The Billboard 1924-01-05: Vol 36 Iss 1 (1924-01-05)

The Billboard JANUARY 65, 1924 ' MOTION PICTURE Edited by H.E.Shumlin $8 606686 0888885265 MORE M. P. LEGISLATION AIMED AT CONGRESS Reformers ens ,e To Have Federal Censorship Bill Passed —Want To Control Salaries, Too New York, Dee. %1.—All signs point to Washington, PD. C., as being the scene of pitched battles for new legislation for and against the motion picture industry next year, Besides the campaigns of all exhibitors for the repeal of the admission tax, and of some exhibitors for the repeal of the music tax, conflict will be waged by reform elements to have passed a federa| bill to provide for censorship of motion pictures at their source—the producing centers. This latest attempt censorship law came to nouncement last yeek hy the official orgun of the Board of Education, that the church and welfare organizations to be held in Washington Felruary 13 a censorship bill will be formulated: and adopted for Presentation in Congress. Dr. Scanlon, editor ef ‘Moral Welfare’, has extended ‘‘invitations’’ to prominent film executives to attend the reform congress for the purpose of conferrine with the church representatives ‘‘on means of bettering the screen’’ ‘mong the organizations pushing the federal censorship project are: The Anti-Saloon League, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Episecpal Chureh, represented by Canon Chase of Brooklyn; the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the National Temperance Society and the World Prohibition and Reform Federation. The reformers propose that a federal motion Picture commission be created, composed of a chairman at £10.000 a year and six commissioners at $9,410, to be appointed by the president. This commission would not only have the power to censor pictures, but also to set prices for films and salaries for actors, directors and all others concerned in the motion picture business. A. J. MOELLER FORMS THEATER SERVICE CO. New York, Dec. 31.—A. J. Moeller, contract as general manager of the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America expires January 1, is launching a new enterprise for the purpose of rendering a general service to exhibitors. He has been with the M. P. T. 0. A. for two and a half years and is leaving that organization with the best wishes of its officials. The Moeller Theater Service, Inc., has taken Offices at 1650 Broadway. Mr. Moeller has not as yet announced the exact nature of the services he will supply but will formally state his aims upon his return from Detroit, where he has gone to spend the holidays, ie has been in the motion picture business for fifteen years and is well known as an organizer and an exhibitor, having owned and managed theaters, to force thru a national light with the. an**Moral Welfare’’, Presbyterian General at the congress of whose McCONVILLE WITH METRO eston, Dec, 31.—John P. McConville, for the past eight years with the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation as exploitatic and advertising ief for New England an 4 Me »w York State, is ow with the Metro Pictures Corporation He © accepted a position as publicity and adverng manager for New England, with offices in Metro's Boston exchange. lle is a former newspaper man and time secretary to the Governor of ~_—w me McCony Was at one Maine. HODKINSON-CHRISTIE DEAL New York, Dec. the W. W Comedy Company, a series of Christie being brought to a close, have previously } 31.—Negotiations between Hodkinson Corp. and the Christie for the former to distribute feature comedies, are now The Christie studios made only one and two-ree!l comedies, which are distributed thru Educational, but are now planning to produce several feature-lengtb films. It Strikes Me— T is my belief that any South Sea canniba)] would die of envy if he ever met a motion picture distributor face to face. The cannibal eats his fellowbut the distributor feeds upon himself, nibbling, unconsciously, perupon his body, a finger, and an arm or leg at a time. What a strange picture the producer affords the observer! Constantly he is reducing himself by a process of interna] assimilation; he contradicts the theory that nothing can be made to entirely disappear, for what the distributor eliminates of himself is gone forever. With all the many unbusinesslike practices of the distributors—and the producers—nothing is so amazing as the custom of renting films to churches, man, haps, a toe which are in innumerable cases competitors of motion picture theaters. The church in every case has an unfair advantage over the picture house. It has no everhead expenses, it does not have to make a profit, it does not have to conform to the rigid regulations imposed upon theaters for purposes of safety. What theater in a small city or town can hope to exist for long with a church running pictures in opposition, under the above-mentioned conditions? Surely the distributors have at least enough intelligence to see that by renting pictures to churches they will eventually force the regular exhibitors out of business. Surely they must see that, with the regular theater out of the running, the church will be the only outlet for their films, and that they will be at the mercy of a buyer who operates on a non-commercial basis, and will, therefore, not have to run pictures as the regular exhibitor must in order to continue in business. The motion picture producers and distributors are now almost completely organized. Besides the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors’ Association, made up of the larger companies, there is now an organization of independent producers and distributors. Will these two organizations have the foresight to rule against the renting of pictures to churches and Y. M. C. A’s? Maybe they will. I have my doubts, tho, that they will do so voluntarily, any more than any cannibal would, of his. own accord, discontinue his cannibalism. * = * 7 * Gather closer, my