Variety (April 1920)

^x.- "■"V!*,; ■X- 'V, •Af .46 MPCTMIMM^ C(PENlMnJ^ BY 111 K THEAM (ms OTb Be.Held in Cleveland—Call Sent Out b^ Sydney 3* Coheni Chairman of M. P. T. O. of A.-ri ;v iP^'li'^M^ Producer'Distributoiv DeposU > "^•^■■r'-^'-Syttem and Other EviU.-;/:'v4^:-;^;';::;J^-, a" SIX FRENCH FOJiS TO BE SHOWN m AMERICA Two Starring Fanny Ward, Purchased, Report :.•}.;.;:; I>?*'.' :i,*^--^ ■4 At tli« request oC^ a majority of 11m ^tate brganlxationa the Motion' Picture Theatre Owners of America ffl Issuing a call for a national con- ▼ention in Cleveland some time .in June. The purpose Is the coneidera- tloD of problems and aljuses that tb^y feel demand concerted action. . b the call sent out by Sydney S. Cohen, temporary , chairman^ he aaya: "The greatest evil confront- ing va today if the queitlpn of the . .prodttcer:dlstrlbutor trying to create a monopoly, throughout the entire country by the securing and build- ing of theatres In dli^t pompeti- tioa with U8, and If this pfactice.Is not stopped at once It may result in putting some of the IndepehdenC ex- hibitors out of .budibesS. ' I* "Other queertiona conlronting us and which need immediate action I are the vicious deposit system which must be wiped out. ::■'•• ' I ' "The five per cent, tax which; wltb.tbb Increased film rental, is almost iS per cent.. Or tttree: times jwha^Congress expected.to receive from this ■ource. This ttuBt he re- ■Boyed.;'"-" ■'■'■'>:' .;■ V•.'■;-';:--'v-':-v; I "Percentage, a fad by which pro- ducers hope to enslave us.- It must bekUIed. "Posters and the recent despotic and arbitrary order of the National Association of the- Motion Picture Industry regarding their use. It must be rescinded., ■.■..-. '4he prevailing form of contract, which is altogcther'unfafr and one- sided. It must be made'equitable. "Befusal of exchanges tq ship film C. O. pM an act which' is con- trary to all modern huslness ethics, and wlilph Is resQrted.to in ^pUd of the protection they receive tHrough their >arlou8 ,fllm club^ and the large amounts* of, money they liave exacted from us. b^; their vicious deposit system. • . . "The producer-distributors with- holding pictures we, in good faith contracted for, afterwards eelllng them to us at t|iree .or more. tlhies their original price." ^ ^ Cohen makes a plea for the formation of'a powerful national oxhlbltora' organization backed by thie respective State'orKanlzatlons or leagues^ as well as of individual In- dependent exhibitors. ,;, The Motion Picture Theatre Owi^ers of America now represents the American Exhibitors' Associa- tion : of Pennsjlvanla and West Virginia, Cleveland Motion Picture Bxhlbltbrs' Association of Ohio, Colorado Exhibitors' Assocj^tlon, Exhibitors* Protective League of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa; Illinois Ex- hibitors' Alliance, Kansas State Ex- l;lbltors' Association, Los Angeles Theatre Owners' Association, M'.a>nl yalley Exhibitors' Association of Ohio,'Kentucky, liVest Virginia and Indiana; Michigan Exhibitors' As- Booiatlon, Motion Picture Exhibitors' lieague of New York State, Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association of ^Vlsconsln, Nebraska Exhibitors' As- ' soclation. North Carolina Exhibitors' Association, Northwest Exhibitors' ' Circuit of Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho; South Carolina Kxhibltors' IJeague^ Texas /Ex- hibitors^ Chvuitl ••■• •>, ■ ' \' ■, •..''■■,•.