Beaten

"It takes guts and it takes loyalty to build a cooperative organization." Thus spake Aaron Sapiro, last week, to Star Reporter Peter Vischer of Exhibitors Herald & Moving Picture World. Father of many a cooperative, bitter enemy of Henry Ford, Mr. Sapiro's latest venture has been the Independent Motion Pictures Exhibitors Association, of which the purpose is to permit the owners of small cinemansions to wield a more potent influence upon the large and exclusive companies which make cinemas.

Mr. Sapiro's function was somewhat difficult to define. Most of the owners of small cinemansions are Jews and they supposed that, if they banded themselves together, Mr. Sapiro would be able to champion their interests and thwart the all too often oppressive business tactics of the great producer-distributor-exhibitor companies, as Paramount-Famous-Lasky, Fox, Loew.-Unfortunately, looking at the membership of his new cooperative, last week, Aaron Sapiro found neither guts nor loyalty. Accordingly he said: "This is a beaten organization today." He explained:

"There are a number of reasons . . . bitter opposition of big producers. . . . Perhaps I haven't the qualities needed to lead this particular group of men. . . .

". . . The vacillations of our own membership. I was promised complete support of the independent producers. They asked me to help them. They admired me as a man and as a Jew. They were proud of me because I had brought Henry Ford to his knees before them (TIME, May 2, 1927, et ante).

"It is essential for exhibitors to coordinate their buying power. They are nearest the public. They are the outlet of the industry. And they haven't a word to say--not one word--as to how it shall be run.

"This [cooperative] idea is sound and I predict that exhibitors in all parts of the country will have to see its soundness or be swallowed up by the great motion picture machines."

*Small exhibitors have in the past been obliged to accept "block" booking, a collection of tedious pictures with some good ones. The Federal Trade Commission investigated the system, found it pernicious, forbade it, denounced the burly distributors. But block booking continues.