Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1929)

December 14, 1929 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 29 Nathanson Launches 25 Million Theatre Chain to Fight Famous Syndicate to Be Financed in Montreal Will Start Two 5000-Seat Houses — Loew Theatres in Canada Reported Nucleus of New Circuit (Special to the Herald-World) MONTREAL, Dec. 10. — Storm clouds have broken out afresh in motion picture theatre circles of Canada with the formal announcement that a $25.000,000 theatre chain has been organized to do battle with Famous Players Canadian Corporation. The new syndicate is to be financed in Montreal and controlled in Toronto through N. L. Nathanson, former managing director of Famous Players in Canada. The news is forthcoming that two big theatres are to be started early in 1930, one in Montreal and the other in Toronto, seating 5,000 and equipped for the presentation of Fox Grandeur films. It is also intimated that Loew houses in the Dominion are the nucleus for the new circuit. The chain will Talking Film Evidence Conviction Is Contested (Special to the Herald-World) PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 10.— Harold Roller, the milkman-burglar, whose confession in talking picture form was presented to the Philadelphia Court of Quarter Sessions, was convicted by a jury after 14 minutes' deliberation on November 27th. Judge Gordon, however, deferred sentence pending disposition of a motion for a new trial. Attorneys for the defendant announced that should a retrial be refused, they intend taking the case to the superior court and also to the supreme court, if necessary, in a test to decide whether talking pictures may be legally used in criminal prosecution. Director SchoSeld, who was the £rst police executive to try out the system, declared that he heartily welcomed the test case. The question of whether the "talkie" may be used in criminal jurisprudence will be threshed out to the limit in these appeals. M GM Stars on Radio In National Weekly Broadcast January 6 (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10— Metro-GoldwynMayer stars from Culver City will be heard over the Columbia chain in a countrywide weekly broadcast beginning January 6. The programs will be sponsored by the Purity Bread Company and the Carter Manufacturing Company. Under the arrangements of M G M and the two companies a nation-wide advertising campaign will supply the public with detailed information about the programs. Feature displays will be run in newspapers and other mediums. Purity Bread Company have already ordered 75 million inserts to be placed with every loaf of bread sold. The insert is in four-colors and contains photographs of the stars. The broadcast will go on the air at 7 P. M. Eastern Standard time each Monday starting January 6. Evelyn Brent Signed by Columbia on Long Term For Special Productions (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10.— Columbia Pictures makes the announcement that it has1 signed Evelyn Brent on a long term contract. She will appear in three of the company's special productions, the first of which will be announced shortly. Miss Brent is considered to be one of the greatest delineators of emotional roles on the screen. Following her appearance in European pictures, she first achieved prominence in this country in a series of fourteen crook melodramas for FB O. She then deserted this for society delineations for Paramount, to which company she has been under contract for several years. Henry G. LaRose Dies (Special to the Herald-World) ALBANY, Dec. 10.— Henry G. LaRose, who formerly operated the Fairyyland theatre at Warrensburg, died at a hospital in Glens Falls, N. Y., last week, after an illness of several months. spread across Canada. Financiers associated with Nathanson are Sir Herbert Holt of Montreal, outstanding banker, and Hon. D. W. Ross, lieutenant-governor of Ontario, both of whom were directors of Famous Players Canadian corporation until the Nathanson break. One statement reads: "In the background will be the Fox interests of the United States." Brother Sponsors Theatre Deal Coincident with these developments was the formal announcement that $600,000 worth of downtown property in Toronto, on Yonge, Edward and Dundas streets, had changed hands for a theatre, this project being sponsored by Regal Films, Limited, big film distributing company of which H. L. Nathanson, brother of N. L. Nathanson, is the general manager. It is interesting to note, that this announcement appeared in a newspaper owned by I. W. Killam of Montreal, who is reputed to be the largest shareholder and a director of Famous Players Canadian corporation. The storm broke immediately after the holding of the annual meeting of Famous Players Canadian at Toronto December 5, at which Adolph Zukor of New York, president, was the chairman. Zukor denied several times, during the course of a warm session at which individual shareholders asked the question, that the board of directors had ever received an offer from British Gaumont for the Canadian company at the rate of $75 a share. This was the point on which N. L. Nathanson resigned. Nathanson was represented at the meeting by his lawyer, D. L. McCarthy, K. C, and various other lawyers were present. Shareholders Ask Explanation The strong financial report of Canadian Famous Players for the last fiscal year was presented by Arthur Cohen, the new (Special to the Herald-World) KANSAS CITY, Dec. 10.— Motion pictures were used for the first time in a Kansas City court as evidence before a jury. The plaintiff was seeking $25,000 damages from the Kansas City Public Service Company, street car operators. Lester W. Fowler, a farmer, alleges that on Nov. 2, 1925, he touched an upright stanchion charged with electricity. He claims the shock permanently crippled him. Last July three investigators, went to his farm ostensibly to take films of typical Missouri farm life. They asked Fowler to chop some wood, also to saw a log. Fowler did. The pictures were shown the jury this week. managing director. The eight directors were re-elected and the new board was empowered to fill the vacancies caused by the resignations. The directors include Adolph Zukor, J. P. Bickell, vice president, Arthur Cohen, I. W. Killam, Sir William Wiseman, Bart., and J. B. Tudhope. When the order for general business was called, proceedings flared up with the demands of shareholders for an explanation of the Gaumont offer. Zukor predicted that the Canadian shares would be worth considerably more than the $75 price and took the stand that no offer had ever been received from Gaumont. As a matter of news, the shares were selling locally at around $45. Milwaukee to Get New Warner Brothers House (Special to the Herald-World) MILWAUKEE, Dec. 10.— Details of the erection of a new downtown theatre building in this city by Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., of New York, are expected to be announced within a week. According to present plans the theatre will be housed in a twelve-story building erected on the site of the present Butterfly theatre, located on Wisconsin avenue. The new house will have a seating capacity of not less than 2,500. P. L. Thomson Delivers Two Talks at Glen Ridge (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10.— P. L. Thomson, director of public relations of Western Electric, delivered two addresses on "Teaching the Movies to Talk" in Glen Ridge, N. J., yesterday. In the morning Thomson spoke to the Glen Ridge high school students and in the evening he addressed the Women's club. (Special to the Herald-World) PORTLAND, Dec. 10.— Motion pictures flashed on a temporary screen put up for the occasion were used as evidence in Circuit Judge Morrow's court in a $20,000 personal injury damage suit brought by Lee Logsdon against Mr. and Mrs. James C. Setzer. So far as is known, this was the first time that motion pictures had been used in Oregon as courtroom evidence. In addition to serving their purpose, the pictures proved highly entertaining to spectators. The pictures showed the plaintiff walking along Portland streets and boarding a streetcar at a time when he said he was suffering from permanent bodily injuries. Hear Yez! Hear Yez! Whir-r-r-r!