Variety (June 1910)

8 VARIETY PATENTS COMPANY SHOWS ITS HAND IN EXCHANGE DEAL Starts to Take Over the Rental Business, Without Fear of independent Aggressions. Klelne Turns Over His Main Office and Exchanges. Percy Waters Likely Oeneral Manager The Patents Go's, play to absorb the ex- change branch of the picture trade is under way after a delay of several months. A movement was started late last week to absorb the main branches and the "wise" ones in the business figure, that within three months or less at the latest the Patents Go. will be in full po sse s s ion of the rental field as well as the manufac- turing branch of the industry. The tip is out that the ''trust" fill go right ahead to "clean up." Announcement, as was expected, has been made that the General Film Go., the Patents Go's. Jersey corporation represent- ing $2,000,000 of capitalisation, has taken over the Kleine Optical Co's. main office in Chicago as well as its branches in New York, Denver and Chicago. Besides these, the Oeneral Film Co. has acquired the Lobin Film Service in Philadelphia (that concern having abandoned its outside branches) and the Howard Moving Picture Go. of Boston. The Patents Co. shows its connection with the General Film completely by elect- ing to the directorate these officers: J. J. Kennedy, president George Klelne, vice-president J. A. Bent, treasurer. This completes the evidence presented from time to time by Variety that the big "jrust" was out after the exhibitors' end of the trade. Mr. Kennedy is of the Biograph Go.; Mr. Kleine is the biggest importer of films from Europe, and J. A. Beret ia the American representative of the Pat he Frtres, the French manufac- turers. All hold manufacturers' licenses from the Patents Go. From now on the Patents Go (or Gen- era) Film Co.)' will proceed to take in the Mher renters, either buying them out or "choking them to death," accordingly as they are strong or weak. A man who is well up in the "trust" methods and not Hubsidized, said this week that the "trust" had shown a disposition to buy the firm out rather than "kill them off," that being the most expedient and expeditious method of clearing the situation up. In the new frameup it is rumored that Percy Ia Waters is to be the general manager of the General Film Co., the re- port also making it appear that negoti- ations are under way for the acquisition of the Waters exchange, known as the Kine- tograph, one of the strongest of the ex- change bureaus. The Waters establish- ment supplies the New York theatres of the United Booking Offices as well as the out-of-town B. F. Keith and F. F. Proc- tor "pop" and vaudeville houses. The movement of the Kleine Exchanges is more or less of a nominal transaction, Kleine being a manufacturer (his function of the largest importer outside of Pathe Bros, giving him that classification In the UflitwJ States), but the Howard transfer introduces an "outsider," an exchange man without manufacturing affiliations, into the situation. From inquiry among the trade it is learned that negotiations have been started toward the acquisition of other exchanges, the consideration in many cases being sub- stantial offers of cash. Coming just at this time, it is apparent from the move that the Patents people have the utmost contempt for the inde- pendent movement. The Patents Co. fac- tion seem to feel that they have the busi- ness all their own way and regard with- out fear the turning of a lot of renters over to possible independent enterprise by taking their present occupation away. One renter said this week that he ex- pected the transfer of the rental end would be a wholesome change in the industry, in- asmuch as it would eliminate a number of irresponsible parties from the situation, but he was quite willing to admit that in the course of time "the exhibitor would be called upon to pay the toll." "However," this man argued, "the exhibitor stood for the '$2 weekly tax' and there is little liklihood that he will 'jump the reserva- tion' on a squeeze such as promised in the new frameup." The General Film Co. holds license from the Patents Co., as the old exchange did, and operates under the same contract as did each individual exchange, except that the officials of both are nearly identi- cal, and for all practical purposes the General Film is the shipping department of the Patents Co. Film people were a good deal at sea over the suddent appearance of John J. Murdock in the independent field last week, but none was familiar with the details of his connection. William Swanson, the in- dependent man from Chicago was still in New York. It was known that he had openly declared he knew a way to tie up the Jeffries-Johnson films, but of late has had little to say on the subject Further than the fact that Murdock and Swanson are both from Chicago there was nothing to connect them in a deal, and the fact of Swanson's silence was taken as an added indication that there was