Motion Picture News (Apr-Jun 1917)

June 30, 1917 . MOTION PICTURE NEWS South Wants Change-North Insists-What is to be Done? MH. HOFFMAN, who has recently • entered the state rights field, but wlio has had years of experience with program territory, comes forward with a few remarks apropos of the proposed definite division of state rights territory. He says : "It's a good suggestion and one which I sincerely hope will materialize into crystalized form which can be depended upon and which will stand the exigencies of time. I say exigencies of time advisedly, because I feel assured that the state rights field is one which is going to gradually pass from the playground aspect to one of immense, substantial acreage, and one that is going to feel the pressure of a vast army of producers, buyers, sellers and exhibitors. " The question of mapping out the territory is not one to be taken with a shudder, as some think. This procedure will be simple and will be greatly expedited if only those concerned will look at it squarely in the face and consider that much of the work which seems to be before them in this task has already been done by the program man. And by this I mean that the state rights man in considering the proper division of territory can simply turn to the territory as handled by the program man and which territory has been recognized since the inception of the motion picture industry by a more or less unanimous opinion. " This statement, of course, must be restricted to certain territory which in my mind is as near perfect as human ingenuity can make it. There is territory which should be taken in hand and enlarged, m^some instances, and subdivided in others. "Take, for example the New York terntory. There are some who take New York State as a unit; some who divide it mto two parts and some, in fact, most all, who add northern New Jersey to the Greater New York territory. Now there surely isn't more than one right way to do any one thing. How much more efficient we all could work if we were to get together and apply our efforts in the most expeditious and efhcient way to handle one of these divisions as accepted by all concerned. In my opinion, Greater New ci,ort Features Exchange Gets York and as fa. up State as Pough ^""^^^^^^ cjjans und Fritz" not alone for the one personally interested in the state rights field but to the entire motion picture industry. In the West there is chance for improvement along these lines. Of course, the lines cannot be so sharply drawn as in the East because of wide differences in many respects, such as transportation facilities, but there can be improvement brought about for the good of all." A. Dresner, general manager of the Exhibitors Film Exchange. Inc., Washington, D. C, comes forward with some pertinent remarks concerning the Southern territory. Mr, Dresner has had varied experience in the picture industry, having been exchange manager in the District of Columbia for Universal, Metro and others. He is intimately acquainted with the territory comprising Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Mr. Dresner now has the buying and distributing end of the state rights business for the above company, recently organized and chartered under the laws of Virginia. " It is now customary for the exhibitor in North Carolina to receive his prints from Birmingham, Ala., or Atlanta, Ga. In my opinion, this territory should be handled from Washington exchanges. " Let us take, for example, the towns of in West, Say8 Bernstein Hertford or Elizabeth, N. C, It takes practically two days to ship a print from Birmingham, Ala., to cither or both of these places. I'rom Washington, D. C, I can express a print at midnight to Wilmington, N. C, way down in tlu southeast corner of the State and the exhibitor will have it for his niatincc run the following day. In other words a print expressed from Washington to this place will be in transit only from ten to twelve hours. Isn't it fair then to urge that conditions change in this territory? ■' It must he rcnieinhercd tliat the number of theatres in this territory compared to the number in New York or other States is comparatively small. And again the theatres arc not only few but they are far between and the overhead expense is tremendous compared to the same in New York or Boston. Take, for example, New York City. It is safe to assume that the seller in GriTiliT N'cw YnrU in selling his picture cm li-,i\rl llir cniirr lirritory for tlic rininiTi.il fare. The rn.iri in southurn k-rrilmy lni a small forluiu I'nr And, again, the jinn paratively few pl.n (Coiitiiiui tl . r 111 .1 stii'ft carrliiiij ilirough the li.it Ik has to have hit.Hl fares alone. II I huiK' and comI I" I ivered in the n,7r' -1081) Eastern Territory Is Closed for " Woman and the Beast ' THE latest Marie Shotwell feature, " The Woman and the Beast," has been sold for all territory East of the Mississippi, with the exception of Pennsylvania. This announcement has been made by the Graphic Features, 220 West Forty-second street, who are distributing the feature. "Negotiations are also pending for Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Russia. The fact that this is a clean picture, and the added fact that Miss Shotwell's previous features, 'Enlighten Thy Daughter' and ' The Witching Hour,' were huge successes, enabled us to dispose of Eastern territory so fast," quoted a Graphic official. "Practically one sales trip last week closed up Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsm to Schwartz Films, Inc., Schiller Buildmg, Chicago ; Michigan to Warren and Pallcy Film Company, Campati Building, Detroit, Mich.; Ohio to Exclusive Features Company. Inc., Columbia Building, Cleveland, Ohio, New England to Eastern Feature Film Company, Inc., 57 Church street. Boston. " We contcmptaicr a western sales campaign very slmiily, ;iiul arc certain that when the wi-if-ni cxi imtigcs can sec this subject, they will want to sign as rapidly as did the Eastern buyers. " We would like to remind American buyers again, that while Miss Shotwell's feature is of a sensational order, it has been pronounced by press and censor boards as thoroughly moral. It is simply a stirring but clean entertainment." Eastern Adds Five Films keepsie, the eastern half of Connecticut and northern New Jersey, should be handled as one territory; northern New York and Erie Co.. Pennsylvania or northern ^ew York alone. This arrangement, which IS the one accepted by most of the program houses in arranging for their central exchanges, is the ideal. It can be handled efficiently, with due consideration being eiven for all concerned." Isidore Bernstein, of Bernstein Film Productions, Los Angeles, who was in New York last week, complimented Motion Picture News on its stand for improvement ■n the state rights field in these words: "It's a good move and one that will Work toward a betterment in conditions, The" Short Features Exchange, 729 Seventh avenue. New York, has closed a contract for the New York rights to the " Hans und Fritz " cartoon pictures founded on the comic drawings of Rudolph Dirks, appearing every Sunday m the Ncvv York World. Because of their wide appeal to the young folks as well as the old, these cartoons are placed on the first page of the Comic Section as the features of that_ part of the paper. The " Hans und Fntz pictures have met with great success on the printed page, and the company predicts that the new film version on this popular series will meet with even a far greater degree of success on the screen. The Eastern Fcalii Boston, has purcli i > Woman and the ['.. ,i Shotwell; "Th. M;.mi. Goodwin in il." i hi. i i of the Boul. ' il-nn I, Lewis stars ; " The " The Golden Rosary,' Film Company, I ri;lii to "The ," I ' .'I iiiitig Marie with Nat .1' , " 'I lie Mystery nr ,1,,. h Sheldon [ilackriiailers," and in five rccia each. Strand Fibn Opens in Atlanta The Strand Film Company, 73a Walton street, Atlanta, has been opened under the management of J. Hanlon for the exploitation of pictures on a state rights basis in the South. The company has bought rights on Selig^s " Ne'er-Do-Well " and will also handle the Ivan productions.