Variety (March 1921)

PI c f s I. Friday, March 18, 1921 BSE NATL ASSOCIATION FRAMES INFORMAL CENSORSHIP TRUCE Tentative Armistice Arranged with Reform Organ- izations Until Proposition of 13 Points Is Tried Out—Reformers Divided. An informal Iruet has b#C B nego- tiated between the National Asso- ciation and various bodies in Newr York State, which have been seek- ing screen censorship. The unoffi- cial armistice was brought about early this week at a meeting be- tween officials of tho Association and representatives of the public bodies interested, at which were present Dr. Wilbur Crafts, superintendent of the International Reform Dureau. and a group 0 f fellow uplifters. Ga- briel Hess, chairman of the Asso- ciation's censorship committee, ar- ranged the conference in the Asso- ciation's headquarters. Mr. Hess secured the presence of President William J. Brady and other officials and brought former Supreme Court Justico Peter A. Hendtick, for whom he formerly was secretary, to preside over the assembly. Early in the discussion of the censorship question it developed that the assembly of reformers was far from being a unit on what they wanted. Dr. Crafts, an aggressive worker for the public uplift, was for sweeping changes in censor regula- tions, but delegates, most of them women, from other organizations of how the ajwoclation proposed" to enforce its "13 points." The reform group merely agreed to lay off agitating the censorship proposition until the association tried out its own method of self reform. The status of Justice Hendrick in the proceedings was not made plain. He came to headquarters accom- panied by Mr. Hess, and it was upon Mr. Hess's suggestion that some neutral party preside that he took the chair. Dr. Craft wanted definite pledges that women's clubs be organized n all communities to boycott objec- tiona] pictures and police powers in the hands of local officials be made adequate to enforce the 12 points. Hpwever, no definite .agreement on this basis was reached. The reform group was made up of Dr. Crafts, O. R. Miller, secre- tary of the New York Civic League. Mrs. Ella Boode. president of the W C. T. U.. H. C. Barber, superm- tendant of the Society for the Pre- vention of Crime and Mrs. Clarence Waterman, chairman of the Com- mittee on Pictures of the City Fed- eration of Women's Clubs. did not give him wholehearted sup- j port. The association laid low and let the discussion between factions of the reform group work itself up. The Jebate was calm and orderly but there was a distinct division i.t the views of the uplifters, and at length It was agreed tentatively that the association be left alone to work out some sort of control over the production branch of its mem- bership on a basis of obedience to the "13 points" recently promul- gated as a basis of "house clean- ing" in the industry. No definite agreement or pledge was exacted of the association of- ficials, nor was any outline offered Albany, March 1C. Strong opposition is looked for against the Lusk-Clayton censor- ship measure, a composite of two measures pending in the upper and lower house. In the assembly the Clayton bill was amended to con- form to the bill introduced by Mr. Lusk in the senate, to avoid intro- ducing another measure. The bill introduced last week con- tains many objectionable features embodied in the Wheelcr-Chrlstman bill of 1916 which passed the legis- lature and was vetoed by Governor Whitman. The material difference between the two proposals is that instead of placing censorship under the education department, a sepa- rate commission, to be named by the governor, is created under this year's bill. INSIDE STUFF PICTURES publication is paying him. Those who have traced tna matter state: It must be So-and-So, for it reads Ju»t exactly Uk# hie conTe^eaiio«. , • . It isn't every continuity hound on the West Coast who win turn a deaf ear to an offer from Mary Pickford. and to date Agnea Ohrteteen John- son is the only writer on record (o achieve that distinction.' Mine Pickford has never forgotten tho exceptional work Hlee Johnson did on "Daddy lx>ng-Dege. M Last week when the matter of grinding out the continuity for the next offering of "Our Mary" came tip. Mary and mother voted in favor of Miss Chris teen. But Agnes Chris teen said "No." It wasn't that Miss Johnson preferred on general principals to turn down the Pickford opportunity In favor of a chance to write the continuity for one of Mrs. Mary Roberta Rbinehart's stories for Goldwyn, the latter offered a trip east to Pittsburgh, and friend husband, Frank Haxey. was Included In the in- vitation. In addition there Is a very happy and intimate event scheduled for an early date in tho Dasey household, and Mrs. Rbinehart's husband is 0 doctor of 20 little eminence in his profession, and—well, there was prac- tically no Inducement that 'he Pickfords could offer that was quite as alluring as this trip to Pittsburgh. What does Doug Fairbanks care how much he spends for a continuity for his forthcoming production of "The Three Musketeers"? He has con- tracted with Edward Knobloch