Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

November 15, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 37 Horwitz Appeal — An Open Letter From The WILL HORWITZ HOMEFOLKS THEATRES TO MAYOR MONTEITH, THE CLERGY, THE CITIZENS AND THE PRESS OF HOUSTON: The Jazz Age — :the era of genera! debauchery — is passing. In its stead we are returning to the higher and better ideals which once made America — and Texas in particular — noteworthy for its clean-living, decent-minded citizens. The Horwitz Theatres never have been crusaders. We have held to our own standards of decency: have made our theatres SAFE for your wives and children. Given the old order of things, we still would be in the background, but — We are driven at last to protest vigorously against the SEXY. INDECENT, REPULSIVELY GROSS PICTURES the Movie Trust forces upon us in its greed for the ALMIGH TY DOLLAR. They make these offensive and degrading talking pictures in their own studios, for their own houses. We, as second run theatres at the 5c-15c-25c prices have to take them BECAUSE WE ARE SECONDRUN HOUSES. CENSORSHIP— STATE CENSORSHIP— IS OUR NEED TODAY! Unless this growing evil of TALKING. PIC TURED FILTH IS CURBED, then I say. "God help our women and children. They can not wade in mire and come forth with clean feet!" Remember — if the Trust provides only FILTHY PICTURES for first run, then we SECOND-RUN HOUSES have nothing but SEX and FILTH to offer you. Our prices are low BECAUSE the pictures already have been run once in Houston. I AM ASHAMED TODAY OF SOME OF THE PICTURES I AM FORCED TO RUN! But there is a remedy! And that remedy is to PREVENT the showing of SEX-NASTY. FLESH-GLORIFYING PICTURES ANYWHERE IN OUR STATE! Ohio and Pennsylvania have banned them definitely. No pictures can be shown in these states until they have been SEEN AND APPROVED by the State Board of Review. Are the women and children of these two NORTHERN states any better, any more precious, more worthy of protection than our own LOVED ONES OF TEXAS? How to bring about Censorship by the State? For months this has been a serious problem. It is only within the last week that the solution has come. On Tuesday of last week 1 was elected President of the Independent Theatre Owners of Texas, a statewide organization which is affiliated with the National Independent Theatre Owners' body. President Abraham Meyer, who quit the Federal Trade Commission to head the National I. T. O.. was one of the convention speakers. When I voiced the need for State Censorship, he came to his feet and said: "That is the only weapon left to us in ihe fight to make our theatres decent. I promise you the NATIONAL SUPPORT of our organization; promise you a similar fight in every state now without proper state censorship." So now, as the head of the Horwitz Theatres in Houston, as President of the Independent Theatre Owners of Texas; with the assured backing of both the State and National organizations— i call on you, Mr. Mayor, on the Pastors of Houston Churches, and on the Citizens and Press of our City, to SUPPORT THIS MOVEMENT FOR CLEAN ENTERTAINMENT. FOR DECENCY IN TALKING PICTURES. I call on you to GIVE YOUR AID in fighting the GREED which puts mere dollars ahead of the morals of our women and children — which takes humanity's most precious possession and sells it off bv the pound, as hog meal is sold in bulch.1 -ho.w I ask your assistance in the name of our women and children, to effect — to force, if necessary— action by the coming Legislature to drive FILTH off our motion picture screens Yours lor decent State Censorship Appeal of Horwitz Draws National Ire Prompted by Rebuff on Unfair Protection, Says Pettijohn — Myers Denies Supporting Move It's a case of from the frying pan into the fire with Will Horwitz, of Houston, presidentelect of the Allied Theatre Owners of Texas. Following the appeal of the independent exhibitors of Houston to the HeraldWorld to present their case after the floor had been denied their spokesman, F. D. Wilke, at the Dallas convention, Horwitz went to the newspapers of Houston with an advertising campaign in which he accused producers of making obscene pictures and advocated state censorship. Two of these advertisements are reproduced in adjoining columns on this page. Draws Down Criticism This latest move of Horwitz brought criticism from the national headquarters of Allied and from the speakers' platform at the M P T O A convention in Philadelphia. C. C. Pettijohn, chief counsel of the Film Boards of Trade, called the newspaper campaign an attempt to counter the rebuff given him in his insistence on unfair protection. (Wilke in his letter published in the HeraldWorld had pointed out that "not only arc pictures four months old when we (the Houston independents) get them but the public has had an opportunity of seeing that picture in two large downtown theatres run by Mr. Horwitz at 15 cents admission