The Film Daily (1936)

THE 14 ROCKY MT. EXHIBITORS DISCUSS TRADE TOPICS (Continued from Page 1 ) Double bills were likewise condemned by Charles Gilmour, who said the practice started for several reasons, one because shorts were so poor at the time and because many managers wanted something new to advertise. He said the practice flourished also because of competition. Gilmour predicted a period of prosperity in a few years bigger than anything the country has seen and urged exhibitors to drop double bills and sell programs on the basis of quality, not quantity. A. De Bernardi, critic of the Denver Post, took a shot at all forms of advertising other than newspapers and declared that if exhibitors would spend as much money in newspapers as a few years back they would be enjoying old time prosperity. T. B. Noble made the shortest speech of the day, on national sales policy. He said it was made over to fit local situations and he knows exactly as much now about national sales policy as the day he entered the business. Harold Rice declared exploitation should not be high-pressure selling but high-powered selling, and warned exhibitors to do constructive exploitation to combat competition and especially that of the political compaign when many inducements would be offered the public to attend political meetings. L. J. Finske declared passage of the Patman Bill barring block booking would give exhibitors no relief but would skyrocket the cost of selling product and that exhibitors would have to pay for films. He said block booking really meant block buying and that the subject was not understood by hundreds who demanded its end. He declared only four films were condemned by the Legion of Decency last year and none of these were forced on exhibitors because of block booking. Rick Ricketson urged that nontheatrical competition be met through educational methods instead of opposition. Officers elected a few months ago will hold over. They are: president, A. P. Archer, vice-presidents, Harry Golub, Harold Rice, L. J. Finske; treasurer, Ep Briggs; secretary and counsel, Emmett Thurmon; Directors A. P. Archer, Charlie Gilmour, Rick Ricketson, Dave Davis, Dave Cockrill. B. P. McCormick, Charles Klein, Burns Ellison. T. B. Noble, Ed Schulte, Russell Hardwick. Boosting Air Circulation A. H. Heaslip, manager of the St. Charles, devised a new way of airing the house by means of fans so as to get a higher rate of air circulation. A large fan under the stage, where the orchestra pit was, pumps air into the audience, supplementing a battery of four pumpers in the boxes on both s des of the prosceniums and two sets of exhaust fans in the rear orchestra and rear balcony, draw out the air. Improvement is noticeable. Words and Wisdom ""THE printed word is slipping. I don't know just why — perhaps a lack of leisure, or a change in the tempo of living. Certainly people are turning more and more to pictures and the theater to express themselves.— WILL C. LENGEL. Comedy is the basis for all drama. The most successful directors now handling the serious dramas were the comedy directors of yesterday. — GEORGE MARSHALL. Contracts with stars must include restrictions to keep them from exploiting their movie-built personalities in (radio's) direct competition. Major producing companies must co-operate with exhibitors if this kind of competition is to be checked. —JACK COHN. I am positive that scientific investigation will prove that the dancer burns more energy in her work than any athlete. — ROY DEL RUTH. Motion picture audiences no longer like to feel a sharp break in the action while camera and music build, up an elaborate dance routine. There should be interweaving of story and entertainment.— LEW POLOCK and SIDNEY MITCHELL. Good product today means international product. — ARTHUR W. KELLY. "General" Gives ParamountNew Opening Day Record (Continued from Page 1) yesterday. The theater opened at 8:45 A.M., an hour and a quarter earlier than usual, and by 1 P.M. an attendance of 9,152 had been registered. Previous record-holder, "Trail of the Lonesome Pine", had a tally of 7,748 at the same hour of its opening day. As a result of the sensational start, Robert M. Weitman, manager of the theater expects to keep the house open until 3:00 A.M. thus accounting for additional stage shows. Business the first few hours necessitated local police control and also accounted for the theater putting on 7 additional doormen and 22 additional ushers to handle the crowds inside. SAN FRANCISCO Fritz Lang, director, in town for visits to San Quentin for material and research for