Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-04
CHICAGO THEATER
FIGHT IS SETTLED
Movies and Vaudeville
Houses to Respondents Of
Agreement Kept Secret.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, September 3.-Chicago
movies will move again tomorrow
after approximately 400 motion pic.
ture shows and vaudeville houses had
been closed since last Monday be-
cause one theater wanted to employ
two operators and the union insisted
that it employ four.
The strike and lockout. was ended
this evening in the offices of Mayor
Thompson, where exhibitors, machine
operators and stage hands represen-
tatives met after the mayor had an
nounced he represented the public,
which wanted movies over Sunday
and Labor Day.
Terms Not Divulged.
The terms of settlement were not
divulged, it being announced that
both sides had agreed to keep them
secret Mayor Thompson in a state
ment, however. said that 1.-The final
settlement was a compromise, which
showed a splendid spirit of American
ISM" The mayors statement said
that all parties concerned left
happy"
The strike and lockout was esti.
mated to have thrown $1,000 theater
employees out of work for most of a
week, to have tied up theatrical in.
vestments of upward of $4,000. 900;
closed 400 theaters; resulted in lost
receipts of more than $1,e00,000, and
forced about 1,000,0 900 movie fans to
seek some other form of diversion.
Exhibitors Retaliated.
The trouble started when the Bel
mont Theater, which recently changed
its policy and became a vaudeville
house, decided to dispense with the
services of two of it's four machine
operators, while the union insisted
that the theater's contract called for
employing four men.
The operators union called ma.
chine operators of all Orpheum circuit
theaters, with which the Belmont is
affiliated, out ON strike Monday after
noon and two hours later the exhibit
tors retaliated with lockout, closing
upward of 400 movie and vaudeville
houses.
Musicians Are Negotiating.
During the week the contract of the
stage hands expired and they Joined
forces with the operators by calling a
dispute with operators and stage
hands was reported settled today, but
the musicians union contract expires
Monday, although negotiations for a
new contract are said already to be
under way.
The dispute resulted in the closing
Of nearly every theater in Chicago
metropolitan district. but few neigh
borhood houses continued to operate
as long as they could obtain films, and
attorneys for the operators threatened
court action against film agents to
compel them to give out pictures after
exhibitors and had refused to do so.
This the booking agencies denied.
however.
While a few theaters operated to-
night, most of them were included
among the handful that did not close.
The exhibitors organization announced
that all the theaters belonging to the
association would reopen tomorrow
morning at IL o'clock when matinee
performances begin.
1t also was revealed that the ex-
hibitors will reopen without knowing
the terms Of the agreement that has
been reached. officers of the exhibi.
tors organization said they would in
form the exhibitors of the terms at a
meeting next Tuesday.
Get Pay Increases.
Later it was reported that under
terms OF the compromise agreement
the stage hands will receive an in
crease in wages of between and 8
per cent, representing three-fourths
of what they asked. The union with
drew its request that apprentices re-
ceive an increase.
The operators, it was reported, get
a fulfillment of existing contracts.
The two operators at the Belmont
Theater, over whom the whole row
started, are to receive full pay until
next January, when the operators
agreement expires and their status
will be considered again then.