The Film Daily (1930)

iTHE /FILMDOH ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME riL. LI No. 13 Thursday, January 16, 1930 Price 5 Cents L A. Houses Working to Prevent Police Regulation riAN iNTERNATIONALCENSORSHIPCONFAB TriState Exhibs Affirm Faith in M. P. T. O. A. I The Big Three -a column of controversy =iBy JACK ALICOATE = jTESTERDAY we bent our good i in the general direction of a iiiewhat provocative discussion that ii only arrested our attention but rjnediately brought us into the di<t geographical center of the argulint in the role of a friendly and servant listener. The question bet; discussed was "What three men il: most important to the welfare )|'the motion picture industry?" I^S A MATTER of minor inter:; it might be added that among I'Dse crossing word-swords over the :introversy were some of the mosi :|?hly paid if not the most analyti:i brains of the industry. Now i: t2 hypothetical question had beer. Vhat three men have done the Dst for the industry?" or perchance Vhat three men are best known in ti industry?" the answer woulc Save I'en comparatively simple and all; of relatively easy solution. I it us not and so we found ourselves iht back where we started with tj; question being "What three men '•it most important to the welfare ' the motion picture industry?" iTHE ARGUMENT waxed long id merry. Among those mention\ were: ZUKOR, because of the feat organization he has built up. AYS, because of his international jnificance and guiding influence. OX, because of his sound and wsreel accomplishments. KATZ, 'cause of his tremendous theater tivities. SARNOFF, because ot U association with technical developi:nts. HARRY WARNER, because ' his pioneering of sound. HEARST, Icause of his publicity influence. OXY, because he's the industry's {Continutd on Pagt 2) Vote to Hold Spring Convention in Memphis, April 6-7 Memphis — Renewed allegiance to the M.P.T.O.A. was pledged here by directors of the M.P.T.O. of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee at their first 1930 meeting held at the call of President J. F. Norman, of England, Ark. The directors voted to hold the spring Tri-State convention here on April 6 and 7. This is contrary to precedent, as all spring conventions heretofore have been held in Little Rock, and the fall meetings in Memphis. $340,000,000 CAPITAL Capital invested in the British film industry aggregates $340,000,000 and the investment in the industry in France approximates $78,600,000, according to figures just announced by (Continued on Page 8) Butterfield Now Controls Four Consolidated Houses Grand Rapids — By purchasing the minority stockholders' interests in the Consodidatcd Theaters, Inc., of {Continued on Page 2) Henley Assigned Hobart Henley, who has just completed direction of "The Big Pond," starring Maurice Chevalier, for Paramount at its Long Island studio, has been assigned to make the next Chevalier talker. It will be based on a Broadway stage success. LOEW 12 WEEKS' EARNINGS SHOW 33 PER CENT JUMP Earnings of Loew's, Inc., for the 12 weeks ended Nov. 22, 1929, are reported at $3,151,954 by David Bernstein, vice president and treasurer of the organization. This is an increase of ZZ per cent over the $2,102,033 reported for the same period in 1928. Operating profit for the 1929 period {Continued on Page 8) Brookhart Definitely Out of Abramson Case Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Senator Brookhart told THE FILM DAILY yesterday that he had withdrawn from the Ivan Abramson case and would not represent Abramson in the suit against producers in the Hays organization. Exhibitors in Los Angeles Fighting Proposed Ordinance NEW niM STORAGE IflW Toronto — New regulations governing the storage of films are to be prepared following conclusion yesterday of the Ontario government's official inquiry into conditions surrounding the handling and storage of {Continued on Page 8) West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Los Angeles — Exhibitors here are working quietly to prevent the passage of a police commission ordinance calling for regulation of theaters. The fire department was first to submit an ordinance, which was aimed against Main St. honky tonk houses. The police commission measure also is directed ostensibly against these honky tonks, but exhibitors fear the ordinance would provide loopholes for stringent regulation of theaters. Meeting on Film Problems to be Held Next Fall in St. Louis St. Louis — An international conference to discuss censorship and similar problems is expected to be held here next fall under the auspices of the Civic Union of St. Louis. Mrs. Robbins Oilman, president of the Federal Motion Picture Council of America, probably will conduct the meeting, and it is 'expected that vir{Continued on Page 2) FOX SECURITIES CORP. TO AID REHNANCING Fox Securities Corp. has been formed and will issue notes to aid in the Fox refinancing plan. Just what amount these notes will represent is understood to have not been determined up to the present time. David A. Brown, chairman of the board of the Broadway Bank and {Continued on Page 8) Fox Urges Stockholders to Accept Scrip Payment In commenting upon the issuance of scrip instead of a cash dividend of $1 a share by Fox Film Corp., William Fox, president of the organization, yesterday said: "The corpora{Continued on Page 8) ^'See and Hear by WILL H. HAYS Fascinating Facts of Historical Importance APPEARING SERIALLY Every Day in The Film Daily 99