Exhibitor's Trade Review (Aug-Nov 1925)

October 3, 1925 Page 19 News of Exhibitor Activities Kansas City Dissatisfied With Censorship Boar KANSAS CITY, Mo., October 2— With exhibitors and all those affiliated with the industry on the "outside," citizens and state officials of Kansas are beginning to ask, and ask with emphasis: "Why have a censor board if it has passed some of the pictures we sec in Kansas theatres?" A column story was devoted to the question, which daily is growing in complication, by the Kansas City Star Sunday. That, after all, the public is the better censor, appears to be the trend of sentiment. In observations made by Mrs. C. J. Evans, of Topeka, Kas., who is called "the mother of the motion picture censors in Kansas," and who helped frame the state censorship law, she asserts that the censor board is growing entirely too liberal in its approvals. Excerpts of her statement in a letter to The Star follow : "One afternoon recently I dropped into a theatre. After an enjoyable viewing of a news reel and comedy a feature picture was thrown on the screen. The entire picture was immoral and suggestive of immorality all the way through. The censorship board evidently had tried to 'clean up' in places by eliminating titles. ". . . . Inasmuch as the whole tragic broth was laid bare in the latter part of the picture, it would seem that the work of the censor board served no other purpose than to bewilder the minds of the audience." The Star's story continues : "The above protest of Mrs. Evans only voices many protests that have been made against movies in Kansas, where the stale has attempted by law to regulate them. " 'What is the state censor board doing?', ' ex-Governor Henry J. Allen once asked in his term as Governor after he had witnessed a motion picture show one night in Topeka. 'The board must have been busy at something when this picture got by.' "Last winter during the legislative session an effort was made to abolish censorship. The movement was sponsored by the motion picture industry and people were suspicious of the step. But in the discussion of the pending measure one frequently heard : "Why have a censor board if it has passed some of the pictures I have seen in Kansas theatres ?' "Miss Emma Veits chairman of the present board, said the picture mentioned by Airs. Evans was passed by her and Mrs. W. H. Haskell, the other member of the board, Mrs. Etta B. Beavers, not being present. Miss Veits admitted there had been some complaints on the picture, but declared that when she received the complaints she called the picture in for a re-run, but that the distribuutors have thirty days in which to comply with the order recalling it." In dian Pictu re % Has Premiere In Charlotte CHARLOTTE, N. C, October 2.— Charlotte's first world premiere of an epochal motion picture production occurred on Sunday night, September 20th, at one minute past midnight when "The Vanishing American" had a showing at the Imperial theatre before an audience that taxed the capacity of the theatre, and which was the fore-runner of a solid week's presentation of this production upon the occasion of the holding of the "Made in Carolinas" annual exposition at Charlotte and which was attended on Friday by Miss Lois Wilson upon the day dedicated as "Lois Wilson Day." "The Vanishing American" called for only the greatest praise from local critics, the Charlotte "Observer" declaring that it was "greater than 'The Covered Wagon.' " Friday at the exposition shattered all attendance records, Miss Wilson making three different talks before the immense crowds that throng,ed the exhibition palace of the exposition. HOQUIAM, Wash, Oct. 2.—The Capitol opened here last night under the management of Henry Newnu-n. * * * LOS ANGELES, Cal., Oct. 2.— Bard',s Adams Street Theatre opened here recently. It is one of the Bard chain, operating locally and in adjacent towns. STRIFE DISSOLVES ALLWON CORP. PAUL WHITEMAN GLADDENS BUFFALO; OTHER UP-STATE MUSIC NOTES SOUR At a special meeting of the Board of Directors of the Allwon Theatres Corporation, New York City, attended by nine of the twelve directors, a resolution was unanimously passed authorizing a dissolution of the corporation because of internal strife between certain factions, and Hobart b. Bird was authorized and directed to file a petition in the Supreme Court, New York County to effect said dissolution. The petition was signed by eight of the twelve directors. Resolutions were also adopted by eight of the twelve directors repudiating and declaring unauthorized any contracts made for the booking of film which were not signed by at least three members of the executive committee. The excutive committee as constituted by the by-laws consists of four members. Owing to dissenion in the corporation only three members had been elected, namely, Charles Steiner, David Rosenzweig and Prank Koren. The contracts repudiated by the resolution were those not signed by all three of said members of the committee. Samuel Weiss was nominated for the vacancy in the membership of the Executive Committee and was unanimously elected by those present at said meeting. BARRY BURKE TO MANAGE PALACE THEATRE IN DALLAS DALLAS, TEXAS, Oct. 2. — John Friedl, district manager of Southern Enterpriser, in Texas announced that Barry Burke, of Port Worth, now manager of the Palace Theatre there, will be made director of the Palace Theatre in Dallas to succeed Mr. Priedl. Mr. Burke is 35 years old and has been in the theatrical game almost that long. He began as usher and worked himself up through a series of promotions including head usher, doorman, stage carpenter, stagp electrician, operator, assistant manager and finally manager. BUFFALO, N. Y., October 2.— Buffalo exhibitors are greatly pleased with the announcement by Representative Clarence MacGregor of Buffalo that he will seek congressional help to "throttle the music trust." Mr. MacGregor who was instrumental in having the tax on admissions repealed, declares he will seek an investigation of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers to determine to what lengths it is going to enforce claims for the use of copyrighted works to which the organization considers itself entitled under what Mr. MacGregor considers an unwarranted internretation of the copyright statutes. J. H. Michael, chairman of Buffalo Zone M. P. T. O. of New York, declares the fight to repeal this tax is just as important as the campaign to repeal the admission tax and urges every exhibitor in the state as well as the country to support Mr. MacGregor in his proposed battle. Every motion picture house in the United States is interested as each must pay tribute to the society. "It is unthinkable," says Mr. MacGregor, "that any person or group can be permitted to continue such a course. It is contrary to American sense of fairness or decency." The strike of musicians, stage hands and operators is still in force in the Strand, Cataract and Bellevue theatre, Niagara Falls, N. Y. and promises to continue indefinitely. High officers of the stage hands union were in the Cataract City last week end but were unable to get together with the theatre interests so they returned to New York. A. C. Hayman, president of the Cataract Amuse ment company, operating the Strand and Cataract, has left for the wilds of northern Ontario for a two weeks' hunting and fishing trip, and Herman Lorence, manager of the Bellevue has started on a motor tour to the Adirondacks and New York city. The Strand in celebrating to third anniversary this week. Paul Whiteman and his concert orchestra of 28 men, playing Shea's Hippodrome, Buffalo, the past week at a salary of $10,000, jammed that big house every afternoon and evening. It was the biggest "act" of its kind that has ever played this house and the business figures chalked up prove that it is a wise policy to put on such attractions in a picture house. ^ ^ % BLOWN THEATRE SAFE STARTS $5,000 BLAZE Fire broke out in the Florence Theatre, 83 East Broadway, New York, as a result of an attempt to blow the safe, and did $5,000 damage. The house, with a seating capacity of 1200 is owned by the Allwon Theatre Corporation. Rosenzweig and Katz, managers, who operate twelve Brooklyn theatres and five others on the East Side. They were insured through the Herbert R. Ebenstein Company against both fire and burglary. This is the second attempt within a short time to blow the safe at the Florence Theatre. * * * Seattle Wash. Oct. 2. — Edwin B. Rivers, former Pacific coast newspaper man, is now manager of the American Theatre, John. Danz's house.