Moving Picture World (Feb 1917)

February 10, 1917 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 827 Ince and Sennett Continue in Triangle No Change in Releasing Agency, Declares W. W. Hodkinson and Ad. Kessel — Two-Reel Keystone Special To Be Issued. IN response to inquiries concerning the possible release of Thomas H. Ince-Kay Bee features and Mark SennettKeystone comedies in any way other than through the Triangle branch exchanges, the following statement was issued by president William W. Hodkinson, of the Triangle Distributing organizaton: "Up to this time the announcements we have made have been conservative, and have perhaps said less than we would have liked them to say, simply because we do not wish to make any statement without the fullest possible foundation of fact. It has been my invariable custom, ever since I have been in the motion picture business, to make no promise to exhibitors that I was not in a position to fulfill to the letter. It is for this reason that seemingly conflicting reports regarding the release of Thomas H. InceKay Bee and Mack Sennett-Keystone pictures have not until now been fully answered. "I am now in position to say to exhibitors that Triangle and its producing companies are locked together positively and definitely. Up to this time our final and complete plans have not been announced in detail because we have waited till we could be certain of fulfilling every detail of every promise. We are now certain of our ability to do so, and I will say this — that the Triangle program, consisting of one five-reel Ince-Kay Bee feature, one five-reel Fine Arts feature, and two one-reel Triangle comedies, will be supplied to exhibitors each week through Triangle exchanges, and in no other way. "The special weekly release of a two-reel Mack SennettKeystone comedy will also be available solely through Triangle exchanges. We shall have other announcements to make that will be of interest, but this, I believe, answers the questions that have been most asked." In confirmation of President Hodkinson's statement regarding the seemingly conflicting reports that have been abroad as to the relations of the Triangle Distributing Corporation and the Thomas H. Ince-Kay Bee and Mack Sennett-Keystone producing companies the following was given out by President A. Kessel, of the New York Motion Picture Corporation: "The Thomas H. Ince-Kay Bee five-reel features and the Mack Sennett-Keystone comedies are to be released only through the exchanges of the Triangle Distributing Corporation." favor of their efforts to give the people entertainment on the day of rest. And I may add that I myself am not a Catholic." Sunday Closing Issue in Three States Illinois and Texas Are Now Added to New York Through Proposed Legislative Action. THE Sunday closing issue is geing to be a live one all over the country. Besides New York, Illinois exhibitors are having a lively fight in the Legislature over this issue, and Texas has just moved into the danger zone through a bill introduced at Austin. The issue, however, is not very popular anywhere, and in some communities, at any rate, it is not understood at all. One of these pleasant spots is New Orleans, where according to Harold D. Newman, commissioner of safety, there will never be anything to worry about on that score. Commissioner Newman, who left New York a few days ago after a short visit, which included two or three calls at the offices of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, said that he knew whereof he spoke. "You can count on it," he said, "that wherever the Catholics dominate a community there will be no opposition to Sunday motion pictures. The church has never been able to read into the Bible anything about not playing on Sunday, even though it may have found a lot about not working on Sunday. It does not seem to be afraid of its influence with the people being spoiled by their enjoying themselves after they have been to church. "I know that all other public officials who have dealt with Catholic priests will agree with me that they are uniformly the most broad-minded and sane class of men in the community. They are genuinely interested in everything which adds to the innocent happiness and comfort of the people of the community, and their solid support of public welfare movements, even though they encroach on the Sunday, is known in every city in the country. I think that the New York exhibitors will do well to count on that influence in NEW YORK FILM MEN ACTIVE. New York state was blanketed with another edition of the Sunday closing campaign slides last week. The committee of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, working in conjunction with the Exhibitors' League of America, sent out two slides last week, one for New York City, carrying Mayor Mitchel's photograph, and another, of a more general nature, for up-state cities and towns. The Mitchel slide, which was personally approved by the mayor, who got a special presentation copy if it, has been exhibited freely throughout the greater city, and reports of thousands of new signatures to the petition for motion pictures on Sunday have been received. No official count has been asked for, and will not be until next week. In addition to the slide, a special committee of the New York local of the Exhibitors' League has been carrying blank individual petitions all over the city and supplying theaters with as many as they could use, 500, 1,000, 2,000. Several hundred thousand of these petitions have been distributed and are being signed nightly in the greater city. Both slides are being distributed by the National Association under the direction of the Sunday closing committeet which is made up of William A. Brady, Walter W. Irwin, Adolph Zukor, Lee A. Ochs and Samuel H. Trigger. Operators to Meet in Cleveland Will Attend the Biennial Session of the International Alliance of Stage Employes. CLEVELAND is preparing for one of the biggest picture industry events in her history. It will be the convention of the International Alliance of Stage Employes, which will be held at the Statler Hotel the week of February 26. The International Alliance of Stage Employes includes the moving picture machine operators union, the stage hands union and the billposters' union. It is the parent organization of these labor unions and embraces local organizations throughout the United States and Canada. These conventions are held every two years. The last one was in Chicago and more than 1,300 delegates attended, over one half of them being moving picture machine operators. The convention will last nearly two weeks. All of the various problems affecting these unions, which came up during the last two years will be thrashed out. The arrangements for the convention are under the direction of Oscar Scheck, of Cleveland, international firsj vice president. The Cleveland operators union has appointed a committee composed of Harry Holmden and Ben Brown to assist in details. Incidentally an effort is being made to have the state convention of the Exhibitors' League, which is scheduled for Cleveland in February, held at the same time that the operators are in convention. The exhibitors will have a trade exposition, and with so many operators in the city the supply men will be more anxious to have their goods shown. H. H. VAN LOAN TO REMAIN IN NEW YORK. The many friends of Herbert H. Van Loan, director of publicity of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, will be glad to learn that "Van" will not sail for London, as he had made preparations for doing on January 25. "Van" has decided to stay in these here United States for awhile, and all his friends who have scratched out his address in their notebooks and put in the London address had better put the old address back. "Van" will be with us for some time yet. He had contemplated taking a place as head of the advertising and publicity departments of the Trans-Atlantic Film Company, of London. He writes us: "Supposin' you hed all \our trunks packed" (the rest of the letter had been deleted by the censor). TOM GIBSON NOW WITH UNIVERSAL. The latest addition to Eugene B. Lewis' staff of scenario writers at Universal City is Tom Gibson. Co-incident with this announcement comes the one that he is the proud father of an eight and a quarter pound boy. This makes about the seventh baby to come to "Universal" people in the past two weeks. " Tom, Jr.," and his "Mamma" are doing nicely, and the fact of having a third mouth to feed in these days of the high cost of living does not wipe the broad smile from Gibson's face.