The Moving picture world (February 1920-March 1920)

February 14, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 1087 Salt Lake City Operators Walk Out When Managers Refuse Six-Hour Day Universal Buys More Novels. Universal announces the purchase of "Sayonara," the story by Gwendolyn Logan, as a starring vehicle for Tsuru Aoki. The company has also acquired the screen rights for "False Colors," by Edwin Le Vin, which will serve Priscilla Dean as her next feature, while "Togs," a comedy of social life, has just been secured for the use of Edith Roberts, following her current production, "The Daring Duchess." State Rights Contracts Closed for Garsson Film IMMEDIATELY following the decision of the United States District Court, permitting M. W. Garsson, of the Foundation Film Corporation, to use the title, "The Blindness of Youth," contracts were closed for the state rights distribution of the picture in nearly half of the United States. "All the territory in the United States would have been sold long ago," Mr. Garsson says, "if it were not for the injunction suit filed in an attempt to restrain me from using the title. We expect to have all states disposed of within the next ten days. "As soon as the last contract is closed announcement will be made of the forthcoming release. We are going to continue to give the state rights buyer the best productions obtainable and to assist him in every way to make the picture a success from a financial standpoint. Even after all territory is disposed of we will continue the advertising campaign on "The Blindness of Youth," in order to prove good faith to the territorial buyers. Of course this campaign will be directed exclusively toward the exhibitor. "We have negotiations under way for the state rights distribution of eight big productions and as soon as plans are consummated we will notify all state rights buyers." Only Two Women in Cast of "The Law Bringers" ALTHOUGH perhaps not the first time on record but nevertheless unusual and interesting is the statement from Selznick Pictures to the efifect that there are to be only two women principals in the Ralph Ince production "The Law Bring'ers." These two parts are given over to Zena Keefe, who plays the part of Andree the halfbreed dance hall girl, and to Anita Booth who has the part of the gentle wife of Ducane, the gambler and whiskey runner. When Ralph Ince decided to play the leading role of Constable Dick Heriot in this G. B. Lancaster story he was confronted with the difficulty of obtaining a correct uniform for the part. As a member of the Northwest mounted police he needed a special uniform and for the sake of the picture it had to be a duplicate of the uniforms worn by the members of the mounted police. From Thomas McGrand, who was a corporal in the M. P. during the rebellion of '85 in Canada and from Colonel William Donaldson, official with the Canadian Northwest Pacific, he obtained some photographs of the uniform and the two men described the coloring to him. REFUSING to arbitrate their diflferences with the Salt Lake Theatre Managers Association, the union operators employed in the motion picture houses of the city walked out on a strike last week. Their places were immediately filled by non-union men, and, according to the managers of the several theatres, the shows are operating as usual with little inconvenience in the majority of cases. In one or two of the theatres managers declared that the machines had been tampered with, lights removed and fuse plugs pulled. No great damage, however, was done, and officers of the association say that the theatres are again operating under normal conditions. The strike resulted from the refusal of the managers to accede to the union's demand for a six-hour working day. The operators were granted the increase of wages for which they asked, and every other provision of the new contract which they submitted was accepted by the theatres. Under the old agreement they worked seven hours. Two Theatres Signed. A committee of the managers, including George E. Carpenter, manager of the Paramount-Empress Theatre; George Mayne, manager of the American, Gem and Strand theatres, and M. H. Hanauer, of the Broadway Theatre, met with a committee of the operators on January 31, at which time a proposition to arbitrate was offered. The committee maintained that this would do no good, since the members of the union, to a man, they said, had decided to stand by the six-hour day demand. The managers' committee called a meeting of the association at II o'clock Saturday night, and at that time the managers of those theatres showing pictures exclusively decided to stand to gether and refuse the demand. It developed that the Orpheum Theatre had already signed the new agreement, and it was accepted by the Casino. Pantages Theatre made a temporary agreement pending the return of Manager Frank R. Newman, who was out of the city. Advanced Salary Scale. All houses agreed to -the advanced salary scale requested by the union, an increase of from $37.50 to $40 a week for class A theatres, relief operators from 70 to 95 cents an hour and overtime to be computed at time and onehalf. In class B theatres the scale of $37.50 for chief operators and 89 cents an hour for relief men was agreed to. The operators, however, would not accept the increase without the six-hour day. They maintained that working conditions were such as to make it dangerous to health to work longer. Nevertheless, the managers maintain, a majority of the operators are holding two jobs and some are voluntarily working as much as eleven hours a day. The theatres afitected by the strike are the Paramount-Empress, American, Gem, Broadway, Strand, Isis, Empire, Cozy and the Photoplay. Jul ian Solomon's Father Dies. In Philadelphia, on January 21, Julian Solomon, father of Julian Solomon, Jr., died of apoplexy while sitting at his desk. He was in conversation with his business partner, when, without warning, he was stricken dead. His son, long asociated with Morosco and Famous Players-Lasky, was ill in bed with the grip, and was unable to attend the funeral. Deceased was in the commission business in Philadelphia, representing numerous New York accounts in merchandise sales. "After a Strenuous Morning's Work in the Gymnasium." So the Arrow publicity department advises us of this Itne-up of girls for Hank Mann comedies.