Exhibitor's Trade Review (Nov 1925 - Feb 1926)

Page 4 Exhibitors Review The Week's News Briefly Told MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8 NEW YORK.— Joseph P. Kennedy, Boston hanker, acquires control of RC Pictures Corporation and Film Booking Offices of America from Lloyd's bank and the Grahams of London. The policy and the personnel of the company will continue the same. A huge production programme is being mapped out. NEW YORK— Joseph M. Seider, business manager of the Motion Picture Owners of America receives congratulations for his victory in the fight for a new exhibition contract. At a luncheon tendered to exhibitor leaders, completion of a contract is announced. Allied, States and the Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce as well as the Hays organization are represented. WASHINGTON.— Following complaint from the Independent Motion Picture Association, the Army Motion Picture Service undertakes an investigation of the reported ban on independent product for Army use in the Southwest. NEW YORK— Warner Brothers fail to declare the quarterly dividend of 37^4 cents a share for Class "A" stock. The financial statement reveals a net loss of $333,413 for the six months ending September 26, 1925. NEW YORK.— Total assets of more than $26,655,000 are shown in the report of the Fox Film Corporation as of November 28, 1925, made public recently. This is compared with $24,509,999 reported in June, last. Total current and working assets were $17,656,000, of which $4,268,000 was in cash and $500,000 in the form of call loans. This was in ratio of 18}^ to 1, as compared with the total liabilities of $940,000. NEW YORK— Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky and Sam Katz, of Famous PlayersLasky Corporation, are now in Florida. Joseph E. Seidelman, of the foreign department of Famous Players— Lasky, sailed Saturday for Europe on the Olympic to meet Emil E. Shauer who has returned to Europe from the Far East. NEW YORK.— Reports from St. Louis concerning a dispute between Spyros Skouras and Famous Players-Lasky over the policy of the pictures playing the Missouri Theatre, may result in an announcement as to the policy of that house in the future. Spyros Skouras, of Skouras Brothers Enterprises, manages the Missouri, although it is the property of Famous Players. Skouras is reported to have booked a print of "Braveheart" from P. D. C. to play that theatre, which drew criticism from the local Paramount. 5(e :fe ^ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9 NEW YORK.— E. F. Albee, head of the Keith circuit, is reported uneasy over the announcement of the Publix Theatres Corporation of the opening of a booking office to sign acts for Publix theatres at No. 1520 Broadway, New York. Mr. Albee, it was said along film row, was considerably alarmed in the trend apparently dictated by Sam Katz, president of Publix, to swing Paramount's chain of houses into a combination vaudeville and film program. Such a step already taken for the New York houses is said to have cut into the business of the Palace and other Keith houses. BOSTON. — An active part in the conduct of F. B. O. and its subsidiaries will be taken by John F. Fitzgerald, former mayor of Boston. Control of the company passed to Calendar of Coming Events April 19-20.— M. P. T. O. of Western Pennsylvania. Convention at Pittsburgh. June 1 to 5. — Annual Convention, M. P. T. O. A., Los Angeles, Calif. Joseph P. Kennedy, son— in-law of the former mayor. NEW YORK.— Irving Thalberg, of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corporation producing forces at Culver City, is conferring with Robert J. Rubin and Nicholas Schenck of the home office on the lining up of the production schedule for 1926-27. Thalberg announced that his organization would produce 50 pictures. NEW YORK.— Net profits of $1,408,330.19 for the three months and $3,459,862.90 for the nine months to September 26, 1925, after deducting all charges and reserves for Federal income and other taxes, are reported by the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation and consolidated companies. On February 8, the board of directors declared the regular quarterly dividend of $2 per share on the common stock, payable April 1, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 15. The books will not close. CHICAGO. — Charles Pettijohn and Jerome Beatty of the home office are here to attend the conference called for Wednesday by certain reform interests, to consider the question of motion picture censorship. Five or six members of the Allied States Group of Theatre Owners will attend the conference. NEW YORK.