Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

2512 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 16 With the Exhibitor ■■ i*rtiilMili. This Department is designed to include all news of exhibitor organization and welfare, national, slate and local; news items of exhibitor activities; and letters from exhibitors, constructively critical and dealing with any important trade problem. We invite correspondence We re Not Going to Let This Happen If We Can Help It Shelbyville, Ind., Oct. 2. Mr. Wm. a. Johnston, Motion Picture News,; Dear Sir : Are you going to let the same crowd put over a trade paper and burden this industry with still more expense? We have enough moving picture theatres to take care of all the motion picture business, and too many. We have enough manufacturers to manufacture all the film we need, and too many. We have enough trade papers, and if you try to wade through them you soon discover we have too many. The point I want to make is this — that the more expense that is loaded on the manufacturer the more expense is loaded on to the exhibitor because in the long run we, the exhibitors, pay it all. It is time that we retrace and practice economy in this business and it has to start at the fountain head. A film agent came into my office yesterday and said, " F. J., we are going to spend a quarter of a million dollars on this picture and by all means we want you to book it." Now to me that is about the silliest argument in the world. Just because they spend a quarter of a million dollars on the picture doesn't say that it is going to be a good picture.' If this manufacturer would say to me, " F. J., this picture has not cost us as much as other pictures but it is a much better picture and we are able to give it to you at a much better figure and still make good profits on it," that would have been good sound business sense. I have been buying and selling for twenty-five years in other lines of business, and only in this business do I hear the same old canvass that the gold brick man and the lightning rod agent put over on the gullible victims. Who pays when you make a quarter of a million dollar film? It is the exhibitor and the exhibitor today is strained to that point where he cannot pay his bills and it is about time to start a campaign against that ever increasing, senseless and additional overhead. Co-operation means to me an arrangement by which both the manufacturer and exhibitor can make a living and the first thing that is necessary is to cut out these expenses instead of increasing them every day. What is a trade paper for if it isn't to fight the abuses on the inside as well as on the outside. Very cordially yours, F. J. Rembusch. Alameda League Against Exhibitors' Star System TTHE Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of Alameda County, California, at a recent meeting adopted strong resolutions against the " star system " and expressing confidence in " a daily consistent program." The officers of this League are. President, H. L. Beach, Strand theatre, Berkeley; Vice-President, J. Hellman, Hellman's theatre, Oakland ; Secretary and Treasurer, Will F. Krahn, Lorin theatre. South Berkeley ; Directors, G. E. Thornton, R. W. Midgeley, W. S. Smith, S. S. Range and A. E. King. The text of the resolution, which bears the seal of the League, follows : AIoTiON Picture Exhibitors' League OF Alameda County Organized for Protection and Elevation The Motion Picture Exhibitors of Alameda County, California, in assembly this 21st day of September, 1916, Do hereby resolve that the members of this organization hereby declare themselves as being opposed to the individual " Star System," being exploited by certain promoters, whose sole effort is to disrupt the organized program exchanges, by drawing away from the producers certain star players by offering fabulous salaries, expecting to charge extortionate rentals from the exhibitors. That encouraging the individual star system, we believe will weaken the daily program exchanges by drawing from their company the best drawing cards, and whereas it is necessary for the exhibitors to have a daily consistent program in order to maintain a steady average of patronage; We are further opposed to the present method of districting theatres as to the price of pictures a day, believing the confidence of the exhibitors can be better maintained upon a flat rental based upon the age of pictures ; Therefore be it resolved, that the secretary of this organization be instructed to send copies of this resolution to all trade journals and film exchanges of the Pacific Coast. Motion Picture Exhibitors' League OF Alameda County, California. Secretary: Will. F Krahn. President : H. L. Beach. CLEVELAND LEAGUE MEETING IS WELL ATTENDED The last regular meeting of the Cleveland Motion Picture Exhibitors' League, was well attended by members, as well as by visitors who joined the League at the close qJE the meeting. Last week a committee of five was appoir^ted, consisting of F. E. Simmonds, D. L. Schumann, A. Mahrer, William Slimm and James J. Mellert, to call upon all the Cleveland exhibitors in order to ascertain why they do not belong to the League, as well as to discover why those who do belong are not active members. The result of the committee's work was very satisfactory. They reported an entire willingness on the part of exhibitors to co-operate with the League, and there is no doubt that the League will soon one of the strongest motion picture organizations in the country. The offices of the secretary being too burdensome for one man, the duties were voted to be divided between Sam Bullock as recording secretary and W. H. Horsey, as financial secretary. MYRON T. HERRICK JOINS CLEVELAND SCREEN CLUB Myron T. Herrick, former Ambassador to France, and Republican candidate for United States Senator, is an honorarymember of the Cleveland Screen Club. He became one yesterday when he addressed the club at its weekly luncheon at the 01mstead hotel, and the election was unanimous. The Screen Club had another guest of honor at its meeting in the person of Eleanor Black, leading woman for Enrico Caruso in films. Reminiscenes of public men and big events occupied nearly the entire time allotted to the former diplomat. He recalled many of his experiences with Thomas A. Edison. He said the first motion picture he ever saw was " The Convict's Reform," in Air. Edison's own private projection room in the early days of pictures. " When the lights were turned on," said Air. Herrick, " there were tears in Air. Edison's eyes, but he explained their presence by saying that the light hurt his eyes. I like everything about Air. Edison, except his recent departure in politics." NEW MANAGER FOR ATLANTA THEATRE George E. Schmidt has been appointed manager for the Alamo No. 2 theatre, the Paramount theatre in Atlanta, Ga. Mr. Schmidt formerly managed the Prince theatre at Jacksonville, Fla.. and the Strand theatre at Spartansburg, S. C