no development in the independent camp, Swanson being prone to make a good deal of noise when anything on his side promises a "splash." Mr. Murdock had been away from the United Offices for some days, but was again in evidence in the Long Acre Build- ing on Monday of this week. Boston, June 1. The General Film Company will take possession of F. J. Howard's picture ex change June 13, Howard going out June 11. Howard's office staff will undergo no change, it is understood. Howard says he is going to take mat- ters easy now. He is plainly pleased with the transaction and speaks as though he got hig c w r. flfure, LQBW REFUSES ARBITRATIOH In a complaint lodged with the White Rats by Howard Trussdell, against the Loew Circuit, Jos. M. Sehenek, the gen- eral booking manager of the "small time" chain, has refused to accede to the Rata' request for arbitration. The Loew Circuit uses the White Rat form of contract, which contains a clause calling for the submission of differences between managers and acts to a board of arbitration in the manner provided by the agreement. Mr. Schenck says Mr. Truesdell en- gaged with the circuit under contract for five weeks. The agreement carried an optional clause for five weeks longer. When the western time of the Loew Cir- cuit closed, the act was informed, says Mr. Schenck, that the option would not be exercised. The five weeks originally contracted for were played by Mr. Truesdell, leaving nothing to arbitrate, according to Schenck. THE s-A-DAY EXPERIMENT. The experiment of two shows dally at an admission of tea cents has been satis- factorily started, according to Jos. Shea of the She* & Bucknef concern, whieh has the Murray Hill Theatre (where the experiment was made) for over the summer. Jos. Shea said Wednesday that if busi- ness continued up to the mark then reached, the takings on the week would be between $1,700 and $2,000. Some re- served space is held at twenty-five cents. At the general admission, with fourteen shows on the week, this amount would mean nearly capacity business at each per- formance. Mr. Shea stated that the policy would be held to, and that next week's bill at the Murray Hill would be headed by Blfie Fay. Billy Clifford, Sa-Heras and Caicedo will be among the others. CHANGES IN SUN OFFICES. Springfield, C, June 1. Several changes have been made in the Gus Sun booking offices here. Charles Crowl,v who has been in charge of the Pitts- burg branch has been transferred to Chi- cago. George Sun has replaced him in the Pittsburg establishment, and Harry Weber, formerly an independent agent in Chicago, is slated for the New York office. NEW CANADIAN ASSOCIATION. At a meeting in Truro, N. S., of theatre managers of Eastern Canada held in May, a protective association was formed, celled the "Eastern Theatre Managers' Associa- tion." The object of the association is principally, to "go after" traveling com- panies in the habit of pirating plays. The members are A. O. Skinner, St. John; J. F. CConnell, Halifax; F. W. Winter, Moncton; Simon Crabb, Charlotte- town; W. A. Skedd, Chatham; A. Simpson, Amherst, and R. J. Macadam, Sydney, the latter, secretary. The McDonald Sisters and the Varsity Four, two Western acts, reached New York this week, and announced the en- gagement of Rose McDonald to William Thompson, of the Four. Both acts have been playing on the same bill for some time during their trip east. Al Jolaon leaves New York today (Fri- day) for San Francisco, where he will re- main until July 25. On that day, Mr. Jolson opens a tour of the Orpheum at Spokane. While in Frisco, Jolson will spend his time between the training camps of Jeffries and Johnson. GENNARO, the ECCENTRIC, and his Venetian Gondolier BAND Present an act entitled "SUNBI8B IN MOUNTAIN HOME." The art open* with a dark atage fiud the singing of canary birds. A snow mountain In seen In the distance. This Is Mountain Rose In Italy, near Switzerland, and it la supposed to he 14,000 feet high. An Amettcan hotel stands nesr by. It Is customary every morning before sunrise for an old man to come to the hotel nnd give n hugle call to notify the riic«N to come down and see the wim rise. Immediately after i group of guitar and mandolin hereunder* appear In the vicinity of the hotel. The gucKtH thru hegln to flock about enjoying the t>unrl«<< nnd the serenade. Ah the gucntr retire (iennaro's Hand approachea the American garden apparently from a great distance. Tin* audience hcara the soft strain* of "To Mountain Rcse We Shall Go," gradually Increasing In volume, until the climax of the crescendo I* reached and the entire band appenrs In the American tturden depicted on the Mtage. With such s netting tbe quaint coetnmes, combined with the excellent personnel of the hand, and the harmonious concert work, make an eitrcmely enjoyable ontcrtaiument. "Ilflstc \\\rt, nymph, BDd Print with thee. Jent and youthful Jollity.•• r F The entire ict jo ont PWfgcatijp of Mr. Geuaro.