Motion Picture News (Jul - Sep 1930)

July 5, 1930 M o t i o n P i c t it r e N e zv s 23 Illinois Protection Plan Staggering Along Under Fire of Opposing Groups Out July 12 The Showman section for July will appear in MOTION PICTURE NEWS for July 12. Replete, as usual, with articles of timely interest to showmen everywhere. F. N. Gets Break At Publix Despite Zukor-W. B. Rift That break between Adolph Zukor and Harry M. Warner will apparently have no effect on playing time for First National product in Publix theatres. At least, this is the indication from a number of meetings which Ned Depinet, F. N. general sales manager, is holding with Bill Saal of Publix. Warner product, which nabbed preferred playing time — after Paramount — over the Publix string last season is out for 1930-31 with Fox now the favorite son. Warners, to counteract the Paramount-Fox booking contract, immediately veered to RKO. The inference has been that Warners and their First National affiliation will be completely out of the Publix line-up. Independents Are Being Forced Out of Business? Atlantic City — Twin City independent exhibitors are being forced out. of business, due to general conditions and overhead, according to W. A. Steffes, general manager of the Northwest exhibitor unit, who says that unless relief is forthcoming, most independents of the two cities will close. The exhibitors have issued an ultimatum to the operators, informing the latter that unless they recede from their two-men-inthe-booth demand, their services will not be required after July 5. The houses either will operate non-union or close if the ultimatum is not acceded to. Tin exhibitors have offered to employ one union operator and a non-union helper, but so far this offer has in it been accepted. Steffes say-. Newman and Kramer Will Represent RKO in V. K. London — Bearing out the forecast made several months ago in Motion Picture News, Joseph I. Schnitzer now states Radio will operate its own exchanges in England. Sol Newman, for some time RKO's representative here, will be managing director and Earl Kramer his assistant. The operating company will be known as Radio Pictures, Ltd. A sales staff has to be organized and exchanges opened. While here Schnitzer said Radio planned to build no theatres in Europe, but would if such a step were necessary to secure adequate representation. What Once Looked Like Quick Settlement Dims as Hooks Tear Into Agreement Chicago — After a week of conference by the new rezoning committee for Chicago, appointed to apply the principles agreed upon by the original committees to individual cases, a settlement of both local and downstate protection problems is still doubtful. The Film Board of Trade reports minor progress on the part of the committee, but admits that plenty of points of dissension still remain unsolved. A meeting of the committee on city rezoning was held Wednesday by volunteer representatives of local exchanges who entered the arena with new suggestions and offers of aid. A few of the committee members see some significance in this move, believing that it may be the means by which the entire matter may be settled. Their hope is based on a few good minds that, they believe, may be capable of effecting a compromise on troublesome situations which stand in the way of a settlement. Situation Grows Confused The skeptics, however, are frank in airing their belief that additional voices will i inly serve to add to the confusion that has reigned at the meetings since their inception four weeks ago. These hold out little hope of an early settlement, averring that the uncompromising attitudes of circuit and independent representatives make an agreement on major points of controversy impossible, or nearly so. The outsider's opinion here is that the conferences will accomplish little or nothing and that at their break-up the city and downstate situation will be essentially the same as always. Sales Held Up Meanwhile, salesmen who have been readyto go to work on new product for the past several weeks are still sitting idly at the exchanges hoping for either a settlement or an abandonment of the conferences. Exhibitors, hoping for a better break, are refusing to do business while the conferences continue. What a Honey! Hollywood — In appealing to film stars, players and others currently enjoying large salaries in the coast colony, representatives of the Thrift Store of the Motion Picture Relief Fund asked for donations of discarded or unwanted clothing, dresses, shoes, etc., that can be resold to the less fortunate in the industry for small sums. One actress who is under term contract to a large producing company, and who has stepped forward mainly in filmusicals, was asked to aid the worthy cause. She autocratically replied, "I don't believe in charity," and ended the interview abruptly. Who Knows? That $3,000000 suit filed by Congo Pictures against the Hays Office and members may have convinced a lot of people that someone pulled the gag out of "Ingagi." Mystery Ads in Canada Causing Gossip; Fox Idea? Toronto — Novel, say some, but mystifying to others is the display advertising copy appearing in Canadian newspapers, addressed to independent exhibitors, urging them not to sell out or become affiliated until they dig into the proposal which the copy states is theirs by writing. Nothing in the copy indicates who is paying for the ads, but gossip along Film Row links Fox and N. L. Nathanson with the proposition. Warners Handle Western N. Y. Houses from Batavia Batavia, N. Y. — With the operating rights of the Dellinger, Family and Lafayette at Batavia formally acquired by the tiling of transfers. Warners have opened a western New York zone headquarters to direct their theatres between Buffalo and Syracuse. The office will be directed by John R. Osborne, former secretary and treasurer of the Genesee Theatrical Enterprises. The Batavia theatres recently acquired will be managed by Andrew Gibson, brought up from Hornell. James J. Kelly, manager of the LaFayette, will be transferred to Hornell. Nikitas D. Dipson, former manager of the Family, retains his office in the Family Theatre building, from which he will direct his houses in Elmira, N. Y., and Ohio. Fur to Fly in Grigsby Suit Against RCA Group Kansas City — A bitter fight is seen impending in the $30,000,000 triple damage suit filed by the Grigsby-Grunow Company of Chicago against RCA, General Electric and Westinghouse. The Chicago company charges the existence of a patent pool in violation of the Sherman anti-trust law. The action hinges around radio tubes. 694 Earphone Sets to Be Installed by Fox Los Angeles — Sixty-four Fox West Coast houses will supply earphones to deaf patrons, a deal having been negotiated for 694 sets.