The Moving picture world (April 1920-May 1920)

810 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD May 8, 1920 Chicago Convention Thanks Universal for Its Offer of Financial Backing UNIVERSAL has definitely taken its stand on the side of the independent exhibitor. Not only has the fullest support been pledged to the welfare and activities of the various exhibitor associations, but President Carl Laemmle has offered financial backing to the Independent Exhibitors' Association, now in convention in the Congress Hotel, Chicago. Through his representatives, H. M. Herman and Harry Levey, Mr. Laemmle assured the independents that they can count on Universal to take a leading stand in the fight for open bookings and the rights of the independent exhibitor. He pledged that Universal will at all times supply independents with its pictures and will further seek to produce the kind of pi>.tures that the members of the independent association want. In accepting the offer the association pledged itself to cancel and refrain from buying service from any producer who has not declared himself to the effect that he will not buy or operate theatres in competition to the independent exhibitors. Frank Rembush, chairman of the Independent Exhibitors' Association of America, sent the following telegram of thanks and acceptance to R. H. Cochrans, vicepresident of Universal, whose office is in New York City: Text of Telegram. "The convention of independent exhibitors in session at Congress Hotel today formed a permanent national association and greatly appreciates the offer of Universal Film Manufacturing Company for the clear cut and straight forward statement made by your representatives, Herman and Levey, on the floor of the Convention Hall this afternoon in which they declared Universal being heart and soul with the independent exhibitors in their fight against the producing companies who are building and buying theatres. "It was further voted and will so be enforced that the independent exhibitors shall cancel and refrain from buying seivice from any producer who has not declared himself to the effect that he will not buy or operate theatres in competition to the independent exhibitors. Your handsome offer of support, backed by Mr. Laemmle's offer of financial aid to put our association on its feet, is deeply appre auliiiitmiliilitlililllilillililltililtiililiiMiMiiMitiitiirlitliiiiliriiiiitiirii ciated. The names of the men selected today is an evidence of the calibre of our newly organized association. "Give this telegram the widest publicity. "The exhibitors of this convention have asked and have given us their promise that they will cancel and refrain from purchasing any further film service from any producer who is operating theatres in competition with us. We are sincere and propose to fight it out on these lines until the issue is decided." Says Old Reliable World Is Still the One Best Bet Opera House, H. B. Wells, Manager Newberry, S. C, April 20. Moving Picture World, New York: Inclosed find check for $3 covering renewal of subscription to the (Old Reliable) World. We haven't seen them all, but we have seen a lot of them, and we still consider the World the one best bet. Yours truly, H. B. WELLS. Triangle Exchange System and Pictures Are Secured by Frank Hall of Hallmark FRANK G. HALL, president of Hallmark, and Percy L. Waters, president of Triangle, have just closed another big deal of interest to the industry. It not only involves the taking over of a complete distributing organization with eighteen branches but also includes control of many big productions of some of the screen's best known stars. Mr. Hall has acquired for Hallmark Pictures Corporation the complete system of Triangle exchanges from the Triangle Distributing Corporation and also control of the pictures of Triangle Film Corporation. This gives Hallmark firmly established exchanges in Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Washington, New Haven and Milwaukee, all of which have been handling the physical distribution of Hallmark pictures for some time. This move by Frank Hall is the opening gun of an offensive campaign intended to place Hallmark at the top of the list of independent producers and distribute rs. Preparations for large expansion have been going on quietly for several months. With the announcement of the closing of the Hall-Waters deal comes the news of four special pictures completed and ready for immediate release, with eight more to follow at short intervals, two of which are already in preparation. The finished specials are "The Discarded Woman" and "For Love or Money," both Barton King productions, and "Should a Wife Work?' and "What Children Will Do," staged by Horace Plimpton. "The Common Sin," another Burton King production the title of which has not been decided upon. The former Triangle distributing organization, now Hallmark, will be kept intact and the personnel of each office will remain the same with George N. Montgomery, general sales manager for Hallmark, in charge. Mr. Montgomery recently completed an extended trip which took in all of the branches. He was greatly pleased with the marked spirit of co-operation he found, a spirit which is very much in keeping with Frank Hall's ideas. The productions controlled by Hallmark through the purchase include some of the best pictures of many big stars and leading directors. Frank Keenan, William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks and Norma Talmadge are among the more prominent stars in the Triangle list, which contains nine Keenan pictures, thirteen Fairbanks pictures and seven Talmadge pictures in addition to sixteen elaborate Keystone comedies and other interesting productions. City, Mo., and Eugene J. Zukor, assistant treasurer of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, will take place the evening of May 6 in the Blackstone Hotel, Chicago. The ceremony will be performed by the Rev. G. B. Levi, of Chicago, and about 100 relatives and close friends of the young couple will be present. Mr. Zukor is the son of Adolph Zukor, president of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Miss Roth has been a teacher in the Kansas City public schools. Veteran Showmen to Judge Vidor's "Jack Knife Man" KING W. VIDOR has announced that he will apply the same test in "The Jack Knife Man," his second production for First National, that he made in ascertaining the exhibiting of his previous picture, "The Family Honor," in which Florence Vidor played the leading feminine role. Mr. Vidor attributes the big success of "The Family Honor" in the exhibiting field to his experiment, which consisted of showing it in a dozen motion picture houses in California before its general release and in obtaining the views and suggestions of veteran showmen for its betterment. Thus he was enabled, by making a few changes, to put bigger box office punch into the attraction. He was present in person at each of these showings. "The trouble with many producers is that they do not make a sufficient study of exhibitor problems," said Mr. Vidor. "They do not get into the field. As soon as they finish one picture, they shove it onto the market without giving it a fair test and then begin work on another. They think that the picture is pood and let it go at that, not taking into consideration the fact that the exhibitor may entertain entirely different views." Irving C. Schwab Who has Just left Vitagraph's publicity department. Eugene Zukor Wedding Announced. The wedding of Miss Emma Dorothy Roth, daughter of John Roth, of Kansas Precision Company Opens Non-Theatrical Division IN keeping with the progressive policy that has characterized the Precision Machine Company since its inception, a newly organized division is now part of this projector building plant known as the non-theatrical division. E. M. Porter, general manager of the company, has for some time been preparing an analysis of the groups included in the fields outside of the theatrical one, and so promising does the future for Simplex installations in churches, schools, industrial plants and other public buildings look, that it was decided to create a separate division for the cultivation of this market. Leon L. Horstmann has been placed in charge of the non-theatrical division.