The Philadelphia Exhibitor (1935)

22 Jan 1 f 35 THE PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITOR THE CODE • CASES * HEARINGS • RULINGS spondent to cease violating minimum admission price clauses as contained in all contracts, effec¬ tive 14 days from this date. Zoning Change Needed Apparently some exhibitors who are trying clearance cases before the local clearance and zoning board haven’t the presence of mind to protest when a case involving circuit clearance arises. To be exact, the setup of the local clearance board gives the affiliated the¬ atres one representative. No one can argue against this, but when an inde¬ pendent exhibitor, A, brings a case against a circuit, B, anyone connected with B’s organization should not be al¬ lowed to sit on the board. Instead, a member of circuit C, D, or E should be substituted in order that the affiliated , circuits may have their representative. Allowing a member of a circuit against whom a complaint is lodged to sit on a board hearing a case against a circuit is on much the same order as allowing man on trial to sit on the jury. The same situation, in grievance cases is handled differently. The code specifically provides against anyone sit¬ ting on the board against whom a case is involved. THE EXHIBITOR can see no more difference in a zoning case than a grievance; if it’s wrong in one [ case it naturally must be wrong in the other. THE EXHIBITOR is bringing this point to the attention of exhibitors as well as others in order that the time of the local boards may be saved. An im¬ mediate appeal is always hanging over a decision when such a member of a circuit is not substituted for. Stratosphere, December 3; Successful Fail¬ ure, December 21; Girl of My Dreams, De¬ cember 22-23; One in a Million, December 17; Convention Girl, December 16-17; Neath Arizona Skies, December 29; Arizona Cy¬ clone, December 29; Fugitive Road, Decem¬ ber 15-18. HEARINGS Clearance December 21 York Road Theatre Company, Embassy Theatre, Jenkintown vs. Warners’ Yorktown, Ogontz Theatre; Glenside Theatre. Decision: Yorktown, Glenside and Embassy Theatres are competitive. Clearance of the Yorktown over the Embassy, Jenkintown, shall not be more than 14 days, provided that this decision shall not affect nor change clearance already granted to theatres over the Embassy and not named in this complaint, and which theatres now play after the Yorktown Theatre. Clause (e) of the complaint has no bearing on the case. Grievance December 20 Jack Ungerfeld, Palmerton, vs. Chester La Barre, Palmerton, on reduced admission charge Decision: The board finds that the minimum admission price clause of the Universal and UA contracts has been violated and the board orders the re SCHEDULE Zoning January 4 Egyptian Theatre, Bala, vs. Wynne The¬ atre, Philadelphia, on unfair clearance charge. Mike O’Toole Sees Big Problems Facing Industry M. J. O’Toole, executive of the Comerford circuit, thinks 1935 will bring a lot of new headaches to exhibitors. In a recent interview in Scranton, Mike out¬ lined some of the big points that ought to be considered. Briefly, he reviewed : 1. Theatre insurance — O’Toole thinks the¬ atres pay three times what they should, in view of the minimum fire hazard in theatre construction. 2. Taxes — Use of community theatres and house as community centres in all welfare movements should bring a reduction in tax rates. 3. Appointment of censor board — This should be done with an eye toward personal qualification. 4. Legislation — A strong front should be or¬ ganized to help further the industry’s interests in legislation. On the Open Sunday Question LOCAL RELEASE DATES PARAMOUNT One Hour Late, December 18-20; Father Brown, Detective, December 21-24; Home On the Range, December 24-29; Here Is My Heart, December 28-January 3. METRO The Band Plays On, December 21-24; Babes in Toyland, December 14-17; Forsak¬ ing All Others, December 28-31. WARNERS Sweet Adeline, December 24; Secret Bride, December 28; I Am a Thief, December 28; Church Mouse, January 4; Bordertown, Jan¬ uary 8; Murder in the Clouds, January 12. COLUMBIA White Lies, December 18-20; Broadway Bill, December 21-27. RADIO Lightning Strikes Twice, January 28; West of the Pecos, December 23; Romance in Man¬ hattan, December 24. FIRST DIVISION Port of Lost Dreams, January 9-10; White Heat, December 5-6; Little Damozel, De¬ cember 23-24; Flirting with Danger, Decem¬ ber 21-22; Curtain Falls, December 15-16; Tomorrow’s Youth, December 12-13; Lost in If the recent Sunday night skirmish between some local theatres and the police department is to be taken as part of the drive for an open Sunday, then it would be better that the motion picture industry keep its hands off the Sunday question entirely. Many independent houses, for the first time, scheduled Sunday night charity performances, at which admission could be gained through contributions of foodstuffs, in co-operation with the Young Democratic League. Police interference, whether political or just in the interests of law-observance, resulted in about onethird the theatres running the shows. The local “Philadelphia Record”, a Democratic paper, pointed to the Sunday shows as indicative of the trend of public opinion on Sunday liberalization. Reaction, in the trade, was divided. Many felt that because the shows were for charity, they should not have been checked. Others pointed out that the motion picture industry had rarely, in the past, felt it necessary to run holiday charity shows on Sunday, but rather opened its doors for charity and foodstuffs matinees in the morning, at regular and special performances. Upstate, through co-operation of city officials, Sunday benefits had been arranged, but in the city, nothing of the sort ever got much of a foothold. THE EXHIBITOR has no fault to find with those who seek to aid charity. It only points out that the other methods of aiding destitute have always been effec¬ tive. THE EXHIBITOR also has no argument with those who seek a sane, fair refer¬ endum on a liberal Sunday. But it does find fault with any exhibition faction which indicates a tendency to split and disagree on all important questions, and which brings only public criticism upon the theatremen because of a few. If there is to be an open Sunday, foodstuff matinees will not force the issue. If this is an example of how the exhibitors of the territory intend to co-operate on all important matters, it is a pity. Sunday liberalization is not a matter for one exhibitor body or the other. It is a matter for both. If the IEPA and the MPTO cannot get together, they owe it to the business to appoint committees which should co-operate in important extraindustry matters. The Sunday movie incident may have served to cement some political ties, but it brought no particular credit to the business. If the reaction in the business were unanimous, one might say that the move deserved support. But the result saw a divided business praising and condemning in a matter which should never see a house divided. THE EXHIBITOR, once again, suggests a united front on all problems, par¬ ticularly those affecting the entire industry on which there can be no other kind of opinion. Unless this is done, the exhibitors of this territory will shortly be in a grave situation.