Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1929)

October 5, 1929 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 25 Charities Share in Lieber's Will; Many Film Folk at Rites (Special to the Herald-World) INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 1.— Three Indianapolis charitable and civic organizations will share in the estate of the late Robert Lieber, former president of First National Pictures. The will has been filed for probate. The personal property is valued at $100,000 and no value is set on the real estate. Five thousand dollars was given to the Art Association of Indianapolis "in memory of his deceased brother, Carl H. Lieber." The Indianapolis Foundation and the Altenheim, home for old, received $1,000 each. The widow, Mrs. Clara Louise Lieber was named executrix and was bequeathed the remainder of the estate. The will was dated June 11, this year. Funeral services were held at the residence and were attended by many prominent in the motion picture industry. Three local theatres, the Indiana, Circle and Ohio, members of the Skouras-Publix group, were closed until 6 o'clock in the evening, in memory of the pioneer executive in the film distribution field. Large floral wreaths bearing appropriate inscriptions decorated the box office of each theatre. Two local friends of Lieber delivered the funeral addresses. Each oaid tribute to his executive ability, his integrity and his loyalty both to business associates and his friends and family. Among those who attended the funeral were: Ned Depinet, general sales manager of First National; Mrs. Depinet; Richard A. Rowland, Sam Spring, Spyros Skouras, all of New York; M. L. Finkelstein of Minnesota; E. Mandelbaum of Cleveland, and a group connected with the film distribution industry in Chicago and New York. R K O Selling Franchises At Price Assuring Each A Profit, Says Schnitzer (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 1.— "We are selling our franchises at prices which will enable us to make a profit," J. I. Schnitzer, president of R K O Distributing Corporation, said today, "always bearing in mind that it is equally essential for the exhibitor to make a profit." In explaining his stand on the franchise question Schnitzer continued: "Its original purpose was to afford a medium of enabling the small exhibitor throughout the country to assure himself of worthwhile sound pictures at an equitable price. We never have swerved from this purpose. "Some exhibitors have approached the franchise with the idea that they could name their own price. This, of course, was never the intention of the plan. No business transaction is satisfactory unless both parties thereto can make a profit. We are bearing that in mind. Many franchises have been sold and many more will be sold before the season is over. I predict that, in future seasons, an R K O franchise will be numbered among the most valuable assets of any theatre." M G M Arranges to Make One Vilma Banky Film (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 1.— Metro-GoldwynMayer will star Vilma Banky in one picture after making arrangements with Samuel Goldwyn, according to announcement from the company. The story prepared for Miss Banky is "They Knew What They Wanted." William Seastrom will direct. MPTOA Heads See Music Tax Dropped by Convention Time Mergers of Publishing Companies with Producers Called Factor — General Exposition of Sound Equipment Planned for Memphis Meeting October 29-31 (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 1. — Complete relief from the music tax, or at least a material reduction of the assessment, will be reported to the exhibitors attending the MPTOA convention at Memphis, October 29-31, if the hopes of the organization leaders are borne out, hopes based on recent developments. M. J. O'Toole, secretary of the MPTOA, pointed out today that in addition to the continued activity of the organization a new avenue to virtual abolishment of the music tax is paved by the recent amalgamations which have brought several outstanding music publishing concerns under control of producing companies, or into affiliation with them, one result of the rapid development of sound. A general exposition of sound equipment will be a feature of the convention, and President M. A. Lightman of the M P T O A has arranged with the management of the Peabody hotel, convention headquarters, for ample space to accommodate the exhibits. One entire session of the convention itself has been set aside for addresses by experts on sound. From Canada comes the report that a goodly delegation will be at Memphis. Harry Alexander is president of the Canadian M P T O following the death of John C. Brady of Toronto. New Angle to Labor Situation A subject to be taken up at the convention is the labor situation. The MPTOA in a statement predicts that the tenseness of that problem will be relieved by the sound attachment projection instrument, a new projector with the sound elements built into the equipment, with the manufacturers able to provide skilled men all of the time to operate it. Thus important changes in theatre management are seen in the offing, and MPTOA officials expect the convention to present new ideas in that connection. Of the music tax, O'Toole said: "We have set the machinery in motion to accomplish virtual abolition of the tax and hope to be able to report at our Tenth Annual Convention that exhibitors will be relieved of this tax or at least some substantial arrangement made which will materially reduce it. The new owners of the music companies, being in many instances exhibitors themselves in conjunction with their producing and distributing interest, will no doubt see the wisdom of taking all or nearly all of this burden off theatre owners, or at least go as far as their business position in the premises will permit. Sees Huge Savings "This will save exhibitors generally hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes a year, which we always believed were unfairly levied." The music tax controversy has been a long and tedious one for theatre owners. Efforts were made at different sessions of Congress so to change the patent laws as to afford a proper measure of relief, but this led to complications of different kinds with no advantageous changes in the laws. Alexander Lining Up Canadian Delegation (Special to the Herald-World) OTTAWA, Oct. 1.— Harry Alexander, pioneer exhibitor of Toronto, who succeeded to the presidency of the M P T O of Canada following the death of John C. Brady of Toronto, independent leader,_ is arranging for a goodly Canadian representation at the MPTOA convention. The Canadian M P T O has been reorganized with the following officers: President, Harry Alexander; vice president, M. Gebertig; treasurer, A. Polakoff; secrtary, J. Alexander; director, S. Ulster, H. King, S. Firestone, G. Lester and L. Feigan, all of Toronto. Selig Reviews Four T-S Franchise Films (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 1.— A. L. Selig, director of advertising and publicity for TiffanyStahl, is at the West Coast Studios of his organization on important business. Selig previewed the first four of the TiffanyStahl fall releases under the new franchise plan, and wired New York that he was more than enthusiastic over them. His chief purpose in going to the Coast was to confer with Grant L. Cook, executive vice president of Tiffany-Stahl. P F L Signs Flippen (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 1.— Jay C. Flippen, blackface comedian, has been signed by Paramount for short subjects. He. will be directed by Monte Brice in a "Personality and Sketch Revue." Six Companies Report 5, 755 Adjustments With 1,200 Houses in Small Theatre Aid (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 1. — Returns from six of the twelve companies which recently pledged themselves to aid the small exhibitor indicate that 5,755 adjustments have already been made with upwards of 1,200 theatres. Conferences between committees of exhibitors and producers last July resulted in instructions issued to the branch managers of twelve major producing companies to make extensive readjustments wherever the circumstances warranted. The twelve companies were: Columbia, Educational, First National, Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, Pathe, RKO, Tiffany-Stahl, United Artists, Universal and Warner Brothers. Returns from the remaining six companies should be available next week, it was said here today.