Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Tuesday, February 6, MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 35 February 6, 1934 No. 31 Martin Quigley Editor-in-Chief and Publisher MAURICE KANN Editor JAMES A. CRON Advertising Manager Published daily except Sunday and holidays by Motion Picture Daily, Inc., subsidiary of Quigley Publications, Inc., Martin Quigley, President; Colvin Brown, Vice-President and Treasurer. , Publication Office: 1790 Broadway, New York. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address "Quigpubco, New York." All contents copyrighted 1934 by Motion Picture Daily, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Quigley publications: MOTION PICTURE HERALD, BETTER THEATRES, THE MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC and THE CHICAGOAN. Hollywood Bureau: Postal Union Life Building, Vine and Yucca Streets, Victor M. Shapiro, Manager; Chicago Bureau: 407 South Dearborn Street, Edwin S. Clifford, manager; London Bureau: 6 Brookland Close, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Bernard Charman, Representative; Berlin Bureau: Berlin-Tempelhof, Kaiserin-Augustastrasse 28, Joachim K. Rutenberg, Representative: Paris Bureau: 19, Rue de la Cour-des-Noues, Pierre Autre, Representative; Rome Bureau: Viale Gorizia, Vittorio MalPassuti, Representative: Sydney Bureau: 102 Sussex Street, Cliff Holt, Representative; Mexico City Bureau: Apartadc 269, James Lockhart, Representative; Glasgow Bureau: 86 Dundrennan Road, G. Holmes, Representative; Budapest Bureau: 11 Olaaz Fasor 17, Endre Hevesi, Representative. Entered as second class matter January 4. 1926 at the Post Office at New York City, N. Y., under Act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year: $6 in the Americas, except Canada $15 and foreign $12. Single copies: 10 cents. Edward Mehesy Dead Salt Lake City, Feb. 5.— Edward Mehesy, 65, one of the first picture theatre^ operators here, has passed away in Los Angeles, according to word received here. Mehesy opened the Mehesy, now known as the Rialto, when pictures were in their infancy. DuWorld Signs Phelps Leroy Phelps, cameraman on Frank Buck's "Wild Cargo," has been signed by Archie Mayers and Irvin Shapiro to produce a series of state rights animal shorts for DuWorld Pictures. Phelps starts for the Far East today or tomorrow. To Honor Cohan, Harris m George M. Cohan and Sam H. Harris will be guests of honor at a dinner to be sfiven by the Jewish Theatrical Guild at the Astor on April 8. Eddie Cantor is president of the guild. CsV^ . TICKET REGISTER CORP. TICKETS Standard Quality Tickets Lowest Market Prices Roll or Folded — Any Color Your Own Copy . . Attach Sample Service . . Courtesy . . Satisfaction Mail Us Your Next Order TICKET DIVISION CH. 4 ■ 6810-11 1600 BROADWAY NEW YORK CITY GEORGE MEAD, Gen. Mgr. Off Reflections on events that are cracking in the news columns: ESTABLISHMENT of box-office merit on the basis of royalties is on tap again. While Sol Rosenblatt was in Hollywood last week such a plan, based on the gross, was presented to him on behalf of stars, directors and writers. The division administrator told all and sundry interested he would give the thought serious consideration when he passed up the line recommendations drawn from the volleys of suggestions fired at him from all Hollywood directions. The royalty idea long has interested this mouthpiece as the one way by which all the hands may be kept happy. Whether on the gross or on the profit depends on how prejudices against such a plan could be overcome. The gross idea seems to rate the jump on profits for reasons and bookkeeping that should tell their own stories. Some there are who have maintained all along that royalties mean only trouble; that the job is too difficult to undertake ; that it would slow down the normal business of running a distribution machine; that it would result in law suits. It would mean nothing of the sort if the move were fairly conceived and fairly executed. Ten months ago when we were browsing around Hollywood getting a line on this and that, it was brought forcibly to our attention by important men and women who count in the creative end of production that a royalty system was the one way to effect some sort of a balance in the industry's exchequer. They told us then and nothing has developed since last April to demonstrate a change in heart — on their part — they would be willing to work it out along such lines ; that if they made a flop, it was flop money which they rated and nothing more. They pointed out how firmly intrenched in other fields the royalty system was imbedded: in books, popular sheet music, the stage. The argument, naturally, was for a system predicated on an unassailable count. Chief among the handicaps are two. One is the producer viewpoint that his business would no longer be private; that his books would be open books and more of the same ilk. The other, scarcely admitted but recognized far and wide in Hollywood, has to do with the existing method of sales under which an outstanding draw name is coupled with blocks of pictures and used as the leverage by which average or less than average product is merchandised to the theatre operator. There is considerable to the latter argument from the creative workers' angle. Also considerable by way of opposition which would develop whenever the long-established block booking system and possibility of any alterations in it are talked about. HE wires from Kansas City quote Al Lichtman as fa voring a boost in admissions, thereby reminding anew of his flexible price idea advanced several sea (Continued on page 8) Loew Leads Big Board Trading Net .High Low Close Change Sales Columbia Pictures, vtc 27!^ 26>£ 2654 + *A 1,500 Consolidated Film Industries 5 V/2 2,100 Consolidated Film Industries, pfd ISy, 14M 1454 — J4 4,300 Eastman Kodak 92 9VA 9154 + 54 1,500 Eastman Kodak, pfd 123 123 123 + % 1.000 Fox Film "A" , 1754 16*4 \&A — 54 28.900 Loew's, Inc 3354 3154 32?4 +2 102.100 Loew's, Inc.. pfd 85 8454 8454 — 54 200 Paramount, cts 354 354 3V2 + 54 21.600 Pathe Exchange 3 254 3 + Vi 17,100 Pathe Exchange "A" 1554 1454 1554 + 54 9.000 RKO 3?A VA 354 + 54 7,000 Universal Pictures, pfd 30 25 26l/2 +VA 10.000 Warner Bros 8*4 754 8 + 54 50,300 Warner Bros., pfd 2454 23J4 2#A +W* 400 Technicolor Off Vs on Curb Net High Low Close Change Sales Technicolor 10 954 W% — 54 400 Universal Pictures 3 3 3 100 Bonds Rise Following Market Net High Low Close Change Sales General Theatre Equipment 6s '40 754 6% 7 + 54 12 General Theatre Equipment 6s '40, ctf 7 6VZ 7 + 54 43 Keith B. F. 6s '46 62*4 6054 6054 — V2 8 Loew's 6s '41. ww deb rights 96 95 96 +1 26 Paramount Broadwav 554s '51 38 3754 38 +1 8 Paramount F. L. 6s '47 40 37% 40 +2 25 Paramount Publix 5%s '50 40 38 40 +2 93 Pathe 7s '37, ww 8914 &9'A 89J4 +154 4 RKO 6s '41, pp 28 2654 28 +2 4 Warner Bros. 6s '39, wd 5954 58 58 +1 17,800 Drama with a punch! Stars with • puUing power! ELISSA LANDI " | f and JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT in | / | "Sisters Under The Skin," with 1 11 Frank Morgan. Directed by David I \ ^ Burton. Keep your eyes on this one!