and one of these theatres, the Ritz, has an established policy of running double features.") Myers Denies Supporting Move Abram F. Myers, president of Allied States, already had refuted Horwitz's claim that Myers had supported his action and Pettijohn told the M P T O A convention that "I cannot conceive that Myers ever made such a statement." Pettijohn warned those at the convention that censorship is ten times more serious now in the era of talking pictures with sound-onfilm, and urged that there never has been a time when it was more essential that all branches of the industry present a united front against harmful legislation. $47.50 and $50 Set As New Wage Scale By Northwest Allied (Special to the Herald-World) MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 13.— W. A. Steffes, general manager of the Northwest Theatre Owners' Assoication, Allied unit in this territory, announces satisfactory settlement of the protracted operators' strike. A standard wage of $47.50 is to be paid by theatres with one projectionist between 7 and 11 p. m. daily and 2 to 11 p. m. on Sundays for either track or disc. A wage of $50 will be paid for hours from 7 to 11:30 p. m. daily and 2 to 11:30 on Sundays, under the same conditions as those above. Universal Books Films On 30 Liners to Orient (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Nov. 13.— Universal 'has booked several pictures for showing on the steamers of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha Line from San Francisco to the Orient. The deal was completed by Kenneth Hodkinson, manager of the San Francisco exchange. The arrangement calls for bookings on 30 sailings. — For Censorship A POSTSCRIPT TO MY OPEN LETTER FROM THE WILL HORWITZ HOMEFOLKS THEATRES TO MAYOR MONTEITH, THE CLERGY, THE CITIZENS AND PRESS OF HOUSTON There isn't room in Houston for the ideal Texas home-life and the sort of talking pictures that debase the minds of our women and children. It is a serious menace to the home and to the citizenry; one which must be abated, no matter what the cost. In an open letter to the Mayor, Pastors, Citizens and Press I asked yesterday for support in a statewide campaign against FILTHY SEXY, OBSCENE MOTION PICTURES No sooner were the first editions of the afternoon papers on the streets than my telephone began ringing. Before the day was done 1 was buried under an avalanche of assurances of support in the fight for CLEAN ENTERTAINMENT But — all asked the same question, that is, ■'WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO IN THE MEANTIME? IT WILL TAKE WEEKSMONTHS— BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE ACTS." Unfortunately that is true. The legislature does not meet until January 10. We can not expect a STATE BOARD OF MOTION PICTURE REVIEW before spring. That means at least sixteen weeks of lascivious, sex-filled, flesh-glorifying pictures unless a means is provided to curb them. But there is such a means— MUNICIPAL CENSORSHIP TEMPORARILY 1 do not believe Municipal Censors can achieve the same results as a STATE BOARD OF REVIEW— but, given definite authority to vote "Yes" or "No" on picture offerings, the Municipal Censors at least can clean up our motion picture screens and KEEP THEM CLEAN until the legislature has provided for a State Board. Remember the national organization of Independent Theatre Owners, through its president. Abraham Meyer, former Federal Trade Commissioner, has assured Houston and the entire state of full support in this fight. Remember also that the Independent Theatre Owners of Texas last week made me President and by resolution authorized me to make this fight with unanimous support of that organization. Six hundred Independent Theatres are operated in Texas, which means that SIX HUNDRED DISTRICTS will unite in the demand on the Legislature for adequate State Censorship of the VILE. NAUSEATING. IMMORAL FlCTURES the Movie Trust Barons are forcing on us. In the decent mind there is little to choose between in the comparison of the vile creatures who procure young girls for immoral purpose, and those other dollai -greedy ones who are willing to POISON THEIR MINDS WITH SEX-FILTH for the sake of box office receipts. THE MORALS OF TEXAS AND TEXAS HOMES ARE NOT THE MORALS OF THE DECADENT MOTION PICTURES OR THE MORALS OF THEIR NORTHERNTRAINED PRODUCERS. WE HAVE NO COMMON CROUND ON WHICH TO MEET THEM. OUR ONE COURSE IS TO BAR THEM FCREVER FROM THE STATE WHERE WOMANKIND STILL HAS MEN'S RESPECT AND PROTECTION. HELP THE FIGHT FOR STATE CENSORSHIP—but in the meantime I ask. in the name of HOUSTON'S WIVES, MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS, for a competent MUNICIPAL CENSORSHIP OF MOTION PIC1 URES UNTIL THE STATE BOARD BEGINS TO FUNCTION. Yours for Decency, ^^y^~~ P.S. — I will be glad to give of my time and money to aid in this movement in even greater extent than 1 already am doing. LET US DISCUSS IT— NOW !— W. H.