Inside facts of stage and screen (May 3, 1930)

PAGE SIX INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1930 Scsspqcssq, One Year Published Every Saturday $4.00 Foreign $5.00 Advertising Rates on Application As a bi-monthly publication: Entered as Second Class Matter, No- vember 17, 1924, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. As a weekly publication: Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Published by Inside Facts Publishing Company, Inc. 800-801 Warner Bros. Downtown Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. Telephone TUcker 7832 JACK JOSEPHS ARTHUR WM. GREEN WILLIAM C. OWENS - Vol. XI President and Editor Vice Pres, and Counsel - Secretary and General Manager No7l8 Saturday, May 3, 1930 Exhibs Want Homespun Tales Too many exotic stories in the films, is the plaint of ex- hibitors today, and not enough good old red-blooded Ameri- can inspirational yarns. What is particularly needed now is a fair proportion of success stories, in which the young American business man, in the familiar surroundings of North American cities, over- comes all odds and a love menace and achieves prosperity and romance in the final fadeout. The home folks have long since tired of the underworld story, the wild wicked youth theme, the song and dance, and the carnival of lust in foreign backgrounds. An occasional spicing of the film fare with such themes is acceptable, but the wholesome influence of the inspirational story appears to have been entirely overlooked by the Hollywood pro- ducers The market for such is ripe for a harvest, say the theatre owners. Show Exploitation Copied Big business realizes that new and modern times makes new sales methods imperative if America’s tremendous mass producing organizations are to be maintained in activity. It has recently become involved in a financial way with the show business, and brought closer to a study of the methods of that business in selling an abstract thing to the public. So big business is carefully adapting itself to those meth- ods on the theory that something concrete will be even easier to impress on the public by show exploitation methods. This is exemplified by a number of recent tieups with show busi- ness on exploitation. FILM ROW By FRED YEATES The gag line along the Los An- geles Row this week is, “Have you broken your leg yet?” A veritable epidemic of leg fractures struck the exchange district. Broken legs line the gutters and litter the alleys, and one can hardly step over any threshold without tripping over one. Oscar Kantner started the fash ion from the Paramount end of the Row by getting mixed up in an automobile wreck and cracking one of his principal means of sup- port. Oscar is ad manager for the Para exchange. Then George Cal- daras, manager of Tiffany’s ex- change, tried a glider flight .down some stairs and crashed in a forced landing, breaking a strut. Oscar is receiving Paramount on Parade at the Burbank hospital, while George is resting his Jour- ney’s End at his home. * * * Manager C. M. Peacock of Par- amount Exchange is back from his vacation, rapidly recuperating. * * * Convention of tne western sales division of Paramount is to be held in San Francisco May 23. The eastern boys meet at Atlantic City. * * * R-K-O exchange is cuckoo over the picture “Cuckoo,” and life has been complicated for the boys and girls by an enterprising clock mer- chant who installed a cuckoo clock for an ad tie-up. It has a habit of saying it is three when P. S. T. says eleven, and embarrasses sales- men in conference with clients by WANTED Few Snappy Girls for Special Dem- onstration work. High Class Cosmetics Wd Beauty Preparations. Apply 1515 West Pico St., Los Angeles, Calif. yelling “Cuckoo” at inopportune times. * * * Fred Daniels has resigned as booker at Tiffany and is now giv- ing consideration to several other opportunities. His place has been filled by Bert Pollard. * * * A mysterious furbishing up of fishing tackle is going on among salesmen along the Row, and co- incidentally a lot of dates with back-country exhibitors are being lined up. * * * Howard McKay, sales manager for Foster and Kleiser, is back from a jaunt of three weeks to Honolulu. He denies rumors that he grabbed off the best corners along the way for 24-sheet boards. * * * F. and M. publicity boys are re- joicing over the natural tie-ups as- sociated with the Box O’ Candy Idea, and