Variety (May 1918)

MOVING PICTURE DEPARTMENT PAGES 28 TO 38 LONDON BOARD OF TRADE ISSUES EMBARGO ON AMERIC AN PICTURES Exception Will Be Made Where Films Have Propaganda Value. Market Hard Hit, as 25 Per Cent, of Gross Re- turns of Feature Producers Come from British Mart. Will Curtail Production. London, May 29. The Board of Trade has issued an order prohibiting the importation of films from America, excepting by special permission. Under its provisions American films will he cut off from the British market with all excepting a limited number of pictures for the importation of which special permission will have to be secured. Such exceptions will undoubt- edly be confined to war films or pictures of a propaganda value, such as "Hearts of the World," "The Little American," "The Spy," "My Four Years in Germany," "The Kaiser," and other offerings of this nature. How the measure will influence the American market can be gauged by the fact that the British film mart at the present time supplies nearly 25 per cent, of the gross returns to American feature producers and in the case of the smaller and less pretentious features actually covers the cost of the negative. Such an embargo will therefore im- mediately curtail production on the part of all but the most strongly en- trenched producing firms, and since it is pre Mimed that the special permission neces^arv for the importation of any film will be extended only to meritori- ous productions, the total elimination df all pictures of secondary quality may be anticipated. No official of eastern producing com- panies, queried as to their views of the results of such a measure, would ven- ture an (»pinion, but all agreed it would solve immediately the problem of over- production of mediocre film. Svdney Garrett, president of J. Frank Brockliss. Inc.. the largest exporters of American films to Kurope. when apprised of the ruling stated that he had predicted the embargo some ten wrrks ago and has since then advo- cated permission on the part of Ameri- can manufacturers to "dupe" in Eng- land. Three week-, ago he -cut to the trade papers an interview to that effect, giv- ing Ins rc.i-.ons. but these publications ignore*! it. "Those who ridiculed my plan." lie said, "will now be compelled to give the matter consideration if they expect to do business in foreign countries." TRIANGLE'S BIG SHAKE-UP. Los Angeles, May 29. One of the biggest shake-ups in the industry in many years took place here last week, at Culver City, where Triangle holds forth. H. O. Davis, gen- eral manager of the producing com- pany, left suddenly for the east, while G Patterson, assistant general man- ager, his right-hand man. J. B. Wood- >ide, chief of publicity, and 90 other employes were cither dismissed or re- signed. H. C. Aitken was immediately put in charge with Ollie Sellers as his assistant. The latter was formerly a Davis lieutenant. When Davis left on Saturday he took with him the print of "The Servant in the House." which he will market in the east It is reported that he re- reived the picture a< his interest in Triangle, but this could not be verified. There has been friction between Davis and Aitken for some time and an explosion has been expected for some months. EDUCATIONAL FILM PLANS. While "The Heart of Mexico." the first ,,f George D. Wright's series of "Mi.xico Today" is being presented at the Ri\oli this week. Mr. Wright, the Educational Film Corporation's com- missioner t<> our A/tec neighbor, ar- rived in Mexico City to begin another cries of pictures on the same theme. New-, has also been received of the -.'.le arrival of the Kducational's other foreign commissioner. K. M. Newman, in Great Britain, where he is at work filming war conditions throughout the I'nited Kingdom. In about si\ weeks fie will go to France, where he will •pend an equal length of time studying ihe.no'.i-l aspects of life behind the lines. His next and last visit will be p;iid In hah. I\elea-cs of these pic- tures ;iie promised next winter. U. Buy. "The Yellow Dog." The I'mvci'sal Film Corporation on Monday bought outright the motion p'cturc riufit- t<> Henry Irving Dodge's maga/me story. "The Yellow Dog." wfiiifi appeared two weeks ago in the Saturday Evening Post. Work on the scenario is already under wav GETTING MONEY FOR HEARTS." Something in the neighborhood of "six figures" was paid last week by Sol Lesser, president of the All Star Fea- tures, Inc., for the rights for the west- ern group of states for D. VV. Griffith's "Hearts of the World." He made an advance payment of $90,000 for the war film for Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, with additional calls on his exchequer to the amount of some $200,000. In addition Lesser invested $50,000 more in the rights for the same states to a number of features including "The Still Alarm," "Nine-Tenths of the Law," "The Crucible of Life" and David Gra- ham Phillips' "The Grain of Dust," making a total investment of a quar- ter of a million. This sum is probably the greatest amount of money ever in- vested in state rights at one time by a single buyer. « Another territorial transaction in- volving "Hearts of the World" was this week consummated in the purchase of the rights of that film for Kentucky and Indiana by Mr. Dollman, for $75,000. Negotiations for the rights to "Hearts" for other states, including the New England group, the 11 Southern states, and the Middle West, are now pending, the results of which will prob- ably be ready for announcement next week. C. C. Pettijohn. prominent recently as the guiding spirit of a produccr-to- exhibitor movement, is at present ne- gotiating for the rights to "Hearts of the World" for the Minneapolis terri- tory. It is said he has a deposit up for the production on a short-time option, pending agreement on certain details of the transaction. There has been a change in the man- agement of "Hearts of the World," El- liott. Comstock & Gest withdrawing. The feature is now being handled by Mr. Gray, a brother of D. W. Griffith, who has his office at the 44th Street theatre. WAR RELIEF BRANCH FORMED. Los Angeles, May 29. A Motion Picture War Relief Asso- ciation has been formed, which in- cludes every branch of the industry. At the recent meeting the following officers were elected: D. W. Griffith, chairman ; vice-chairman, Cecil B. Dc- Mille, Louis Weber, Charles Chaplin, lack Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks. William S. Hart; Mack Sennett, treas- urer; secretary. C K. I). Taylor; di- rectors. Jesse Lasky, Marguerite Clark, Maurice Tournier/ J. Searle Daw ley, S. Rothapfcl. Henry McRae, Frank K. Woods. I. Gordon Edwards, W. F. Ad- ler. Lee "Ochs. W. I). Taylor and W. G. P.itscr. Membership cards were sold at auc- tion for over $65,000. the first fifteen brought $2,500 each. The association will erect a hospital to cost $185,000, in which there will be 1,000 beds. EXHIBITORS WORRIED. Chicago, May 29. The "Work or Fight" draft order caused no particular concern to the theatres here. Speaking for the The- atre Managers' Association, Harry J. Ridings declared that practically all the non-essential theatre employments were already in the hands of women. "Every loop theatre is employing girl ushers," said Mr. Ridings. "There is a likelihood that the order may affect a small number of box office men only." But the order hits the film men hard. It is feared that practically all the picture houses in Chicago will have to be closed if Gen. Crowder's new order isn't modified. Picture theatre managers and oper- ators united in the opinion that unless the order is changed, all motion picture operators will be thrown out of em- ployment. Clarence R. Savage, secretary-treas- urer of the Chicago Theatrical Pro- tective Union, a*id Louis Frank, secre- tary of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners' Association, both declare that if the order stands it will mean the closing of at least 60 per cent, of the picture houses. "At a low estimate I should say that at least 60 per cent, of the picture operators arc within the draft age," said Savage. "If the order applies to operators and stage hands as well as box office men and ushers, it will wreck the business for the duration of the war. "We will take the stand that stage hands and operators are necessary to the performances, and if the Govern- ment intends that theatres shall re- main open, it must exclude theatre mechanics from the Crowder order. It would be impossible, in my opinion, to train women to operate motion picture machines or set scenery." Frank called a hurried meeting of the theatre owners to consider the problem. Steps will be taken to notify the War Department of the effect of the order on the theatres. Joseph Hopp, president of the Mo- tion Pictures Exhibitors' League, said he believed the order applied to oper- ators, and that if the Government thought such a step necessary, the theatre owners would willingly comply. FINES FOR MINORS. Montreal, May 29. ' A fine of $25 or 3D days in jail was laid against Manager Heller, of the Majestic, and Manager Talbot, of the Dominion, for permitting children un- der 16 in their theatres. DIRECTING ELSIE FERGUSON. Marshall Xeilan has completed the George M. Cohan "Hit the Trail Hol- lidav" feature and been assigned the direction of the new Elsie Ferguson pictures. Miss Ferguson is now re- porting daily at the Fort Lee studios.