Exhibitors Herald World (Jan-Mar 1929)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

22 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD January 19, 1929 Kansas Public and Press Fight Two Bills Aimed at Film Trade Amusement Tax and Censorship of Talking Pictures Demanded by Politicians Despite Protests — Seat Levy in Missouri Is Doubted [By Special Correspondent of the Herald-World] KANSAS CITY, Jan. 15. — As a rule, when the state legislatures of Missouri and Kansas open sessions that is a signal for exhibitors of those two states to start guessing as to what bills detrimental to the industry will be introduced. This year, however, two such bills became known in advance in Kansas. There are two bills to be considered by the Kansas legislature which, without exaggeration, would do nothing short of demoralizing the industry in that state if they were to become laws. The measures would saddle an amusement tax upon the shoulders of the theatre owners and provide censorship of all spoken lines in talking pictures. Kansas City daily newspapers, which have the greater part of their circulations in Kansas, are bitterly opposed to both measures, but a certain group of politicians is trying hard for the passage of those bills. Can't Bear Burden, Says Biechele "There need be no fancy adjectives used in stating that Kansas exhibitors cannot bear the burden of an amusement tax," R. R. Biechele, president of the M.P.T.O. Kansas-Missouri, who is attending the meetings of the Kansas legislature, said. "General business conditions in the Middlewest have been such that the exhibitors of the smaller towns in Kansas are hard hit. To place an additional tax upon those exhibitors simply would be the equivalent of driving them out of business and depriving them of their rightful means of earning a living. The war is over! It is about time we awaken to that fact!" The censorship of talking pictures would play havoc with films of that type, exchange representatives say. As the cutting out of spoken lines would necessitate replacement by a blank strip of film, synchronization would be injured, it is pointed out. Public Opposes Measures The Kansas censorship board has a reputation far and wide for being "straight laced" and, exchange representatives believe, there would be little doubt but that plenty of spoken lines would be cut out if the censor board legally were permitted to do so. With both the press and public opinion against the two bills it is believed the chances for their demise are good, but history bears out the fact that it is difficult to predict what a Kansas legislature will do. In Missouri it is believed there exists little danger of injurious bills becoming laws. Governor Henry S. Caulfield has announced he is opposed to an increase in state salaries, which is taken to mean that there is scarcely no likelihood that the legislature will pass the expected amusement tax bill which would provide increased revenue for the state treasury. October Film Exports Almost Twice September (Special to the Herald-World) WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.— Exports of motion picture films in October were nearly double those of the preceding month, totaling 30,438,408 feet, valued at $796,510, against 16,632,985 feet, valued at $410,741, according to figures just compiled by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. Included in the October exports were 23,034,792 feet of positive film with a value of $550,770, 6,531,216 feet of raw stock with a value of $150,648 and 472,400 feet of negative film with a value of $95,092. The United Kingdom was the heaviest mar ket for all classes of film, taking 1,249,463 feet of positives, 272,113 feet of negatives and 2,247,800 feet of raw stock, the aggregate value of which was in excess of $147,000. Australia took more than 2,500,000 feet of positive film during the month, while Germany took more than 1,675,000 feet and Argentina and Brazil each took in excess of 1,000,000 feet. N. Y. Exchange of M GM Removed to New Million Dollar Film Center Bldg. (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Jan. 15.— Metro-Go ldwynMayer's New York and New Jersey exchanges headed the parade into the new exchange headquarters at the Film Center building, 630 Ninth avenue. They moved from their old offices at 728 Seventh avenue on Saturday. The items to be moved included 7,300 reels of film, 15,000 records for sound pictures, office furniture, files and documentary records, as well as billing machines and 25 Bell & Howell examining apparati. All were moved between Saturday and Sunday noon, under the guidance of S. M. Burger, district manager, and W. A. Scully and J. H. Bowen, New Jersey and New York sales managers. The new offices take up' the entire twelfth floor of the million dollar Film Center. The entire exchange has been designed so that a magnificent view of the city and the Hudson can be had from every window, and the office is open to the light and sun. Warners Win Verdict In "Jazz Singer" Case (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Jan. 15.— Warner Brothers have been awarded the verdict in an action brought by the Commerce Realty Company to obtain an injunction restraining the exhibition of "The Jazz Singer" and all other Warner Brothers special production in San Antonio, Texas. The Realty claimed that they had an option on all Warner pictures and that Warners had no right to license these pictures to any other local theatre without first offering them. Ohio Board Postpones Meeting Until January 22 (Special to the Herald-World) COLUMBUS, Jan. 15.— The board of trustees of the M P T O of Ohio postponed its scheduled meeting last week, and Business Manager P. J. Wood announced that a session has been called for January 22, when the matter of affiliating with the Allied States Organization will be discussed. Fox Buys 200 Theatres In New York; 57-Story Building for Broadway (Continued from preceding page) of 247,697, have been acquired under leases having an average life of over twenty years, did an average gross business in the last three years of approximately $25,000,000, and made an average net profit of $5,000,000, Fox states. Paid admissions for the year ended Oct. 31, 1928, exceeded $72,000,000. Strategic Link in Chain Fox Metropolitan Playhouses, Inc., will form one of the most strategic links in the Fox chain and will constitute by far the largest group of theatres under one management in the metropolitan area. Several of the best equipped exhibitors will be made division managers. Fox has issued orders to immediately equip each theatre with sound. Under centralized management, theatrical experts estimate the expenses of the new circuit should be decreased by about 20 per cent, and it is hoped that the net return of $5,000,000 will be increased to between $7,000,000 and $7,500,000. All theatres were purchased strictly on their past earnings, during the past three years. Fox Theatres Corporation in its statement declares it thus by one action has acquired a circuit over three times as large as its next largest competitor, which took over 20 years to build, and five times as large as the third largest competitor, which took about 30 years to build. The acquisition practically will eliminate all the socalled independent theatres in the Eastern territory immediately surrounding New York City. Arrangements were made at the same time for the erection of about 20 new theatres in certain neighborhoods, to add at least $500,000 to the earnings. W ith the acquisition of this circuit the Fox Theatres Corporation expects to do a gross business of $100,000,000 a year, and including the West Coast circuit $135,000,000. The total number of seats involved in Fox Theatres Corporation and West Coast Theatres reaches the tremendous total of 700,000 and Fox states that he hopes before the end of this year to bring this figure up to a million seats. Milwaukee Film Board Re-elects All Officers (Special to the Herald-World) MILWAUKEE, Jan. 15.— All officers of the Film Board of Trade were re-elected at the annual meeting held here last week. Officers for the ensuing year include Charles Trampe, Midwest Distributing Co., president ; E. J. Weisman, Educational, vice-president ; Sam Shurman, M G M, secretary-treasurer, and R. T. Smith, WarnerVitagraph, sergeant-atarms. J. E. O'Toole, Tiffany, was named chairman of the board of arbitration, consisting of the following members : J. A. Kraker, Paramount ; E. J. Weisman, Educational, with W. A. Aschmann, Pathe, and Arthur Schmitz, F B O, alternates. Frudenfelt New District Manager for Blank Houses (Special to the Herald-World) DES MOINES, Jan. 15.— Nate Frudenfelt, manager of the Capitol theatre has been named district manager for the Blank theatres in Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois. He will take over the new job at once. There are twenty-two houses under his supervision. Jesse Day, formerly of Des Moines, will tstke over the management of the Capitol theatre.