Moving Picture World (Sep 1916)

1872 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 16, 1916 Demands of Portland Labor Union Labor Council Submits Proposed Wage Schedule and Union Rules to Theater Men — All Branches of Union Labor in Theaters Affected — Object to Compel Theaters to Use More Men. By \ l.i.i li;i in Nelson, (JOl Journ PORTLAND, ORE.— The affiliated labor unions of the city have submitted to the theaters a proposed schedule of union wages and regulations under which they intend to work after September 1. The document in the hands of the theater managers is a lengthy affair and they say if all the provisions in it are accepted by employers of union labor in theaters it will mean that those theaters must about double their salary expense. The unions have, however, invited a committee from the theater managers to discuss the matter before the proposed schedule goes into effect. It is evident from the proposition made by the unions that it is their purpose to compel the theaters to employ more union labor. In the case of the musicians a wage scale is proposed that compels a theater employing but one man in its pit to pay him part of the wages a second man would get if employed, and if a house employs more than one man the wages decrease conversely with the number of men. It Is proposed that union operators cannot do any other electrical work about the theater. At several theaters the operators now care for the motors and other electrical apparatus about the house during their spare time at added salary. Neither can stage men handle any electrical apparatus under the proposed union rules nor can union 'workers, except bill posters, handle the theater's display, and a rate of four cents a sheet is proposed for hanging paper where no regular bill poster is employed. Picture men who run an occasional vaudeville act are vitally affected by the proposed schedule and some of them say that the union demands violate an agreement made with the theatrical association a year ago. New Mutual Office. Portland, Ore. — The Mutual Film Corporation exchange at Portland, Ore., recently moved into a building erected for it at Ninth and Davis streets, adjoining the new Universal exchange. The new Mutual quarters occupy 50 by 100, and every bit of the space is utilized. Manager G. A. Reed has his office near the entrance of the building where he can greet the exhibitors as they come in. Trrrrrill al Building, Portland, Oregon. Manager Reed has succeeded in making Portland's Mutual office real homelike, and upstate exhibitors make it their headquarters when they are in the city. Tom North Talks Entertainingly. Portland, Ore. — Tom North, Pacific Northwest manager for V-L-S-E, made a hurried trip from Seattle to visit the Portland boys August 23. Mr. North always has many things to talk about, and this time he told the boys about his ideas on the open booking system and the workings of the "V-L-S-E office besides expatiating on the bright future for the film industry generally in this territory. Mr. North says six out of eight large theaters in Spokane are using the open booking' system, and in Seattle all the big houses use it for part of their service. Hardly a week passes, says Mr. North, but that two big houses in Seattle are using Big Four pictures simultaneously. Mr. North has his entire office staff view the new releases and comment on them. The local price of the pictures is determined from the comments, taking into consideration the local conditions. An example of the workings of the plan cited by Mr. North is a recent Edna May release. This actress is very little known on the Pacific Coast, and were the price fixed by the eastern office it would undoubtedly be more than western exhibitors could afford to pay. Every Monday night the Big Four staff meets to discuss ways and means and the salesmen send in their letters giving their ideas. Mr. North is strong for co-operation and every man is his own boss in the department in which he works. Mr. North says he has signed the new Jensen & Von Herberg house, in Butte, for the opening show, and for three months' service. This house expects to open on Thanksgiving. Mr. and Mrs. North motored down from Seattle, making the trip in ten hours. Mutual Film Portland Office. Light offices Willi uiass partitions arc provided for tin road nun ami booking clerks. The poster room, shipping and inspecting departments are all separated from t ho main office b.\ substantial walls. Worthy Of speeial mention is tin Mutual projection room, which is without dOUbl the elassiesl m town. It is supplied wild comfortable upholstered seats, decorated with polled palms, and the ventilation Is perfect. INTERESTING SPOKANE NOTES. By S. Clark Patchin, 1811 Eleventh Ave., Spokane, Wash. SPOKANE, Wash. — Leading attractions at the Liberty theater during the last week included pictures of the work of forest rangers throughout the west and the Keystone comedy, "The Surf Girls." Seating and standing capacity was taxed at times. With these a special Triangle feature, "Honor Thy Name," presenting Frank Keenan, also Charles Chaplin in "One A. M." were shown. The Chaplin feature was the first of the Mutual Chaplins to be shown in the Liberty. Manager Ruffner also arranged to show' Clara Kimball Young in "The Common Law," having booked it in Seattle, where he 'went to witness trial runs of the above pictures. The last was booked from M. Rosenberg, northwestern representative of the De Luxe Feature Film. Filming Spokane Harvest Scenes. Spokane, Wash. — P. J. Hubbell, special cameraman of the International, with headquarters in San Francisco, spent a couple of days in the city after taking moving pictures in Glacier National Park, Mont. He is now getting views of tho Spokane country and harvest scenes. Fashion and Athletic Films at Clemmer. Spokane, Wash. — The Clemmer theater has started to run the Florence Rose fashion films and will show them exclusively in Spokane. They will be shown at the matinees, as they are considered especially for women. The Clemmer ■will also run the Selig Sporting Series of athletes every two weeks. Joe Sykora's Been "Turning" Around Here. Spokane, Wash. — Joe Sykora, representing the Ga union t company, New York, is taking a number of pictures in this section. He got pictures at a miners' annual picnic at Kellogg, Idaho, last week. Fielding Looking for Partner. Spokane, Wash. — Romaine Fielding is scheduled to be in Spokane next week to appear on the vaudeville stage and at the same time seek a partner to star with him when he returns to the moving picture field. Reports are that he is seeking a second Mary Pickford. Are Suburban Theaters Losing Ground? Some of Portland, Oregon, Film Men Hold Outskirt Houses Are Passing — What Unity Theater's Manager, L. Michel, Believes. Portland, Ore. — Several prominent film men here, including S. Morton Cohen, have indicated that the suburban theater has seen its day. They say that with the progress of the moving picture art. th* progress of theater construction, management and operation has advanced to a point where super-excellent equipment is necessary to maintain the ever rising standard and that as the advance of the art continues the cost of meeting the competition with downtown bouses becomes prohibitive to the suburban theaters. Each center of population in Portland has its motion picture theater, but in many cases where there were two or three theaters there is now only one. L. Michel, manager of the Unity theater in the southeastern part of the city. believes that if the suburban theater manager progresses as the motion picture art progresses the suburban theater will remain a community institution just as the g'oeory store. Mr. Miehel opened the Unity a few months ago and to-day has a patronage thai crowds his house nearlj every night. Twenty-two separate managements had been in the theater prior to the time Mr. Michel took it over. He puts on the newest pictures, uses an occasional act of local talent vaudeville and above all is a community booster. "Yellow Menace" Shown. Portland, Ore. — "The Yellow Menace" had its premiere showing here August '2 1 when three chapters were screened for the inspection of the exhibitors and censors at the Heilig theater. There was a good crowd present and the picture was well put over. Manager F. M. Simonton, of the Standard Feature Film Company, which is handling the serial, has started an extensive publicity campaign on it. "Kirk" a Camper, Too. Portland. Ore. — We left the name of A. s. Kirkpatrick off the roster of the gay film fraternity encamped on the shores of Sucker Lake at Oswego. We did it unwittingly: we did not know he was there. We have recent information, however, that "Kirk" is the baritone of the Oswego quartette, composed of Messrs Myrick, Simonton, Fleishman and Kirkpatrick