Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

April 11, 19 3 1 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 41 Discusses Wide Film Obstacles Big Increase in Usage of Color Seen After 2 to 5 More Years N. D. ("Nate") Golden, assistant chief of the motion picture division of the Department of Commerce, who, elsewhere on this page, predicts from two to five years will develop "before greatly increased color production may be anticipated." Turnstile Idea Abandoned For Trans-Lux Theatres Deciding that the original plan is impractical, the Trans-Lux Movies Corporation has decided to abandon the idea of having patrons enter its theatres through turnstiles operated by the insertion of a quarter. Since opening of the first theatre in New York a few weeks ago, it has been decided that patrons too often would have to hunt for places to get the proper change. As a result, all Trans-Lux theatres, which employ rear projection and are to be operated on a basis of greatly reduced overhead, will have cashiers to make change and take the money for admission. Decides Children Under 14 Will Be Barred From Stage Philadelphia — Children under 14 will be prohibited from appearance on Pennsylvania stages, according to an opinion rendered by Judge Francis Brown, Jr. A test case, involving Davey Lee, 9, screen player, was decided in favor of the state, on the ground that employing the child on the stage was a violation of the Child Labor Act. Texas Senate Passes Sunday Bill. N ow Awaiting Signature Austin, Texas — The senate has passed a bill legalizing Sunday performances, similar to one passed two years ago but vetoed by the governor. Sunday prohibition is openly disregarded in most cities in Texas, and has been for many years. Discovered: One Town Which Has No Crime Wove! Hollywood (QP) — "We have no crime wave," said Sam Bradford, chief of police of the City of M-G-M. "We have none because we have an efficient and active police force. Just like other cities, we have traffic problems to meet, thievery and so forth. And besides we have a constant stream of embryonic gate crashers and sightseers to take care of, probably more than almost any other city of the size." The "chief," with 30 years of active police service behind him, both in Seattle and Oklahoma, then explained the intricate peace service of a novel city, one with a large residential section, concentrated business section and huge industrial section. "Just take our traffic department," he continued. "We have miles of streets, all busy ones. Our blocks are short and everything must be kept moving at intersections. The delay of a sound truck on the way to location would hold up an entire company. We have to have our 'stop streets' and we have a regular force to direct pedestrians and cars. We even have a parking problem for the ways must be kept clear. And though we have a fine fire prevention system, we have to have officers to make way for fire apparatus in case a blaze should start." The police department is built like that of a large city, with chief, captain and lieutenants. M-G-M City keeps a force large enough to handle a city of 25,000 or more, and in time of greatest production has to put on still more men. "But to come back to our lack of any crime wave," the "chief" went on. "Our difficulty is with outside people with light fingers. There has to be every type of article on the sets. We have no trouble with regular studio citizens, but at times we have thousands of extras and other outsiders to contend with, and occasionally these cause trouble." Sues Circus for $1,040,000; Charges Effort to Monopolize Chicago— Zack T. Miller of the Miller 101 Ranch, has filed a $L040,000 damage suit against Sells-Floto, Ringling and affiliated circus operators, charging a monopoly in the circus business, and specifically, "enticing" Tom Mix from their employ. This was done, according to the complaint, after Mix had been widely advertised, and was part of a conspiracy to drive independents out of the circus business. Pathe Meeting Proxies Called Proxies have been requested for the annual Pathe meeting April 28, when complaints on the RKO deal are expected. George Armsby, Stuart W. Webb and Lester D. Burton are the company's proxies. "Nate" Golden Sees Wide Film Remaining on Shelf Until More Economical Method Develops Washington — The "giant" screen and its , ally, wide films, as a new departure in production-exhibition, will not become a widespread reality until such time as more economical methods for its operation and a standard wide film size is accepted by all companies, states N. D. ("Nate") Golden, as ; sistant chief of the M. P. Division of the ; U. S. Dept. of Commerce. Both color and wide films are being held in abeyance, though the industry an . ticipates increased color production during 193 L his government report states. Color film, on the other hand, Golden says, is growing in popularity, and its value does not lie in its novelty, but in its intrinsic value as a portrayer of scenes in their natural state. Golden stated. Discloses New Plan To overcome one of the difficulties of • production in the early days of color, it : was necessary to double the length of the film and the number of still pictures per minute in order to gather in all the primary colors. A plan has been recently developed, however, to superimpose one still picture upon ■ another, so that all colors could be flashed simultaneously. Under the old plan it was necessary for the film to be run off at a rate of 180 feet per minute, while under the new plan the normal rate of 90 feet per minute is correct. In from two to five years, greatly increased color production may be anticipated, Golden predicts. The giant screen and accompanying film development was undertaken, he said, in order to produce the optical illusion of three dimensions, one of the three major objectives of the industry. The other two, he explained, are sound and color. Mr. Golden gave the following additional information: Sound has obviously succeeded and has become permanently established, while color is still in the developmental stage, and, although greatly advanced over the early efforts, much remains to be done. Production in Abeyance Difficulties arising from color-film pro ■ duction fall entirely upon the producer, while the difficulty of production and exhibition of the giant-size film fall with equal ; burden upon producer and exhibitor. When the giant-size film and screen was : first developed by motion picture engineers, different producing corporations adopted different gauged films for their production. From the original 35-millimeter old-style film, producers changed to 56, 65 and 70 millimeters. Because of the confusion ' brought about by these variations, the Society of Motion Picture Engineers recommended a standard giant film of 50 millimeters. None of the producers committed themselves to that standard, however, and none of them have really come around to its adoption.