Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

The Leading Daily ^ lewspaper MotiolK Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent and Faithful Service to the Industry in All Branches L. 35. NO. 37 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1934 TEN CENTS ank Opposes ond Purchase y Paramount feree Gives Approval In Tennessee Case ipposition to any Paramount Pubbankruptcy policv of rebuilding e real estate holdings bv the purk of claims against its bankrupt idiaries out of distribution revewas voiced vesterdav by the miercial National P>ank. a Parant Publix creditor, at a hearing ■re Referee Henry K. Davis, aramount trustees sought authorion from the referee to acquire lis outstanding against Tennessee ?rprises, a bankrupt subsidiary. (Continued on page 4) ississippi Levies ^ax on Erpi Sound ulfport, Miss., Feb. 13. — Back assessments totaling $165,936 on id equipment in two Mississippi .t theatres were approved by the •rison County Board of Superfrs. The petition named Erpi as ers. his company owns and controls (Continued on page 7) 7 A Is Sued Over Fessenden Patents ilmington, Feb. 13. — A patent ngement suit was filed today in 3. District Court by Helen May enden of Chestnut Hill, Mass., nst RCA charging infringement of patents granted Feb. 8, 1927, to late Reginald A. Fessenden. le patents cover methods of wiredirective signaling and wireless smission and reception. She asks ■orary and permanent injunctions. Both Barrels Joseph Bernhard, general lanager of Warner Theatres, •as in a denying mood yeserday, following return to is office after a siege of the old. He denied Warners were fter the Mayfair in Detroit nd also reports the comoany 'as negotiating for the Roxy. "Never heard of either one f them," he concluded. Lasky Holds Unit System %> Quality Hope Can End Programmers, He Declares Hollywood, Feb. 13. — Jesse L. Lasky regards unit production and novel story treatment as the best way of improving picture quality. His remarks are intended as a reply to Samuel Goldwyn's recent blast against mass production and dearth of story material. Lasky says Goldwyn has brought "some truths to light" and that he agrees with him in theory in some of his objections to mass production. "But." Lasky goes on, "as a student of film and theatre economic, 1 (Continued on page 4) Seek to Cut Down Giveaways in K. C. Kaxsas Cty, Feb. 13. — Restrictions by agreement of double billing, 10cent nights, giveaways and premiums to one a week is to be sought by the Independent Theatre Owners of suburban exhibitors, including Fox Midwest, as a concession in the current (Continued on page -t) Chase-G. T. E. Case Delayed; Judge III Wilmington, Feb. 13. — Illness of Chief Justice Daniel J. Lay ton today delayed indefinitely a hearing scheduled in Chancery Court for approval of an agreement between General Theatres Equipment Corp. and the Chase (Continued on page 7) Switches Under Way In Fox Sales Staff A number of shifts in the Fox sales personnel are under way. Following the plan in vogue in New York where Harry H. Buxbaum is branch manager, Clyde Eckhardt becomes Chicago branch manager, the post of district (Continued on page 7) Recognize Ushers, Labor Board Says Recognition of Local 118, theatre ushers, doormen and janitors union, was recommended to Paramount theatre representatives vesterday by the (Continued on page 6) His Own Competitor When Clark Gable appears in person at the Capitol the week of Feb. 23, he will compete with himself on the screen at the Music Hall, which, during that week, will run Columbia's "It Happened One Day." On the screen with Gable at the Capitol will be "Mystery of the Dead Police." Agent-Actor Pacts May Be Held Illegal Hollywood, Feb. 13. — Possibility of a wholesale cancellation of agent-act or contracts unless these are approved by the State Labor Commission looms as a result of a proposed fact-finding inquiry by the commission. Many agents are said to be worried. The state labor laws require that all employe-agent contracts must be ap proved by the commission before becoming valid. It is reported that not more than 10 per cent of the present agent contracts have been approved. If the commission succeeds in enforcing its rulings, it is predicted that it will lead to a general uniformity of actor-agent agreements. May Set Back First Missouri Payments Jefferson City, Mb., Feb. 13. — Because of delay in preparing the necessary machinery for collection of. the one-half of one per cent sales tax in Missouri, it is said virtually certain the state will grant an extension for the first payments. Under the law, first payments by exhibitors and other business men are due Feb. 15 or they become delinquent. It is possible an extension will be granted to March 1. "U" Definitely Set On 36 Next Season Universal will make 36 features again next season, it was officially decided vesterday at a meeting of sales department and home office executives (Continued on page 7) Rembusch Suit Gets Start in U. S. Court Trial of the Frank Rembusch antitrust suit against major companies and the M.P.P.D.A. opened vesterday (Continued on page 6) Warner Not In Favor of Percentages Prefers Continuance of Salaries for Talent Harry M. Warner, president of Warner-F. N., declared in favor of continuation of the present salary system for talent as opposed to percentage or royalty plans, on his return here from the coast yesterday. Professing to have but little knowledge of the royalty plan advocated by Adolph Zukor, Paramount head, a week ago, Warner said he believed such plans offered too many complications and tended to make it difficult to fix real responsibility for performances of pictures at the box-office. "The present system of remuneration is all right," Warner said, "because the compensation for talent always finds its level eventually. Creative workers get whatever they are worth." No Harm in Radio Shows, Says Bowes Free radio audiences do not hurt theatre business, Major Edward Bowes, managing director of the Capitol, told the Cheese Club members yesterday. He says the broadcasts last only about one hour and don't make (Continued on page 6) B. & K. Scale Boost Sought in Chicago Chicago, Feb. 13.— An effort to get B. & K. to increase admission prices in certain neighborhood theatres to which they are now routing complete Loop stage shows of the calibre of (Continued on page 6) Film Exploitation Vital — Aylesworth Hollywood, Feb. 13.— Big exploitation is the answer to the question why mediocre productions develop in (Continued on pane 7) Resting Peacefully House manager of a Broadway theatre was queried about the gross on the last picture and ended the conversation with a terse: "Why talk about the dead?"