Year book of motion pictures (1937)

The collapse of the NRA Code in 1935 made it apparent that the industry was entirely without any efiective or practical means oi self regulation in trade practice matters. MPTOA conducted a comprehensive survey oi the situation, consulting with exhibitors throughout the country for advice and counsel and suggestions, carefully considering the obstacles, both practical and legal, that must be overcome or avoided, and sought to formulate a program that would produce practical benefits and be possible of accomplishment under present circumstances. At the annual meeting of the MPTOA Board of Directors at the Miami-Biltmore Hotel, on March 5fh and 6th, 1936, these suggestions and problems were thoroughly discussed and analyzed and a definite written program was formulated. The MPTOA Executive Committee was authorized and instructed to enter into negotiations with the distributors to make effective this plan. The general sales manager of each of the distributing companies was invited to meet with the MPTOA Executive Committee at the Cinema Club in New York City on April 16, 1936. at which meeting the written program was presented and explained to them. There followed long negotiations with the sales executives of each of the distributing companies separately, which ultimately resulted in each company publicly announcing the acceptance of most of our proposals, with an immediate modification of sales policies to make them effective. The MPTOA proposals included: (1) a minimum unconditional rejection privilege in all contracts for ten or more feature pictures; (2) establishment of local boards of conciliation for the hearing, investigation and mediation of a wide variety of local complaints and grievances; (3) a plan to restrain unreasonable clearance; (4) a plan to restrain overbuying of pictures to deprive a competitor of needed attractions; (5) a plan to restrain unfair cut-rate competition between theatres; (6) to prevent unfair non-theatrical competition; (7) to introduce a short form of exhibition contract, with the intention of ultimately developing a simplified contract; (8) to abolish the unjustifiable separate score charge ; (9) to prevent the designation of unsuitable pictures for Saturday and Sunday exhibition. (10) to prevent the forcing of excess short subjects with feature sales. The meeting of the Board of Directors in Miami was unique in that a full attendance of representative theatre owners gave two full days to a strictly business meeting devoted to intensive discussions of such major matters as organization plans and policies of MPTOA; legislation and taxes, including the block booking legislation then pending before Congress; labor relations and the ultimate effect of the Wagner Connery Act; the music tax and the ASCAP combine; Unfair trade practices and formulating a definite program to remove abuses; improved theatre operation and management, ways and means of increasing theatre attendance; screen participation in the coming political campaign, and others. The position taken by the MPTOA in opposition to the Neely-Pettengill Bills was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors and the President presented a comprehensive statement of their position to Congress, which contained the only analysis of the practical effect of this legislation on theatre operation that was presented. The MPTOA opposed the Neely-Pettengill Bills as a dangerous piece of legislation, deceptive and misleading in the way it was drawn and promoted, that will do irreparable damage to the small independent exhibitor if enacted because; it will not prevent nor abolish block booking and will actually accomplish none of the purposes it seeks; if will deprive the independent exhibitor in competing situations of the few outstanding successful pictures he now secures; it artificially increases the price he has to pay for the rest; it will have no effect whatever on the maintaining of right moral standards in motion picture entertainment which are fixed and recorded in the film before they enter distribution; it will insure the production of uniformly mediocre films at the studios by tying their hands with rigid advance specifications of what they are going to create and it will enormously increase expensive and unnecessary litigation in our business. Determined opposition of MPTOA leaders persuaded ASCAP to modify exorbitant demands for an increase in the music tax on motion picture theatres. Organized support was given by MPTOA to legislation in Congress to revise the copyright laws in such a way as to curb this arbitrary extortion. More and better motion pictures have been produced and released during 1936 which together with improved business conditions have brought about a gratifying improvement in theatre attendance. There is every indication that the improvement will continue through the coming year. I am deeply grateful to my executive committee and board of directors as well as many other fine men and women within and without MPTOA who have demonstrated their confidence in myself and the purposes of MPTOA by their wholehearted advice and help. Without them no progress could be accomplished. 853