••'■ , SH0BTA6E W cAftBONS. Exhibitors are complaining of a shortage in carbons. The present market is flSS a thousand against 960 a thousand in 1914. Carbons came from abroad before the war, but since that time there have been a great number manufactured in ^Cleveland. ^ During the last two weeks tlie tie-up of shippini^ facilities' through the railroads' outlaw strike has made It impossible for the New York market to get the usual num- ber of carbons. There have been a number of German carbons, the Electros, coming Into the country through formal neutral countries and the exhibitors hope that this will have the effect of bearing the price la this country. York City this v«ek, that exhibitors everywhere, were urging coopera^ tlon among the factors that go tow> ard prodiictlon of, flltns'. ; " Whether credit should go to istab; director or author is a futile con- troversy, they maintained, since all' three are equally essential in a well balanced film of high standard. it, A. Verrand, 'formerly New York representative of the Charles Urban Trading Co., returned from France last week with M. Vandal. of Ch. Delac, M. Vandal & Cle., with which firm • he is iiow associated. LVerrandaiidvVandal brought along six French productions. Including two with Fanny Ward., All are re- ported to have been .purchased by the. First National. .Vefrand<s organleatton handles C^pllns in 'France;, Belgium and Switzerland. •Before Ms return to Paris. May 1, Mr. Verrand. expects to close here for pas and two-reel comedies. educatlOnaia anM scenlcs. FIRST NATIONAL AND OIAPUN HAT SETTU Griffith's 'Way Down East'' WUl Compete \W|, Touriieur's /County Fair," a Famous Remake oif "The Old Homestead" and Afejtro't 'H^urncy Adams Sa^er/ , t» Medium's Five^Reeler of "The Kid"- Cancelling Contracts. - Charles Chaplin'' an4''tlhe'.Flirst National Exhibitors may some to an understandlns regarding the con- tract under which the comedian is to deliver four addltlonaj two-reel comedies to them. The medium* on whlch'a settlement may be made-ts a, flve-reeler entitled "the Kidj" Whi^b 'Chaplin has ilplshed.' PJ.D. Williams while In Ixis An- geles .saw Chaplin and also "The Kid." He made a bid for the pic- ture for First National, but'the comedian stated that he would not consider a price unless the First National would .consent to release him from having to deliver the four additional two-reelers which are due under their contract. The First Natlonal-Chaiilln con- tracts forbids the comedian making or releasing any pictures through another orgartlzatlon until suclf time that he has lived up to all' the re- qult-ements'ot the existing contract. Chaplin is a member of the United Artls.ts' Corporation, but becAUse of his contract hfts not beeu able to make a release through that-com' pany.- ;■, ;' •.'■ ^ TAX INCREASE HURT VANCOUVER HOUSES Orptieum to Close; Paramount Discontinue Building. •:,,Vancouver, B. C, April 21. If the provincial.'government In- sists on passing the proposed law to increase the amusement tax It looks as though sevetml theatrical ven- tures here would be abandoned. James Pilling, manager of the Orpheum, states he has received In- structions from Martin Beck to clo^e the Ot'pheum. Manager Muir, of -the Dominion, saj-» that the Paramount Interest? wiir discon- tinue work on their new S,000-seat liouse here. Mr. Lydlatt. ■ repre- sentative of Trdns-Canada Theatres Ltd.. also states that If - the in- creased .tax. goes itito effect his company will not go'through with their plans for a new legitimate theatre. ■ • »•■■ Picture men say thUt the big Aim companies ivill also stop send- ing pictures into British. Columbia. v. 