Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

6 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Thursday, March 15, 1934 Who? What? When? Impartial Men May Be Asked To Conference {Continued from page 1) Salter of Trenton tor the grievance board. He is a city official and is said to have already been advised of his appointment, although this could not be confirmed by Code Authority. Appointment of the two authority impartial observers is imminent and will probably take place within the next month. Marie Dressier and Eddie Cantor previously have been named, Miss Dressier having been absent from all sessions in New York while Cantor has attended three where actors' problems came up for an airing. The session will probably take place around May 15, if called, and most likely will be held in Washington. No information on the move was obtainable at Code Authority yesterday and the inclination was to discount the reported plan. Autonomy Keynote For Board Makeup (Continued from page 1) and the Code Authority will make appointments. The boards are expected to start functioning April 1, following announcement of secretaries. Salaries of secretaries will be gauged by prevailing scales in each territory and will be governed by salary of employes doing similar work in each area The salaries will vary for each locality. While many rules may be similar for both boards, there are some changes in the clearance and zoning which are not in the grievance regulations. First and exclusive indication that local autonomy is to prevail was pointed out in Motion Picture Daily on March 6. Seattle Is Satisfied With Board Makeup (Continued from page 1) rick as an independent exhibitor, stands in the highest esteem through his years of service and experience. Similarly, John VonHerberg's many years of affiliation with exhibitors and their problems makes him generally acceptable. The success of John Danz as a second run exhibitor and Al Rosenberg as an executive of neighborhood and suburban houses cannot be questioned. Frank L. Newman, Sr., is recognized as an outstanding exhibitor who has made many friends since his arrival here about a year ago. Among exchange men, a similar situation holds true. Neal East of Paramount, Ed Lamb of RKO, L. J. McGinley of Universal and L. N. Walton of Columbia are all veteran exchange men who stand in high esteem in this territory. Concluding the group is George Endert, independent exhibitor and former exchange manager, whose knowledge of both divisions of the business is respected by his many acquaintances. (Continued fi Collier's. He is known as the "Mayor of 12th St.," and has lived in the downtown bright light district for a quarter of a century. He is a colorful character, a bachelor, close friend of Thomas J. Prendergast, Democratic boss, and has been a Democratic committeeman for 10 years from the First Ward which embraces the downtown district. This district includes downtown theatres and exchanges. Finnegan was born at Napoleon, O., 57 years ago. After a grade school education he took a business course and his first job was on the Democratic Northwest Napoleon, a weekly. He then went to Atchison, Kan., and later to New York. Subsequently he spent eight years in Cleveland and Indianapolis as a credit manager. Later he was transferred here as manager for the P. F. Collier & Son Distributing Corp. for Kansas and Oklahoma and Western Missouri. He has been with this company 30 years, all but one of these in Kansas City. He has a wide acquaintance among theatre men and exchange managers. He also knows Col. E. A. Schiller of Loew's. He is a member of the Elks and lives at the Baltimore Hotel. E. A. Wilkie, impartial member on clearance and zoning, is president of the Wilkie Furniture Co., interior decorators and furniture dealers. He was born in Kansas City, Kan., 44 years ago. After completing grade schools he entered the furniture business at the age of 13. He formed his own company in 1919. He organized and for three years was president of the Country Club Plaza Assn., comprising businesses in an exclusive residential section. He has held no political offices, although he has always been a Republican. At present he is a Roosevelt Democrat, because he likes Roosevelt's policies, but is independent in local politics. He says the board operation should be beneficial if based on fairness and no politics. As in the furniture business, he says, the film business has many evils which need remedying. Los Angeles Los Angeles, March 14. — Bernard Kreiselmann, • impartial grievance board member, was born in Akron 32 years ago. He received an A.B. at Akron University and later graduated from the Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. He then worked for the American Arbitration Society as an expert on arbitration and mediation and came to Los Angeles 14 months ago and became a member of the F. W. C. publicity department for a few months. Ben Berinstein and other members of the grievance and clearance and zoning boards said today they do not know him. W. C. Mathes, impartial member on clearance and zoning, also is not known by other members of the boards. He was born in Texas 35 vears ago and graduated from the University of Texas, following this with a post graduate Harvard Law School 11 years zso. He practiced law in Boston for one year and then came to Los Angeles where he has