Evening star., 1925-10-31
TACTICS OF FILM sTRUST' DRAW
FIRE OF i. S. INVESTIGATORS
Block Booking, Achieved by s'UnscrupuIous'' Meth.
ods. Makes Exhibitor Take Bad Movies to Get
Good Ones, PrObers AlIege.

town and wants TO gamble, and he
finds there is only ore gambling
house, and that is crooked, but the
desire 70 gamble and his courage are
so much greater than wisdom that,
In spite OF all that. he enters and.
hope against hope or luck against
luck, and with all the percentage
that is against him, he wins and then
is told there are several gunmen
standing around and all he will get
is 800. That is about the way 1
analyze It. sizing up my own situa-
ton"
IT is stated by Government counsel
that Ito further carry out and con-
summate the object of the conspiracy
the respondents entered into d pro
gressive program" OF compelling
and coercing" exhibitors throughout
the country to book a block of films
by refusing to lease a given number
OF them. and that the exhibition of
this block of films took up the whole
or major portion of the exhibitors
time, thus closing their theaters to
the films of other producers or dis
tributors.
II a house changed pictures weekly
1t could use 50 films a year. Ii the
plan of all or nothing did not meet
with the desire of the exhibitor, 1t is
said, plans We're discussed TO lease or
buy first run house nearby.
Counsel for Zukor contend there was
no proof that any theater changing
pictures once a week purchased 80
films in any one year. and that it was
conclusively proven the block system
applied only In small towns where
changes were made three or six times
a week and several hundred pictures
shown in year.
Block booking is an unreasonable
restraint" counsel for the Government
say, because it closes the market to
all other producers and compels the
exhibitor to take the inferior pictures
in order to get the good ones. It Is
all-or-none policy because If the exhibi
tor desires to make u selection the
prices may prohibit it.
Half of Films Weak.
THE testimony of Sidney r. Kent,
director and general manager in
charge of distribution. Is that In the
show year Of 1920-21 Famous Players
Lasky Corporation released Jos pic
lures, of which number 68 were OF
such a quality as to entitIe them To
showing in first-class. f1rst-run thea
ters. From these figures it will be
seen that under the block booking
policy an exhibitor who was com
PEELED to take all the pictures offered
got 68 good ones and 81 of an inferior
type. As the exhibitors have to pay
for the pictures contracted for whether
they exhibit them or not, they cannot
afford to put the inferior pictures
aside and make room for better ones
because the loss in rentals would be
too great"
This also was called the factory
system" of distributing pictures
Under 1t the Independents are said
to have come in contact with cor
nered market"
Block booking and theater owner.
ship by producer-distributor Is fatal
to the industry" say Government
counsel, because it closes or corners
the market, especially the first-class,
first-run theaters In the big cities, and
if 1t continues will eliminate the indie
pedent producers. The producer.
distrtbutor-theater owner dictates the
policies and prices. they pay for the
pictures irrespective of the artistic
merits