Motion Picture News (Mar-Jun 1920)

3818 Harry Levey Back From Conferences in West Harry Levey, general manager of the Industrial anil Educational I ..i 1 1 1 1 1< ■ u I nl the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, returned Wednesday from a hurried trip to Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago where he was called for conferences with the officers of the leading motion picture exhibitors' associations of the West. The confereni e with Wo: In u exhibitors ai the I totcl Winton, Cleveland,, resulted in a complete and satisfactory undei standing between Mr. Levey and the ex1 1 il mi i H s in i egard to 1 Wversal Indusl i ial and Educational motion picture distribution, In future these I fniversal pii turet will be booked to the members ol -'ill the associations thai were represented in the conference, on the Universale direct pa) menl to exhibitor plan, the payments being made through the at soi ial fficers upon report thai the pictures have been prop erly exhibited. New Child Admittance Bill Up in New York So great was the opposition to the Cotillo bill, rei entry introduced in t be New York Senate and which if passed and signed h\ the i iovernor, would have allowed unaccompanied children between the ages of ten and sixteen to have been admitted to motion picture theatres in Nov. York City and segregated in charge of a matron, that it was decided to withdraw the bill and that in its place another hill has now been introduced and fathered by Senator Kelley of New York City. This bill is a statew ide one and if passed. will allow children apparently under tinage of sixteen to he admitted, providing they are accompanied by their parent or guardian or by an adult person authoi i ed by its parent or guardian. The new matter in the hill is that embodied in tin words " or by an adult person authorized by its parent or guardian." City Votes Three to One for Sunday Openings Grand Island. Nebraska, voted three to one against Sunday closing on April nth, when the Ministerial Union brought the question before the people. Motion piclure interests conducted a v igorous opposition campaign and the vote was 2,643 against Sunday closing, and 8(13 in favor. Coast Believes Abrams Has Big "Six" Los Angeles (S fecial). — Hiram Abrams left here for New York on Wednesday. April 21st, declining to state the result of his coast visit. While here he held numerous conferences with the producers represented in the new " Big Six " and in Los Angeles it is strongly believed that he has definitely consummated the deal for distribution of the product of luce, et ttl. All's Ready for Eastern Studios Ball WITH several prominent screen stars present, the Eastern Studios Ball, to be held April 28 at the Hotel Commodore for the benefit of a welfare fund for the studio employees of the Famous PlayersLasky Corporation, is expected to be one of the biggest affairs of its kind ever held in New York City. Nearly 1000 tickets already have been sold, and the sale of boxes to stars and prominent motion picture men has swelled the receipts by several thousands of dollars, it is declared The committee in charge of the ball has arranged several features for the entertainment. Emma Trentini, the famous light opera singer, will sing selections from favorite successes, and several artists from the Keith vaudeville circuit will take part. The vaudeville program will begin at 8:30 o'clock and last until 10 o'clock, when the dancing will begin, to continue until the " wee small hours." Cinema tographersChoose Officers for 1920 The American Society of Cinematographers, which now haS a chosen membership of fifty-seven cinematographers, announces that the following board of govei in u s has been elected for 1920: foe .August. 11. 1. vming Broening, Win. ( '. hosier, Eugene Gaudio, T. G. Gaudio, Frank B. Good, King D. Gray, W. L. Griffith, F, W. Jackman, R. S. Newhard, S. S. Norton, Philip E. Rosen, C. G. Kosher, a. A. Scott and L. Guy Wilky. This hoard has chosen the following ofni ei S Philip E, Rosen, president; Win. C. Foster, first vice-president; L. Guy Wilky, second vice president; Fred W. Jackman, treasurer, and 11. Lyman Broening, secretary. Pennsylvania Exhibitors Are Urged to Unite M. Feitler, former president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors1 League of Pennsylvania, states, in a letter addressed to Pennsylvania Exhibitors, that owing to the existence of the American Exhibitors' Association in Pennsylvania, it was considered advisable to merge with the latter organization and thus ally forces in a common cause. Consequently, savs Mr. Feitler, the Motion Picture Exhibitors' l eague of Pennsylvania was disbanded about sev en months ago. " Therefore, I urge the exhibitors to join forces with the American Exhibitors' Association, as il is only with a united organization that our business can be protected." Mr. Feitler declares. Motorcycles Distribute Films During Strike Delivery of film shipments bv motorcycle was used by the Fox New York Exchange during the recent railroad strike. The messengers carried the films to New Jersey cities. Motion Picture News Americanization Work Is Making Rapid Strides Harry M. Crandall, chairman of the Exhibitors' Branch of the Americanization Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, reports that exhibitors all over the country are continuing to show fullest cooperation in the matter of using trailers and slides bearing the slogans, written by Franklin K. Lane, former Secretary of the Interior. The producers are reported to be hard at work on pictures designed for service in the Americanization movement. D. W. Griffith is engaged in making a picture for this purpose and Famous Players is turning out a new production for the patriotic drive. Goldwyn announces that it will have ready within a few weeks a picture, the scenario for which has been written by Rupert Hughes. " There is no commercial side to this movement," says Mr. Crandall. " The producing companies are making the films without profit, and they are being distributed without profit and are being sold to the exhibitor at the lowest possible rate." Exhibitors' League Discusses Proposed Bills A meeting of the executive committee of the New York State Moving Picture Exhibitors' League was held in Albany on April 20th. The meeting was given over largely to a discussion of motion picture bills that had been introduced in the state legislature this year and which are still hanging fire. A tentative report was also made in connection with the recent state convention at Utica. Announcement was also made to the effect that New York State would be represented by forty-five delegates at the National Convention of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, during the second week in June. This is one from each congressional district. Censor Fight Renewed (Continued from page 3816) wanted him to install them for the workers. Mary Pickford pictures have been objected to by some people on the ground that poor children are made envious by looking at pictures of rich homes and wealthy people." Representative Frank B, Phinney of Hyde Park opposed the bill and said that he dissented from the report of the majority of the Committee on Mercantile Affairs on the ground that, if children need protection from motion-picture films, they should be kept out of the theatres. Representative Walter Haynes of Scituate, a proprietor of three moving-picture houses, felt _ that objectionable films would be eliminated by local managers, if this were asked by those interested. He thought the women's organizations should center their activity in this work and should not attempt to pass state-wide legislation on this subject.