Variety (April 1920)

•••'V. ' ■".■^''- .-.* »■• , *v .• -L. - . MOTION FiopnaE raPASinrad pacob sstods BIG SIX-FIRST NATIONAL DEAL HUNG FIRE ON FINANCIAL SNAG Question of $2,400,000 Advance to IMreetors Believed to Have Caused Hitch. Contracts Completed and Ready for Signing When Bast Came. May Combine with United Artists. Abrams on Way to Coast to ,^ N^otiate. The deal between the Associated Di- ■ rectors ("Big Six") and the First Na- - tional Exhibitors' Circuit was definite- ly called off this week. The bust came on Tuesday after the contracts for the directors had- been drawn and were 'practically ready to sign. The reason is said to have been the size of the advance that the six associated di- rectors wanted with which to start M'oduction, the aggregate being about $2,400,000. Hiram Abrams, executive sales head of the United Artists, left New York for Los Angeles on Wednes- day and it is believed his trip to the coast is for the purpose of lining up the director combination with the present Big Four. The membership of the so-called "Big Six" comprises 'Allan Dwan, Marshall Neilan, Tom Ince, George Loane Tuck- er, Maurice Tourneur and Mack Sen- nett. During the past six weeks a trio of attorneys representing various of sextette have been busy working out the details of the contract under which the "Big Six" product was to be re- leased. The attorneys were Nathan Burkan, Nathan Vidaver and Arthur Butler Graham. Both Allan Dwan and George Loane Tucker came east to consult with the legal lights on the various phases of the contract and also to negotiate with the various releasing corporations for the financing of the producing end of the plan and arrang- ing for the details of the distribution of the productions. About three weeks ago it was given out via underground that it was almost certain that the First National would secure the re- leasing plum and that Fred Warren, general manager for W. W. Hodkin- son, would represent the "Big Six" in- terests in the First National home of- fices in New York. The contracts for the First National deal were finally completed on Mon- day of this week' They are believed to have called for an agreement where- by the "Big Six" producers were to make from two to six productions an- nually. They were to defray a pro- portion of the over head cost of the maintenance of the First National ex- changes according to the number of productions issued and the exchanges ver« mUo to receive a share oo the gross on the pictures. These details seem to have been worked out satis- factorily, but the hitch, as far as can be ascertained, occurred when the sub- ject of financing production was arrived at. The contract proposed that the fran- chise holders of the First National were to advance each of the directors $400,000, a total of $2,400,000 for the .six, and in' return there was to have been ten per cent, paid them' on the loan. The aggregate amount needed to fulfill this clause of the contract must have been just too much for the First National people and the result was that the deal was off. This latter fact was confirmed on Tuesday afternoon at the offices of Nathan Burkan, but further than this the attorney refused to make known anything connected with the negotia- tions. In the trade the move on the part of the First National in turning down the "Big Six" contract at the last minute is looked upon as a move in the Film chess game. The "catch" was framed so that the other releasing organizations would sour on the di- rector proposition believing that the First National had landed and when the turndown came along other outlets would be dosed. BRADY FILMING ABROAD. London, March 31. William A. Brady now acknowledges he will be interested here in film pro- duction, in conjunction with another big man, but is reticent concerning de- tails. Cliatterton With EbM Branett. Los Angeles, March 31. Tom Giatterton, newcomer in pic- tures, will play the role of Princeton Hadley, an artist, as leading man for Enid Bennett in the "Incubus" by Marie Benton Cooke, adapted to the screen by R. Carol Capleau, and scenarized by Agones Christine John- son. Chatterton recently appeared with the Alcazar Players in San Fran- cisco. Another popular player to the cast it Roland Lee< BACKING SELZNICK. There is in the course of formation a syndicate of racing and sporting men who are to enter the picture, field as the backers of Lewis