Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

The Leading Newspaper^ Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent and Faithfut Service to the Industry in All Branches . VOL. 35. NO. 40 NEW YORK, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1934 TEN CENTS DembowSeeks Cancellation Date Stays; Showdown fori n t i * Rosenblatt Code Denner K.C. Theatres Cuts Newman to 25c. for Dual Bill Programs i Kaxsas City, Feb. 16. — Sam Demlow's decision to cut Newman scales lo 25 cents at all times for dual bills las caused a sensation among subirbans here and is expected to preipitate another effort to settle the Lrgument about duals, giveaways. 10ient tickets and other problems. For the past three months sporadic itforts have been made to get Loew's Midland to lift its 25-cent scale for jig M-G-M and Loew attractions, but liese have hit the rocks each time itcause suburbans couldn't agree to nd duals and giveaways. The Newan has been taking it on the chin (.Continued on page 2) \<Studio Plaint Fails j To Disturb Goldwyn Hollywood reports that several stu.ios had protested to Will H. Hays '•ver Samuel Goldwyn's Saturday Evening Post article revealing star alaries tailed to disturb the author esterday. It was said for him he was |io longer a member of the Ass'n. of .1. P. Producers anyway and never «ad joined the M.P.P.D.A. here, al hough United Artists, of which he 's an owner-member, is. Depinet's New Post ' Was Held by Kahane ' Xed Depinet succeeds B. B. Kahane |ti taking over his new post as presient of RKO Distributing Corp., an ppointment made by M. H. Ayles»-orth Thursday night in Hollywood. \ahane also relinquishes the post of (Continued on page 2) On Home Ground Hollywood, Feb. 16.— Paramount is seeking an ostrich which will bury its head in sawdust, instead of sand. When found the bird will join the cast of "You're Telling Me," starring W. C. Fields with Larry "Buster" Crabbe and Joan Marsh. Local comment is Paramount should find its search rewarded right on home ground. Radio Competition Issue to Be Submitted to Committee of 9 Following a formal complaint to Code Authority by the Legitimate Theatre Code Authority on free radio admissions, decision was reached yesterday by the film authority to appoint three representatives from code authorities of the film, legitimate and radio fields to confer on the matter. The nine men will meet with Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt at a date to be set, either in New York or in Washington. An attempt will be made to get the nine authority representatives together before all code authorities meet with Hugh S. Johnson in Washington on March 5. Delegated yesterday to represent the film business were Charles L. O'Reilly, S. R. Kent and Ed Kuykendall. John D. Clark will act for Kent in the latter's absence in Florida. Smuggle News Loew Profits Shots Out of I Hold to First Vienna;OnWay Xewsreel shots of the Socialist rebellion in Vienna have been smuggled out of Austria in spite of careful surveillance over cameramen and strict censorship regulations in force during the period of the uprising. The films are now on their way to this country, newsreel offices here were advised yesterday. A number of newsreel cameramen were arrested by the government, held in jail overnight and their film confiscated for violating censorship regu (Continued on faqe 2) Industry Practices Aired at Trust Case Industry practices as viewed by the independent producer, distributor and exhibitor went into the record yesterday in the anti-trust suit brought against major companies and the M. P. P. D. A. by Frank Rembusch. former Indianapolis exhibitor, which (Continued on page 4) Seek to ReArgue Erpi Court Ruling Warners will endeavor to re-argue the Erpi litigation prior to resubmitting the matter to arbitration as ordered by the Delaware supreme court (Continued on page 4) Quarter Level Loew's earnings for the second quarter of the company's fiscal year are being maintained at about the same level as during the first quarter, when operating profit was $2,732,607, David Bernstein, treasurer, reported to an adjourned meeting of Loew's stockholders yesterday. Isidor Frey, of Loew counsel, was elected a director at the meeting to fill a vacancy. All other directors were re-elected. Loew's is extending and improving (Continued on page 4) Antipodes' Recovery Ahead of Ours: Loew Australia is ahead of the United States on recovery and conditions there are much better than here, Arthur M. Loew stated yesterday following his return from a three-month tour. The M-G-M executive stated he was satisfied the way things were (Continued on page 4) /. M. Schenck, Mayer Stay on Bank Board San Francisco, Feb. 16. — Joseph M. Schenck and Louis B. Mayer were retained on the directorate of the Bank of America National Trust and (Continued on page 2) NRA Rules His Word Is Final — Dec. 7 Order So Stands Formal acknowledgment by the NRA yesterday that all rulings on interpretations and definitions of the code rested with Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt was construed last night as indicating that his recent decision making cancellations retroactive to Dec. 7 stands. Several distributors had contested the ruling and had asked the NRA legal department for an official interpretation of the division administrator's findings. Placing in Rosenblatt's hands hitherto undefined and unsuspected powers, it became known late yesterday that the division administrator (Continued on page 4) Thinks K. C. Names Could Be Improved Kaxsas City, Feb. 16. — While endorsing the selections, Jay Means, president of the Independent Theatre Owners, expresses disapproval with the set-up of the zoning and grievance boards for the Kansas City territory, as announced tentatively by the Code Authority. Means maintains the respective designations for the various posts could be improved upon and favors (Continued on page 4) <(All Quiet" Heading For Reissue Shortly Universal is preparing to brush up "All Quiet on the Western Front" with a prologue citing the horrors of war and will reissue the picture shortly. In its original form, "All Quiet" was a huge grosser and first reached the market in 1930. Prosperity Note Consolidated Film Industries, Inc., yesterday declared a 50-cent dividend on its preferred, payable April 2 to stockholders of record as of March 9. This is the laboratory company's first dividend declaration since April, 1932. i