Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1935)

14 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Monday, February 25, 1935 Delegates Are Ready with Problems Territorial Complaints Seek Hearing (Continued from page 1) are localites who will attend the convention. H. V. Manning of Etowah, Tenn., Mack Jackson of Alexander City, Ala., and L. J. Duncan of West Point, Ga., are out-of-towners who have made reservations to leave for the convention from this point. Goldstein from Baltimore Baltimore, Feb. 24. — Norman Goldstein, president of the Globe Poster Co. here, is the only person connected with the industry who will attend the convention, so far as can be learned. This section is a stronghold for Allied. We Want Code Changes 99 Is Keynote of Convention Giles from New England Boston, Feb. 24.— George A. Giles, president of the Allied Theatres of Massachusetts, Inc., which is an M.P.T.O.A. affiliate, will represent his organization at New Orleans. He is the only one definitely slated to go. Sam Pinansky of Olympia Theatres, however, is in Florida for his health and may take in the proceedings. There is a possibility, too, that John J. Ford of the same circuit and a member of the Giles' association, may sit in. Michael Only One from Buffalo Buffalo, Feb. 24. — Jules H. Michael, zone chairman of the M.P.T.O., is the only one from the Buffalo area known to be figuring definitely on attending the New Orleans convention. He said he had no special sectional grievance in mind to present, but would wait first to see what was brought out on the floor of the convention. 25 from the Carolinas Charlotte, Feb. 24.— The North and South Carolina M.P.T.O. will have approximately 25 members and their wives at the convention. The problems to be brought up by exhibitors of this district are closely aligned with those of the national association and no local grievances or suggestions are slated for airing. Those who will attend are: George and Mrs. Parr, Lancaster, S. C. ; M. F. and Mrs. Schnibben, Florence, S. C; J. E. and Mrs. Massey, Waynesville, N. C. ; J. M. and Mrs. Gregg, Charlotte; L. C. Sipe, Charlotte; H. R. Berry, Hartsville, S. C. ; Walter Gregg, Charlotte; J. E. Simpson, Gastonia ; Roy Smart, Charlotte ; H. F. and Mrs. Kincey, Charlotte; Walter and Mrs. Griffith, Charlotte; Ruth Hardin, Charlotte, secretary of the association; J. H. Vickers, Charlotte; Charles W. Picquet, Pinehurst, president of the association, and Albert Sottile, Charleston, S. C. Miller, Balaban Going Chicago, Feb. 24. — Jack Miller of the Chicago Exhibitors' Ass'n already (.Continued something better. This is the keynote behind the solid day's program to be devoted to addresses by advertising managers of major producers, by experts in equipment and by experts in theatre merchandising. The "drones" in exhibition ranks are slated for a lashing for their dependence upon an active few in their territory to throttle adverse legislation. "Pep" talks designed to awaken theatremen from their lethargy in this direction will be spotted throughout the sessions. The cancellation issue will be a hot one. It looks like fireworks on this point. M.P.T.O.A. men insist the 10 per cent bracket is not sufficiently generous. They maintain they cannot ward off outside, adverse criticism unless the bars are further let down. They maintain there are too many strings attached to the method by which the current eliminations are granted and they charge some distributors with bad faith in that they either are dodging cancellations or making them difficult to get, code notwithstanding. Therefore, the convention will hit hard for two things. One is clarification of the cancellation privilege as it now stands with the elimination of all strings attached. Two, a hike in the bracket. If they get this concession, which, no matter how the convention works out will have to be submitted to Code Authority in New York, it is argued the block booking question will become less acute. The greater the number of pictures cancellable, the less the cry about being forced to buy in groups. This is the idea in a nutshell. Ed Kuykendall, national president, told Motion Picture Daily on the eve of the confabs that this will be no "smothered" convention. "We have deliberately drawn up our program to include speakers who from page 1 ) by on means are in complete sympathy with our objectives," he said. "We expect them and they will give it to the delegates straight from the shoulder, or the hip if you like, and tell the assembled theatremen where they get off." While Kuykendall makes this promise, convention routine determined upon will follow essentially along the lines set up last year in Los Angeles. There will be little or no "beefing" or airing of individual complaints from the floor. M.P.T.O.A. attitude appears to be that no one is particularly interested in being wearied by long harangues of exhibitors complaining over a situation peculiar