J. Selznick. The total of the amount that they stand ready to back the producer with is said to be $3,OGp,000. ^ One of the principal factors in the formation of the syndicate is a Cana- dian race track owner named Lamsden. Associated with him is Charles Rohr- back, who is the owner of a stable of horses' and a certain big poolroom operator named Buckley. The latter is said to be practically in control of tha poolroom, operations in the east ROGERS SUES UNITED. The Rogers Film Corporation has filed suit in the Supreme Court against the United Picture Theatres of Amer- ica, Inc., to recover $12,380 as balance due on art agn'tement whereby the plaintiff released all rights to a con- tract with Irene Lee and her daughters, Jane and Katherine Lee, in order to fiermit their employment by the de- endants, in consideration of which the United Pictures agireed to pay the cost of production of a certain picture •T>ixie Kids." This was $25,939 of which the (om in question is alleged still due. Gns- tavus A. Rogers of Rogers & Rogers represents the plaintiff corporation of which Louis T. Rogers is the president CLOSE MONTREAL SUNDAYS. Montreal, March 31. Vaudeville theatres, concert halls and picture emporiums, hitherto unaffected by the Sunday closing law enforced in the provinces, were ordered closed hereafter, following an order issued by the provincial attorney general's de- partment The specific regulation is that where admission is charged houses must re- main closed in strict observance of the Sabbath. . * . Interests representing the picture in- dustry in New York City are beginning a campaign for the revocation of this order. AGAINST SUNDAY PICTURES. Des Moines, March 31. All pictures and theatres must close on Sundays at Perry, la., population 5,000, according to action taken by the city council this week. A fine of $100 is set for violations. Fifteen hundred people of the town signed a petition protesting the ordi- nance but it did no good. Rev. A. N. Bishop led the fight against the the- atres, and Harry Wivfat and J. C. Col- lins, picture men, led the opposition. The town i$ 20 nulea from D«a Moinet. DISTRIBUTING MAYORS* REPORT. At the instance of the State Bureau ot Municipal Information, a brochure on the report of the Special Committee of the New York State Conference of Mayors, appointed to make an investi- gation intOw the matter of regulation of motion pictures, is being circulated iii every legislature of every state in the Union. In the general statement it briogl up the issue or the regulation of pic- tures. "Motion picture are not pri- marily a business, although the prodac* tion and exhibition of pictures has be- come a great business," the report sayi. "To attempt to regulate pictures merely as a business nonld go very wide ot the mark of the true regulation of pic tures." YEGGS IN INDIANA. Indianapolis, March 31. Indiana theatres suffered heavily in a series of bold robberies last week. The safe in the box office of the Auditorium at Connersville was blown March 22 and $1,500 - taken b^ the yeggs. March 23, four photoplay theatres la North Indjanapolis were robbed, tll^ entire projection machine being car- ried away from one and valuable parts of the operating outfits from the oth- ers. The North Star,"bwned by A C Zaring, suffered the loss of the ma- chine. Those from which parts were taken were F. W. Neal's theatre, the Alcazar and the Garrick. The total loss is estimated at $1,400, BIG SECRET HLM EAST. Chicago, March 31. Eddie Maier of Los Angeles, and his manager, E. O. Van Pelt, passed through to New York with a myster- ious film which is to be "gumshoed" into New York. Private reports from Los Angeles are that Maier has a sensational feature picture which was produced "under cover" at an outlay of more than $100,- 000, and that he will show it to a select few of the big eastern guns with a view of releasing it for the big money. Maier Is a ^ealthy Californian who has backed a picture here and there. BEAUTIES WmrPICTURE. A vaudeville offering of the bathing beauties type is being prepared in con- junction with a five-reel picture, "Col- lege Vamps." It was made by Stern Brothers and sold to Asher and Jacobs. GEST AND GRIFFITH. There is a report Morris Gest will handle "Way Down East," which D. W. GriflSth^^is completing. It will be ex- ploited in a manner similar to Grif- fith's earlier feature, "Hearts of the World." •^.