominators — Kent Honors Ballance By JOHN S. SPARGO New YORK, June 9. — Frank Gilmore, executive secretary and general Pooh Bah of Actors Equity Association, doesn’t like Will Hays and Will Hays’ methods of doing business. And probably Will Hays doesn’t like Frank Gilmore and Frank Gilmore’s methods. So that would make it a 50-50 split. Whether it’s a 50-50 split or a split of some other division the future will disclose, but the fact remains that it’s a split of some kind, according to Frank Gilmore’s statement at the annual meeting of Equity last week. IN making his annual report Gilmore paid his respects to the Hays organization, and, after declaring every conciliatory effort looking to improve what he terms abuses had been exhausted, threatened militant action on the part of Equity, many of whose members are working regularly in pictures. In that part of his report dealing with the motion picture situation, Mr. Gilmore said: “It may seem to some that this branch of our association has been overlooked, but we were waiting until matters connected with the legitimate were settled. “The interviews of your president and myself with Will H. Hays over a period of three years have been most unsatisfactory. When he assumed chairmanship of the motion picture industry it was declared the interests of all those affected would be considered. Actors as a class are certainly affected, yet they have not been consulted, nor have any steps been taken to remedy, so far as we know, the abuses which we have brought to the attention of the producers. “After exhausting every conciliatory method it will be up to us to adopt a more militant attitude, to see that our members in the motion picture industry receive the benefits of a standard minimum contract.” * * * Schiller and Rubin Sail E. A. Schiller, general representative of Loew’s, Inc., and J. Robert Rubin, of Metro-Goldwyn, sail for France this week to complete the recently made deal between Marcus Loew-Metro-Goldwyn and the Gaumont theatre chain in France and Egypt. Through the affiliation the Loew circuit will operate the theatres, which include the 4,000 seat Gaumont Palace in Paris together with three others and theatres in Bordeaux, Lyons, Marseilles, Toulouse, Toulon, Strassbourg, St. Etien and Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt. In addition to completing all details in the deal, Mr. Schiller will visit England, Germany, Holland and Sweden to study the theatre and film distribution situation. The affiliation with the Gaumont chain will give Metro-Goldwyn picture products a wider distribution in foreign lands and the theatre chain a direct release closely following completion of a production. * + * A new nominating committee was elected by the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, Inc., at their last regular meeting, June 4, at Cafe Boulevard, New York. P. A. Parsons heads it as chairman and the other members are C. L. Yearsley, Paul Gulick, Victor Shapiro, Lon Young, Fred Baer and Bert Adler. The membership, settling a disturbing gastronomic question that has been hanging fire the past five years, also voted to have their regular Thursday AMPA luncheons at White Horse Tavern on West 4Sth street instead of at Cafe Boulevard after this month. Harry Brand, president of Wampas, in accordance with the ancient and honorable rite, brought greetings to the organization of Eastern publicity men from their Western brothers. And last but not least “Jim” Loughborough, who has been hibernating in Murfreesboro, Ark., breezed in at the luncheon and proclaimed to all and sundry that he was back in the Kingdom of Press Agents to stay. * * * Kent Honors Harry Ballance On the eve of his departure for his new post as district manager of Atlanta, Ga., Harry Ballance, formerly Eastern divisional sales manager of Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, was guest of honor yesterday at a luncheon given at New York Athletic Club by S. R. Kent and his cabinet, composed of the department heads of the Paramount distribution department. Those present included Mr. Kent; George W. Weeks, general manager of the distribution department; John D. Clark, Western divisional sales manager; A. M. Botsford, Charles E. McCarthy, Mel A. Shauer, Claud Saunders, George Spidell, G. B. J. Frewley and John Hammell. New York district manager; Milton Kusell, New Jersey manager; J. J. Unger, New York branch manager, and A. O. Dillenbeck, representing HauffMetzger advertising agency. ♦ * ♦ Having finished the making of the Holland Flower Show motion pictures, Abe Meyer, assistant to Hugo Riesenfeld, arrived on the Mauretania last Friday. The work of titling and editing the Flower pictures is now progressing and they are soon to be shown on Broadway. The films were produced by Cranfield and Clarke for the Dutch government under the supervision of Doubleday & Page Publishing Company. * * ♦ Near the completion of the first term of the Paramount school, Tom Terriss will direct a special picture for Famous Players in which the principal roles will be taken by the most promising pupils. The story will be specially written by one of America’s foremost authors and will be released as a Terriss production. + * * Loew’s Coney Island theatre, now under construction at Surf and Stillwell avenues, will be formally opened June T^ETROIT, MICH. — Detroit motion picture theatres’ record of business for the period covered by the hot spell will go down as the lowest in motion picture history hereabouts. . . . Two more theatres were robbed a few nights ago. The Oakman and the Strand, both large neighborhood theatres, were the victims and on the same night. . . . M. Harlan Starr is off for the annual meeting of Educational Film Exchange branch managers in New York city. . . . The James N. Robertson Theatrical Enterprises, with offices in the Roosevelt Theatre Building, plans to have not less than seven Detroit theatres within the next two years. Already it has the Cinderella and De Luxe operating; the new Roosevelt, which opens in August, and one just announced at Charlevoix and Mt. Elliott, seating 2,000, with stores and offices. Then there will be another on the East Side and the other two will be on the West Side. George W. Sampson, general manager of the Robertson Enterprises, has gone to California for one month. . . . Specu lation as to what W. S. Butterfield will do with Powers theatre in Grand Rapids, on which he recently obtained a lease, reports it will be turned into a motion picture house. This is the first invasion of Grand Rapids by the Butterfield forces and it gives Butterfield a hold in every big city in the state outside of Detroit. . . . John Handler of Vendome theatre has taken over the Fairview and will operate it. . . . Capt. Fred Nungesser, French flying ace, who was here appearing personally at the Broadway Strand in connection with the showing of his Associated Exhibitors picture, “The Sky Raider,” was royally entertained by the American flying ace, Edward Rickenbacker, now a prominent automobile manufacturer. “Rick” and Nungesser flew together on several occasions, spoke over the same banquet table and otherwise fraternized to the very evident increase of business at the theatre. . . . Fred De Ladder has taken over Grosse Pointe Park theatre, which gives him four big houses on the East Side, the Del-The, Maxine, Your and Grosse Pointe Park. Jacob Sullivan will continue in the capacity of manager, booking all four houses. . . _ . Henry Zapp, who has been doing special work for Producers Distributing Corporation, has been sent back to Detroit to be assistant to Frank Stuart, who recently was appointed exchange manager. Warner Plans Branch Badgerland Exchange (Special to Exhibitors Herald) MILWAUKEE, WIS., June 9.— In accordance with the announcement just made by Sam E. Morris, general manager of Warner Brothers distribution, his company will open a permanent branch exchange here. A manager will be appointed within a few days. 17, with Marcus Loew and a large party of stage, screen and radio stars in attendance. The theatre will be devoted to presentation of feature motion pictures with occasional stage novelties. Addition of the Coney Island house to the Loew chain will give Marcus Loew representation in every part of Greater New York and swell the New York chain to 50 theatres. The theatre will have more than 2,600 seating capacity.