Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1929)

December 14, 1929 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 31 [This appeared in the New Orleans It£m for December 5.} To Theatre Managers : The way you hide the starting time of your shows from the patrons, you make every picture a mystery play. Nineteen times out of 20, one lands in the middle of the picture, and it would take Sherlock himself a half-hour to £gure out what has gone before. If I were running your theatres, I'd figure out a schedule that would make the feature picture start exactly on an even hour or half-hour, so my regular patrons could keep the hour in mind. But if you're not smart enough to figure out a schedule like that, there's no reason why you couldn't put the starting time in your ads so that one could be sure of seeing the picture right-end foremost. Try it, and then ask the patrons how they like it. A. LOBOS. Blame Explosion at Atlanta Theatre on Bomb; $200 Damage (Special to the Herald-World) ATLANTA, Dec. 10.— Police believe that an explosion which happened in front of the Tenth Street theatre resulted from a bomb. Business windows surrounding the theatre were shattered. Damages were estimated to be around $200. No clews were received. Firm Seeks Sales Rights To U. 5. Sound Apparatus In Australian Territory (Special to the Herald-World) SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, Nov. 30.— [Bv Mail.] — H. C. Walker, general manager of Harrington's, Ltd., dealers in motion picture equipment, has left for the United States. He is scheduled to arrive in New York December 14, and from there, about December 25, he will leave for Rochester, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Walker stated that his mission was to study the latest developments in the sound equipment field, with the end in view of arranging for sales rights in Australasia with some American sound apparatus company. His address in New York will be at the Commodore hotel. Betty Cochrane Wed to John Howard at Her Home (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10.— Miss Betty Cochrane, daughter of Robert Cochrane, vice president of Universal, was married to John Howard of Ohio on December 7. The ceremony took place at the Cochrane home in New Rochelle. National Screen Service Has "Mail Early" Trailer (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10.— The National Screen Service has prepared a "Mail Early" trailer in connection with the Government's mail early campaign. It is entertaining and cleverly animated, and carries the official government copy. Portland Circle Asks Writ to Bar Operators from Picketing Third Run Sound House Charges Attempt to Saddle Upon It Same Scale and Working Conditions as Agreed Upon for FirstRuns — Seattle Exhibitor Wins Restaining Order (Special to the Herald-World) PORTLAND, Dec. 10. — A restraining order enjoining the Portland Moving Picture Machine Operators Union No. 159 and the Central Labor Council from picketing the Circle theatre, has been sought in a suit filed in circuit court by the Woodlaw Investment Company, doing business as the Circle Theatre company, against the two labor unions and their officers. When the theatre declined to comply with the union demands, union projectionists were withdrawn from the theatre on September 11, the complaint states. Since then, the union has maintained pickets in front of the theatre, carrying banners charging the place with unfairness to organized labor ; stickers have been applied to the front of the building and automobiles, and the theatre has been "black-listed" by the Central Labor Council. In September, 1928, the operators' union entered into an agreement with certain motion picture houses relative to operators' wage scale and working conditions, but the theatres dealt with included only first-run houses, theatres with a seating capacity of 1,200 to 3,000 and houses having a minimum evening price of 50 cents, the complaint states. An attempt was made, however, to bind all theatres in the central zone to the agreement. When the Circle, which is a third to fifthrun house, with a seating capacity of 700 and a low admission charge, decided to install talking picture equipment in March of this year officers of the union assured G. T. Woodlaw that they would not exact conditions applying to first-run theatres, due to the fact that the Circle always had been fair to labor and had paid wages exceeding the union scale, it is alleged. After the equipment had been installed, however, the union made demands exactly similar to those made of firstrun theatres, it is charged. The demands, which the theatre declined to meet, were that at least two operators must be employed in the projection room at all times, that each was to be paid a salary of $80 a week for six hours a day, and six days a week, and that they must be members of the Portland union. Granted Order to Stop Picketing by Theatre (Special to the Herald-World) SEATTLE, Dec. 10. — Aresto Casal, proprietor of the Royal theatre, was granted a restraining order against the International Alliance of Stage Employees and Picture Machine Operators, Local 154, and the Seattle Central Labor council, enjoining them from further "picketing" the theatre. Casal declared his business was being hurt by union pickets, who paraded up and down in front of his theatre, after he had refused to hire two union operators instead of one. Joseph Santley Joins Pathe as Director of Musical Productions (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10.— Joseph Santley, noted actor and stage producer, has been signed by Pathe to supervise the production of the musical comedies and reviews. He will leave for Hollywood soon, and his first assignment will probably be George Gershwin's "Treasure Girl." Last season he produced the stage productions "Excess Baggage" and "The Lady Lies." He directed the popular "COcoanuts" with the four Marx Brothers while at the Paramount studio. The contract he has signed is a long term one and his title will probably be Supervising Producer and Director of Motion Picture Musical Comedies. Delehanty Vice President And General Manager For Pathe International (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10.— Thomas S. Delehanty has been appointed vice president and general manager of the Pathe International Corporation. He succeeds J. Frank Shea who has resigned. Delehanty was born in Boston and educated at Boston University. Prior to his connection with Pathe, where before his appointment he was assistant secretary and assistant treasurer, he was connected with F B O, now R K O, as secretary. Receipts from Domestic Film Rentals Increase 29% Over 1928 Period (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Dec. 10.— It is announced by Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation that domestic film rentals for the week ending Nov. 30 set the new high record since the company was organized in 1916. Receipts for the first nine weeks of the fourth quarter, commencing September 29, were 29 per cent ahead of 1928. Petrillo Chicago Musicians9 Head Two Years More James C. Petrillo is again president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians. He was elected by acclamation for another term of two years. Petrillo became a member of the musicians' federation in 1917 and five years later was made president. This makes his eighth term as president. It was also announced that the musicians will erect a permanent home and office building on the present site of their headquarters. New Theatre to Replace One Destroyed by Fire (Special to the Herald-World) ATLANTIC, IA., Dec. 10.— A new modern theatre, to seat 1,000, will replace the Atlantic theatre which was destroyed by fire recently. The old house is being torn down and work will start immediately on a new theatre. O. C. Johnson is the proprietor of the house.