Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Saturday, March 31, 1934 MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 35 March 31, 1934 No. 75 Martin Quigley htiitor-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 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, 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-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. Flash Reviews Upper World — . . . entertainment with plenty of appeal. . . . When Strangers Meet — All this picture can boast is a big name cast. . . . Orders Is Orders — . . . should be all right in neighborhoods. Broken Shoes — . . . Popular entertainment it hardly can be considered. Countess of Monte Cristo — ■ . . . good enough to be entertaining. Reviews of these films will appear in full in an early issue of Motion Picture Daily. Charles N. Koch Dead Louisville, March 30. — Charles Nicholas Koch, president of C. N. Koch & Co., a theatre supply firm, died at the City Hospital. He was 53 years old. Koch was stricken in his office the night of March 11, and lay there until morning, unable to telephone for help. Koch came to Louisville 20 years ago to become manager of the Rex. He established the supply firm eight years ago. He is survived by his wife, a brother, and a sister. Burial was at Cincinnati. Markets Closed New York financial markets were closed yesterday in observance of Good Friday. Jewish members of the industry began celebration of Passover at sundown last night. The observance runs for the next eight days and this year parallels Holy Week. Tri-Ergon to File Para. Claim Appeal (Continued from page 1 ) claimants have notified attorneys for the Paramount Publix trustees. The claims are based on alleged infringements of sound patents held by the claimants. Referee Davis ruled that the claims did not represent damages resulting from the Paramount Publix bankruptcy and disallowed them. A petition for a review of the referee's ruling by the district court was filed immediately. A Federal court action for an accounting by Paramount to determine the extent of damages resulting from the alleged infringement of sound recording and reproducing equipment was filed by American Tri-Frgon more than a year ago. Pending its determination, the amount of the TriErgon claim against Paramount Publix in the bankruptcy action cannot be stated. Kansas City Variety Opening Set Monday Kansas City, March 30. — Permanent quarters of the Kansas City Variety Club will be opened Monday night at the Muehlebach Hotel with a housewarming program and banquet starting at 6 o'clock. Fox Midwest Theatres personnel, with L. J. McCarthy as chairman, will be "kings for the night." The accommodations, on the hotel's fourth floor, comprise a bar and card room equipped with ping pong tables, a reception room and a lounge and library. Kalmine at Work on Pittsburgh Benefit Pittsburgh, March 30. — Harry Kalmine is chairman of the Variety Club committee arranging the annual benefit which is to be held next month. The exact date is to be set within a few days. Tentative plans call for the recruiting of stage and screen talent from a number of spots. Barthelmess Has Bad Ear Hollywood, March 30. — Suffering from an abscessed ear, Richard Barthelmess has been ordered home for a week. This holds up work on his last Warner picture, "Old Doll's House." Following completion of the picture, he will retire for three months and will go to Europe before deciding on future deals. Warners will await the reactions to his last two pictures before making a new offer. Para. Picks Tracy Films Hollywood, March 30. — Paramount has announced that its first two with Lee Tracy will be "A Son Comes Home," an original by Julian Josephson, with Charles Vidor directing, and "One Woman," an original by Tiffany Thayer, with Miriam Hopkins opposite. Goodman Joins Castle Murray Goodman, for the past 10 years a director and secretary of Bray Pictures Corp., has joined Castle Films in charge of eastern non-theatrical distribution, replacing Edward Mayer. Mayer has gone to Chicago as general distribution manager. Para, to Take 14 British Features (Continued from page 1) which have produced for Paramount in Britain in other years. The schedule represents an increase of two features over Paramount's British quota of last year. About 35 dubbed French versions in addition to a small number of features to be made by outside French producers at Paramount's Joinville studio are on the company's schedule for France this year, Hicks said. Paramount's future plans for operating