'A.'S'AirDJTOBIUM OFEHS. ■ *■" Mi^neapolis,'April 21; A ten day run of Mary Pickfard'.s "Potlyanna" marked the opening of the Auditorium as an Ufiited Ar- tists' film house. .Charley Branham, who formerly managed the Strand,- Is In the same Capacity at the Audi- torium, and Dick Loqg Is directing the largest theatre orchestra In the city. By way of opposition the F & R Interests ran in two Mary Pick- ford Aims at the Garden and offerea "PoUyanna" in stock at the Shubert. Business at the hew house Is splen- did. 5».- GS'- UBO£ COOPERATION. . J. W. Trunk, of Youngatown, Ohio, and Paul Qusdanovlo, of Clex'eland declared during their 4V H^'^ii^M MM^^iMmmiiMM^ visit in New ZUKOR'8 NEW AFFILIATIONS. London, April 21. Adolph Zukor si.Ued Inst week on the Mauretanla. He is rumored to have closed several deals and made Important Scandinavian and other atnuatlous. William A. Brady went on the same boat. OFFER TO KATAUE TALmADOE A report that Selanlck had offered Natalie Talnhadge a contract for seven years to make pictiules for the Select, but had failed to materialize, was corifinnedj .;"' ,';:': It appears thjat Miss' Talraadge's mother' was amenable to' making a contract for her exclusive seryibe but for two yekrs. and ilot over that. Contrary to the general Mrinpresslon that Natalie Is the yoimgest'of the Talijiddge sisters, she la "between" Nbrtna and .Constance, the latter being the youngest. '-. • ■ • V' The late summer and early fall Is going to see a flood of rural dramas on the picture,market The'outlook at present Is that there will be at least Ave big special productions of rural stage successes; namely, "The County Fair," yrhlch Maurice Tour- n'feurhas ma!de; ''Way Down East," which b. "W, Griffith has In the mak- Ing) a remake by the Famous Play- er^-Laaky of "The Old Homestead"; the- Metro production of "Qulncy Adams Sawi'cr," and an independent made production' of "The Village Postmaster.", , ■ . .: '% ' ., ; I'ourneur has ma<^e a massive ^fo-' ,duction'of 'The County. Fair/' ac- cording to reports that bstve reached the Kast from the coast. The print is now on Its'way to New llfprk. Guy vCrosweli' Smith, as the head of a syndicBte. has ob.ained the world's right tti the picture by adlvancliig the i^lrector $150,000 oh the production, Sfourneuris also to haVo a shate.Of jthe'proflts. ,..:-7 " ■•■■'-'/■''.''^'J'.': The picture was tried out audiences on the West coast ItjAras sold, and'the jlrlce was tliigent upon the showing thail made In the Western theatres: A new plajt of bookings la got, to be Inaugurated with the m&rttH ing of the production. The plcti Is to be.played,as a road attract for Indefinite runs, and the bookiii^l are being made how for the reieai«r of the feature In September. 'Ticik Count^4?alrS' was played for yei bti the popUIar-prlced comblnatj clrcuttj^^aroiind the country by Burges'sT eln the screen verSft SV'esleyjfiarrle, the "Micky Nell m" will be.featured.' m BEBKStEm BOSS OF 17. X.0S Angeles, Apjrll 2i'ii«^ Isldor Berpsteln has. t>een reaj^ pointed inanag^r.of Universal CItl and bas.as9uttied Immediate chiii^ 6f that esta'bilshment. : •npHIS is the three-column press Ltook ad on "The DanciV Fool." It will-tdll your people about this b'jazzy romance of B'jllgs and B'jigs, and it Ml Make 'em come, B'gosb! With a wonderful east including ^ BEBE DANIELS By X PAT80N DOW3T. Directed tqr 8AM WOOD rSiSBferi. - '•■■I'-r'.l rPIAIIERS'^LASiar OORIdRAnON ."?rtU ;.>• 'i'.;;! I' ; 'i-{l^,'.»C'fll1| D'jai.'il../1 m Scflnarlo by CLARA d^NQVIEVB UEiNNaDT*;'^ •■ . '■■: - .:.m ■ •;■-* ■iV ■• ^n •k i.i*'' . ' ' ' I ' .,Af!|(.>t>4/'>lV.>l<1 (fit .".1 (.•;»•.• J Vli ("Vu I',"'..!:? >inti.iu-»- <.;■>"«' [•;•'.»• ^v^StiiwLiiaa^iKJi^ ■ .;;!v:'. ik£Mi:.^^-f,L'^M/^^iifM:C.i