Moving Picture World (Sep-Oct 1925)

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462 MOVING PICTURE WORLD October 10, 1925 High Sounding Titles All Right But Trailers Actually Sell Seats By Tom Waller A HIGH sounding title may draw in a high-brow Broadway crowd that "understands the language” but such means little or nothing — more especially nothing — to fans in the alley section of the city, or soihe inhabitants in most of the small towns. This is the reasoning of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Brooklyn. They have decided that the solution is trailers that all classes will understand. Not only that but they want trailers to boost the producer and make his brand of pictures wanted in their respective houses. A committee of three Brooklyn exhibitors this week went before President Woodhull of the M. P. T. O. A. and laid before him their plan. After that they paid visits to most all of the big and little independent producer offices in Manhattan, the men, Eugene Zerner, Abe Phillips and Louis Schiffman told Moving Picture World that they were courteously treated but that only about one company, F. B. O., of all the offices they visited promised to aid them and provide trailers for any of the F. B. O. product that may be desired. President Woodhull’s letter to the Independent Motion Picture Association of America gives the action of these Brooklyn exhibitors a national angle. Woodhull seeks to have the independents issue trailers with all of this product, so that not only Brooklyn '^|!llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHllllllll!tllltllll!llllllllllillttlllllliillllll)llllllltlllllll^>M 1 Legislator Will Look Into Music Trusts Exhibitors in Buffalo and western 1 New York are enthusiastic over the | announcement of Representative Clar j| I ence MacGregor that he will seek congressional aid to “throttle the music W. = trust.” Representative MacGregor, who gave invaluable aid in obtaining the g repeal of the admission tax, declares he g will seek an investigation of the Ameri = can Society of Composers, Authors M and Publishers to determine to what jj lengths it is going to enforce claims for the use of copyrighted works to which the organization considers itself entitled under what MacGregor considsrs an 3 unwarranted interpretation of the M copyright statutes. g . . J. H. Michael, chairman of Buffalo Zone, Motion Picture Theatre Owners H of New York, declares that the repeal of this music tax is second only in im = portance to the admission tax repeal. 1 It is expected that every exhibitor in j§ this as well as other states will lend = support to MacGregor in his fight as every motion picture house in the land is now paying tribute to the music g society. “It is unthinkable,” declares Mr. MacGregor, “that any person and group can be permitted to continue ff such a course. It is contrary to the American sense of fairness or decency.” but the entire country will be relieved of the situation so truly characterized by the Brooklyn M. P. T. O. The letter : Make It National “We are presenting for the consideration of the members of your association, a resolution adapted by the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Brooklyn urging the Independent Producers and Distributors to furnish theatre owners with free trailers on their productions, as in their opinion such a course will result in increased business both for the distributors and the theatre owners. “They point out the exploitation possibilities of such trailers and the great publicity value. “We are very pleased to transmit this resolution to you at the request of these theatre owners, and would urge your giving the same your serious consideration at the earliest opportunity. We join in the belief of the Brooklyn theatre owners that such a practise will prove of great benefit and advantage to the producers, distributors and theatre owners.” OSCAR PRICE’S forecast of wide expansion and renewed vigor for Associated Exhibitors, Inc., control of which he recently acquired, is given another item of proof this week with the news that Robert E. Welsh, until last week editor of Moving Picture World, has been secured for an executive post in the picture organization. Since it became known two weeks ago that Mr. Welsh was about to relinquish the editorial reins there had been considerable speculation as to the connection he had planned. His acquisition by Associated Exhibitors rounds out a home office staff that gives strong promise of the big things planned for that organization. “Every week must bring its headline,” seems to be Oscar Price’s motto these days. It is only two weeks ago that announcement was made that he had completed negotiations to assume control of Associated Exhibitors, which will hereafter be divorced from Pathe in every respect by physical distribution. Then last week he crashed into the headlines with the news that Associated’s new Board of Directors would include such prominent picture figures as P. A. Powers and Elmer Pearson, while John S. Woody was named for the post of general manager and Jay A. Gove retained as general sales manager. The current headline means the bringing to Associated of one of the best known figures in the editorial end of the motion picture game. He assumes the duties of director of advertising and publicity and is preparing to organize one of the most complete and efficient departments in the industry. In this respect the new Associated Exhibitors starts entirely from scratch, these departments having in the past been handled through the Pathe organization. Through his service as managing editor of Motion Picture News for five years and in ^imiiiiiii!iiiiiii:ittiiiiiii!iiiiii)i;!i!iiiiiiiiiiiiiii)a;iiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuuiiHiiuiiiiii!ii!!iM«iuiiiffiiiwHiimnuiaiiBKg Formal Request by Commission g In a brief filed with the Federal Trade Commission, its counsel asks for 1 1 an order directing respondents, who I j are engaged in production and distri f g hution, to divest themselves of theatre 1 f§ holdings, estimated to be more than S | $100,000,000. This brief seeks to prove i | attempted control of the industry by | g Adolph Zukor and others. It is 280 S g pages in length and purports to show g j§ that Famous Players owns from 40 to 1 g 100 per cent, of the various theatre | M owning corporations throughout the g g country. Naturally, it does not take j | cognizance of the fact that Famous I M Players has already announced its in g 1 tention to divorce its theatre interests 1 M from production and distribution. recent years as editor-in-chief of Moving Picture World, Robert E. Welsh has been known to exhibitors throughout the country for ten years. Though young in years he is a veteran of the picture industry and probably numbers as many exhibitors as personal friends as any other figure in the business. In making this latest announcement Oscar Price, president of Associated Exhibitors, • Inc., declared: “I could use many hundreds of words in trying to tell exhibitors of our broad plans for advertising and publicity, especially as it concerns that all-important task, helping the theatre to sell the picture to the public, and I would not make it half as plain and emphatic as I do with the simple mention of Mr. Welsh’s name. For a decade he has been brought into first hand, intimate contact with theatre men. has listened to their problems and has helped to solve them. His viewpoint is that of the exhibitor and the box office — and that is the sort of executive direction we want for our enlarged advertising and publicity depart Kansas City’s Theatre District Moving Uptown Theatre construction in Kansas City appears to have shifted from the southern section of the city to the older district of the city in the northeast section. One new theatre has been completed, another is under course of remodeling and enlarging, a third is under construction, while a fourth is planning to increase its seating capacity. The Vista Theatre has opened under the management of L. J. Lenhart. who also operates the Roanoke Theatre, while the Belmont Theatre, which is under construction, is nearing completion. Welsh Joins Associated as Advertising-Publicity Head