in Germany remain undecided, it was said, but the situation is being considered in the light of current developments in that country. A decision on withdrawing from Germany may be reached within the next few days as a result of reports presented to Adolph Zukor, Paramount president, by Hicks since his return. Reorganization Plans In St. Louis Up Soon St. Louis, March 30. — Federal Judge Davis today set for hearing on April 6 plans for reorganization of the St. Louis Properties Corp., owner of the Ambassador, Grand Central and Missouri theatres, suggesting that in the meantime the parties concerned endeavor to agree on some plan that will be mutually satisfactory. He intimated that he had grave doubts they would be successful. He added that perhaps the best step would be to let the holders of the first mortgages foreclose. There are outstanding $4,050,000 of first mortgage bonds on the Ambassador building and the Grand Central leasehold and $1,917,500 on the Missouri, while second mortgage bonds total $848,000 on all three. Warners holds indirectly a $1,000,000 third mortgage on the theatres. The matter before the court today was a petition to intervene in the receivership case. Zanuck Going Abroad Hollywood, March 30. — Anticipating an absence in Europe, Darryl Zanuck has asked the Academy to relieve him temporarily from his duties on the board of governors and on the executive committee of the producers' branch of the Academy. The two jobs will be filled by Jack L. Warner and William Koenig in the order named. Sets Spanish Series Arthur Sanchez of Trans-Oceanic Film Export has closed a deal with Frank Z. Clemente of Latin American Pictures Corp. for distribution of a series of Spanish dialogue pictures to b° produced in Hollywood. The first is "Amor que Vuelve," featuring Don Alvarado and Renee Torres. May Postpone Suit Wilmington, March 30. — Trial of the Stanley Co.'s anti-trust suit against A. T. & T., Erpi and Westinghouse Electric, scheduled in the U. S. District Court for Monday, may be postponed. First "Baby Star" Signed Hollywood, March 30. — Monogram is the first company to sign one of the Wampas "Baby Stars." She is Gigi Parrish, and she will get a role in "Tane Evre." i Purely Personal ► EDWARD FINNEY, advertising and publicity director for Monogram, and John Harrington, head of the maintenance department, leave for Atlantic City today to get things set for the sales convention, which starts Wednesday. George Arliss will make his first radio broadcast April 14 over a national NBC hookup in celebration of 20th Century's first anniversary. Carl E. Milliken sails for Rome today as one of the American delegates to the International Film Congress. Lew Brice got into town yesterday from the coast and is at the Warwick. C. C. Pettijohn begins a week's hospital stay for observation today. Showcraft to Move Showcraft Pictures will move from 630 Ninth Ave. to the RKO building around June 1. The company plans to make 18 features the first year and 24 each year thereafter. Louis J. Baum is president; Emil K. Ellis, secretary and treasurer, and Adolph Pollak, general sales manager. Distribution will be through franchise holders. More Shifts by Amity In his expansion program John M. Crinnion, head of Amity, has put James Murtagh in charge of the Chicago office. He will operate under the name of Superior Pictures. J. E. O'Toole, former Chicago manager, is now in charge of the Milwaukee and Minneapolis exchanges. In New British Deal Hollywood, March 30. — Clarence E. Ericksen, Douglas Fairbanks' business manager, returning here today, announced the star had entered into a new deal with London Films for a series of productions to be made in Europe. Michael Going to Coast Buffalo, March 30. — Jules H. Michael, chairman of the Western New York zone, M. P. T. O. A. of New York State, is the only person from the Buffalo area to signify his intention of attending the national convention in Los Angeles. Morris Coming East Hollywood, March 30. — Chester Morris will leave for New York next Monday after completing "Embarrassing Moments" for Universal. He will be away about six weeks and will make a series of personal appearances. Gaumont Adds to Staff Following appointment of Sam Rosen as representative for the company in Philadelphia, Gaumont British within the next week or 10 days will name a representative for Chicago. Mrs. Wallace Beery III Hollywood, March 30. — Mrs. Rita Beery, wife of Wallace, 's seriously ill at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital and is under observation.