to write it at $20,000 for the Job. GRATTAN SETTLES FOE HALF. Tho $l.80e breach of con trace ac« tion by Stephen Grattan, an actor, against the Buffalo Motion Picture Co, was settled during trial befors Justloe Gtegerleh* sitting In Part XIV of the Supreme Court. The plaintiff accepted about half the amount sued for, to be satisfied in Instalments within a period of four weeks. Grattan sued on an agreement of Juno 11, 1918, alleging he was en- gaged by Frank L. Talbot to appear In a production at $400 a week, but was dismissed before starting. Figuring the picture would have taken 12 weeks to complete, he esti- mated his damages at $4,200. De- ducting $400 earned during that 12 weeks' period, he sued for $3,«00. Discussion of Triangle's $3,000,000 suit against the Aitken brothers and others has turned up an immense amount of interesting chat about film affairs of half a dozen years ago. Ono angle is the possibility of the "Birth of a Nation" enterprise and Oritllth being drawn into th. litiga- tion. It is pretty well understood the "Birth of a Nation" Incident can have no bearing on the litigation. Griffith was production head of Majestic-Reliance, a Triangle unit, when the big picture was made, but under his agreement with Triangle anl Aitken he could elect to withdraw any of his productions and release them under his own auspices. Thus it happened that although Aitken advanced the isual sum required in those days to produce . five-reel feature for the production of "The Birth of a Nation," hla interest went no further, for whei. th* sum advanced was exhausted Griffith withdrew the unfinished picture from the Majestic-Reliance list :ind went ahead to extend it from five to twelve reels. This left a minor interest in the property to Aitken. representing the money advanced. Other slices of the venture were spread around pretty widely. Several subordinate corporations were formed. The Clansman corporation was formed and the stock given to Thomas Dixon in payment for the rights to his novel. After the picture was finished numerous territories were sold, and in srveral cases corporations were formed to handle these district rights. The Clune people in California bought several states, and are said to have cashed in three-quarters of a million dollars on the deal. Another odd deal was with a Los Angeles costumer. When the producer ran in arrears on his bil he offered to pay the claim with a 5 per cent, interest in the venture. The coh turner is r e ported to have tnken $125,090 In the final cleanup. Probably the most Interesting detail of the territorial pale is to the effect * that a difference Of SI2& in the offer co^t £. Z. t*o|| t h e New England rights. Grifiitii wanted a certain su.n for that territory', end Poli's offer was $125 lam. He refused t"> meet the difference, and while the deal was ranging on this trifle, Louis B. Meyer stepped In and met the Griffith asking price* Nobody KttvWl '.vJWl Wg/W 'drew d. wrv, -Vut immediately thereafter Mayer went into film producing on a large :,cale and has been a major factor in the industry ever since. Talc* of big card play art coming out following the breaking up of the Palm Beach gathering of picture and theatrical men during the late winter. The stories do not name the losers, nor is it said who played, — —. _ H | || gjftst week the Strand, Newark, N. J., carried a big sign m it< lobby reading: "This house is not showing the Chaplin picture.* 1 An ag<-nt in Los Angeles who handles a great many magasine stories and also occasionally puts over a contract for a player, is f—tting himself in "Dutch," whether or not justly. The 'inside dope" is that he is repre- senting one of those scurrilous japping puppy publications in N»w York that obtains Uh circulation by pandering to the degenerate minds of the scandal mongers. The information is being circulated through the s.imo underground channels through which the "dirt" that the publication prints finds its way. and the result is that a great many of the Hollywood folk are beginning to pass th» agent by without notice. The result Will t>o that, providing he is guilty as charged, h- will be IWi'ng up an income of a nice fat sum annually for a measly pittance that the i»aadir MARK fgB^ tranD Broadway and 47th Street Beginning Sunday, March 20 is First Forgery — for Love "I have gambled with other people's money. You must raise $30,000 for me or I am ruined/' said the bank president to his cashier. *'I can not. I have no money. "Then it means prison for me and disgrace for my daughter." And Jim the Penman visioned this beautiful girl, the woman he loved—scorned by all. "I will get the money," he said, and for the first time signed another man's name. Whitman Bennett presents £ L BARRYMORE in "Jim ,he Penman" By Sir CHARLES L. YOUNG America's Greatest Actor in the World Famous Melodrama Direction of Kenneth Webb A First National Attraction Barrymore's Finest Characterization and the class of pictures that are being given first runs by holders of ASSOCIATED FIRST NATIONAL FRANCHISES That's another reason why There'll be a Franchise Everywhere