— W. A. Steffes, president of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Minnesota, places his approval on the new standard motion picture contract, which he declared to be as near perfect as present problems permit. NEW YORK.— Edward L. Klein, of the Edward L. Klein Company, film exporters, will leave this month for Europe. He will arrange distribution in continental centres. ^ ^ ^ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10 DETROIT.— The American Cinema Association, Inc., organized to engage in national cooperative production, distribution and exhibition, has announced that 2,800 independent theatre owners had aligned with it. The total assets of the group is now put at $20,000,000. NEW YORK.— Hy Daab, in charge of publicity at the West Coast F. B. O. studios for three years, has been appointed by Film Booking Offices of America to take charge of the advertising and publicity at the home office. SEDALIA. — A -500,000 merger involving twenty-five theatres in Missouri and Kansas is consummated by the Amercan Theatres Company with S. C. Carter of Nevada, Mo., and Lee Jones, of Kansas City. TRENTON.— A bill is introduced by Assemblyman Siracusa, majority leader, at the request of Motion Picture Theatre Owners of New Jersey, at the New Jersey Legislature, providing for the supervision of theatres, carnivals and other amusements by the State Tenement House Department. This bill, it is hoped, will have the effect of eliminating unfair competition by the non-theatrical institutions with tax paying motion picture theatres. WASHINGTON.— More than three-fifths of all the motion picture films exhibited in Finland during 1925 were American productions, according to a statement by the Finnish Board of Censorship, states Vice-Consul Frank P. S. Cassey at Helsingfors, in a report to the Department of Commerce. NEW YORK— H. A. Cole, president of the Texas Motion Picture Theatre Owners, thinks the new Standard Exhibition Contract is a big improvement on the old one. The objection that most exhibitors have to it, is the item of undue length, but the way Cole looks at it is that there are so many diversified situations arising throughout the different territories, that all conditions had to be covered. Cole's organization has not had much trouble with the old contract, he said. ONTARIO.— Hon. W. H. Price, K.C.. Provincial Treasurer, throws down gauntlet to the Canadian film distributing companies with regard to the censorship question in the Province of Ontario when he issues an official statement regarding the examination and release of the current feature, "Moana of the South Seas." * * * THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11 CHICAGO. — Charles Pettijohn and Jerome Beatty, of the Hays organization, together with A. W. Steffes, president of the M. P. T. O. of Minnesota, and other exhxibitor leaders, are watching the moves of the fourth national motion picture conference, which has opened at the Congress Hotel. Efforts will be made by them to prevent a stampede, as planned, for a national censorship drive. TORONTO.— Canadian Performing Rights Society, Ltd., affiliated with the Performing Rights Society of London, England, issues invitations to all exhibitors of Canada to become members of the society for the privilege of paying a form of royalty on all copyrighted music controlled by the Society, which runs to a considerable amount, it is stated. A great many of the theatre managers in Canada ignore the invitation. NEW YORK.— The British National Pictures incorporates at Albany for $20,000. The purpose of the organization, given in the charter papers, is to engage in the theatre business. NEW YORK.— Meetings will be held here by all the important officials of the West Coast Theatres, Inc., regarding refinancing of the company and plans for further expansion of the theatre activities. COLUMBUS. — Ohio exhibitors are alarmed by the reported invasion of the Loew group into the Ohio field. NEW YORK. — Irving M. Lesser, it was learned, is planning a chain of theatres in suburban New York. In addition to a theatre at Rockville Centre, L. I., Mr. Lesser is contemplating erection of houses at Little Neck and Port Washington, L. I. ST. LOUIS.— William Fox will build in St. Louis, Mo. A reliable source reports that the projected $3,500,000 5,000-seat Fox theatre and office-apartment building at Grand and Washington Boulevards will go through as planned. SEATTLE — Jensen and VonHerbert are watching moves of Famous Players in this territory. It is rumored that a Paramount representative is here to arrange a deal or build opposition houses.