Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1929)

October 12, 1929 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 15 Growth of World Film Trade Emphasized at S M P E Meeting Sound Not Presented as Well As Recorded, Convention Told PF L "Applause" Gets Varied Reception; Is Lauded by Lay Press Trade Agrees Performance by Principals Is Splendid but Calls Story Sordid (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 8.— Paramount started something last night when it premiered "Applause," with Helen Morgan, at the Criterion theatre on Broadway here. Audience opinion was as varied as it was strong. Critics of the lay press, though, were as one in their praise of the picture as an artistic truism and of Miss Morgan as a great actress in a splendidly executed tragic role. Trade Calls Story Sordid The trade had a different angle. It granted that the story was unusually strong, that the principals could not have given better performances, that direction was superb and that the photography, on the whole, was selectively fine and on occasion extraordinarily diverting. But it also stated that the story was sordid, the character work too disturbing, one or two pieces of dialog too pungent to suit the sugarcoated taste of a large portion of the public. The picture was directed by Rouben Mamoulian, fresh from his triumphs with the Theatre Guild. The tale concerns a faded burlesque queen who is persuaded by her lover, also in the show, to take her daughter out of a convent and put her to work in the show business, Daughter Makes Hit Her mother, who really doesn't want her in the show business, is delighted. The man, thinking he can make a fortune out of the child, becomes enraged and threatens to throw over his ageing love. The girl decides her place is with her mother, sends her sailor boy back to his ship. The disconsolate burlesque queen takes poison, the theatre management thinks she's drunk and the daughter goes on in her stead, making a hit and hating it. As she comes off the stage she falls into the arms of her sailor, who has providentially returned. They decide to take her mother with them to the Wisconsin farm, turn to the dressing room to tell her about it, not realizing she is dead. With Helen Morgan as the star, loan Peers as the girl, Fuller Mellish, Jr., as the man, and Henry Wadsworth as the young sailor, the picture is excellently cast. Wadsworth particularly will bear watching. In connection with the show there was an interesting exhibit of old programs and photographs of stars who played the Criterion in the course of its 35 years of theatrical history. — P. V. R K O Leases Chicago Loop "Legit" Theatre For Long-Run Audiens Radio-Keith-Orpheum has taken over the Woods theatre, Loop "legit" house in Chicago, and will operate it on a long-run policy, with R K 0 special productions as preferred attractions. Negotiations for a long-term lease were completed Tuesday, October 8. R K O will open the house October 26, with "Rio Rita." The theatre will be remodeled and redecorated, possibly also reseated. A new marquise will bear the name R K O-Woods. All pictures will be in sound, and there will be no band or orchestra. Prices will be around 75 cents. Many of Industry's Leaders Describe Technical Progress In Paper Read at Toronto By F. H. RICHARDSON TORONTO, Oct. 8. — The Society of Motion Picture Engineers yesterday opened its fall convention here at the Royal York hotel, with an attendance both larg-e and highly representative. Mayor McBride of Toronto addressed the convention in a speech of welcome. However, there was a catch in it. He tendered us the keys to the city but warned us that it did not ht the inside of the Hoose Gow door, which of course got him an appreciative laugh. In his address, President L. C. Porter that inference is backed up by knowledge — brought out a number of interesting points. that it is due either to inferiority in the The society was founded by C. Francis Jenkins in 1916. At its beginning it was composed of less than a dozen members. Today it has 617 members. It has published 38 volumes of transactions containing approximately 5,000 pages, than which there is no more valuable work to be found anywhere. It has 81 members in its Pacific Coast section, 90 in its London section, and it has 19 committees composed of about 152 members. Sees Great Prosperity The president made plain the fact that he sees great prosperity and much useful work ahead for the society. The past year was literally a record year in its history. Duringthe past 12 months, 330 names were added to its roll, and 1,331 copies of its transactions were circulated. The treasurer's report showed . $17,232.31 in the treasury, without any debts due. Reverting to the mayor's address, he made this remark in the course of his talk: "Some like vaudeville, some like drama, some like musical comedy, some like grand opera, but it may be safely said that 95 per cent of the people of Toronto and Ontario like the motion picture, regardless of their other likes or dislikes." Inferior Reproduction Cited In the report of the progress committee, the fact was brought out that in a great many theatres the sound sent into the auditorium was far inferior in excellence to that recorded in the film. The report made no criticism pointing to whom this was due, but of course the natural inference is — and sound reproducing and projecting apparatus, or to inferiority in the handling of this apparatus or to a combination of both. The progress committee also made note of the fact that one theatre out in California has installed ear phones, the volume in which is controlled by small choke coils. These phones are for the use of the partially deaf. The committee report also brought out the fact that a good many people, especially in Germany, are still laboring hopefully with the non-intermittent projector idea. Germany, said the report, has at this time at least half a dozen of these projectors upon which inventors are working. 250 Millions Attend in Week The report stated that a psychologist at Columbia University has reported on a twoyear investigation made on the influence of motion pictures on crime. The results indicated that most children remembered very little detail of the picture and were unsympathetic with wrongdoers. Only 5.2 per cent of 150,000 theatre patrons were under 21 years of age. Over 250,000,000 persons see motion pictures weekly throughout the world. Over 23,000 controversies were arbitrated by film boards during 1928, only 28 claims requiring the services of a seventh arbitrator. This was reported by the Hays office. Export of positive and negative film from the United States fell off 10,000,000 feet in 1928, when 222,000,000 feet were shipped out, as compared with 232,000,000 feet in 1927, (Continued on payc 30) Contract Adjustment Body to Report Results at the MP TO A Convention (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 8. — An important position on the program of the tenth annual convention of the M P T O A in Memphis October 29-31, will be allotted the report of the recent meeting of the exhibitors' and distributors' committee on contract adjustments. It is disclosed that several hundred changes in contracts for talking picture service were made at the meeting, which was called following appointment of the committee to make more equitable the prices some exhibitors had alrady agreed to pay. M. A. Lightman, president of the M P T O A, heads the exhibitor group, and Sidney R. Kent, vice president and general manager of Paramount, leads the distributor bloc. The convention, which is the first M P T O A meeting to be held in the South, is being regarded by Southern business leaders as a part of the program to expand their territory commercially and industrially. Among the demonstrations to take place will concern Mississippi river Hood control work, a project to which the M P T O A has already committed itself, as a means of bettering conditions for Southern exhibitors.