Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1932)

October 19 3 2 MOTION PICTURE HERALD Divisions of Play Increase Interest In Coast Tourney 33 CANADIANS LOOK FOR NEW CONTRACT FIGHT Entries for the Sixth Annual Motion Picture Golf Tournament, sponsored by Quigley Publications, which will be played at Rancho Golf Club on the Coast on October 15 and 16, are reaching George Marshall, treasurer, at a rapid pace, with interest in the event increasing by leaps and bounds. The studio "team" idea is one of the bigfactors which has added to the interest. Under the new plan, studios may select their four best golfers, the names of whom must be submitted to Mr. Marshall by October 3 and enter them as the group that will compete for the team prize. It is not necessary for the four players to play as a unit. They can be entered in any division and the combined scores of the four will be counted for the low total. Likewise the individual scores of the players will be counted in the separate classifications. The establishment of a separate division for camera men has also added to the glamour of the event. Heretofore camera men have been included in the technical division, but under this year's plan that division will be relieved of its overcrowded condition and the lab workers, cutters, editors, and others will have a fairer chance to compete for a prize. Entry blanks for the event may be obtained from the following subcommittee men in the various studios: Paramount, Paul Snell and Richard Arlen ; Radio, Perry Leiber and Lew Brock; Warner, Orville Stewart and Jack Warner; Universal, Eddie Laemmle and Russell Hopton ; Columbia, Milt Brown and Frank Capra; Mack Sennett, Jed Buell; MGM, Fritz Tidden, Pete Smith and Billy Newberry; Pathe, Joe Schnitzer and Larry Urbach; Hal Roach, George Marshall and Bob McGowan; Tiffany, Dick Cahoon and Sam Bischoff ;' Fox Sol Wurtzell and Ted Butcher ; United Artists, Stewart Heisler and Harry Brand; Metropolitan, Lon Young and Ben Verschleiser ; Monogram, Trem Carr and Lindsley Parsons; Consolidated, George Yates. New York Stage Hands Accept Wage Reduction Negotiations which have been carried on throughout the summer between Theatrical Protective Union, No. 1, New York stage hands organization, and the League of New York Theatres, have been successfully concluded, and provide for reductions in stage hands' salaries. The agreement, to run for one year, is retroactive to Labor Day and provides for reduction of nine per cent in the wage of department heads and seven per cent for other workers. Heads of departments hereafter will receive $75 per week instead of $82.50 and others $6.25 a performance instead of $6.75. Dr. Henry Moskowitz, advisor to the producers, noted that the agreement, though tar short of what the producers had asked nevertheless marks "the first time in 28 years that any reduction has been accepted by the unions." Exhibitors Ready to Protest Taxation Clause; Two-Operator Law Also Issue; Beer a Theatre Business Factor by W. M. GLADISH Toronto Correspondent Trade rumblings are already being heard in Canada with respect to conditions to be embodied in the 1933 License Agreement of the film distributors, although conferences on the next standard exhibition contract are not likely to get underway until next spring. The broad hint has been made by exhibitor organizations that the taxation clause of the current agreement is not desirable, and it is assured that opposition will be directed against its inclusion in the 1933 agreement form. This clause provides that the distributor will pass on to the exhibitor any new tax or levy now or hereafter imposed by federal or provincial governments, based upon the delivery or exhibition of positive prints or upon sums payable by the exhibitor to the film exchange under the contract. Organized independents in Ontario say that the possibilities are too great underfills clause. They infer they do not know what is going to happen next in the matter of government taxation and that, if a distributor is at liberty to pass on any new tax, the theatre owners would have to engage in a one-sided fight against the tax proposals. This situation has one advantage alone, they say, because the apparent prospect is that the opposition of 200 or 300 exhibitors, scattered over the province would have more weight in discussions with the government than 10 film exchange companies in one city. The independents simply do not like the tax clause and are quite pointed in their remarks about it. They had a scare when the Imperial Economic Conference suggested a special levy on foreign films based on rental charges but the worst may yet come with parliamentary sessions just around the corner in federal and provincial capitals of the Dominion. There are expectations of an argument, at least, in each ]e»islative center of Canada with respect to taxation measures in the coming months and the cry from exhibitors is that they are already taxed to capacity. Two Operators an Issue An early issue in the legislative field of Ontario hinges on the regulation requiring two licensed operators in the projection room of a theatre, say independent theatre Tfi" the Province represented by the Allied Exhibitors of Ontario. Statistics are being compiled to show a number of things It has been found, for instance, that there is no direct relationship between the number of theatre fires and the number of projectionists required by law. Places where only one operator is required do not have anv more accidents than where two operators are on the job, it is asserted. In fact it is claimed there is a sense of greater responsibility where a booth is in the hands of one operator, the point being raised that two men in a booth may get careless whereas one operator is literally always on the watcli because he knows he must be. These are some of the general arguments already heard among the exhibitors. The promise has been made that a direct request will be made to the Ontario government to abolish the two-men regulation for the sake of economy ,n theatre operation, obviously very necessary at present. A sudden dispute between W. A Baillie of the Cum-Bac Theatre, Toronto, and the operators local is regarded as the handwriting on the wall in Ontario with regard to the two-operator situation and it is also a test of strength between the independent exhibitors and the union. Baillie declared an open shop and the union retaliated with pickets and other forms of advertising An injunction was obtained restraining the union from picketing and the final court arguments will be heard shortly. The case is the forerunner of the petition to the Ontario government to wipe out the regulation requiring two projectionists in a booth Itonly one operator were required, the Cumtfac theatre probably would have carried on in its relationship with the union, but two operators, at union scale, are just one too many under present conditions, exhibitors say. Beer and Business There has been some talk in the United States regarding the effect upon theatre business with the prospective return of the legitimate sale of beer and wines, under the forthcoming administration at Washington —either Republican or Democrat. Leavingstraight politics out of the discussion, there is one definite example in Canada that may provide a guide in consideration of the damp question. While Canada has little or nothing to do with prohibition in the States (on the surface at least), there is a situation in the Province of Quebec that holds interest. . A visit to Montreal a few days ago convinced your correspondent that exhibitors were next to jubilant over business conditions—and the Province of Quebec permits the sale of beer and wine by the glass and the sale of all liquors from Government stores. There were fewer United States tourists in Montreal during the past summer despite the advantage of the U. S. dollar yet the theatre patronage in Montreal bouses has been showing distinct improvement in recent weeks and everybody is feeling quite happy, with or without stimulants trade generally, including that of the picture houses, is on the up-curve and the exhibitors are not complaining that the taverns are taking a share that should go into the box offices. Even the neighborhood theatres are showing cheerful signs. United Amusements Limited, operating 20 theatres in and Si ^f4 h/S n0t missed a divJdend through it all and undoubtedly will continue to come across with the semi-annual payment. Judging by the trend in Montreal exhibitors in the United States should hold no fear for the result in the event of a swing back to liquid liberty.