Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

I N D E F K N D E XT EXHIBITOR;* FILM BULLETIN 3 EVENTS on the MARCH/ 'Reporting the Industry's News from An Editorial Viewpoint" Theatre Games Expected To Be Backed By Phila. Court. Judge Named; Expect St. L. Case To Starr Before January 15th Government Pressing . . . With U. S. District Court Judge Joseph W. Molyneaux appointed to hear the equity case against Warner Bros., Paramount and RKO, the Government is pressing for an early trial date. Counsel for the defendants has asked that the hearing be set for February, claiming that it required additional time to prepare its defense. Russell Hardy, special Government prosecutor, insists that the film companies must have all its evidence available from the criminal case and that the civil suit should get under way shortly after the New Year holiday. Present indications point to a date close to January 15th being set by Judge Molyneaux. • s Phila. Theatre Came Dealers Seek Court Ruling On Legality Police Warnings . . . Distributors of theatre chance games in Philadelphia have set in motion a movement to prevent the police from interfering with the conduct of the games in local movie houses. Dennis Games Company, headed by Frank Parker, have retained Morton Witkin to represent them and it is believed that a bill in equity will be filed promptly to restrain the police department's activities in either warning theatre men not to run the games or stopping them from running them. David Moliver, of Metropolitan Premium Corp., also has employed counsel and is said to be proceeding along the same lines. Within the past two weeks a number of exhibitors have been handed warrants charging them with operating "lotteries" and, upon appearance, have usually been released in nominal bail for further hearing. The game dealers have sought to have the issue brought into court for a definite ruling, but have been unsuccessful so far. The restraining order, however, will have the effect of preventing further obstruction by the police department until a test case is heard. Exhibitors Pool . . . On Monday, a group of twenty-five exhibitors met in Parker's office for a discussion of the situation. A fund to employ prominent legal counsel was contributed by most of those present, a few refusing. Norman Lewis, one of the biggest users of games and premiums in the ty, said he did not want to become involved by contributing, but stated that he would not pull the games out of his houses unless the police actually forced him to do so. While some houses have discontinued the games temporarily, the majority are continuing to conduct them and are hoping that the legal question will be cleared up soon. The games have proven very profitable to many neighborhood theatres and the exhibitors do not wish to have them withdrawn. The police drive against theatre games is reported to have been provoked by the attempt of one exhibitor in West Philadelphia to operate one cn Sunday two weeks ago. Sydney Cohen Dies Exhibitor Leader . . . Sydney S. Cohen, organizer and leader of the pre-Hays M. P. T. O. A., dropped dead last Thursday, while walking to his office at 25 West 43rd Street, New York City. Death was attributed to heart failure. He was 50 years old. Cohen was president of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America from 1920 to 1924, when that organization was strictly independent. James J. Walker, then a New York State Senator, was counsel for the body. Together they vigorously opposed Adolph Zukor's entrance into the theatre business and fought Famous Players-Lasky's policies. The coming of Will Hays into the industry brought about the break down of the M. P. T. O. A. as an important independent factor and led to a split between Cohen and Walker. Quit . . . After holding the chairmanship of the board during 1925-26, Cohen resigned over the protests of his members. He was said to be sorely disappointed by the producers' success in rendering his organization impotent. At the time of his death he was operating several theatres :n New York and was active in reorganizing the Roxy Theatre. A widower, his wife having died in 1918, he 's survived by a son and daughter, both unmarried. Services were held Sunday morning in Central Synogogue, New York City. Civil Rights Bill Test Case In Phila. Arrested . . . The first court test of the Pennsylvania Civil Rights Bill, passed at the last session of the State Legislature, may result from the arrest last Monday of the management of a Philadelphia theatre on the charge of segregating Negro patrons. Ray O'Rourke, operator of the Doris Theatre, 49th Street and Woodland Avenue, and his assistant manager, Charles J. Scheel, were served with warrants and appeared before Magistrate Edward W. Henry Tuesday morning. Upon advice of their counsel, Ralph C. Donohue, the theatremen waived a hearing and were held for court and released in $300 bail. One-Third Colored . . . Prior to the passage of the new law, O'Rourke segregated his Colored patrons in one-third of the theatre, which has no balcony. He has made no change in his seating arrangements since the Civil Rights bill was enacted and is said to claim that he had no reason to do so inasmuch as the Negroes who attend his theatre had accommodations that were as adequate and comfortable as those afforded the whites. This case is one of a number being sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People to test the law Thelma Todd Found Dead; Circumstances Strange HOLLYWOOD.— Thelma Todd, Metro contract comedienne, was found dead in her automobile Monday, presumably of a heart attack. The coroner said she had been dead for approximately two days. On Tuesday, the police announced that death was caused by carbon monoxide. The actress was not seen after she left a party at a cafe Saturday night until the time her body was discovered by her maid, slumped down in the front scat of her car, which was parked in the garage in the rear of Miss Todd's home. Mysterious circumstances surround the death and the police are searching for a connection between recent attempts made to blackmail the blonde actress and the fact that no report was made that she was missing for two days. However, the two men who were convicted of writing the extortion letters are still committed, one in jail, the other in an insane asylum.