Moving Picture World (Dec 1920)

December 4, 1920 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 595 Famous Players Representative Finds Alfred Black Not Guilty of Charges THE following letters anent the charges against Alfred S. Black, prominent New England exhibitor, made before a committee of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, are self-explanatory: Editor Moving Picture World: “Pursuant to my promise to the Motion Picture Theatre Owners’ Association, made at a recent meeting at the Hotel Astor, I have investigated thoroughly the charges and insinuations made at that meeting against1 Mr. Black in regard to his acquiring a theatre in Morrisville, Vt., which was at that time and still is being operated under lease by Mrs. Dodge. “I have looked into the matter thoroughly and I find that Mr. Black should be completely vindicated in the matter and that his business dealings in the transaction were entirely honorable. “There were a great many facts which, unfortunately, were not brought out at the meeting and which would have probably changed the entire attitude of those assembled had they been brought out. “I am enclosing herewith a copy of the letter which I have written to Mrs. Dodge. “Very truly yours, “HENRY L. SALSBURY, “Famous Players-Lasky.” Letter to Mrs. Dodge Mr. Salsbury’s letter to Mrs. Pauline K. Dodge follows : “At the hearing last September at the Hotel Astor, certain statements were testified to in relation to the manner in which Alfred S. Black acquired the Bijou Theatre property at Morrisville, Vt. You, of course, know that I attended that meeting and said that I would investigate the matter in behalf of Mr. Zukor, and if I found the facts as stated in regard to this matter to be true, I would use my best efforts to either have the theatre sold to you or your lease continued. Unfortunately, my statements relative to Mr. Black were very badly distorted by some of the trade papers. “In fairness to all concerned, I have taken time to thoroughly and impartially investigate the facts. The result of my investigation leads me to the conclusion that the statements which were made in relation to the dealings between Mr. Black, the Emmonses and your husband are not in accordance with, nor were they all, the facts as I have been able to find them. For example, the fact that Mr. Black purchased the property while your husband was alive and upon his death offered you his assistance in his letter of condolence of February 28, 1920, were unfortunately never brought out, nor was the fact that you never acknowledged his letter, and that so far as Mr. Black is concerned you had never communicated with him in any way regarding the extension of your lease or the purchase of the property. These facts, if brought out, in my opinion would have entirely changed the atmosphere at the hearing and prevented the very grave wrong done Mr. Black, who is a man of very high business principles. “It is to be regretted that you used through publicity the wrong method in this transaction instead of communicating with Mr. Black directly regarding the continuation of your lease or the purchase of the property, particularly when the lease did not expire until January next, and particularly after Mr. Black had taken the trouble to write to you when he did and stated to you in his letter that he was ready to help you. Therefore, there is nothing further that I can conscientiously do in this matter.” U. T. E. Catalogue Is One of Interest to Showmen An exceptionally beautiful and “meaty” catalogue on motion pitcure equipment is that gotten out recently by the United Theatre Equipment Corporation of New York City. From cover to cover it is excellently printed and contains a multitude of mechanical suggestions of interest to theatre owners. The cuts are strikingly clear and the layout of the pages makes the type easily read. The catalogue is divided into sections dealing with different subjects. For instance, first comes the section on theatre exteriors, cuts showing theatre fronts accompanied by descriptive text; electric display signs, canopies, outside display frames, etc. Fol lowing sections deal with the theatre lobby, the auditorium, the stage, projection equipment, the motion picture studio, the educational projection department and supplies and accessories. Particularly interesting is a description of what is called “the Hallberg stage set illusion.” This is a suggestion for theatres without a stage or proscenium. The effect obtained by the use of decorative moulding is that of any fully equipped, modern stage. Depth is obtained by the use of artificial decorations, such as fountains, decorative plants, flowers, vases etc. W age Dispute Settled Announcement is made that the projectionists and managers of the theatres at Kokomo, Ind., have reached a satisfactory settlement of the dispute regarding the new wage contract. The managers, it is understood, agree to employ only union men throughout the duration of the contract. LUCRETIA BELLE IVho played with Norma Talmadge in ‘‘The Branded Woman" and who will soon be seen in a new picture