The Film Daily (1927)

iTHE ^€> NEWSPAPER »/* FILMDOM ji AHDWEEKLY FILM DIGEST OL. XLI No. 7 Sunday, July 10, 1927 Price 25 Cents SLOCK BOOKING RULED ILLEGAL dUIIY PROPOSALS AR[ DISCUSS[DAT STUDIOS irst Meeting of Series Held to Consider New Basic Agreement Hollywood — Proposed new basic rangenient between Equity and oducers is a subject under discus)n here today. One secret meeting ;s been held to consider the proisals of the rapidly-growing motion :ture branch of Equity, and a numr of other discussions are schedid. If producers do not feel they n meet the demands, Equity stands ady to arbitrate, according to •ank Gillmore, executive secretary, {Continued on Page 12) NGLAND WILL WIN A PLACE KEUY PREDICTS ritish Effort Serious and Will Win Recognition, He Believes England has taken seriously to jduction and will win the recognin she has determined upon, Arthur . Kelly, Jr., head of the foreign de■tment of United Artists, predicted iday on his return from an exided European trip. ' Campaign to again place the Britin the limelight so far as producn is concerned is well under waj' d producers there are busily enj:ed on the programs outlined, jermany is showing most develop,nt on the Continent, according to lly, who visited 20 European counts during his trip. uebec "Blue" Sunday ove is Hit by Investigator vloiitreal — Strong opposition to iday closing, agitated by religious lies throughout the province, as aftermath of the Laurier Palace fister, is expressed by Ernest Bertd, K. C., who has represented the t)wn in investigation of the trag IShall we stand in the ranks of the ristian civilized world, or shall we (Continued cm Page 12) Publix in Knoxville Knoxville, Tenn. — Publix Theaters will erect a house on Gay St., to cost $1,000,000. Plans are being prepared and with construction to start soon. IIODKINSON TO PRODUCE TOR WOJEN'S CLUBS Pioneer Executive Reported Planning to Re-Enter Picture Field Reentry of W. W. Flodkinson into the industry as an independent producer is being planned by the pioneer film executive, according to report. He has been comparatively inactive since he retired from the W. W. Hodkinson Corp., which later became P. D. C. (Continued on Page 12) Trade Commission to Order Paramount to Quit Practice {Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY) Washington — Block booking, as practised by Paramount (Famous Players) is declared illegal by the Federal Trade Commission in arriving at a decision in the case which has been under investigation for the last three years. All members are declared to be in accord on the question of block booking, although some differences of opinion exist as to other factors. The decision has not been made public. The decision of the commission was arrived at after a series of daily secret meetings instituted in an effort to clear the commission's docket. An order will be issued by the commission instructing the company to desist from employing its block booking system now declared illegal under the Fair Trade Practices act. WE get an occasional hearty chuckle when we see some of our cinema four hundred doing their stuff in the spotlight. Our motion picture cat certainly has grown. Its tail is bushy and oh, so long. Good old fashioned common sense, the rock upon which this industry was built, has given way to genius. Supernatural inspiration has pushed sane analysis out the back door. Without artistic temperament one is old-fashioned. To be rational is to be immediately ostracized from select film circles. High Hats are in power. Some are drunk with authority. Logical perspective is forgotten. Instead of a true appreciation of a great business founded upon the demand of the masses we find a battle of dollars, drifting nowhere in particular and leaving in its wake a wreckage which is almost criminal. Let clear vision take the place of rose colored glasses. Put away the high hat for use on state occasions and don again the good old business suit. Keep in close and intimate touch with the masses of America and every country in the world. They, and no other force, are the pulse of this industry. An Editor Talks to Press Agents Chester Bahn is the motion picture editor and photoplay critic of "The Syracuse Herald." For years his writings have shown a keen appreciation of the problems of this business. The (Continued on Page 4) SEATTLE CAMPAIGN ON VANDALISM IS SOUGHT Seattle — Members of the industry are called upon by "M. P. Record" to take concerted action in ridding this territory of the campaign of vandalism, directed against the John Danz theaters of the city. For several years, repeated outrages have been committed against Danz houses, ranging from the spreading of stench bombs to the wrecking and robbing of his Florence theater, with black (Continued on Page 12) Sterling Eliminates Foreign Broker System Sterling Pictures will operate in foreign territories under a direct sales plan which aims to eliminate so far as the company is concerned, the foreign brokerage system now in vogue in the case of practically every American independent distributor. The head of the new foreign de(Continued on Page 4) AUvine Joins Goldwryn Hollywood — Glenn Allvine has been appointed personal Coast representative of Samuel Goldwyn.