his next picture, "I Live Only Once," which will star Sylvia Sydney and Henry Fonda. He has with him Graham Baker and Gene Towne, who will prepare the ftory. A. B. Marcus, pioneer producer and girl show impresario is in for a week at the Golden Gate. A. J. (Joe) Neeley, formerly with Fox as a booker, is now with Pat Paterson and his state rights exchange as manager. "Anthony Adverse," though still going big, ends its run at the Geary on Friday to make way for "Romeo and Juliet. ' OKLAHOMA CITY A new theater is being built by H. Humphrey at Kingfisher, Okla. A. C. Buchanan succeeds Carl Burton as salesman for RKO and will work Western Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle territory. Burton has taken over a theater at Cordell, Okla. Liberty Theater has resumed vaudeville, supplied by the Wilbur Cushman circuit. Year's Record at Rivoli Set by "Last of Mohicans" (Continued from Page 1) an hour's wait for seats. Attendance up to late afternoon slightly exceeded Chaplin's "Modern Times" opening. M-G-M Gets Olympic Pix M-G-M has acquired from the American Tobis Corp. a compilation of shots of the Olympics in Germany prepared in Germany by Leni Riefenstahl and including sequences of all the American newsreels as well as those shot bv the Tobis German subsidiary. The picture l'uns about 3,700 feet. PITTSBURGH The Liberty Theater upped its evening admission scale from 25 cents to 35 cents. The Alvin switches to single features with GB's "Nine Days a Queen." Harold Cohen, the Post-Gazette movie editor, and Stephanie Diamond, staff member of station WCAE, married Sunday and left for the coast where they will stay for three weeks in the home of Dick Powell. Lou Brager, Warner personnel manager, is in town on business. Harry Kalmine, zone manager, and Oscar Kuschner, head booker, are making a tour of all Warner theaters in the tri-state territory. Joel Golden, U. A. office manager, back from New York where he married on Sunday. Due to the interest shown in "Anthony Adverse," the Stanley Theater will open its doors beginning Friday at 8:45 A. M. for the first time in its history. In addition to the evening scale raise, the morning prices will be upped from 26 cents to 37 cents. Rudolph Skirball acquired the New Union Theater in Yukon, W. Va., from Eli Burnett. The Diehl Theater in Claysburg, formerly under lease to Dave Blum, has been transferred to William Nidetch. Thursday, Sept. 3, 1936 COLUMBIA EXPANSION SEEN IN KAHANE MOVE (Continued from Page 1) has been getting interested in the company. Kahane has always been closely associated with the former Chicago transportation magnate. The withdrawal of Kahane from RKO Radio as vice-president to join the Columbia studio is believed to mark the end for a while in the shufflings of top executives here. The shifts included David Selznick from M-G-M to United Artists, Edward Small from U. A. to RKO Radio, Walter Wanger from Paramount to U. A., and Emanuel Cohen's return to Paramount. Price Hike Committee Named by N. J. Alii ed (Continued from Page 1) to sponsor the move at its annual convention opening at the Hotel Traymore, Atlantic City, Wednesday. Comprising the committee are: Harry Hecht, chairman; M. Ellis, J. Gravany, R. Smith, J. W. Becker and H. Colmer. Other committees named to run the convention consist of the following exhibitors: Convention: S. E. Samuelson, Chairman; Frank Henry, Louis Levin, M. Marks. Nominating: David Snaper, Chairman; Mrs. Helen B. Hildinger, Harry Kridel, A. Dollinger, Mark Block, W. C. Hunt, Harry Waxmann. Taxation: Simon Myers, Chairman; I. Levy, D. Mate, A. Rapf, I. A. Roth, A. J. Sabo, H. Sager, P. M. Lewis. Zoning and Protection: Louis Gold, Chairman; Louis Rovner, Frank Gravatt, Max Cohen, A. Nicoletti, A. Nussbaum, 0. Schapiro, Max Snider. Theater Financing and Remodeling: I. Hirshblond, Chairman; A. Matthews, M. Rothman, M. Greiman, N. Myers, S. Frank, W. D. Hunt. Percentage, Checking, Trailers, Previews, Score Charges: I. Dollinger, Chairman; D. R. Faunce, F. Falkner, L. Feld, A. Hochberg, S. Hochberg, M. Spewak, P. Kalickman. General Organization : R. D. Wilkins, Chairman; H. Block, T. Lazarick, M. Hecht, A. Munson, P. Blaustein, J. Lamont, A. W. Hill. National Legislation and Block Booking: M. Miller, Chairman; J. Forgione, W. C. Hermann, S. Seligman, A. Siegel, J. Pineles, S. Wm. Ford. Double Feature Policy: E. Lachman, Chairman; A. Ginsburg, S. Goldstein, E. Ulicny, D. Shapiro, S. Tannenbaum. $100,000 for Hurst Novel M-G-M is reported to have paid $100,000 for "Great Laughter," Fannie Hurst novel to be published by Harper & Bros, next month.