Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Thursday, March 22, 1934 MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 35 March 22, 1934 No. 67 Martin Quigley Editor-in-Chief and Publisher MAURICE KANN j^r. 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 CIcle 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, Victoi 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-desNoues, Pierre Autre, Representative; Rome Bureau: Viale Gorizia, Vittorio Malpassuti, Representative; Sydney Bureau: 102 Sussex Street, Cliff Holt, Representative; Mexico City Bureau: Apartado 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. Switch in Direction Hollywood, March 21. — Busby Berkeley, originally scheduled to handle the direction of Warners' "Dames," will now handle only the dance and musical numbers. Ray Enright will direct the story. Hillyar Injured Cincinnati, March 21. — William J. Hillyar, associate editor The Billboard, sustained painful, although not serious, injuries when his automobile skidded and overturned on a country road. Wampas Frolic Set Hollywood, March 21. — With election of the Wampas "Baby Stars" slated for March 27, it has been definitely decided to stage a "Baby Star" frolic in conjunction with the event. Mrs. Herrick Due Today Mrs. Eleaniore M. Herrick, in charge of the local regional NRA labor board, returns today from a quick trip to Washington. Kelly Goes Saturday Arthur W. Kelly, vice-president in charge of foreign distribution for United Artists, leaves for Hollywood Saturday and thereafter for Australia. BEN BLUE Under Contract WARNER BROS. VITAPHONE STUDIO Now Making Personal Appearances in England Direction of JOE RIVKIN — Leo Morrison Agency Off o N March 13, this column said, among other things: "What is solid opinion throughout the country talking about? Here in New York and certainly in Hollywood there is apt to be too much self-complacency, too much self-satisfaction in affairs celluloid and much too little concern over what important _ factors in molding public opinion reflect and talk about. "Confined to no particular creed, churchmen of many denominations are urging their constituents to watch the types of pictures which play their local theatres. In some instances, and enough of them to indicate all is not well with the current status of business, the public is being admonished not to go at all. "It's the old story, not even in new dress, but enough momentum, backed by enough reason, has been given the movement to make it frightfully dangerous if notes are ever matched and a joint course of procedure ever determined upon. "The inescapable fact that ties in with all of this is that many of the potshots taken at films strike home because the bullets are manufactured from truths. . . ." B, OB WILBY, one of the leading showmen of the Southast and acknowledged as such by all who know him or of him. noted and digested the comment, then dropped the following in the mailbox : "You are right in what you say, but there's a lot more to be said. The real objection to the type of dirt that now is getting into pictures is not in the company making a 'She Done Him Wrong' or any other story that very definitely stands for what it is, and thereby gives warning to anybody who goes into the theatre as to what they will see, but to the gags which are injected into otherwise clean pictures. And that goes particularly for the 2-reel comedies. Take 'Wonder Bar' ; there's no reason in the world for some of the things in that picture and there is nothing about 'Wonder Bar' that would give the patron of the theatre any advance warning that that's what he is getting in for. Some of the gags in 'Scandals,' an otherwise delightful picture, are the same way. "That's the sort of thing that the Hays organization seems unable to combat. They can bar a complete story, and they generally make suckers of themselves when they do it, but they seem unable to get at the Pullman smoker gags injected into the revue or comedy type of film, and I honestly believe that this is the source of most of the censor troubles that are springnng up so fast over the country. "The funny part of it is that these gags never add anything to a picture. They just detract, whereas the completely risque picture may entice an audience all its own into the theatre and. at the same time, keep out those people who do not care for that sort of thing. "I'm not crusading — I'm just telling you." And that appears to be that. T ^^^HAT continues to go on throughout the nation? There is. for instance, the problem advanced for Hollywood to ponder over by Herman J. Bernfeld, writing editorially in the Cincinnati Enquirer, a daily of much power in its territory. That constant revision in any production code of ethics is necessary and always will be is this writer's thought. He reflects over the question of whether changes should come through revolution or evolution, points out sporadic crusades are of little value because usually they are localized, (Continued on page 7) Most Issues Off on Big Board Net High Low Close Change Columbia Pictures, vtc 26 ft 265* 2674 — ft Consolidated Film Industries 4ft 4ft 4ft — J4 Consolidated Film Industries, pfd IS IS — ft Eastman Kodak 89 8754 8754 —lft Fox Film "A" 15 J* IS IS Loew's, Inc 3154 30J4 3VA — ft Loew's, Inc., pfd 90 90 90 +1 M-G-M, pfd 23 23 23 —1 Paramount, cts 4% 4ftz 454 — ft Pathe Exchange 354 3ft 3ft — ft Pathe Exchange "A" 1854 1754 1854 — ft RKO 35* 3ft 35* -ft Warner Bros 654 65* 65* — ft Technicolor Drops XA on Curb Net High Low Close Change Technicolor 8ft Sft 8ft —ft Warner Bonds Off One Net High Low Close Change General Theatre Equipment 6s '40 9ft 9ft 9ft — 5* General Theatre Equipment 6s '40, ctf 854 85* 854 +54 Loew's 6s '41, ww deb rights 98 97ft 97ft + ft Paramount Publix Sfts 'SO 49ft 49ft 49ft — ft Warner Bros. 6s *39, wd 555* 54 54 —1 4 Purely Personal ► Annabella, French actress, and Roger Dann and Andre Verley, all under contract to Fox, arrive toda; on the He de France and will leave immediately for the Coast to work in the French version of "By Royal Command." Jack Jossey and Jim Alexander are Monogram men and are in no way connected with Majestic. Both are in town conferring with W. Rav Johnston and Eddie Golden. Leo Abrams, Max Cohen, Louis Xizf.r, Charles Rosenzweig, Harry Brandt, Julius Tannen and William Small among M. P. Club diners yesterday. Milt Kusell, who returned yesterday with Neil Agnew from a southern cruise which took them as far as Trinidad, lost 11 pounds on the trip. Herbert Spencer Berg has new cheaters — chromium plated rims everythin'. Strained his eyes looking for U. A. publicity. Ken Maynard sails today with Mrs. May-nard on the Berengaria for a tour of Europe. Jimmy Cagney is around New York. It's all supposed to be very quiet. Harry C Arthur has booked "Journal of Crime" for the Roxy, date, undecided. Rian James, former columnist now turned scenarist, is at the St. Moritz. Just in from Hollywood. Andre Daven, European production manager for Fox, arrives today on the lie de France. Myron Sattler, New York Paramount branch manager, leaves today for a West Indies cruise. J. J. Unger is still basking in Flor-j ida sunshine. Virginia visitor. Pine is another coast Sales 300 400 900 1,200 500 4,300 100 100 7,800 2,500 800 500 1,200 Sales 700 Sales 28 20 5 5 7 Talbot on New Ticket Hollywood, March 21. — Lyle Talbot has been given a new First National contract. MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC 1954-35 NOW /N PMPAAAT/OA/ WHERE THE WORLD LOOKS FOR MOTION PICTURE xcmoi MCTUAI 954 3! HIKE ♦ C22 I