and local to his operation; that this will slow down an already crowded schedule and that the most efficacious manner of hearing grievances is to divert them to the private deliberations of committees delegated for this purpose. In the comparative quiet of committee rooms, individuals will have their say. If what they say is viewed as important enough to reach the floor, the chairman of the committee will introduce it. Contrary to Los Angeles and the 14th annual convention where studio parties were the order of each day, the deliberations this year will divide themselves into both morning and afternoon sessions. The plan is to sound each day's final gavel at about 4:30 or S o'clock, allow committees an hour or so thereafter for their own business and thereby permit a brief interlude to intervene between convention proper and each evening's social calendar. Space at the Roosevelt tonight was at a premium. Convention overflow is reaching to the Jung and other hotels as well. This is reported to be the first time on record, or at least the first time in years, that the topnotch hotels in town have accepted conventions during the week of Mardi, Gras. Code Clauses Slated for A FeaturedRole Dallas After '36 Convention Dallas, Feb. 24. — Among local showmen who will attend the M.P.T.O.A. convention will be Harold Robb and Ed Rowley of R. & R. Circuit, Claude Ezell and Bill Underwood of Independent Film Co., Buddy Harris of Alexander Film, R. J. Potter of Jefferson Amusement, Wallace Walthall of National Screen Service, J. I. Roberts of National Theatre Supply and Bert King of RCA. Walthall and a group will ask the convention in 1936 for Dallas, at which time Texas will be holding the Centennial Celebration with Dallas as the principal centennial city. L. C. Griffith of Griffith Amusement Co. of Oklahoma City joined Walthall in Dallas today to entrain for New Orleans. Bonnie Long, secretary of the local code board, will attend. A large delegation of Oklahomans is reported driving to Dallas to join forces with the local group, New Orleans bound. is on the New Orleans convention scene, having gone on from New York where, earlier last week, he appeared before Campi in an appeal case involving the Yale, Maywood, against his Lido. John Balaban of B. & K. will be on hand, as will Walter Immerman, general manager of the circuit. Mrs. Louis Rudolph of the Emmett will attend. The two daughters of John Remijas, who made the jaunt to the last conclave in Los Angeles, are scheduled. "Tippy" Harrison is also ia the group. Cincinnati Disinterested Cincinnati, Feb. 24. — Little interest is evidenced in this section over the impending New Orleans convention. So far as has been checked, the territory will have no representation. Those neighborhood exhibitors who belong to any state unit are members of the I.T.O. of Ohio, which is an Allied unit. Draw Blank in Cleveland Cleveland, Feb. 24. — No Clevelanders will attend the New Orleans convention. Practically all of the local theatremen, aside from affiliated circuits, are members of the Cleveland M. P. Exhibitors' Ass'n which fails to see problems eye to eye with the M.P.T.O.A. None from Columbus Columbus, Feb. 24. — A check of exhibitors and exhibitor organizations throughout this territory fails to disclose any exhibitors who will attend the convention in New Orleans. The reason is obvious. This is an Allied territory and the I.T.O. of Ohio is an affiliate of that organization. Huffman Grooming Fight Denver, Feb. 24.— There is a strong possibility that the Rocky Mountain Theater Owners' Ass'n will be represented at the convention. The president, Harry E. Huffman, Earl P. (Bishop) Briggs and Frank Culp are planning on attending. All are members of the local organization. Huffman is at present engaged in a fight in Federal court to prevent several exchanges from carrying out orders of the grievance board to stop service to his theatres. Ordered to stop auto giveaways, he persisted, and the stop order was the result. If Huffman attends he is expected to try to have the code modified to allow giveaways in theatres. He is firm in his conviction that they are needed until business conditions improve. Draws Des Moines Blank Des Moines, Feb. 24.— A check made by Motion Picture Daily shows the local exhibitor fraternity is passing up the M.P.T.O.A. convention completely. Detroit Sans Delegation Detroit, Feb. 24.— Checkup of exhibitors here indicates that Michigan, which has no M.P.T.O.A. unit, will not be represented at the convention in New Orleans. Harold C. Robinson, of Film Truck Service, will, however, attend the sessions of the National Film Carriers, Inc., which will be held during the exhibitor convention. Robinson, who is a vice-president of the carriers' body, will go to Florida from New Orleans for a vacation of several weeks. Indiana Won't Be Present Indianapolis, Feb. 24.This — This is an Allied territory in which the As (Continued on page 20)