Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1933)

The Leading Daily Newspaper bi. the Motion Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent and Faithful Service to the Indiistry in All Branches VOL. 34. NO. 130 NEW YORK, MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1933 TEN CENTS Memphis Set In Midst of Dry Section Surrounding States Not Affected by Repeal Memphis, Dec. 3.— Exhibitors in this area are not interested in the prospective benefits of prohibition repeal for the simple reason that this entire section will probably remain as dry hereafter as heretofore. All the states in the Memphis trade territory are bone dry, have been since long before the prohibition era, and there are laws on the statute books which could not be pried off under any circumstances. These states, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee, are proverbially dry. The fact that two of them, Arkansas and Tennessee, voted for national repeal means little now. Tennessee barely squeezed by (Continued on page 15) Warners' Checking Gets 85% Coverage With Warners' Percentage Picture Checking Department now having 85 per cent national coverage, Ralph Budd, head of the department, expects to get 100 per cent coverage by Jan. 1. Fifteen field supervisors will cover the country. The men and the key cities they supervise are: David S. Ramsdaill, New York, Brooklyn, New Jersey: A. J. McGihley, Boston, New Haven ; W. L Gledhill, Albany, Buffalo, Pittsburgh ; (Continued on page l.S) 10% Cancellations to Apply on Old Contracts Clearance to Hold Good on All Contracts Existing clearance and zoning schedules for 1933-34 product will not be disturbed by the new schedules to be drawn by local boards immediately after they have been named by the code authority, it was learned over the week-end. The code cannot supersede or invalidate existing contracts, all of which include the clearance rights of the individual theatre. The new schedules which the local clearance and zoning boards are instructed to draw up for 1934, and have ready by Jan. 1, will apply only to 1934-35 product, it was pointed out. The annual clearance and zoning schedules will be drawn up by the local boards by Jan. 1 of each succeeding year and (Continued on page 4) Argentine Business Off, Asserts Lange Film business has fallen off in the Argentine during the past year, says Frederick W. Lange, Pararnount general manager there, who is now in New York for home office conferences. Talking pictures are still a problem, he says, with superimposed titles being used generally on American films. Title writers find it difficult to get the story of the action across to Argentine audiences. Lange expects to remain in New York for several weeks. India Is Eager for U. S, Films— Kelly Paris, Dec. 3.— That India offers a fertile market for American films was the assertion of Arthur W. Kelly, vice-president of United Artists in (Continued on page 13) Film Board Decides To Retain Officers All officers of the New York Film Board of Trade will be reelected Dec. 13. The present set-up has been asked to serve another year because of the lull in activity during the past 12 months. Local exchange managers feel that since the President has signed the code there will be plenty of doings in regard to zoning and clear (Continued o)i page 13) Code Widows After bringing home a copy of Motion Picture Daily which contained the complete and official code, Tom Murray, who was secretary to the exhibitor code drafting committee, showed it to his wife. Mrs. Murray, after hurriedly perusing the text and particularly noting the pictures of the exhibitors' committee and Allied leaders who led the insurgent movement, queried: "Where are the pictures of the code widows?" Labor Looks for Place on Boards The belief that representatives of organized labor will be named to code authority boards whenever labor's problems are brought before that body was expressed by labor leaders here and is seen as eliminating the possibility of a formal labor protest to the NRA over the appointments of Eddie (Continued on page 4) Chicago Musicians' Union Suit Started Chicago, Dec. 3. — An accounting of funds and receivership is asked for the Chicago Federation of Musicians in a bill filed by Frank Ririzzo and (Continued on page 13) Chicago Lovingly Recalls Fair; Wishes It Were Back Third in a series of articles throwing the spotlight on conditions in the Middle West. Milwaukee was covered in the first two. By RED KANN Chicago, Dec. 3. — It was great while it lasted, was the World's Fair. Any circumstance that deluded theatremen, particularly in the Loop, into the belief this was 1929 when they knew full well it was 1933, smacked of the miraculous. It was that kind of a circumstance and that kind of a delusion and both were very easy to take. Four years ago, B. & K. might have taken their huge grosses for granted. They rolled in regularly. Much has taken place since then, however, and hard sledding has made the (Continued on page 3) Either This or a Like Concession in New Deals Planned The 10 per cent cancellation privilege for pictures averaging $250 rental, or less, offered under the code, will either be extended by major distributors to exhibitors who have already signed current season contracts, or the equivalent of the cancellation privilege will be granted in revised contracts, Motion Picture Daily learned Saturday as the result of a canvass of home office executives. This, and the fact that existing clearance schedules for 1933-34 product will not be disturbed by the local clearance and zoning boards to be named by the code authority, probably within the next week or two, was determined in answer to widespread interest and speculation in exhibition and exchange circles throughout the country. Home office sales executives revealed that thousands of contracts have been closed this season which carried the specification, written in at the exhibitor's request, that the contract was to be amended to include (Continued on page 4) Para. Trustee Suit Hearing Set Today Arguments on a suit seeking the removal of the Paramount Publix trustees in bankruptcy are scheduled for a hearing in U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals here today. The action, brought by Samuel Zirn, as attorney for a group of Paramount Publix bondholders, was denied by the U. S. District Court last spring, but the higher court granted an appeal. Further examination of John Hertz, former chairman of the Paramount Publix finance committee, will be continued this afternoon before Referee Henry K. Davis, with Saul E. Rogers, attorney for a bondholders' group, questioning the witness. Para, Wins License Tax Dispute in La. New Orleans, Dec. 3. — The Supreme Court has denied the authority of the state to collect a license tax on the leasing and distribution of films here by Paramount-Publix. (Continued on page 13)