The Moving picture world (November 1925-December 1925)

December 12, 1925 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 529 M'Q'M-United Artists Merger Off; Protests of Exhibitors Responsible liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiH Honest? Yes Sir! MOVIE AGE claims to have diecovered the world's most honest man. His name is Ebinger and he is manager of the Orpkeum Theatre at Fort Madison, Iowa. He warned hia patrons against attending the theatre a certain night, in the following newspaper advertisement: "Don't go to the Orpheum tonight unless you want to spend your money for something not worth it. The picture we have on tonight is not much to get puffed up about. Tomorrow we have a new show and this will be worth the coin." Theatre Robberies in Kansas City Hit Box Offices HAND in hand with an increased attendance in theatres came a wave of theatre robberies In Kansas City this week. From the safe of the Linwood Theatre, large suburban house, robbers obtained $1,173 the night of November 22. The safe, which weighed 1,000 pounds, was dragged 35 feet from the office on the ground floor in the front of the building and the combination hammered off. The loss was covered by insurance. Only a few days ago W. O. Lenhart, manager, was robbed of a diamond ring in front of his home at 2710 East Fortieth street. The robbers entered the theatre through a rear window after midnight. Another Victim The next victim was the Pantages Theatre, first-run downtown house. A bandit rushed in front of the box office, in full view of a downtown throng, pointed a revolver at Miss Blanche Shaw and escaped with $25 in bills, the afternoon of November 23. At the Newman Theatre that same night a robbery narrowly was avoided. William Jacobs of the manager's office, Charles Raymond, assistant manager, and E. C. Kristie, special policeman, were in the office arranging to deposit the receipts in a safe when a knock came upon the door. Kristie opened the door. A hand hastily reached through, but, in slamming the door with a view to trapping the bandit, Kristie allowed him to escape. EXHIBITORS HAVE JUBILEE The M. P. T. O. of Connecticut was holding a Jubilee Celebration at the Taft Hotel in New Haven Thursday evening, December 3, consisting of a banquet, entertainment features and dancing. Schenck Makes Definite Announcement in Los Angeles—Would Have Saved $5,000,000 Annually — Production Increased By Sumner Smith THE proposed United Artists-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer distribution merger is definitely off. A country wide protest by exhibitors who visualized in the plan for amalgamation a move toward trustification is responsible. This news is contained in telegraphic dispatches to Moving Picture World from Los Angeles. Joseph M. Schenck, the brains of the intended distribution merger, is author of the announcement that the plan has been abandoned. The arrival of Marcus Loew in Los Angeles, scheduled for Wednesday, December 2, will not affect the decision, Mr. Schenck is quoted as saying. Mr. Schenck's announcement came just before Mr. Loew's arrival. He said that the United Artists program would be increased to fifteen productions a year He regretted that the amalgamation would not take place because it would have saved $5,000,000 annually on distribution costs. He said that the Goldwyn gross revenue for the year was $20,000,000, with the United Artists $16,000,000. There was no dissension among the producers over the amalgamation, he declared, but it was killed by the great outcry of exhibitors throughout the country. He added that the increase of production on the United Artists program would necessitate speeding up all units. Mr. Schenck's statement follows: "The United Artists and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corporation have definitely decided, by mutual consent, to permanently abandon their proposed affiliation. It is with considerable regret that we make this announcement. United Artists had felt for some time that an affiliation with some other company having an international distributing organization would be beneficial, financially, and would effect a considerable saving. We settled on M-G-M as a suitable distribution partner because we considered the quality of their product to be of a continuously high standard. We were engaged in working out the physical details when a storm of protest arose from exhibitors all over the world. These protests were based on the mistaken premise that there was to be something in the nature of a trustification of the motion picture industry. Nothing could have been further from the facts, but realizing our inability to dispel this impression, we have decided that our independence and integrity before the exhibitor is paramount to any economy we might effect in the face of adverse, if mistaken, criticism. Both companies are in complete accord in this decision. "Mutual Co-operation" "Speaking for the United Artists, I cannot make it too plain or too emphatic that our aim from the very formation of the organization has been mutual co-peration and complete independence. We shall not now or in the future abandon that aim. United Artists now, and always, will make its own pictures and sell its own pictures to the best theatre available and at the best price obtainable." Thousands of telegrams from exhibitors have been sent Mr. Schenck and other principals in the proposed merger within the past few weeks. Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford have been besieged with telegraphic requests — some of them entreaties— not to allow the amalgamation." The T. O. C. C. of New York City has -been prominent in the telegraphic battle. Charles L. O'Reilly and Sydney S. Cohen wired each one of the principals. Chaplin replied on November 20 that the merger "has by no means materialized. ... If such co-operation along these economic lines is of a constructive nature, it should be to advantage of all parties and will harm no one." He added that if after a thorough investigation he found the plan of monopolistic construction, he surely would be the first to oppose it. Douglas Fairbanks had wired the T. O. C. C. that the proposed merger "in no way presupposes the statement contained in your telegram." TAX REVENUE UNCHANGED The revenue to the Province of Ontario for 1925 from the Provincial Government's Amusement Tax will be practically the same as for the previous fiscal year, according to the preliminary report of the Hon. W. H. Price, K. C, Toronto, provincial treasurer. The fiscal year ended October 30 and, with the returns not yet quite complete, the revenue from the Amusement Tax, collected at all theatres in the Province, amounted to practically $1,470,000, it is stated. In addition to the tax on amusement tickets, which averages about 10 per cent, of the face value of the tickets, there is also the revenue from theatre licenses and theatre inspection which, in the previous twelve months' period, reached the total of $209,379.