The Moving picture world (November 1925-December 1925)

December 19, 1925 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 637 Woodhull Demands ISJational Crusade Against Too Zealous Press^Agentry Criticizes Signing of *^Red^' Qrange at Ohio Convention and Questions Salary Quoted — James Re-elected A NATIONAL crusade against "overzealous press agentry" materialized this week at the convention in Columbus of the Moving Picture Theatre Owners of Ohio when the 150 exhibitors of this state unit completed their work by unanimously endorsing a resolution presented by R. F. Woodhull president of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America. The resolution calls for immediate action to be taken to enlist the Hays organization in the fight, which President Woodhull termed the "greatest menace in the industry today and one for which the death knell must be sounded by all forces in the motion picture field." "Foisting" upon the public star athletes as film stars, when such was done at the sacrifice of artistry and solely for the selfish purpose on the part of a producer of capitalizing on the publicity already acquired, was the second clause which President Woodhull emphasized in his resolution and which will be brought to the attention of members of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc. , I Qrange to Star | f / if") ED" GRANGE, football sen | § * sation, has signed a $300,000 | 3 contract to make one picture g m for Arrow Pictures Corporation. Fur 1 I ther pictures will depend upon the sue 1 g cess of the initial attempt. W. £. Shal g E lenberger, president of Arrow, handed M g him the check in the presence of a g g crowd of newspapermen at the Hotel g M Astor on December 7. g g Then came a rush of advertising men g g seeking permission to use his name, g M From a sweater company he got $12, g 1 000 for donning a sweater and being = g photographed. A football doll con g 1 cem forked over $10,000, a cap con g g cern $2,500, a shoe company $5,000 and g I a tobacco company $1,000, though the i 1 redhead doesn't smoke. All in all, it g I was a great day for Grange. g 1 The scenario of the Grange "movie" g I hasn't yet been written, Mr. Shallen g g berger says. It will be done by a g g famous sceneirio writer before "Red" l g becomes available for picture work, g g about the middle of February. g ^ Charles C. Fyle of Champaign, 111., g B is Red's manager. It is said that he 1 g receives 50 per cent, on all of the foot g g ball player's earnings. g I Charges that the $300,000 is an "ab | g sured dream" were answered by Mr. g I Py'** I m "The certified check we got was real i g enough," he said. It's in the registered | g mail now on the way to the bank where g g we deposit, and that's only a starter. 1 g Grange is to get a percentage on all g M over a certain sum grossed by the pic 1 I ture." I B Mr. Shallenberger remarked that six g g ty people were present when the cert g g ified check was handed Grange. g AliilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllNIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIilllllll NEW CAPETOWN THEATRES African Theatres, Ltd., has announced intention to build three large cinema theatres in Capetown, each capable of seating 2,500 and embodying all the latest fetaures of upto-date English and American theatres, states a recent report to the Department of Commerce from P. J. Stevenson, American Trade Commissioner in Johannesburg, South Africa. The management of the African Theatres, Ltd., stated that although the present "movie" going public of Capetown is not sufficiently large to justify this program of construction, they are looking to the future with confidence. MORRIS WITH TELEGRAM George Morris has left Warner Brothers to join S. J. Kaufman of the Evening Telegram as associate. He also is handling considerable free lance publicity work, including representation of the Casa Lopez. "Over-zealous press agents are doing more harm to our industry than anything in it today," the national president declared in his address at the banquet on the night of December 8. "Their changing of decimal points is mainly responsible for this. It is a dangerous thing to get these fake figures before your legislators and before your public — a lot of figures that are nothing more than a mass of junk. We go to Washington appealing for sympathy. They are scornful of us because they have read about million-dollar-a-year salaries being paid to children — a hundred thousand a year to a dog; a fortune to a prize fighter to essay the role of a Robert Mantell. The children to whom I refer are Baby Peggy and Jackie Coogan. The prize fighter is Jack Dempsey. Now, today, the papers are flooded with a lot of junk about Red Grange, the football star, being signed to star in a picture at a salary of $300,000. I am not criticizing Dempsey or Grange as athletes. Far from it. But it would be just as ridiculous if the Yale football team were to sign up Ben Turpin to play fullback." Joseph M. Seider, business manager of the M. P. T. O. A., has written the Associated Press a request that it organize a committee to, in conjunction with the exhibitor body, investigate the truth of the alleged payment of $300,000 in advance by certified check to "Red" Grange by the Arrow Pictures Corporation. "While we have no definite reason to doubt the genuineness of the statement that the sum of $300,000 by certified check has already been paid to Mr. Grange," he wrote, "we feci that the interests of all will be served by the definite establishment of this fact." A highlight of the national president's letter to Ohio was his reiteration about a "square table" for the industry in the Hays office, as told by Business Manager Joseph M. Seider at the convention of Connecticut Theatre Owners in New Haven last week. The fact that negotiations between the two organizations are closer to a successful understanding than ever before was the point he made with the Ohioans. This was greeted by prolonged applause. The desire for a united front and a consistent harmony among all forces within the industry was again made clear by the Hays organization through Jerome Beatty, its representative, at Columbus. Mr. Beatty read a personal message from Mr. Hays in which the producers' leader stated that observation .by all of the Golden Rule and its fairplay prerogatives, would be the quickest and most lasting way. This is printed in full on page 633. A. Julian Brylawski, chairman of the Administrative Committee of the M. P. T. O. A., was one of the leading speakers at the opening business session. He gave a meaty resume of the national organization, emphasizing that "this organization has at times been referred to as a one-man organization. No OneMan Organization "The M. P. T. O. A. is not and never was a one-man organization. So far as national organization progress is concerned," Mr. Brylawski stated, "More has been accomplished during the past three months than in the past three years. With Joseph M. Seider as business manager the conferences have been conducted between the Administrative Committee and the Hays offices with a proximity to excellent fruition." That the new contract is practically being printed, so far has its status towards finality progressed, and that the smaller exhibitors especially should feel indebted to the Administrative Committee for this progress, was another point made by Mr. Brylawski. On Federal legislative matters the speaker said that he believed Federal censorship would intensify and not alleviate local censorship conditions. "Of particular menace in this respect," he declared, "is the proposed amendment to the Copyright Law which would mean absolute (Continued on next page)