Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-14
D. c. MUSICIANS
IN 26 THEATERS
TO QUIT TONIGHT
Truce With Projection Men
InsureS That Show Places
Will Remain Open.
MEETING SCHEDULED
TO PLAN PROCEDURE
orchestras in Circuit Theaters Will
Continue Playing Until Next
Thursday.


Musicians in approximately 26 local
moving picture theaterS will terminate
their Jobs at midnight tonight as re-
suit of the expiration Of the two-week
preservation of their status quo follow
ing discontinuance Of their contract
August 81. In at least Is other movie
houses, however, musicians will con-
tinue at work until Thursday, in pur-
suance of an agreement made between
the musicians union and their employ
ers last Monday.
Notwithstanding this, no Washington
theater will be dark, since the projec-
tioniStS and other union theater en-
ployes, who had threatened to walk out
in sympathy with the locked-out musi-
clans, have been instructed by their ma
tional headquarters to continue on their
jobs until further notice.
Circuit Music TIL Thursday.
The theaters in which the musicians
will continue performing until Thursday
embrace those controlled by circuit
chains-Warner Bros, Leow's, R-K-O
Keiths and Fox Theaters. This agree
ment was reached at conference in
New York last Monday between rep
resentatives of the local union and ex-
ecutives of these chains and was made
in order to enable theaters presenting
stage shows to complete their current
week.
The truce which is keeping all local
theaters operating after the release Of
the musicians in the outlying playhouseS
was reached following a conference be-
tween william j. Herrer, vice president
of the International Alliance Of The
atrical Stage Employees and Moving
Picture Machine Operators of the United
States and representatives of the man.
ayers here Friday. Herrer is under
stood to have made the truce offer to
the managers pending negotiations to-
ward q settlement of the dispute.
Theater Owners to Meet.
A. Julian Brylawski, president of the
Motion Picture Theater Owners As
ISOLATION of the District, whose organi-
zation'S refusal to renew the musicians
contract after its expiration August 81
gave rise to the controversy, said last
night that q meeting will be held to-
morrow to discuss q plan OF procedure
in the matter Brylawski emphatically
denied that the managers would seek
an Injunction in District Supreme Court
to prevent the projectionists from walk
ing out.
The latest move Of the Musicians
Protective Union, local of the American
Federation of Musicians, in furtherance
of it's drive for the preservation of
Giving music" in Washington theaters,
has been the Inauguration here of a
campaign for membership in the Music
Defense League. Petitions Of oppoSi-
ton to the use of canned music" in
moving picture theaters are being cir
culated throughout the Capital by
members of the union.
John E. Birdsell, secretary Of the
union, said last night that the enroll
ment figure at the conclusion Of the
third day of the campaign had passed
the 1000 mark.
Not a Job Fight.
I'VE expect through this method"
Birdsell said. ito impress upon the man.
ayers the fact that this is not solely
fight for our Jobs. 1t is a fight in
behalf of the public. There can be
no substitute for human Orchestration,
and the public will not be satisfied with
the mechanically distorted reproductions
that are threatened to be thrust upon
them. The box ONCE will surely tell the
story"
Birdsell denied that the musicians
had been unwilling to make concessions
at the New York conference. He said
the musicians made offers to reduce
downtown orcheStraS by approximately
rs per cent and in the case of smaller
theaters, as much as so per cent. THE
n1ggardly offer of the employers, how
ever" he said, would provide nothing
more than the use of few men in
the Palace and Fox Theaters, to be
used in connection with stage shows. "
Birdsell said his organization at no time
had signi1ed unwillingneSs to continue
negotiations.
Contract Has Expired.
The musicians contract, which had
been in blanket form between the Mu-
SicianS' Protective Union and the Mo-
ton Picture Theater Owners Associa-
ton for q period Of three years, expired
August 81. A truce preserving the
status quo of the musicians was reach
ed in New York August %, when local
conferences had failed to break dead
lock. Subsequent meetings with New
York executives, however, RESULTED In
virtual collapse of negotiations.
AS a result of a triple alliance be-
tween projectionistS, stage hands and
musicians, under which all would walk
out in the event any one was aggriev-
ed, the national headquarters of the
Stage Employees ordered local union
men to walk out in sympathy with the
musicians If amicable adjustment of
the dispute was not made.
This development for a time threat
ened to darken all Washington theaters,
as 1t Is known that the demand for
skilled operators, especially adapted to
talking picture apparatus, could not be
met with non-union men. Throughout,
however, the managers have maintained
that theaters would remain open, with
out disclosing to what method they
would resort to effect this.
The non-renewal Of musicians con-
tracts was not confined to Washington.
other cities throughout the country
have been releasing orchestras at the
expiration of contracts for some time.
washington was the first case, however,
of an order from national headquarters
for a union strike.