Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 11. 19 30 .1/ o l i (i ii P i c t u r e Sews 25 Rally Round the Flag, Boys, There's A Traitor in Camp Who Needs Shooting Industrial Units to Continue Paramount and Pathe will not junk their industrial departments, contrary to current reports which state that both companies found the sledding too tough and decided to pull out. The former is understood to have §1,250,000 in uncompleted contracts for production of industrials now on the books. Entrance of Warners recently stiffened the competition in a field which turns over heavy grosses if theatre time can be secured for the ad plugs. The picture companies, adverse to tying in their houses on this basis will offer no guarantee for playing time, and, as a result, are finding customers few and far between. "U" and Bureau Warn Against 'All Quiet' Trick Columbus — Protests from Universal and the Better Business Bureau of Ohio have been received by the Ohio exhibitor unit over the manner in which some exhibitors are advertising a picture formerly known as "The Battle of Chateau Thierry." The picture is being billed as "All Quiet along the Battle Front," which the bureau and the Ohio unit agree is misleading advertising and injurious to "All Quiet on the Western Front." The exhibitor association is asking its members to refrain from being a party to any such "deception and misrepresentation of this nature." Stench Bombs in Two San Jose Houses; 1 Arrest San Francisco — A San Francisco man was arrested as labor trouble broke out anew in two San Jose motion picture theatres employing non-union operators. Jack Setton was accused of exploding two stench bombs in the National and the Hester theatres. Setton confessed, San Jose police said, and further declared that a San Francisco man had hired him for $10 to "bomb" the theatres. San Jose authorities brought him here and were still searching for the instigator of the plot. Returns to Coast Hollywood — Herman J. Mankiewicz. scenarist at the Paramount studios, has returned from Xew York, where he has been working at the company's eastern studio. During his stay in Xew York Mankiewicz worked on the screen play for "The Royal Family." now being filmed there with Ina Claire. Frederic March. Mary Brian and Henrietta Crossman heading the cast. Merchants Aid Para. Opening Fort Wayne. Ind. — Merchants and civic associations were brought into the Paramount theatre opening celebration, with department stores plugging the new house via windows. Paramount, RKO Rivalry in N. W. Becomes Hectic Minneapolis— Drift apart of Paramount and Radio on the switching of play dates will result in an aggressive campaign by RKO in this territory this year, it is reported. New first runs in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester and Winona in Minnesota, La Crosse and Eau Claire, in Wisconsin, Fargo, N. D., and Sioux Falls, S. D., are planned by the chain. In addition, Iowa and Nebraska may be invaded by RKO to get into closed Publix spots, it is stated. Scouts for the company have been here recently considering the situation as regards the Minneapolis territorv. RKO Reported Seeking Libson Cincy Theatre Cincinnati — Negotiations are under way for acquisition of Keith's by RKO, according to report in circulation here, which is to effect that a deal will be finally completed within two w'eeks. Keith's, operated InUnited Theatres Corporation, of which Isaac Libson is the executive head, is the only first-run house here not taken over from the Libson-Heidingsfeld interests in the recent RKO transfer. Schrecklich! Hollywood — Probably it is just an old German custom. Any way, Hans Kraly, former assistant to Ernst Lubitsch, took a sock from his erstwhile boss. It was at a dancing party given by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Lubitsch said it was because Kraly and the former Mrs. Lubitsch taunted him, while Kraly said he didn't know what the fracas was all about. However, Lubitsch conceded a technical knockout for his divorced wife, predicting sarcastically a brilliant pugilistic career for her. The wife came to Kraly's aid after her former husband struck the writer. She said the attack was due to jealousy. Mustering Hollywood Army to Oust Fanatic Who Delights In Knifing Film Folk Hollywood — This town's famous old grapevine system is working plenty overtime in an attempt to clip the wings of a self-appointed fairy godparent who acts more like a serpent than the mythical guardian. This gent has a perverted sense of something or other, judging by his venomous and highly denunciatory attacks made against the industry, in public places, whenever the occasion arises. Most of the town has been wised up to turn thumbs down on the fanatic and his few followers who use the soap-box method of knifing people and the workings of production. On more than one occasion he has attempted to crash the news columns of the daily press, here and elsewhere, but editors recognize in his stuff the work of a poison pen and it usually reaches the furnace via the waste-basket route. It all started several months ago when, unheralded except for the noise of his own trumpet, he arrived in town with his wife and proceeded to the credentials committee of the Wampas for Annie Oakleys to visit the Movie City's studios. When asked for a legitimate reason why such permits should be issued, the crank promptly responded that he and the missus were representing two well-known weekly magazines who had commissioned them to write an article on the industry from the inside production angle. A checkup by the Wampas revealed the fact that commissions had never been assigned to the pair, and what was more, neither of the magazines had ever heard of them. Suspicions of the organization which linked the pair to the enemy camp were, therefore, verified and passes were refused. Not a week had elapsed before the new arrivals began to tear into everything that's sacred to Hollywood — and there are still a few principles which cannot be tampered with. Big names were brought into printed pamphlets which just reeked of libel, and the light was on. Pictures which were nationally recognized as clean and wholesome successes were then put on the spot, and attempts made to place untruthful and dirty "exposes" in various newspapers and magazines. In recent days, this pair has gone the limit, spreading their doctrine of untruth to Xew York and other cities, and launching widespread moves in an attempt to blacken the character of the industry in general. Hollywood believes the gent is just nuts and has been unable to find either political or church affiliations which might have a "sinister" motive for knifinct films and film folk. Rothacker in N. Y. Watterson Rothacker, former head of the Rothacker laboratory and later production manager for First National, is in New York.