Moving Picture World (Aug 1920)

850 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD August 14, 1920 Snappy News Secured from Sundry Sources iiitinMniiiiniiUHiiiimi mBtitniumuinniiiimiumnmtinniNiiiiiimimiHiiiiiimintniRimiinio iHiitiiiiiinitiiiniiiiiifitmtiMiiiftiiiiiiHiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifiiimiittiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimniiiiiiiiitmiiiiiiin No Settlement Yet in the Laboratory Workers’ Strike THE strike of the laboratory workers, which has been in course of negotiation for the past two weeks, has reached no definite settlement. National Association of the Motion Picture Industry and the International Association of the Motion Picture Craftsmen have been in conference together Tuesday and Wednesday, August 3 and 4, but are still holding out on the question of printing the union labor label on each film. The Tremont Film Laboratories, Associated Screen News, D. W. Griffith, Inc., Rex Film Laboratories and United Film Laboratories have signed up, conceding the Craftsmen’s demands. In many of the laboratories the old hands are returning to work, where their positions have not been filled by new employes. We were told at the Craftsmen’s Association that no definite statement of the situation would be issued until the latter part of this week. Negroes Contend Theatre Would Encourage Laziness CONTENDING that its establishment would have a tendency to create laziness among the younger set of his race, a prominent negro of Greensboro, North Carolina, appeared before City Council at the head of a delegation of colored citizens and protested against the opening of a colored motion picture theatre in the center of the negro residential section of the city, and secured the promise that no permit for the erection of the theatre would be granted. W. H. Lowrey and O. L. Grubbs, white, were petitioning for the license to operate the show. They had presented numerously signed petitions from among the white citizens of Greensboro asking that the permit be granted to the promotors. H. L. Koontz, representing a number of prominent negro citizens in the neighborhood of the contemplated theatre site, told the council that the best people of the negro section were absolutely against the proposition. The average North Carolina city or town is very much opposed to the establishment of negro theatres and it has been impossible to get permits to open them in several of the biggest cities of the state, notwithstanding the fact that few of the cities have combination houses, where balcony accommodations are made for negroes. Wilmington is one exception and even with the leading first run theatre, one-half of the balcony is devoted to negro patronage, where they pay as high as 55 cents admission at times. Another of the HowardWells theatres also has a balcony exclusively for negroes. Anciher Exchange Building Being Planned for Buffalo IOCAL financial interests are having plans drawn for Buffalo’s third new exchange building, according to reliable information. The structure will be in Franklin street, directly across the present Fox exchange and near the Pathe office. The building is planned to take care of those exchanges, which on July 1 next must vacate their present quarters to comply with the new city ordinance. Among the exchanges which it is believed must move next year are Robertson Cole, First National, Fox, Nu-Art, Associated Producers, Pioneer, Gardiner, Merit, New York State Film Company, Pathe and a few smaller offices. The new city ordinance provides for certain requirements which the present offices of these concerns do not include and it is believed that the new building will be the solution of the problem. Two new buildings have just been constructed and opened in Franklin street. These are the Werner building, which houses the Metro, Universal, Select and Vitagraph, and the Famous Players and Realart structure across the street. It is expected that the new exchange building will be ready next spring. No Film Thefts in Cincinnati That Cincinnati is practically free of moving picture film thefts was disclosed at the meeting, July 27, of the Associated Film Exchange Managers at the Chamber of Commerce. A request from the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry that resolutions be adopted, indorsing plans of the Film Theft Committee for preventing the larceny of film enroute from theatres to the film exchanges was discussed, and the fact established that through the medium of careful express service, and the systematic manner of checking films, thefts in the Cincinnati territory practically was negligible. Action was taken, indorsing the plan, and at the same time setting forth conditions as they exist in the local territory. Bliss Leases the Colonial J. C. Bliss, of Belmont, Mass., has leased for a term of years the Colonial Theatre, Newport, R. I. This theatre was erected by the Newport Industrial Company, of which Herbert Bliss is president. Ministers Make New Move to Close Theatres on Sunday THE sixth month of the war waged by the Ministerial Association of Henderson, Ky., on moving picture exhibitors to force them to close on Sundays began last week with a movement on tbe part of the association, when it circulated petitions from house to house asking that the commonwealth and the county attorneys enforce the Sunday closing law. The latest attack is directed at every place of business. The ministers have been balked by the loophole in the law allowing Jewish merchants to observe Saturday as their Sabbath and remain open on Sunday. The commonwealth’s attorney, who tried to close every house a month ago, withdrew his threats to take penal action against violators because the law could not be enforced uniformly. There is a great deal of speculation as to what effect the petitions will have on the situation. The petitions are an appeal to public sentiment, which has been with the moving picture men, as shown by the capacity crowds handled at Sunday shows. At the night performances last Sunday, some were turned away because the houses were full. The ministers are now asking those who attended the Sunday shows to ask that the shows be closed on Sundays. Earle to Direct First Tearle Film William P. S. Earle, Selznick director, will handle the megaphone on the first Conway Tearle picture to be made under his new starring contract with Natural Pictures. This will be a special entitled “The Road of Ambition,” from the novel by Elaine Sterne. The continuity has been prepared by Merle Johnson and production will start at Fort Lee as soon as Mr. Tearle has completed his present vehicle with R. A. Walsh. mi nimniiiiiiiiiiiiniiiitiiiiiiiiiiiinnmiiamin^ | Advertising Matter If Not Part of Film Is Not Subject to Rental Tax | \ DVERTISING matter when not a part of a film is not subject to the film | | rental tax of five per cent., under the terms of a new ruling of the Internal | | Revenue Bureau. A letter to this effect has been received by Jack S. | 1 Connolly, Washington representative of the N. A. M. P. I., from Deputy Com | | missioner of Internal Revenue Baker. Following the receipt of a complaint from one of the large Philadelphia ex j 1 changes, Mr. Connolly, accompanied by the Washington correspondent of the j | Moving Picture World, took the matter up with Mr. Baker and his assistants. g 1 Mr. Baker showed a desire to work in co-operation with the film men, and j 1 seemed glad to have an open discussion of the decision complained of. That the Treasury Department officials are willing to co-operate wherever | | possible when matters of this nature are brought to their attention in this g 1 manner is shown by the following courteous letter received by Mr. Connolly: Previous Ruling Amended. “This is in reference to your letter of July 21st, 1920, written in the interest | | of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, 1520 Broadway, | 1 New York, in regard to the receipt of a copy of a letter written by this office | I under date of July 9th, 1920, to the Collector of Internal Revenue at Philadelphia, | 1 Pennsylvania, relative to the application of the tax imposed by Section 906 of | I the Revenue Act of 1918 to the total rentals earned in connection with leasing | I or licensing motion picture films for exhibition, which was held to include | 1 amounts received for advertising matter rented in connection with the film. “You are respectfully advised, that after further consideration, said ruling | 1 of this office is considered in error in so far as it includes advertising matter | 1 when not a part of the film itself. “The ruling given the Collector of Internal Revenue at Philadelphia will, = 1 therefore, be withdrawn, and it is held that the tax imposed by section 906 of | I the Act applies to the total rentals earned in connection with the business of | 1 leasing or licensing film inclusive only of the advertising matter which is a | 1 part of the film. However, it must be understood that where a film is leased | 1 for a fixed sum which includes the rental of advertising matter and the charges | 1 for the rental of the film and such advertising matter are not segregated, the | | tax will apply to the total charge.”