Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

D ece in ber 6. 1 9 30 Motion Pic t ur e .V i 15 Allied Not Backing Horwitz, but Will Enter Fight If State Unit Is Attacked In New York for Pow Wow Aaron Saperstein H. M. Richey W. A. Steffes Independents in Texas Form New Body; Rap Horwitz Dallas — The Motion Picture Theatres Protective Association was formed here by a group of independents, representing a few deserters from the ranks of Allied States and other exhibitors revolting against the censorship propaganda of Will Horwitz and denouncing Col. H. A. Cole, Allied general manager, as an exhibitor leader. Judge Roy Walker, of Lampasas, was elected president; Arthur Keyes, of Quanah, Sam Hefley, of Cameron, and O. A. Englebrecht, of Georgetown, were elected vicepresidents, and I. S. Melcher, of Dallas, secretary-treasurer. Directors elected were : Walker, Keyes, Hefley, Englebrecht. Melcher, W. G. Underwood and Paul P. Scott, of Dallas; M. H. Gwynn, of Terrell ; O. B. Bridges, of Houston ; Henry Reeve, of Menard ; W. J'. Wooten, of Canyon ; C. De Wolfe, of San Saba; Henry Hall, of Beeville, with five more to be elected later. The morning session was taken up in a repudiation of both Horwitz and Cole. Plans were made for a plan to combat censorship, Sunday closing and taxation before the Texas legislature in January, necessity for which was all attributed to the Horwitz propaganda out of Houston. To Work with Distributors The new organization will work in harmony with the distributors, chains and producers, it was emphatically declared. The primary objective of the new body is the protection of Texas theatres, with a membership of Texas owned theatres only, and no part will be taken at this time in national exhibitor affairs. About forty exhibitors signed as members during the first day and a committee of five was delegated to remain in Dallas to perfect {Continued on page 18) Allied in Texas Raps Censorship and Hays Laxity Dallas — Censorship politically administered, local, state and national was deplored in principle by directors of Allied Theatre Owners of Texas, who met here following the "indigination" mass meeting which attacked President Will Horwitz However, the directors asserted, the Hays office has failed to enforce standards of decency, and asked producers to permit some organization created by exhibitors to pass upon pictures. Unless some such plan is set up, the directors stated, they do not feel they can oppose Horwitz's censorship stand at this time. Confers with Aids §§§/ I ■ Abram F. Myers State Right Policy Barring National Body from Interference in Row Allied States Association as a national body is not behind Will Horwitz's campaign for censorship in Texas, nor can it. under its constitution, interfere with the Texas unit in what is purely a state matter, but any attack on the Texas association as a result of Horwitz's activities as an individual will force Allied into the fight. That in brief sums up the organization's stand in the controversy now raging in Texas as a result of Horwitz's campaign to secure enactment of a censorship law in Texas. Horwitz is president of the Allied unit in Texas. Under terms of its constitution, Allied operates under a "state right" policy, each unit being autonomous and not subject to interference from the national body within the confines of its own territory. However, its units are allied for defense, so an attack upon one as an organization calls for support by other units. Nationally, Allied feels that the Horwitz matter is a personal affair, and the one way to give it any great significance is to make Allied a target as a result of Horwitz's stand. Abram F. Myers, president, W. A. Steffes, Minneapolis ; H. M. Richev, Detroit, and Aaron Saperstein, Chicago, held meetings in New York during the week, but were silent on the matters discussed, and the meetings were termed "routine." It is understood they gathered to investigate the merits of a new reproducing equipment said to embody new principles of sound projection. Richey at Pow Wow in Spite of Auto Mishap Injuries received in an automobile accident did not prevent H. M. Richey, general manager of the Michigan exhibitor unit, from attending the pow-wow of Allied chieftains now under way in New York. "Rich" and his wife were hurt in an automobile collision while motoring from Detroit to Toledo. Double Feature Curse Laid to Block Booking Block booking and poor pictures are responsible for the double feature evil, Aaron Saperstein, president of the Illinois independent exhibitor association, told MotionPicture News upon his arrival in New York from Chicago for the pow-wow of Allied States Association leaders. "Give us the same right of selection as accorded the first runs, and 75 per cent of Chicago exhibitors employing the double {Continued on page IS)