The Moving picture world (March 1923-April 1923)

404 MOVING PICTURE WORLD March 24, 1923 Exhibitors Put Up Stiff Fight Against Daylight Saving Bill HARRISBURG, PA.— (Special)— A delegation of exhibitors from all parts of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, March 13, journeyed to this city to attend a special hearing on a bill now before the Legislature having for its purpose the establishment of the daylight saving schedule. The bill which has caused more than mere passing interest, is now in the hands of the committee on judiciary, before which the hesuring was held. The proponents of the bill were made up of bankers, sporting goods manufacturers and church authorities, while the opposition was made up of film men representative of all breuiches of the business, the theatrical business, farmers and labor leaders who spoke for the union forces of the State. George Aarons, secretary of the M. P. T. O. of Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey; Charles Goodwin, Fred Harrington of Pittsburgh and many others attended the hearing, which developed into a spirited affair. While the opposition was the stiffest ever lined up against the daylight saving movement here, it is not believed that the bill will be killed. Daylight saving, according to those who opposed that schedule, brought a loss of many million dollars not only to show business, but to other industries as well. Daylight saving together with the coal strike last year had the tendency of putting many exhibitors out of business, it was said at the hearing. READING, PA.— (Special)— Regardless of the status of the State-wide movement for a continuation of the daylight saving program, this city will not change its timepiece. This decision was returned as a result of the, municipal elections last November when daylight saving was made a political issue and constituted one of the many local propositions on which local voters were called to vote. T. Rogers Lyons Tells How to Keep from Paying Music Tax TAX dogging when the tax is imposed by the supreme power of the State is criminal, but dodging a tax that is imposed by greed and by virtue of the fact that the greedy combine has the power to enforce that tax is the right of all who wish to assert their independence, and who desire to protect their own rights," says T. Rogers Lyons, editor of Musical Times, Lansing, Mich., in an arraignment of the music tax. "The right to collect royalties by the owner of the copyright has been established by the Supreme Court of the United States, from all those who use copyrighted sheet music at places where an admission is charged, or pay for the entertainment is received," Mr. Lyons says. "Therefore the Music Society has the legal right to do what they are doing in associating for the purpose of making these collections. This society contains about twenty-five music publishing houses. _ "Outside of this society there are four times as many music publishers who are not only willing but are anxious to have all the hotels, restaurants, theatres and moving pictr• houses use all of their music that the players in these places desire, without any royalty or payment whatever. "The way to enable them to do this lies with the publishers of sheet music who are not members of the Society of Composers and Authors. It is suggested that each publisher who desires to have his productions publicly played to print on all new offerings and rubber stamp on all old ones these words : COPYRIGHTED 1923 THE SMITH JONES BROWN COMPANY Performing rights in all places where admission is charged are hereby specifically released. "This done, it is patent that any orchestra, singer or instrumentalist may use music thus branded just as he has been in the habit of using music with no thought but of the pleasure the rendition of same will be to the hearers, and the certainty there can be no comebacks. "If twenty publishers adopted the plan here suggested, that in itself would liberate enough 'tax-fee' music to smash the present strangle hold of the society to smithereens. They must hold the theatrical business to live." Graham's Daughter to Wed Announcements have been received at the home office of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation of the forthcoming marriage of Dorothy Cecil Graham, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Cecil Graham, of 40 Park Lane, London, to Bernard Morris Greenhill, also of London. The ceremony will be solemnized Wednesday, April 4, at 2 :30 o'clock, at St. Margaret's Westminster, following which a reception will be held at Claridge's. Miss Graham's father is the general foreign representative of the Famous PlayersLasky Corporation and the managing director of the company's British organizations. Mr. Greenhill is well known in London social and business circles. Speaks on Censorship Brady Says Industry Must Work Hard to KUl It At this week's luncheon of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers Peter J. Brady was the principal speaker. Mr. Brady, an influential labor union official and well known in the motion picture industry on account of his friendliness and hearty support in past years, spoke to a large audience. His talk ranged on many matters, the most interesting part to many being what he had to say about censorship. Says Meeting Poorly Handled Mr. Brady criticized the meeting at Albany this week before the Legislative Committee, saying it had been very amateurishly handled, but that the other side had been just as badly mismanaged. He said that there was a great deal of work to do if the motion picture industry expected to be successful in its hopes to have the censorship bill repealed; that work would have to be started immediately to carry information and appeals right through the state, particularly to the towns where the legislators make their homes. Unless this is done, he said, the chances are that the censorship bill will remain on the books. Mr. Brady also described at some length the plans for the new Trade Union Bank, and, judging from the applause, the publicity and advertising men of the motion picture industry will be earnest supporters of the new venture. No Distribution Change Schenck Says West Will Be No More Than Producing Center Joseph M. Schenck, producer of Norma and Constance Talmadge First National releases, who is building up a big producing organization in Hollywood, says frankly that he does not vision Los Angeles as the future centre of motion picture distribution. The product distributed is not bulky, he points out, hence production has centered in Los Angeles and will always remain there, but distribution will remain centered in New York, he believes. For one thing, the existing machinery is deeply rooted in New York's business and financial life, and the nation's greatest population centers are in the East — the "centers of consumption." Then, too, he believes New York's approval of a screen play adds greatly to that play's value in every other city and town. New York Success of Great Value "If we have successful New York premiere, and a long New York run, a picture is a commercial success," he declares, "the mere fact of a New York success is of inestimable value in advertising. At least 500,000 strangers arrive in New York daily— some for business, some for pleasure and some for both. After long or short stays they return to their homes, and if they take word home that a certain film is a New York success, why, that word passes rapidly and assures a long line when the picture reaches the place in which it has had favorable word-of-mouth advertising." Signs New Contract Carey Wilson, who has been an associate editor in the Goldwyn scenario department for nearly two years, has signed a new contract by the terms of which he remains with the Goldwyn organization as associate editor for another year. He was made an associate editor at the time June Mathis was engaged as editorial director, and has prepared the continuity for a number of the Goldwyn pictures.