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

June 14, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 73 Warner Making Gradual Change From Disc to Film Recording Labor Battles Labor as Non-Unionists Fight I A Men in Projection War Independent Operators’ Organization Puts Own Pickets on Job to Refute Onion Placards (Special to the Herald-World) Sound-on-Film Printer Placed In Firm’s N. Y. Laboratories Morris Denies Disc Method Will Be Abandoned but Admits Part Will Go on Film By DOUGLAS FOX SEATTLE, June 10. — The Allied Amusement Crafts Association has entered into the picket situation here as conditions grow acute. The independent organization has placed a group of sidewalk strollers in the streets near the Follies theatre, formerly the Pantages. With the Follies operating 100 per cent union, the independents had their men plastered with signs reading, “Follies Theatre Unfair to Operators. Local Allied Amusements Crafts of Seattle.” A similar picket was placed in front of the Seattle Paramount theatre, and when he was discovered by a union operator he was severely beaten. Other pickets had their signs torn off them. The police then stepped in at the instigation of Basil Grey, business agent of the local branch of I A, and removed the pickets from the streets. The police order, however, did not remove the union pickets parading the sidewalks adjacent to the Embassy, non-union theatre operated by Joe Danz, and before the walkers were called off Danz had a set of boys walking parallel to the union pickets with signs reading, “Embassy Theatre Fair to Organized Labor. — Allied Amusement Crafts Association.” The whole thing implied that the union men of the Follies Theatre were unfair to the organization of non union men at the Embassy. James Hone, secretary of the Allied Amusements of the Northwest, stated upon his return from an Eastern convention, that the offending parties on both sides would probably be brought into court in an effort to have their differences amicably settled and future violence avoided. Census Gives Hollywood Population of 153,294 Against 19,996 in 1910 (Special to the Herald-World) HOLLYWOOD, June 10. — The population of Hollywood, which in 1910, when it became a part of Los Angeles, was 19,996, has been estimated by the recent census to contain 153,294 persons. In the State of California, with eighteen counties yet to report, a gain of 2,016,269 has been noted, or a net aggregate increase of 70.1 per cent. The total for the forty counties is 4,890,982. The population of the unreported counties in 1929 was 550,130, and if these counties maintain the percentage of growth, the total for the state would be close to 5,917,000. Bond Issue for Renovation Of House Voted by Council (Special to the Herald-World) LEBANON, OHIO, June 10.— The village council here has voted for a $7,500 bond issue with which to procure funds for the entire renovation of the Lebanon Opera House. NEW YORK, June 10. — A gradual changeover from disc to film will take place in the talking picture production of Warner Brothers, the HERALD-WORLD learned this week. Sam E. Morris, vice-president and general manager, while he denied that the company would abandon the disc method of recording, admitted that preparations were under way for a part of the company’s product to be recorded on film, but added that he had no statement to make on the subject. Last week Morris announced that the majority of Vitaphone records for the coming season would he on twelve-inch instead of sixteen-inch discs, a change which would result in large savings to exhibitors in the matter of expressage and handling. Sound-on-Film Printer Developed by Chicagoan Installed in W arner’ s New York Laboratories By GEORGE SCHUTZ Action believed to point toward the early adoption of the sound-on-film method is now being taken by Warner Brothers, according to information which has become available to the Herald-World in both New York and Chicago. Installation is being made in Warner Brothers’ New York laboratories of a sound-on-film printer developed by O. B. Depue of Burton Holmes, Inc., Chicago. Depue is in New York supervising the installation of complete sound-on-film printing equipment, it is learned. At present restricting use of the sound-on-film method to outdoor recordings, which are later re-recorded on discs, Warner Brothers is thus seen as preparing for an early modification of its policy to include sound-on-film recordings for the entire picture and the distribution of sound-on-film prints. The printer being installed, regarded as the first of others to follow at once if trials prove the type satisfactory, is capable of printing the sound track on film exposed for only the action as well as films carrying both sound and action on a single master. Amusements Only Field to Show a Large Increase in 1930 Net Profits Over 1929 Amusements is the only industry which has increased substantially its 1930 net profits over those of 1929, according to a survey of first quarter statements just conducted by the National City Bank of New York. In fact, the amusement industry is almost the only field to show such an increase, only four others of the 57 industries surveyed having also bettered their 1929 figure. All of the latter, however, showed only relatively small increases, while the increase for amusements amounts to a fraction under 50 per cent, the survey reveals. Net profits in amusements (six companies studied) for the first 1930 period were $19,978,000, as compared with $13,328,000 in 1929. In the margin of profits over the dividend requirements, the analysis shows amusements to be the only industry realizing more than 200 per cent. The net profits for the amusement industry was 269 per cent over its dividend requirements at the end of the first quarter. The second highest percentage of profits over dividend requirements was 166, attained by iron and steel. The 57 industries survey showed for the first quarter of this year, a decrease in net profits from those of the corresponding period of 1929, of a little over $95,000,000.