Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

The Leading Daily ^ Newspaper of the Motion Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent and " Faith fut ) Service the Industry in All Branches VOL. 35. NO. 7 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1934 TEN CENTS No Operators' Protests Yet To Rosenblatt He Declares Situation Is Being Adjusted Washington, Jan. 8. — No complaints of wage cuts have been received by the Recovery Administration for operators, it was said today by Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt. Commenting upon the story printed today in the Motion Picture Daily, Rosenblatt declared that the situation was being adjusted throughout the country on the basis of the conditions (.Continued on page 16) Horan Sees Union As No New Burden Chicago, Jan. 8. — Organization of janitors, window washers, ushers and doormen will not inflict any appreciable burden on theatres, according to Jerry J. Horan, president of the Building Service Employes International. Horan will leave for the east shortly to confer on wrage scales. "I have no interest in ticket sellers," Horan told Motion Picture Daily, "and I am not sure just what will be done about ticket takers. If ticket (.Continued on page 7) Code Acceptances Go To N. Y.— Rosenblatt Washington, Jan. 8. — With a large number of code acceptances coming to Washington, Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt today asked that all such documents be filed directly with John Flinn, secretary of Code Authority. The sending of acceptances to Washington, Rosenblatt said, merely imposes upon his office the task of forwarding them to New York. Last Batch of Code Forms Is Sent Out The final batch of 20,000 code compliance forms was sent out yesterday by the Code Authority. This batch was sent to nearby towns. The first list was mailed to far west points in order to give coast exhibitors and distributors earliest possible delivery and urge early mailing in of the signed compliances. Board Nominees Pouring in; 200 from 23 Cities Listed Initiating its publicity campaign on recommendations for posts on the 64 clearance and zoning and grievance boards, the Code Authority today makes known 200 suggestions for candidacy. This is the first batch and others are expected to be released daily as they come in. Exclusive of Portland, Ale., which is considered only as a distributing center, 23 key cities are covered thus far. Those making recommendations are not listed, but anyone desiring to name a distributor or exhibitor to one of the 64 posts is invited to do so by the Code Authority. According to the first list, the following territories did not report: Charlotte, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Memphis, New Haven, New Orleans, Seattle and Washington. Suggestions from the territories al Bending an Ear Fox Movietone, which recently stepped out of the Newsreel (Embassy) Theatre when its lease ran out, is understood to be considering the Criterion. ready heard from are not final. Recommendations may be made up until midnight Jan. 20. In the initial release, Kansas City and Cleveland headed the list for the greatest number of names, each recording 19. Unusual in the list of names is the fact that Meyer Schine has been suggested at Cincinnati, Buffalo and Cleveland, which serve his theatres. Whether he will be nominated for posts in (Continued on page 16) Trustees Stay On Para. Job, Court Decides Charles D. Hilles, Eugene W. Leake and Charles E. Richardson, were retained as Paramount Publix trustees in bankruptcy and commended on their records in an opinion written by Judge Martin B. Manton yesterday for the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals here in which a petition for their removal was denied. The action seeking the removal of the trustees was brought by Samuel Zirn, attorney for a small Paramount Publix bondholders' group, and alleged that Hilles was disqualified for (Continued on page 3) Price War to Stop Feb. 2 In St. Louis St. Louis, Jan. 8. — The local price war, initiated with the invasion of Fanchon and Marco in this city, draws to a close when on Feb. 2 the St. Louis increases matinee and evening admissions. When F. & M. took over the house about three months ago, scales were slashed and all kinds of threats were leveled at Harry Arthur and Harry Singer. On the first Friday in February the St. Louis hikes its afternoon admission from 25 cents to 35 cents and the evening price will scale at 55 cents, an (Continued on page 3) New Year's Grosses Get 1934 Off to Fast Start _ Extra New Year's shows got key city houses off to a cheerful start, with grosses in some spots, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh and a few others reaching unusual proportions. "Dinner at Eight," "Mr. Skitch," "Roman Scandals" and "Little Women" were the big money-makers. Chicago popped out of its recent doldrums, with "Mr. Skitch" leading the parade at B. & K.'s Chicago, helped by a stage 'show that included Borrah Minnevitch and Roy Atwell. The take, $43,000, was over par by $9,000. "Flying Down to Rio" was strong at the Palace with $25,000, and "Roman Scandals" was a $24,000 smash in its second week at the United Artists. Boston kept up the pace it has (Continued on page 3) Roxy Resigns Post as Head Of Music HaU Rumors Link His Name To Former House S. L. Rothafel ("Roxy") yesterday announced his resignation as managing director of the Music Hall, effective Feb. 16. Reports immediately linked him with a story current and recurrent for weeks, that he would return to the original Roxy, which was promoted by Herbert Lubin, although Roxy himself had no comment to make in that connection. The truth of such reports was denied yesterday by Howard S. Cullman, receiver for the theatre. The resignation came as no sur (Continued on page 6) Samuel Ii. Rothafel Yamins Dinner Set For Boston Tonight Boston, Jan. 8— A dinner to Nathan Yamins, president of Independent Exhibitors, Inc., and a member of Code Authority, at the CopleyPlaza Tuesday evening will climax a one-day convention of the exhibitor organization which gets under way in the morning. Division Administrator Sol. A. Rosenblatt has been invited to attend as have other members of Code Authority. Charles L. O'Reilly and W. Ray Johnston have accepted. Saper stein Summons Code Talk Meeting Chicago, Jan, 8.— A 14-page code analysis by Abram F. Myers of Allied States will serve as the basis for a meeting of local exhibitors called by Aaron Saperstein for the Congress Hotel Wednesday to discuss signing of the document. Exhibitors will be told that one of three choices faces them: Sign the code as it stands; refuse to sign, or sign with the prepared reservation of (Continued on page 3)