Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

September 30, 1916 MOTION PICTURE NEWS 2003 National Association of the Industry Is Active During the Week Many Meetings Were Held and Branch Committees Organized — Gatherings Attended by Members in All Departments of the Business — Forty-five New Members Secured at One Session THE activities of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry during the past week were many and varied, consisting largely of meetings and organization of the various branch committees. These were made up of gatherings of the producers, distributors, representatives of the exchanges, the supply and equipment men, the Executive committee and the general division. Much of the time and energies of the association were taken up with a plan whereby the united strength of the industrj could be brought to bear against an existing evil condition of affairs in a manner that would have had a lasting and telling effect, but at the last moment these plans had to be abandoned for the time being. A small but enthusiastic meeting of the Fifth or Miscellaneous Class of the association was held on Thursday afternoon, September 14. William A. Brady, president of the association, was present, and opened tlie meeting with a brief address, in which he urged for Class 5 the same " get together " spirit which has dominated the meetings of the other branches of the association. William A. Johnston presided as chairman. Change Name of Class .5 A motion was passed changing the name of Class 5 from the Miscellaneous Class to the General Division. The following committees were appointed : Executive Committee, William A. Johnston, Arthur James, Julian M. Solomon, Jr., Nat G. Rothstein, Fred J. Beecroft, Thomas G. Wiley and Eugene F. Licome. Committee on New Members, P. D. Gold, Elmer J. McGovern, R. M. Vandivert, J. A. Milligan, John W. Grey, Albert Strauss and C. J. Giegrich. Committee on Rules and Regulations: A. H. Battey, E. L. Masters, Samuel H. Spedon, Harry L. Reichenbach and P. D. Gold. William M. Seabury was made an ex-officio member of this committee. The Executive and New Members committees will later on be enlarged to include eleven members. It was also carried on motion that the chairman of the Branch Committee be made ex-ofiicio member of each of the foregoing committees. The appointment of a Grievance Committee was postponed until the next meeting of the General Division. The meeting of the Executive Committee has been called for Tuesday evening at 8.30, September 19, at the offices of the association. The Committee on New Members met on Friday, September 15. An aggressive campaign for new members has been laid out. A representative will be appointed in each of the offices of all the prominent concerns in the business to secure new members. At a meeting of one of the divisions during the week over forty-five new memberships were secured. The meetings sched uled for the coming week are as follows : Monday at four o'clock a meeting of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers, Monday at eight o'clock an adjourned meeting of the Producers' Branch Committee, class one : Wednesday, meeting and luncheon at the Hotel Astor at 12.30 of the distributors and exchange men to complete organization; Ihursday at eleven o'clock the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Directors, and Thursday at 2.30 o'clock a general membership meeting. During the week the association gave its hearty indorsement of the methods that are being put in force by the Motion Pic CAMUEL goldfish has resigned as ^ chairman of the board of directors and also as a member of the executive committee of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Mr. Goldfish, however, retains his position on the board of directors. In response to a request for a statement regarding this decision, Mr. Goldfisli said: f — Samuel Goldfish " I have contemplated retiring from the active management of the Famous PlayersLasky Corporation for some time in order to mature certain personal plans which are of great importance to me, and which I could not mature if I continued as one of the executives of the company. I could not, however, see my way clear to resign as an officer of the corporation until the grave matters arising out of the adjusting of details between the two corporations, which merged only recently into the Fa ture Exhibitors' League of New York for the defeat at the primaries of Senator Cristman, the father of the CristmanWheeler Censorship Bill, which was vetoed by Governor Whitman after it had passed the State Legislature last winter. The league has come out in favor of the candidacy of Theodore Douglas Robinson, and in order to aid in his election has had; slides shown in the theatres of twenty-five towns in that district during the past week. These slides bear the photograph of the league's candidate and a direct admonition to vote for him on primary day. The exhibitors' support is regarded a strong asset. mous Players-Lasky Corporation, had been completed. " It is, of course, a matter of great regret to me that serving the corporation and going on with these plans, of which I can say nothing definite at the present time, became inconsistent. From the time of the beginning of the Lasky Company to now, my heart and soul were in the work which I started quietly and unostentatiously only about two and one-half years ago. " I am very proud of what has been accomplished, first by the Lasky Company, and since by the larger and more iml)orlant corporation into which it merged with the Famous Players Film Company a few months ago, and proud too, of such share of its success as my associates have been good enough to credit to my endeavors. My confidence in its future is amply evidenced, I think, by my retention of all of my stock interests in it." .After receipt of Mr. Goldfish's resignation as chairman of the board of directors, and a member of the executive committee of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, the board of directors issued the folImving statement: " Although Mr. Goldfish's resignation did not come as a complete surprise, it was received with great regret and accepted, because the board felt that any request that Mr. Goldfish continue longer as an executive of the company would be unfair to him, in view of his statement that his work with the company would interfere with the maturing of his personal plans. " Mr. Goldfish's earnest and conscientious efforts, first on behalf of the Lasky Company, and since its organization, on behalf of this company, have earned for him the esteem and good will of all his associates, and in accepting his resignation, the board, collectively and as individuals, expressed to him their best wishes for and confidence in his future." WARD ON ROAD FOR UNICORN W. D. Ward, Detroit manager for Unicorn, made a flying trip over his territory, lining up fall bookings. He expressed himself as greatly pleased with the additional business he secured. Samuel Goldfish Resigns as Chairman of Lasky Directors He Also Leaves the Executive Committee of the Company, But Remains a Member of the Directorate and Retains His Stock Interests