Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1930)

April 5, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 17 Threaten Bill to Set Minimum Length of All Long Features Eastern Pennsylvania Exhibitors Charge Many Subjects Are Being Delivered Far Below Required Footage, Requiring Addition of Product to Fill Two Hours (Special to the Herald-World) PHILADELPHIA, April 1. — A state bill to regulate the length of long features will be sponsored by the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware for introduction in the Pennsylvania legislature unless remedial measures are taken by the producers. The bill would become operative under the Bureau of Standards, thus standardizing the length of a feature picture much as other materials and products are standardized by the Bureau. MP PDA Accused of Paying Churchmen To Keep Hands Off ( Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 1. — Open warfare between. the Hays office and certain religious organizations broke out again on Sunday when Rev. George Reid Andrews, executive secretary of the Church and Drama League, charged Will Hays and Carl E. Milliken with retaining men and women in educational and religious institutions to prevent interference with the activities of the M P P D A. Andrews declared he had received two offers from the Hays office, the first from Hays in 1925 and the second from Milliken in 1928. For speeches and advice (this when he was the head of the Drama department of the Federal Council of Churches) he was to have received $10,000, he said. Swift in retaliation was Milliken, secretary of the M P P D A. He frankly stated that the motion picture industry has received fine cooperation from certain educational and religious groups, but he added that “It has also had to contend with a certain amount of definite racketeering from individuals who do not want such cooperation unless they can profit by it.” Milliken named Andrews as one of these and branded his charges as false. Dr. Charles S. MacFarland has resigned as general secretary of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America to relieve the council’s policy committee of “embarrassment” over his sendees to the film industry. Paramount Net '29 Profit $15,544,544 After Deductions (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 1. — Paramount reports its net profit for 1929, including earnings of subsidiary companies, as $15,544,544, after deducting all charges and reserves. Profit for the last three months of 1929, ending December 28, were $5,812,661. These figures compare with $8,713,000 for 1928 and $2,737,000 for the 1928 quarter. The net equals $6.36 a share. Two-Day Blizzard Costs Chicago Theatres Huge Sum in Lost Patronage Whatever the poets say about spring, it’s all a lot of hooey to Chicago exhibitors, who last week saw hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential receipts get buried in 18 inches of snow, as March prepared for a leonine departure. The measurements of the weather bureau, taken following a blizzard on Tuesday and a somewhat lesser snowfall on Wednesday, were also a lot of hooey to the theatre men, for in pooh-poohing the record-breaking 18-inch precipitation officially recorded, exhibitors could point contemptuously to from five to ten feet of icy flakes around their theatres. Though thousands of workers could not get home Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the loop houses suffered along with the outlying theatres, although on Wednesday night the downtown theatres did realize a slight trend toward normal business. What might be called a “freak of the storm,” was a standout crowd at B & K’s Oriental theatre in the loop on Wednesday •night. Transportation was still in a state of approximate paralysis, but downtown workers who were jamming the hotels in lieu of their "homes, were attracted by the unusual bill at the Oriental, where five of B & K’s outstanding masters of ceremony were on display. The exhibitor organization, through its board of managers, has determined upon the following scald as the best minimum lengths for motion pictures to make up a two-hour program: Single reels — 900 feet minimum. Two reels — 1,900 feet minimum. Features — 6,000 feet minimum. In announcing the action of the exhibitors’ organization, George P. Aarons, secretary, pointed out that “many subjects now being delivered are much below required footage,” so that the exhibitor is compelled to add more subjects to the bill despite the problem he already has with increased costs of operation. Double Feature — Must Add 21 Minutes “Instances were cited,” Aarons said, “in which an exhibitor played a double feature, one 45 minutes in length and another 54 minutes, making a total of 99 minutes. This necessitated the buying of 21 minutes of short product, to complete the regular two-hour bill, the standard show length in all parts of the country.” A plan also was evolved at the meeting whereby all independent theatres would group 'their advertising in newspapers under one cooperative heading as “Members of the M P T O E Pa S N J & Del.” Official protest was made against the practice of exchanges charging for scores when pictures were played on percentage. “This was deemed manifestly unfair and immediate steps will be taken to attempt to correct this injustice,” Aarons reported. Feel Agreement Includes Score Charge “The exhibitors felt that the agreement between producers and exhibitors playing pictures on percentage naturally included score charge and any extra charge for the score was merely a holdup in view of conditions existing. “This feature will be forced to an immediate decision, as it affects almost 85 per cent of the exhibitors in this territory.” Interest in the affairs of the organization is rising steadily with constantly increasing attendance at meetings. Allied Takes Part In 2-2-2 Conference ; MP T O Board Meets ( Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 1. — The Allied States Association, meeting at the Hotel Warwick to discuss a standard arbitration contract and to consider the efficacy of the Sentry Safety Control device, will be a party to the 2-2-2 conference here. Today Allied members have gone to Philadelphia to inspect the Sentry plant. Yesterday the association voted to incorporate, leaving the details to its president, Abram F. Myers. Others at the 2-2-2 conference will be representatives of M P T O A and the distributors, these headed by Sidney R. Kent of Paramount. At its spring meeting yesterday the M P T O A directors discussed arbitration and contract, labor problems, music tax, theatre servicing and protection, and endorsed the campaign of the N V A to provide funds for its work at Saranac Lake. President M. A. Lightman, Chairman E. M. Fay, Secretary J. M. O’Toole, and Treasurer Jay Emanuel presented reports of activities. The contract and arbitration committee will continue its work today prior to submitting proposals at the 2-2-2 conference tomorrow. Here to Stay Unless Vm Fired, Says Hiram Brown (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 1. — “I’m here to stay unless they fire me !” said Hiram K. Brown here today, denying a report emanating from the Coast that he had resigned from R K O. Construction Started on Eight New Warner Theatres in Expansion Program (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 1. — Construction has been started on eight more Warner Brother theatres under the supervising of Herman L. Maier, chief engineer of the construction department of the Warner Enterprises. The new theatres will be situated in Youngstown, Ohio; Erie, Pa.; Wilkinsburg, Pa.; West Chester, Pa.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Torrington, Conn.; Ridgewood, N. J.; and Morgantown, West Va. Alfred E. Gottesman, executive assistant to Major Albert Warner, returned to New York last week after a trip to Pittsburgh and Ohio, where he completed negotiations for several theatre sites. Thomas Lamb was named architect for the theatres in Torrington, Conn., and Ridgewood, N. J. John Eberson was named architect for thd Wilkinsburg house and The O’Day Construction Company received the construction contract for the West Chester theatre. In addition to the erection of eight new houses, Warners announce that 54 refrigerators will be installed in 54 of their houses throughout the country.