New-York tribune., 1921-09-01
Troops Quell Biggest Film Co.
Belfast Riots; Cited as Trust
Death Toll Is BY Government
Control of Three Broadway
Theaters Alleged in Com
plant Charging Violation
of United States Laws
Concern Is Called Unfair
Accusation Is Made Famous
Players Gets 81 Gents of
Each Dollar Paid at Doors

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31.-The Famous
Hiayers- -Lasky Corporation and afili-
ated concerns, which the Federal Trade
commission has formally charged with
urtalr competition and monopo,istic
policies, combined and conspired to
suppress competition in interstate COM
merce IN motion picture films" accord
ing to the official complain. given out
to-day.
The complaint declares that in 1920
the corporation, in addition to owning
4oo theaters, supplied exclusively 5000
of the total of $4,000 picture houses in.
the United States, which theaters OBJ
tanned 81 cents Of each dollar spent for
admissions to picture showings in the
country 1t is further charged that
through 104 subsidiary corporations
the corporation played a part in the
international field.
Besides the corporation the complaint
cites Adolph .Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky,
Jules Mastbaum, Alfred S. Black.
stephen A. Lynch and Ernest V. Rich
ards Jr., all corporation officers.
Acquisition of Theaters
The Realart Pictures Corporation,
"in accordance with the conspiracv.v
the complaint says, was set up by the
Famous-Players group in 1919, and
though owned by them was "held out
to the trade to De wholly independent"
The complaint also charges that the
group cited acquired motion picture
theaters through coercion and in
timidation, after threats of erecting
competing houses and interfering with
film service"
The complaint charges that 1.-The
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation is
now the largest concern in the motion
picture industry and is the biggest
theater owner in the world, owning
more than four hundred theaters in
the United States and Canada, and has
numerous others affiliated with it.
at has formed producing companies
in Great Britain, France, Belgium,
Spain, Scandinavian countries, Poland,
Czecho- -Slovakia and "a S3,000,000 cor
poration for the production and distri-
button of motion pictures in India.
at has branch offices in twenty eight
of the principal cities of the United
States and in Canada, in London, IN
Sydney, Wellington, Mexico City, Paris,
Copenhagen, Barcelona, Buenos Ayres,
Rio de Janeiro. Santiago, Havana,
m. !,
forty subsidiary corporations engaged
either in producing, distributing or
exhibiting motion pictures"
Controls New York Houses
In describing the operations of the
corporation, the part of the complaint
dealing with the situation in New
York declares that in fHrtherance of
the conspiracy charged the Famous
the New York Theater building, con-
tanning the Criterion, the New York
Theater and the New York roof at q
cost of s3,20o.00 that the respondents
acquired the Rivoli and Rialto theaters
in the same district. as we'll as the
property on which the Putnam Build
ing is located, where it proposed in the
near future TO erect a thirty story
building, to cost $4,000 and to con-
tain motion picture theater
Thus, as the theaters owned, con-
trolled or operated by the corporation
are permanently closed to all competi-
tors" the complaint says, producers not
affiliated with the Famous Players
are denied showing of their pictures
IN the first-run downtown theaters in
New York City, where three cf the
1--WE hrst-run theaters are owned by the
Famous Players concern and show Para
mount pictures exclusively. 1t is added
that ths remaining tive frst-run thea
ters are owned or controlled by com
peting producers sgho likewise exhibit
their own producS 'ns exclusively.