exhibitor friends, humor will strike you as it strikes me: The Famous Players-Lasky Corporation’s Australian subsidiary, the Famous Lasky Film Service, Limited, has established a trade paper in that country to further its own interests, not being content with the ideals and ethics of Everyone's, the recognized Australian trade paper. A copy of this gazette, called The Exhibitor, has reached us, which numbers among its few departments a reviewing service. This department is labeled: “Candid Reviews of Current Releases”. Paramount pictures are reviewed. Now, then, here’s the laugh: Can you imagine a Paramount employee of a Paramount-owned paper giving a candid review of a Paramount picture? and listen to this one. I think its * * ™ + e An interesting experiment is being tried in London, England, theater with an all-short-subjects program bas been opened. well as in this country, short-subjects theaters, where a In England, as many people have advocated the establishment of and this experiment will be watched with great interest on both sides of the water. The theater in question is the Embassy, which has been taken over by the New Era Films, a distributing corporation. The first program included several news reels, a cartoon comedy, three or four short subjects of natural history, a short industrial film, a two-reel drama and a film lecture on nature. * * ~ * . Hal Roach deserves unlimited praise for his work in the short comedy production field. At times I have censured him for sticking to the old slapstick comedy methods, but the step from that sort of comedy to the cleancut, logical, non-slapstick, “short-story” comedy was perhaps a big one to expect of any Roach has taken that step, however, and I tender him my respect and appreciation. producer. The above has reference to the new series of one-reel comedies starring Charles Chase, the first of which, “At First Sight”, it was my good fortune to catch at the Rivoli Theater recently. It is as clean and as funny a picture as it has ever been my pleasure to look at. And the audience laughed at it, despite the fact that it was without the mildewed, muddy, slapstick gags which are so far behind the times. I ‘think these Charlie Chase comedies will be successful. hope sa At any rate, I A Edel Communications to New York TTECHOCECECH CHRHECECEHECROSERGSC COSHH EET SHEESH SESE SHEET HS SOoe esse ses ice MARYLAND—AND SUNDAY MOVIES Baltimore City Council President ‘‘Feeling Out’’ Mayors of Cities Permitting Sabbath Shows Baltimore, Md., Dec. 31.—A_ questionnaire being circulated by Howard Bryant, president of the Baltimore City Council, among the Mayors of many large cities thruout the country where Sunday motion pictures are permitted, may result in a bill being presented to the Maryland Legislature allowing local option on the question of Sunday picture shows, Sunday movies are not permitted in Maryland, and there has been considerable feeling for some time back that the public is entitled to have this form of amusement on Sundays. Council President Bryant’ stated that the questionnaire he addressed to various city heads asked them whether Sunday movies in their particular cities have resulted unsatisfactorily with reference to maintaining public order on the Sabbath. Depending upon the answers received, President Bryant may urge the Legislature to pass a local option law. Mr. Bryant stated that the question of Sunday amusements was brought up at his home last week when a number of guests present discussed the matter. Following this discussion, he said: “I determined to find out how Sunday moving picture theaters were conducted in some of our largest cities and their effect on the public. I do not know what the result will be, but ft seems to me that it might be a good thing to ask the Legislature to pase a bill giving Maryland cities home rule in the matter of Sunday movies, “Such cities as Cumberland, Frederick of Hagerstown might want their picture theaters open on Sunday, while other cities might oppose them. A State-wide Sunday movie bill probably would be unpopular. The question, I believe, shonld be left to the cities to determine for themselves. For example, the Legislature could pass a Dill authorizing the Mayor and city council of Baltimore or Cumberland to open their theaters on Sunday by ordinance If such an ordinance could be passed without such opposition the question would be settled for the city so acting. Cities that did not want their theaters open on Sunday could let the question alone by refusing to have their councils act. “In cases where public opniion is strongly against Sunday movies the ordinance could be voted down in the council. If there should be opposition to action by the Mayor and city council, it might be possible to let the people of the cities decide the question by a feferendum.”" TO FILM TEXAS’ HISTORY New York, Dec, 31.—Publicity offices have been opened in New York by an organization of Texans, which, according to the Initial announcements made, is ready to finance the production of a historical film depicting the color ful story of Texas, to be shown in conjunction with the State's Centennial Celebration to be held in 1924. It is announced that a well-known director will be engaged to make the picture, which will be produced from a scenario by Margaret Bell Houston Kauffman, who Is a granddaughter of Sam Houston, Texas’ famous general and states man. Texas’ history is very adaptable for a motion picture, as it fs unusually colorful and romantic. It has paid allegiance to six nations at various times, has been a republic and is the only State to enter the United States under a treaty. BORZAGE WITH' METRO Los Angeles, Dec. 29.—Frank Borzage has contracted to produce a series of features for the Metro Pietures Corporation. Marcus Loew signed him up during hie recent visit here, Four companies are at work at the Metro plant, with plans being completed for the construction of two more stages, \ '