Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1929)

November 2, 1929 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 27 Brookhart Makes New Move to Saddle Censorship on Industry Bill Provides for Inquiry by Board with Five $6,000 Jobs Proposal to Create Industrial Art Commission Is Prompted by Head of National Farmers' Union By FRANCIS L. BURT WASHINGTON, Oct. 29.— Another measure designed to impose censorship upon the motion picture industry has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Smith Wildman Brookhart of Iowa. Acting in response to a request from C, S. Barrett, executive head of the National Farmers' Union, Union City, Ga., Brookhart Thursday introduced a bill for the creation of an industrial art commission. This commission, to be composed of five members receiving salary of $6,000 a year, would be authorized to investigate the motion picture, talking picture and theatrical and amusement field to promote the general welfare of those industries, making such recommendations to Congress as it might deem proper. Radio Merger Links Victor with RCA, GE, Westinghouse (Special to the Herald-World) CAMDEN, N. J., Oct. 29. — A huge merger of four leading companies for the manufacture of radio equipment was announced here last week. The companies are the Victor Talking Machine Company, the Radio Corporation of America, General Electric and Westinghouse. The announcement was made by Gen. James G. Harbord, president of RCA. The merger will become effective January 1. The main manufacturing plant of the new company will be here, while the executive offices will be in New York. The factory personnel is expected to be increased from the present 13,000 to about 25,000. E. E. Shumacker, president of Victor, will head the new company. J. L. Ray, a vice-president of RCA, and H. C. Crubbs, a vice-president of Victor, will have similar titles with the new organization. Victor and RCA sales now are $50,000,000 annually, and those of the merged companies are exepcted to total a half billion. Embassy Newsreel Shows 1 Hour Long; Admission 35 Cents; To Start Nov, 2 (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 29.— For the first time in history the newsreel is to have its own theatre. On Saturday, November 2, the Embassy, located at Broadway and 46th street, in the heart of the theatrical district, will change its policy from long runs of feature motion pictures to a policy devoted exclusively to the showing of sound newsreels. The Embassy will be known as the newsreel theatre. Every important news event happening in New York territory will be seen and heard on the screen of the Embassy within a few hours ©f its happening. Similarly every big news event throughout the world will be rushed there for an immediate showing. Programs will be changed from day to day as spot news develops and there will be no weekly or regular change of program as in most theatres. The house will open at 10 a. m. and close at midnight. Admission will be 25 cents and the duration of shows one hour. De Forest Increases Common by Exchange With Jenkins Company (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 29.— The no par capital stock of the De Forest Radio company has been increased 345,680 shares through exchange with that of the Jenkins Television company. The exchange basis was one DeForest for of Jenkins. The total outstanding stock of De Forest is now 1,330,332 shares. Film Starts Booth Fire (Special to the Herald-World) SEATTLE, WASH., Oct. 29.— A film caught fire while going through the machine in the projection room of the Rialto theatre, while a show was in progress. The flames resulted in several thousand dollars damage. Barrett's excuse for getting into the reform game is that "the recreation of the man on the farm is generally limited to the motion or talking picture and the nature of entertainment that is given to him must of necessity leave its mark and impression upon his mind and character. For that reason it is important to the country at large that a watchful eye be exercised over the subject and character of entertainment that is being broadcast throughout the land." "While it is not necessarily the purpose of the bill to create a censorship," Barrett declared in his letter to Brookhart, "yet the existence of a federal commission with a watchful eye upon this gigantic industry is bound to exert a constructive and moral effect upon the persons and corporations engaged in it." Attacking "big business" in the film industry and referring to the recent New York cases, Barrett asserts that indictments under the antitrust laws have taken place only after the weaker individuals have been "economically prostrated" and that the proposed commission could prevent the commission of such violations. "In different states an attempt has been made to recognize and deal with the problems growing out of this situation by the creation of local censorship boards," he declares, in discussing the character of entertainment. "It is significant, however, to note that censorship boards do not agree and that there is frequently hardly more than nominal responsibility in the personnel that goes to make up some of these boards. "The existence of an industrial art commis sion, as is provided for in the bill, would be a means of cooperating with the industry for the purpose of eliminating the immoral and obscene subject matter as well as curbing cleverly contrived but insidious propaganda." The bill having been introduced at Barrett's request, it is not probable that Brookhart will press the matter very heartily, particularly in view of the fact that his own bill, directly imposing censorship, has the approval of the reform group generally. Thomson Re-Elected President of ABC At Chicago Session P. L. Thomson, public relations director of the Western Electric company, was reelected president of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, at the annual session held last week in Chicago. Among the guests attending the meeting were C. F. Goldwaithe, publicity director for the Canadian National Railway; C. C. Younggreen, president of the Advertising Federation of America; John Benson, president of the American Association of Advertising Agencies; Homer Guck, publisher; Herman Black, publisher; Walter A. Strong, publisher, and S. E. Thompson, publisher. The session was held at the Stevens hotel and closed with a banquet and program of entertainment. Bombers Threaten Fox Detroit House; One Arrested on Extortion Charge (Special to the Herald-World) DETROIT, Oct. 29. — What is said by police to have been a plot to obtain $5,000 by threatening to bomb the Fox theatre, Detroit's largest motion picture^ house, was nipped last week with the arrest of Orlando Morris, 37 years old. Morris was arrested in the lobby of a downtown office building after a parcel, made up to look like a package of money, had been delivered to him by an usher from the theatre. He denied any knowledge of the plot and said he had been paid $5 by an unidentified man to receive the parcel. John Shour, business manager of the house, received the threatening letter on October 22. Shour was instructed to have the money wrapped in a parcel and taken to the lobby of the office building at 9 p. m. on October 24, where a man would be waiting to receive it. Morris is held on a charge of attempted extortion and police are searching for others believed involved in the plot.