Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-30
MOVIES !
CLOSED BY STRIKE
Owners Lock Out Men After
Few Operators Quit-FiIms
Withheld by Exchanges.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, August 30.-The strike
If few motion picture machine opera
tors and the lockout of virtually all
the others, affecting $50 theaters in
Chicago, was made more stringent
today when the film exchange mana
gers decided to cut off all films to all
motion picture theaters in the Chica-
90 district.
Members of the exhibitors associa-
ton met today with the assertion that
the difference with the operators
union would be fought to a finish.
The musicians union, whose contract
with the exhibitors expires next Sun
day. also called a special meeting to
discuss the situation.
Fifteen thousand persons-operators
musicians, ushers and stage hands
were without work today and nearly
400 900 daily movie fans were deprived
Of place to go by the dispute over
two union movie operators which
brought about the row. Theater own
ers estimated their total loss daily
during the trouble would be close
to 100000.
Exchanges May Take Part.
The only theaters not affected were
the legitimate houses and a few neigh
borhood movie places, and even the
neighborhood houses were periled by
the announcement that film exchanges
may take part in the struggle and
withhold films.
Going into effect without previous
notice at 6 o'clock last night, the clos
ing of the theaters caught thousands
Of patrons downtown for the evening
shows, and crowds wandered through
the streets during the evening.
The closing of the theaters followed
a decision of the Chicago Exhibitors
Association to discharge all union mo-
ton picture machine operators and
suspend employment of all other help
as a reprisal to a strike called by the
Orpheum Circuit Theaters. The strike
was called because one of the theaters,
adopting a new policy, had cut its
staff of operators from four to two.
A meeting between the union lead
ers and theater owners yesterday was
brief and ended in disagreement. Both
factions announced they would not
compromise.
Jack Miller, manager Of the Exhib'
itors' Association, stated the attitude
of the theater owners this way:
1.-THE exhibitors are tired Of being
dictated to by unions and their Off
cials. To hold our self-respect. we
can give up no more rights as own
ers. We will remain closed as long
as necessary to win our fight, no mat
ter what it costs us"
More complications were predicted,
inasmuch as agreements between the
owners and the musicians and stage
hands unions expire next Sunday.
National Tie.Up Forecast.
Thomas Malloy, business agent for
the operators, predicted NATIONWIDE
tie-up of theaters IL any effort is made
to employ non-union operators.
"If that is DONE" he said. "the other
union men will walk out and we will
ask the international union to call a
strike directed against the 1900 thea
ters in the Publix group, of which
Balaban & Katz Of Chicago Is the CEN
ter"
All the Balaban & Katz theaters
here were closed, as well as the
Orpheum circuit and other chain thea
tiers with one or two exceptions. The
Palace, leading theater Of the Orpheum1
circuit. was affected. The Natlonai
Playhouse chain did not close last
night because one of it's new theaters
had made elaborate plans for its for
NAL opening. but the group was to be
closed tonight.
In advertisements in the morning
newspapers the Exhibitors Associ-
alton said: "On account Of arbitrary
demands Of the Moving Picture Oper.
ators' Union all motion picture and
vaudeville theaters have been forced
to close. We regret this unpleasant
situation exceedingly. but we had no
other alternative"
Instead of the usual page OF movie
ads in the morning papers there were
only a scattered few today.
RAY rYA6ORE FACES FIGHT