The Film Daily (1923)

fAe BRADSTREET >/ FILMDOM ^recocmizei Authority ol. XXV No. 42 Monday, August 20, 1923 Price 5 Cents Arbitration Boards iat is Happening Throughout the rountry — Only Two Bad Spots Out of 31 )utside of Dallas, Texas, and New rk City, it is understood the arration boards, working between libitors and exchangeraen in 31 es, are ' ctioning without diffi tv n New York steps arc under way, s said, to bring about a better un■standing, and in this work Saul gers, Fox Film, is giving much le, and expects an improvement in : early future. That the chief difjlty lies in the attitude of some of : exchangemen on the board, is adtted. [n Texas there is a state law barg the existence of credit organiiions, etc., among merchants, and s law has hit the arbitration board. I opinion relative to the legality the arbitration board is now being ssed upon by the Attorney CCneral Texas, and if this opinion does not ;et with his approval a test case II be filed to determine the legitiicy of the Board in Texas. It is said that the uniform contract now being used generally, even by stributors with state right exchans, not identified with the M. P. ■oducers and Distributor Ass'n. Why The Shootin'? By JOHN C. RAGLAND Eastern Representative, Harold Lloyd Prod. E. H. Griffith Sails E. H. Griffith, the director, sailed r home on Saturday from Europe. e has been abroad. Lloyd Signs Jobyna Ralston(Special to THE FILM DAILY) Los Angeles — Harold Lloyd has gned Jobyna Ralston as leading lady r three years. Larger Capital for Tax Purposes (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Dover — The Technicolor Corp. of .merica has increased its capital ock from $33,000,000 to $40,000,000 >r taxation purposes. B. and K. Increase Capital (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Chicago — Balaban and Katz, oper tors of the Riviera theater have in reased the capital of the Riviera 'heater Co. from $300,000 to $700,000. Spoor Claims New Contract (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Chicago — Geo. K. Spoor on Saturay announced that he would organize new company to make pictures, ising a new invention which he claims lives motion pictures a third dimenion. A FTER reading all the interesting discussions in THE FILM DAILY on percentage contracts I am still forced to inquire: "What's all the shootin' about?" A lot of powder and good space are being used up, but I notice each fellow is pointing his gun in the direction from which he thinks the enemy is going to rush out and assault him, without first getting the range or any report from the observation corps as to the exact whereabouts of the danger. Why not start a barrage to clean out all the confusing suggestions so that the proposition for percentage contracts can be considered in its proper light? Will we ever get anywhere so long as the exhibitor has an idea it is all a scheme to pry into his business? Permit me to shout in your pink ear, in plain vulgar words, that it's nobody's business how much any exhibitor makes with pictures in his own theater, although no producer wants to see an exhibitor lose money. And I say this, being a representative of a star and producer whose pictures are just now being sold at the highest figure ever paid for motion picture product. Exhibitors have been known recently to pay more for pictures than thev could reasonably expect would leave them a profit, just to keep the other fellow from getting them. A percentage contract would not leave them in such a hole. It is honestly no business of the producer how much the exhibitor makes on his theater. He is entitled to all the profit he can get from smart buying, economic management and shrewd exploitation without being asked impertinent questions, nor as Exhibitor Ricketts says, should he be penalized by being charged for it. Perhaps the tax collector will catch him, but not the producer. Give credit to the producer for knowing that the more profit the exhibitor makes the more he will be inclined to pay better prices for future product, be he ever so tight or hard boiled. No sir! Percentage contracts will never be based on the amount of an exhibitor's profits, but I'll tell you later on just what they must be based on. My point is, that all the talk about an adjusting board to fix equitable percentages, when percentage contracts become general, is simply fol-der-rol. No such thing will ever happen because exhibitors won't have it and they d be foolish if they allowed it. And producers would be foolish to ask it. On the other hand neither the production cost of a picture nor the profit made by the producer has a thing to do with its selling price nor Avith anv percentage contract. That also is nobody's business except the producer himself. If he paysa flapper star every month as much as some bank presidents get in a year, it's nobody's business but the press agent. It's the producer s own lookout whether the picture crimps his bank roll for a million or only $40,000. He is entitled to a million if he can make a $40,000 picture so popular it will earn that sum, and same (Continued on Page 3) Big Pathe Deal Acquires Chronicle of America Series —33 All Told— Production Backed by Yale Press Pathe has closed an important deal with the Chronicles of America Pictures Corp. for the distribution theatrically and non-theatrically of the historical series now in production by the last named company. Production is officially sponsored by the Yale University Press with the advice of various members of the Yale faculty. Pathe will handle 33 pictures all told which, in historical sequence, will trace the fundamentals of American history from Columbus down to the Civil War with the surrender of Lee to Grant. Each picture will be released in lengths varying from one to four reels. Pathe plans to make one available every four weeks, beginning with "Columbus" in October. "Columbus" was completed recently. The releases following that will be "Jamestown," "The Pilgrims," "Vincennes" and "The Gateway of the West." That is as far as the release order has been determined upon. Dolores Cassinelli appears as Queen Isobel in "Columbus" and as Pocahontas in "Jamestown." Edwin L. Hollywood is responsible for the direction of the first group and only recently Webster Campbell joined the company as director. Production has been centered in the main, at Whitestone Landing on Long Island. Hunter Starts Work for Famous Glenn Hunter has begun work in "West of the Water Tower." This will be Hunter's first picture under his contract with Famous Players. Smith En Route Edwin J. Smith, new sales manager of Universal left London for New York aboard the Mauretania on Saturday. Bradley Making "After Dark" Diana Allen is back in town from Cleveland where she appeared in "After Dark," a new picture that Sam Bradley is making. Loew's Metropolitan Changes Policy Loew's Metropolitan, Brooklyn will shortly inaugurate full week stands for pictures and vaudeville. This is also planned for important theaters in the Southern Loew circuit. The change in Brooklyn is the first in the Greater New York district, where it is understood, more are ' planned, for the fall season.