report that San Diego has gone for a Candy Week prop- osition, the mayor posing for the flashlights. * * * Bill Knotts requests exhibitors to please be reminded of the M. P. T. O. annual meeting scheduled for May 5 in Los Angeles. Matters of great importance to every member will be up for discussion. * * * L. A. Reynolds, of the Saboba Theatre, San Jacinto, was in the city this week on a buying trip. ♦ * * ' G. A. Bush, of the Silver Strand Theatre, Coronado, and the Na- tional Theatre, National City, was here during the week. He lost the National by fire last week. * * * Another visitor along the Row was Alex MacPherson, of the Lo- gan Heights, San Diego. * * * Columbia Exchange’s peppy as- sistant manager, M. J. E. McCar- thy, copped a front-page story in the Columbia house organ last week as winner of second prize in the national contest for assistant managers. Among the multifarious and arduous duties of an a. m. is TELEVISION RIGHTS BUY AIDING W. B. By GENE SWIFT In acquiring rights to the Nak- ken inventions, Warner Brothers have placed themselves on an ecjual footing with other major pro- ducers to exert control over tele- vision and radio broadcasting ac- tivities. This is in line with the previous- ly reported efforts of the big inter- ests to gain command of the en- tertainment medium of the future and conserve it for the protection of theatre property holdings. These inventions also give Warners a new method of sound recording on film, relieving them from an entire dependence on the disc method. The recently announced purchase by Warner Brothers of an interest in the Nakken Patents Corpora- tion gives them royalty free rights to basic patents on sound on film, television, transmision of pictures and facsimile messages by wire and radio. One of Mr. Nakken’s in- ventions, which forms part of the properties involved, is a new radio modulator by which the spoken word or music is superimposed on radio woves. This modulator is said to be entirely free from pat- ents held by other companies, which patents have been supposed to control broadcasting. Nakken is an American citizen of Dutch birth. A group of Los Angeles ama- teurs are reported to be develop- ing highly efficient sending and re- ceiving television equipment, and there are said to be more than twenty sets functioning in the city at the present time, with surpris- ingly good results. Just how the methods used would conflict with prior, patents held by the majors remains to be seen. PICKFORD PICTURE TEL-A-PHONEY tij) JAMES MADISON In production with Marshall Neilan directing, Mary Pickford’s latest, “Forever Yours,” from the stage play by Rudolf Besier and May Edington, has a complete cast including Don Alvarada, Ken- neth MacKenna, Ian Maclaren, Nella Walker, Charlotte Walker and Alice Moe. Benjamin Glazer is supervising the production on the U. A. lot. CONTRACT APPROVED Hello, A1 Jolson. Hello, James Madison. They tell me Chicago people don’t get enough exercise. Guess they’re taken on too many “rides.” Hello, Marie Dressier. Hello, James Madison. Why do you call Scotch- men the ministering angels of finance? Because they nurse nickels. * * * Hello, Polly Moran. Hello, James Madison. A. girl I know rested her head on her sweetheart’s bosom, and silently slept there. “All quiet on the vest in front.” * * * Hello, Lowell Sherman. Hello, James Madison. What do you think of a young American girl who weds a decrepit English duke? I call that marrying into the debility. * * * Hello, Jack Bennett. Hello, James Madison. Why were you so anxious to be taken to McNeill’s Island? I d rather be on the inside looking out than the outside + looking in. * * * Hello, Buron Fitts. Hello, James Madison. What’s a good slogan for a jail? “Open to the public.” * * * Hello, Dolores Costello. Hello, James Madison. Seedless oranges are smaller Guess that comes under the head of naval reductions. * * * Hello, Francis X. Bushman, Hello, James Madison. One woman I know has a daughter that never tasted liquor. “Her Unbunned Child.” * * * Hello, Alan Hale. Hello, James Madison. They tell me a fish lays 6000 eggs at one itme. Don’t let’s forget her on Mother’s Day. * * * Hello, George K. Arthur. Hello, James Madison. What is the Anti-Saloon League up to now? They want to abolish public funerals, so people cannot pass around the bier. ■ LOT IS 11 Contract of Joan Marsh, 16, for five years with Universal, was ap- proved by Superior Judge Marshall McComb here this week, with the girl’s mother, Mrs. Lolita Hayes appearing in court and Attorney Alvin M. Asher representing the film concern. ENGAGEMENT TOLD Engagement of Dorothy Dwan, former film plaver, and widow of the late comedian, Larry Semon, to Paul N. Biggs, Jr., of Beverly Hills, son of the vice-president of the Union Oil Company of Califor- nia, was announced this week. “JAZZ” FOLLOWS “SONG” SAN FRANCISCO. May 1.