Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-07-10
BLOCK BOOKING
OF MOVIE films
BARRED BY U. S.


WASHINGTON, July o, 6B-Block
booking of motion pictures is illegal,
the federal trade commission held to-
day in an action against the famous
Players-Lasky corporation
The commission issued an order re-
quiring the corporation and its chief
officials, Adolph Zukor and jesse l..
LaSky, as individuals, to cease and
desist from the practice of requiring
motion picture theatres to take all
films in a block or group or none at
all and from other practices held 10 be
in restraint of trade.
The respondents are required to
file a report within go days as to the
manner in which they have complied
with the order Further proceedings
will depend upon the character Of that
report.
Specifically the commissions order
prohibits the Famous Players-Lasky
corporation and zukor and Lasky
from:
Continuing a conspiracy among
| themselves or with other persons to
lessen competition and restrain trade
in interstate and foreign commerce in
the production distribution and eXhi-
! bition Of motion picture films.
'"The practice TO block looking
/ leasing films in block or group, or
none at all, without regard to the char
acter of the pictures or the wishes of
the motion picture house.
Acquiring or threatening to acquire
theatres for the purpose of introducing
or coercing an exhibitor of films to
exhibit films of the Famous Players
Lasky corporation"
With respect to the conspiracy"
which the order prohibits, the commits
sion said:
"The respondents Adolph Zukor
and Jesse L. Lasky and Famous Play
ers-Lasky corporation, have 9corspir-
ed and confederated together from
time to time with other persons un-
duly to hinder competition in the pro-
duction, distribution and exhibition of,
motion picture films in Interstate and
foreign commerce and to control, dom
mate, monopolize or attempt to mon
opollze the motion picture industry"
In its findings of fact the commits
sion sets forth that ION June 80,
1926, the interests of the Famous
PlayerS-Lasky corporation in 1853 thea
tres were as follows: In 1913 theatres,
100 per cent; in 13 theatres more than
SO per cent and less than 100 per
cent; in 1913 theatres, exactly SO per
cent, and in SO theatres, less than SO
! percent.
| Further the commission found that
in five cities Jacksonville Miami,
Tampa, Dallas and Philadelphia--th
Famous Players-Lasky corporation di-
rectly or through subsidiaries, has
! controlled all or nearly al | Of the
first class moving picture theatres.
Block booking is treated in detail
in the findings, with this statement in
conclusion:
''Ihe purpose and necessary effect
Lof such distribution policy is to lessen
| competition and to tend to create a
, monopoly in the motion picture in
dustry, tending to exclude from the
market and the industry small inde-
pendent producers and distributors of
! films and denying to exhibitors free
dom of choice in leasing films"
} The original complaint of the COM
mission included besides Famous
Players corporation and. zukor
and Lasky, six corporations and four
individuals. The complaint was dis
missed as to all of these They we're:
Realart Pictures corporation; the
Stanley company of America; the
Stanley Booking corporation; Black
New England theatres, Inc, Southern
Enterprises, Inc, and the Saenger
Amusement company and Jules Mast
baum, Alfred S. Black, Stephen A.
Lynch and Ernest v. Richards. Jr.