FilmIndia (Jan-Nov 1942)

mm i i i ma i» i i > i i n , fiombaij This section is the monopoly of ' JUDAS': and he writes what he likes and about things which he likes. The views expressed here are not necessarily ours, but still they carry weight because they are written by a man who knows his job. MURDER AT THE MAJESTIC On the 6th of December 1941, Mr. Bankulal Harkisondas, Assistant Manager of the Majestic Cinema in Bombay, was stabbed to death by one Rashid J. Irani who worked as a stall-keeper in the compound of the cinema. It is reported that Rashid Irani got some of his household ladies admitted in the theatre without a pass, to which Bankulal objected and got Rashid's relatives removed fiom the auditorium where they were seeing "Swami". a Royal release. Enraged at this, Rashid is reportel to have rushed to the office of Bankulal and stabbed him with a knife. Bankulal died on the spot. Here is a tragic climax to the widely prevalent habit of using complimentary passes. People who get used to seeing pictures free soon come to think that they own the cinemas, just because they happen to know the manager or a door-keeper. And such people, strangely enough, become ultra-sensitive about their self-respect and feel insulted when the cinema owner pursues his legal right of conducting his own business. The complimentary pass is an evil in itself seeing its present day enormous multiplication but if this free booting habit is going to lead us into such tragedies, the sooner this evil is stopped the better for our film industry. It is one thing for the trade and the press to expect free shows but to distribute passes to the general public and stall-keepers is like cutting the branch on which the industry stands. It is a suicidal procedure. This tragic incident goes to prove that running a cinema is not after all such a harmless business. I have often witnessed numerous minor assaults when the crowds go rowdy for one flimsy reason or other, but a knife seems to have been used for the first time with such tragic results. Bankulal Harkisondas was on duty when he was killed and the proprietor of the Majestic Cinema ought to compensate the family of the poor victim generously. I hope, this case is taken up by the Commissioner of Labour, Bombay, for relief under the Workmen's Compensation Act. THEIR BREAD AND BUTTER HUNT The official story of the huge salaries earned by Hollywood film people is now available. The following statistics are for the fiscal year ending 1940. Gary Cooper topped the list of earners with £73,766 from Sam Goldwyn and another £44,750 from Paramouat Next came James Cagney with £92.083 From the others Bing Crosby earned £62,500; Fred McMurray: £60,000; Caroll Lombard: £52,750; Ginger Rogers: .f58,885; Producer Darryl Zanuck: £63,750; Errol Flynn: £52.833; Edward G. Robinson: £63,750, Charles Chaplin: £37,500: Madeleine Carroll: £31,791; Ronald Coleman: £37,500 plus £11.186 other compensation; Douglas Fairbanks Jnr: £40.429; Don Amechc £32.145; Alice Faye: £35.072; Claudette Colbert: £37,519; Tyrone Power: £37,812; Shirley Temple: £29,142; Bette Davis: £32,437; Merle Oberon: £21,250 and Charles Laughton: £29,042. In comparison with these astronomical earnings, some of our films people show the following averages, more or less, per year: Producer Chandulal Shah: Rs. 5.00.000: Producer Shantaram: Rs. 1.00.000; Distributor Baburao Pai: Rose returns to screen in "Garib"', a social picture of National Studios.