— The Universal-Paul Whiteman pic- ture, “King of Jazz,” is booked into Loew’s Warfield for a run following Lawrence Tibbett in Metro’s “Rogue Song,” currently holding the screen. the little job of bringing dead con- tracts to life and using gentle arts of diplomatic adjustment on exhibs who buy_ more pictures than they can use just to keep a competitor from getting them. * * * Neither Tiffany nor Columbia sales conventions are set yet for this summer. Local wives do not know yet whether they will be en- tertained or have to entertain. LETTERS There are letters at the Los Angeles office of INSIDE FACTS for the following: BIDMEAD Bros. DOWNING, Harry MATHEWS, Madelyne MILLARD, S. S. PEDRO, Milly SHARLAND, Fred C. With fifteen all-talking features now in various _ stages of produc- tion, Radio Pictures takes first place as the busiest studio in the film capital. Three features are now being filmed, six are in the process of cutting and editing, and six more are in the final stages of prepara- tion for early production; those shooting are: “Dixiana,” Radio Pictures’ origi- nal operetta, which Luther Reed is directing with an all-star cast headed by Bebe Daniels and Ev- erett Marshall. Mel Brown, directing “She’s My Weakness,” adapted from the stage play, “Tommy,” with Arthur Lake and Sue Carol; and Roy J. Pome- rop is making his debut as an RKO director with “Inside the Lines,” wartime espionage film, featuring Betty Compson and Ralph Forbes. The following are being readied for early shooting: “Cimarron,” adapted from Edna Ferber’s saga of the Oklahoma land rush; “Half Shot at Sunrise,” a wartime musical comedy co-fea- turing Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey; “The Iron Trail,” Rex Beach’s Alaskan railroad epic; Richard Dix’s third Rajiio starring vehicle as yet untitled; an origi- nal musical comedy drama fea- turing Joseph Cawthorn; and “The Silver Horde,” adapted from Rex Beach’s novel of the Alaskan sal- mon industry. TO PREMIERE HERE The Continental premiere of “All That Glitters,” sophisticated com- edy drama written by Tay Gar- nett, young Pathe director, in col- laboration with Zelda Sears, may be staged in London this fall, if present plans materialize. Miss Sears, with Louis Wiswell, her husband, well known produc- er, will leave Los Angeles for the British Isles about May 15. They plan to arrange for the London opening to follow the world pre- miere scheduled for the Belasco Theatre this fall. RADIO TO PRODUCE ‘BABES IN TOYLAND’ Victor Herbert’s operetta, “Babes in Toyland,” will be given a lav- ish production on the talking screen. The spectacular musical fan- tasy, for years a favorite on the stage, will be produced as one of the special productions on Radio Pictures’ 1930-31 program, accord- ing to William LeBaron, vice-presi- dent in charge of RKO produc- tion. 1 BOOKINGS TRIP John O’Connor, general man- ager for Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, left for New York last night to arrange future book- ings for “Rah Rah Daze,” colle- giate musical comedy now in its last two weeks at the Mason. The local engagement will end on May 10, after which the show will go to San Francisco, and then to Chicago for a summer run. SPANISH VERSION Emile De Recat, who is in charge of producing the foreign versions of Pathe pictures, is now prepar- ing to make a Spanish adaptation of “Swing High,” Pathe’s musical circus romance in which Helen Twelvetrees and Fred Scott are featured. Says: Great show at N. V. A. What a world of talent. Watch for the Masquers Revel. Another darb. My pal, Frank Rich- ardson, at Loew’s State and a riot. A1 Trahan in town with lots of laffs. • • •• P. S. — The CELLAR is at Cosmo Street and Hollywood Boulevard . . . between Vine and Cahuenga . . . the phone numbers are GRanite 8 8 8 2 and HOllywood 9 15 9 . . . parking is free at the lot across from the CELLAR . . . the CHRYSLER and SAM- SONS are there. Thank You.