Moving Picture World (Mar-May 1927)

March 26, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 313 T he anized Exhibitor By Merritt Crawford SHE exact date of the formation of the first exhibitor organization is uncertain. It was some time in the Summer or early Spring of 1908 and the place of its origin, as might be guessed, was New York. The underlying causes for the exhibitors banding themselves together for the purposes of offense and defence was not to oppose the practices of the big producing and distributing companies, who had not yet then organized, themselves — the Motion Picture Patents Co. was not formed until the following year— but to meet the stress of the drastic laws and ordinances which were being imposed upon the film theatres. Agitation of all sorts was then going on in nearly every city aimed at the exhibition of the moving picture and severe regulations were being imposed on the new amusement, which made it increasingly difficult to operate a theatre. These included about everything from laws making it a misdemeanor to show pictures which even referred to crime or in which an actor indulged in mute profanity, to statutes governing the ventilation of theatres and fire regulations, often of the most absurd and extreme type. All the world — except the movie-goer — was hostile to the exhibitor. The newspapers, the clergy and civic societies were ever ready to lend their aid in the denunciation of this new form of entertainment, and New York, having both the largest number of film theatres as well as reformers, was naturally the center of all this propaganda. In 1908 so numerous and pernicious had these activities become, that it was apparent if they were carried much further it would soon be impossible for any exhibitor to continue in business. Against this massed opposition no single exhibitor could make head. Organization alone might hope to meet it successfully, but organization was a word that meant nothing then in exhibitor vocabularies. Most of the film men in that day were not even showmen and had come too recently from other fields of livelihood to realize their common interests as motion picture theatre owners. Fortunately, there were a few who saw further ahead than the rank and file and one of these was Marcus Loew. Even at that time his theatre holdings, as compared to others, were considerable and his keen, showman’s mind had sensed the fact that the “movies” were something more than a mere transient device to catch the public’s pennies, which would pass out of popular favor at the first new “craze’ ’that came along. So it happened, that sometime in the Spring of 1908, when the municipal authorities were considering a series of regulatory measures that meant practically the closing down of all the “movie” theatres, that Marcus Loew issued the first call to the exhibitors of New York to get together for their common good. A meeting was held in Sam Byser’s tiny theatre in East 175th Street, the Bronx, at which Marcus Loew acted as chairman. Some seventeen exhibitors attended ; not a great showing considering the importance of the issues involved, but perhaps illustrative of the limited class consciousness of the exhibitor mind of the period, and the New York Exhibitors League was formed and a charter secured. Marcus Loew, although the motivating spirit of the gathering and its most influential member, declined to accept office and Sam Trigger, a prominent exhibitor, was elected president and Sam Byser, secretary. Who the other officers were, if there were any, has not come down to us, but Sam Trigger, one of the most picturesque and active figures of the early days of the industry, a former prize fighter and an adroit politician, who more than made up for any lack the newly formed organization might have had, by his enthusiasm and fighting spirit. The New York exhibitor organization grew rapidly and its success in protecting exhibitor interests was such, that other states quickly followed its lead. Illinois, with William F. Sweeney, Joe Choynski and Joe Hopp, all fighting showmen of the old school, as its leaders, formed a state organization. Ohio, with M. A. Neff and Sam Bullock, Indiana with Frank J. Rembusch, New Jersey, California, Oklahoma, Texas and half a dozen others speedily did likewise. The seed planted by Marcus Loew, sprouted by Sam Trigger and cultivated by various state organizations all over the country began to bear fruit. The exhibitor commenced to have a class consciousness and developed a penchant for politics, which has continued down even to this day. Records of the activities of the various state exhibitor organizations of those days are extremely difficult to obtain. They exist now, if at all, in the fading memories of some of the oldtimers, who experienced them. But they are colorful, full of explosive, internal politics and, viewed from this distance, packed with much comedy. Nevertheless, they served their purpose and on the whole were tremendously useful in advancing exhibitor interests during the industry’s period of extreme adolescence, when all branches of it were chaotic and unformed. The first national organization came into being in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 3, 1911. It was chartered as The Motion Picture Exhibitors League of America and M. A. Neff, president of the Ohio showmen, and the strongest leader, which the exhibitor bodies had yet developed, was elected its first president. Ten states were represented at this convention and the membership of the various delegations was not very large, but at least it formed a nucleus for future building. C. M. Christenson of Cleveland, Ohio, was elected secretary of the national body and J. J. Rieder of Jackson, Mich., treasurer. The vice presidents were as many in nurhber as there were states represented : one vice-president from each state. The following year (1912) the convention was held in Chicago and M. A. Neff was reelected president, as were the other officers to their respective posts. Louis F. Blumenthal, national vice president for New Jersey, and George H. Wiley, national vice president for Missouri, were elected as members of the Executive Committee in addition to the officers already named. Thirty-three states were represented at this convention, largely because of the tireless activities of President Neff, who at his own expense traveled all over the country in behalf of exhibitor organization and was also almost certain to be found in any state where legislation, adverse to the exhibitor, was being prepared. Exhibitors organization owes him a great debt. New York was the scene of the 1913 convention, which was held during the week beginning July 7, in the Grand Central Palace. At the same time and place was held the First International Exposition of the Motion Picture Art, at which all the leading film and accessory companies had exhibits for which they paid substantial rentals, an arrangement entirely satisfactory to the New York exhibitor organization, who sponsored the exposition, but not entirely so to some of the others, who didn’t participate in the profits. Politics were red hot from the start. Considerable opposition to Neff, who had been president for two years developed. Illustrative of the intense partisanship prevalent at the time, may be mentioned the case of J. L. Phillips, an exhibitor from Fort Worth, Texas, who came to the convention in full cowboy regalia, with his six-guns strapped on him. Phillips was an enthusiastic supporter of Neff and learning that the New York and Illinois delegations were opposed to Neff’s reelection, he met the situation in his own Texas way. Looking menacingly at Sam Trigger, national vice president and head of the New York exhibitors and Bill Sweeney, who held the same position in relation to Illinois, he said with a sweep of his arm that took in the whole room, “Neff is good enough for Texas and he better be good enough for you or some of youall will get some of this here.” And he patted his guns expressively. Lee A. Ochs, later twice president of the league, who had then just joined the New York organization and was attending his first exhibitor convention, said later that he was looking for somewhere to “dig in” about this time, and was much relieved when nothing developed. Sam Trigger, adroit politician, however, squared himself with Phillips, by nominating him for the presidency against Neff and then when the Texas delegation voted solid for Neff, instead of their own man, raised a cry of “double cross” and bolted the convention. Joe Choynski of Chicago led the Illinois delegates off the floor first, by pre-arrangement, while Fred J. Herrington and two of the Pennsylvania delegation of nine also withdrew. (Continued on page 419)