Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

m 22 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD November 8, 1930 Lively Exhibitor Fight Looms As Horwitz Heads Texas Allied Eleven Theatre Owners Banded Together as the Independent Exhibitors of Houston Flood State with Literature — Colonel Cole Now Manager of Allied Unit Election of William Horwitz of Houston as president of the Allied Theatre Owners of Texas after a delegation of "independent" Houston theatre owners were denied the privilege of the floor at the recent Dallas convention may precipitate a lively exhibitor battle in the Lone Star state. Eleven Houston theatre owners have banded together as "The Independent Exhibitors of Houston" and are flooding the state with literature in an effort to prevent Allied from building up the strength of its organization. The theatre owners making the fight, and their Houston theatres, are: F. D. Wilke, Boulevard; O. B. Bridges, Crown; Victor Baracco, Washington; O. P. DeWalt, Lincoln; Harry Schulman, St. Elmo; Robert Wygant, Heights; Sam Kirschheimer, North Side; Bohne & Hunt, Melba; S. J. Swenson, Vendome; L. E. Newton, Blue Bonnet, and Aaron Lewis, Pastime & Aztec. The main portion of their broadside to Texas theatres is the address Mr. Wilke had intended to deliver at the Dallas meeting, the text of which appeared in the November 1 issue of EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD. To it has been added a postscript which reads: "The little fellows in Houston formerly leased used paper from Bill Horwitz for 5 cents a sheet. When the zoning fight started, he burned all his used paper." The letter accompanying, the copy of the Wilke speech centers its attack on Horwitz. It is as follows: Cites Cole's New Managerial Post "Enclosed is a copy of the speech signed by the 'Independent Exhibitors of Houston' in which we endeavor to tell the Allied Convention something about what was going on in Bill Horwitz's home town. "As you know, Mr. Wilke was denied the floor to read this speech. If you are an independent exhibitor you ought to absorb every word of it, especially since Mr. Horwitz (who only joined the association in July of this year), after suggesting himself as the best material for the presidency of the association, 'accepted' the nomination, and Colonel Cole, former president, now becomes manager of the association at a handsome salary. Together they are going to campaign the state for membership in the Allied Theatre Owners of Texas, an association of independent exhibitors. Asks Whose Is the Battle "Any exhibitor who was in Dallas at the convention can readily see what it is all about — that Bill Horwitz is interested in the association to carry on his personal fight. When Mr. Horwitz is through fight ing his own individual battle, where does the association get off? "We are not members of the association and of course are not concerned about what happens to it. The association of independent exhibitors in Texas may become a mere farce and in six months' time there won't be any association unless some suckers are willing to pay for it. Is this your battle or somebody else's? When you are told about the "boogie bears," trusts and hogs, just stop and think if any of these imaginary animals have bothered you in the operation of your business. "When they come around for your membership and your money to carry on the association's fight, ask Mr. Horwitz what he has done for the independent exhibitor in Houston, or anywhere else. You are going to be a great guy with Mr. Horwitz as long as you keep out of his way, and we warn you to keep out of his way and keep out or get out of any assoication that he heads under the guise of an 'independent exhibitor.' If you fellows don't believe this, come on down to Houston and take a look at us and try, just try, to make a living running a subsequent run theatre in Houston against Mr. Horwitz — the great emancipator and the man who has dealt the independent exhibitors of Houston plenty of grief and misery." A copy of the existing zoning arrangement in Houston and the proposed one for which the "independents" are fighting was enclosed. It then was declared as "proof that Bill Horwitz has made Houston the toughest town in Texas, if not the world, for an independent exhibitor to run a theatre" that Houston, larger than either Dallas and Ft. Worth, has half as many suburban theatre and subsequent run independent downtown theatres. The figures given are that Houston with a population of 292,349 has seven theatres of the above classes; Dallas with 261,010 has 22 with two more buildings, and Ft. Worth, with 160,892, has fourteen. What Are the Censors Going to Do About This? (Special to the Herald-World) WINDSOR, ONT., tfov. 6.— Following the banning of "Hell's Angels" by the Ontario board of censors, Shubert's Opera House, Detroit, has made a definite bid for Canadian patronage at its current road engagement of the picture. The Detroit theatre has carried several advertisements in newspapers on the Ontario side of the border. Portland Paramount Drops Stage; Films Only (Special to the Herald-World) PORTLAND. ORE., Nov. 6.— The Paramount theatre here announces a new entertainment policy, with screen attractions featured and stage productions abandoned. Some of the special attractions that have been booked are: "Two Against Fate," with George Bancroft; "Sea Legs," with Jack Oakie ; "Tom Sawyer," featuring Mitzi Green and Jackie Coogan ; "Morocco," starring Gary Cooper and Mariene Dietrich, the new German star. Selling Gas on Sunday Held to Be Necessity (Special to the Herald-World) LOUISVILLE, Nov. 6.— The controversy over Sunday moving picture shows in Kentucky brought up arguments concerning the sale of gasoline on the Sabbath. A court decision held that it was not illegal. Arson Attempt In Theatre Fails (Special to the Herald-World) GREENWICH, N, Y., Nov. 6.— A firebug's attempt to burn the Star theatre here last week was frustrated by a fireproof runner beneath a center aisle carpet. Although the carpet had been soaked in gasoline and ignited, the blaze did not extend sufficiently to reach the seats and side walls, though damage amounting to several hundred dollars was done to draperies and other Bxtures, mainly by smoke. The theatre is owned by Dennis Regan of Greenwich, and has been operated for the last few months by G. A. Woodard, of Luzerne, a former Albany film salesman. Reveal Screen Believed Able to End Glare and Wide Angle Distortion Erpi Engineers See Invention Demonstrated — Reduction in Amperage Also Claimed (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Nov. 6.— Technicians and engineers of ERPI, it is revealed, recently witnessed a demonstration of a new motion picture screen with a processed surface that is said to eliminate all glare, bring small details into clear view without eyestrain, and offer a "front" view from any angle in the theatre up to 80 degrees. Exhibited at the Lyric theatre in Hoboken, N. J., the screen, known as the Ortho-Krome, is the invention of A. B. Hurley, New York physicist, who developed a process for eliminating the glare from the printed page. A further advantage of the development, it is said, is the possibility of saving about 30 per cent in the amperage required for projection with its use, and a corresponding reduction of heat in the projection booth. The attention of Hurley was first drawn to the motion picture screen in this regard while he was engaged in research in an effort to solve the problem of eye injury due to printing on glazed paper. It was his belief that the glare on the motion picture screen miarht be due to the composition of the screen rather than to the lighting.^ "Heretofore," stated the inventor, "the surface material of the projection screen has been selected from those giving the lowest ratio of brightness to a spectator in the center of the theatre and the highest to a person on the extreme sides. The non-glare screen, regardless of the angle at which it may be viewed, gives every person in the theatre not only the same amount of light but delivers to the retina of each watching eye a light quality that is normal and wholly free from glare." When Winter Comes, They Creep Inside — And How (Special to the Herald-World) LOUISVILLE, Nov. 6— Vacant lots in the summer time and all available inside space in the winter. At least, that's what it seems like here, where a vacant auto salesroom has recently donned miniature golf garb, the Seelbach hotel has put a course on its mezzanine floor, and the Martin Brown building has an eighteen hole course in the basement. An interesting feature of this basement course is that the embryonic golfer doesn't need to even brave the wintry blasts. It is connected with the Brown hotel by an underground tunnel.