had a general law practice since. He has had very little connection with rom page 1) the film business and was surprised to learn of his appointment. Memphis Memphis, March 14. — Hoyt Kirkpatrick, one of the two exhibitors representing unaffiliated subsequent runs on clearance and zoning, is the owner and operator of the Hoyt Theatre (250 seats) in Fort Smith, Ark., and has been an exhibitor for 18 years. He also built and owns the fine Joie Theatre (500) in that city, the house being operated now under a lease to Publix on a 15-year deal as part of the circuit's partnership deal with M. A. Lightman of Malco Theatres. Kirkpatrick is viewed along Memphis Film Row as an independent. He is successor on the board to T. W. Sharp of Little Rock who recently sold his three houses. Max Bresler, who on Tuesday was appointed impartial member on the grievance board, is a native Memphian with some previous film connection. He is an attorney, 34 years old and was educated in local schools and at the University of Memphis Law School. From time to time, Bresler has represented Fox and Paramount exchanges in minor litigation. Frank Sturm, impartial member on clearance and zoning, was born in Moscow, Term., and moved to Memphis when four months old. He is now 48. Sturm was educated in the public schools here and spent two years at the University of Tennessee. His entire life has been spent in the banking business and he is now assistant cashier of the National Bank of Commerce, with which he has been connected for 28 years. A daughter, Dorothy Sturm, is now medical illustrator with the bacteriological department of Columbia University. Sturm's only connection with the film business was in 1914, when, in a partnership, he leased a now nonexistent neighborhood house. "It ran five months," he says. "We lost our shirts, paid the lease out and quit." He has not been advised of his appointment yet. Milwaukee Milwaukee, March 14. — Pierce H. Bitker, impartial member on the local grievance board, is a native Milwaukeean. Engaged in the retail business as head of the Bitker-Gerner Co., women's apparel shop, Bitker received his early education in local public schools, the Milwaukee Normal School and the Milwaukee Country Day School. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, holding an A.B. degree from that institution. Bitker is active in Milwaukee civic affairs and is a member of the Milwaukee Association of Commerce Retail Credit Bureau Advisory Board as well as a member of the Advisory Council to Mayor Daniel Hoan. Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, March 14. — Joseph Raybourn, impartial member on clearance and zoning, was born in Kansas City in 1893 and attended public schools there as well as the University of Kansas. Early experience includes six years with the Kan Coast Cut to 34-Hour Week Held Possible (Continued from page 1) the committee appointed by Code Authority to study the Hollywood labor situation in an effort to conform with the President's appeal for shorter hours, yesterday requested studio officials to cooperate with them and start making an analysis of the employment situation on the coast Loew's Akron Censured Akron, March 14. — Loew's Akron has been found guilty of "violating the letter and spirit of Section 7 (a) of the recovery act" by the Cleveland Regional Labor Board, which has recommended that the theatre tak< back two discharged employees anc five sympathy strikers. Both Ernest Austgen, manager and W. H. Wilson, representative o the International Union of Buildup Service Employees, were censured foi their attitude. The theatre dischargee three ushers and five others wen called out on strike by Wilson. Aug sten maintained the theatre was chang ing from vaudeville to films and di' not need the workers. sas City Chamber of Commerce an a post on the Kansas City Star. Fror there he went to Chadron, Neb., a city manager. Thirteen years ago Raybourn cam to Salt Lake as executive secretar and manager of the Chamber of Corr merce and Commercial Club. He late took over management of the New house Hotel and Realty Co. here an remained in that position for aboi three years and a half. He is now executive vice-preside! of the First Security and Trust Cc president of the Teton Lodge ar Transportation Co. of Jackson Hoi Wyo., and acting assistant state a( ministrator of the Civil Works Ai ministration in Utah. Seattle Seattle, March 14. — Judson Jennings, impartial member on grieance, has been librarian of the Seatt Public Library for the past 25 yeai He was librarian at Duquesne, P\ in 1905, and was directing assista in the New York State Library du ing 1906 and 1907. He organized ti Fort Lewis Library and founded t library service of the A. E. F. in Ge many in 1917. He is a director a: has twice been president of the F I cific Northwest Library Assn., a I was president of the American Libra Assn., in 1923. Orison J. C. Dutton, impart U member on clearance and zoning, I a retired capitalist. He has lived * Seattle for 25 years and is a direct I of the Seaboard National and Dex | Horton National Banks. He is a 1 a former president of the City Pic ning and Zoning Commission, pre dent of the King Countv Hum; Society, chairman of the Boy Scot' district board, director of the S( | of the American Revolution, am president of the Washington St 1 Society of the Sons of the Ameri< • Revolution.