Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 11. 1930 M o lion Picture News 1] OUTLOOK sist the pressure will urge caution, but, take it from an Insider who has been watching this business for years, the t i > 1 <_• will refuse to be stemmed. The spark of one knock-out. smash hit will be sufficient to set the fires of a wide film revolution flaming clear across the nation. Kennedy Returns Remember when Joe Kennedy tipped and declared he had retired from films in favor of banking? Some of the industry's oracles fell for it. The Insiders held a meeting, developed what at the time looked like a brainstorm and then expressed the thought in print that Joseph P. had no such idea ; that if he had, it wouldn't be long before he changed his mind. It's come. You can stop us if we're wrong, but this is what The Insiders see from their Outlook tower : That Kennedy is figuring in the discussions now being waged between David Sarnoff and Elisha Walker anent the acquisition of Pathe by Radio (You'll find more of this elsewhere. ) That Kennedy has been conversing with Joe Schenck regarding the possibility of a deal between Pathe and United Artists. That, if United Artists decides to call it a day. Kennedy may be the chap whose job it will be to place the U.A. stars on other programs. You can't do all that when you're on the retired list. A New Gadget Hollywood, the land of previews, is now under the constant surveillance of every major circuit in the field. This is how it works : Each circuit chain has a spotter whose job it is to cover previews, analyze new product from the b.o. and hurry his opinion through to his superior in New York. In some instances, the spotter is on the payroll of the studio affiliated with the circuit. In other instances, the sleuth operates under special assignment. This criss-cross check-up practically covers every picture made. This is why it works : While the big producers are linked together in booking alignments with each other's circuits, it is obviously essential, for instance, for the Warners to know what Paramount is about to spring. Twist it any way you like and the conclusion is the same. Strategic spotting of star names is a very vital factor in suc cessful theatre operation, as is types of pictures. Theatre grosses rise and fall with startling and unexplained rapidity. Any advance information which may have a bearing on bookings is vital information. Generals and Armies DACK in '17 or thereabouts when Germany and the Allies were cussing at each other across the trenches, it finally became apparent that, like cooks, too many generals often soured the broth. So eventually came the decision to appoint a commanderin-chief of the Allied forces. From then on, it seems, the various sectors acted in unison and when one army needed reserves, there was no quibbling. The reserves went in to stem the tide of battle. This mild dabble into history illustrates what happened between Harold B. Franklin and Harley L. Clarke. Franklin unquestionably did a fine job in building up Fox West Coast to its present enviable position. Harold has always felt that he had contributed a very substantial portion of Fox Film's profits and insisted this was possible because he ran his powerful chain as he saw fit and without anything beyond a perfunctory control from New York. On the other hand, Clarke felt that, while Franklin was very much of a main drag executive, Fox West Coast was, after all, only one of the children and Fox Film the daddy; that if the parent insisted upon administering a dose of castor oil the child should have been obedient enough to swallow it. Franklin thought otherwise and said so; the two viewpoints refused to become reconciled and the former is now out. There were other considerations, such as salary and a percentage of the net, but they weren't one-two-three by comparison with the real issue that caused the split. Till'', enigmatic Mr. Hughes, after all, will produce "Queer People." the story of Hollywood which has sometimes been described in picture circles as one of the most vicious attacks on Hollywood ever published. Why? The Insider.* level a question at Hughes which many in the business are thinking. In Hollywood, the commonly accepted yarn is that Hughes bought the picture rights because he was tipped off the authors planned a sequel in which his "Hell's Angels," fetish was the keystone. If that is correct, those who have the best interests of the business in mind fail to understand why, once having purchased the film rights, Hughes feels he must produce the story, despite the intimation that the venom will be removed. What Hughes apparently has overlooked is the inevitable truth that those who have read " Queer People " will expect to see the picturized version cling to the plot structure and incident of the book. If they don't get it, Hughes will find himself in the position of a producer who is misrepresenting his wares. If he follows the story text, which obviously he cannot do, he will find himself in the unenviable position of a recognized producer holding up his own business to the ridicule of scoffers. Will He, Won't He? Coast gossip is that Alexander Pantages will never serve the one to fifty year prison term imposed for alleged assault. The theatre magnate, who has been granted a new trial, is still a powerful figure on the Coast and there persists in many circles the notion that he was framed. Another factor is the Pantages theatre in Hollywood. Pantages insisted that his name be retained on the structure, said to represent $2,000,000. With that name on the marquee, the investment would be jeopardized if the Pantages jail term is sustained, Coast observers believe. Fox West Coast is reported to have offered plenty to take Pan's name oft" the theatre. The Last Laugh Maybe Fox isn't giving the merry haha these days to the wiseacres, who emitted a series of loud guffaws when Will Rogers was signed. It was a dumb move, these railbirds insisted, for hadn't Rogers proved more or less of a flop in silents? And wouldn't he surely repeat with a nosedive in talkers ? The laugh is occasioned by the grosses being rolled up by the Roger pictures. which have gone over with such a bang that Fox has hastened to put Will under contract. And to show what the company thinks of him, the inside dope is that the contract calls for a weekly pay check of twenty-five grand, with the comedian scheduled to make three pictures for the 1930-31 program. THE INSIDERS