Variety (Dec 1928)

20 I VARIETY P I C T UR E S iVednesday, DecemBer 5, 1928 Iowa Indies Repudiate Natl Assn; Going With Steffes Allied States Des Moines, IDec. 4. At a tneetiner here 100 Iowa inde- pendent theatre owners voted to affiliate with the Allied States Mo tlon Picture Theati'e Owners' As sociation In Its campaign to change present terms of arbitration clauses in existing contracts. Previously the Iowa association had been afflliated with the Motion . Picture Theatre Owners' Associa- tion of America; . .At. the meeting here members expressed the view that chain theatres and producing companies now exercise so much Influence in affairs of that group It no longer satisfactorily represents the Independcht owner. , The meeting was ' addressed j»y W. E.. Steffes and Glenn A. Cross; Both urged afflllation with the new group. Summer Attraction Film Road Show UNWED MOTHERS Percentage Booking Anyvyhere—Send Date* SAMUEL CUMMINS Pttblix Welfare Pictures Corp. 723 Seventh Ave^ New York HERNIE KING Musical Master of Ceremonies Direction Fanchoin and Uarco Qakiand Theatre, Oakland Pulled Sound Fihn, Damages Are Asked The first sound contract dispute between producer, and exhibitor coming to light Is on the docket of the Hays' arbitration board in New Haven. Xt is an action brought by Para- mount against Alfred Gottesman, New England theatre owner, clalri- ing damages for his alleged failure to play ^'Beggars of Life"" for the full time specified In the contract. That the dislts were Imperfectly recorded Is his contention, (3pttes- man said. He makes this declara- tloli, he stated, after he had. com- plained to the electric and after finding the same Imperfection in several other sets of duplicate records. A groove in the.records caused a constant repetition of dialog at one part of the production,- the exhib stated. So bad was this Imperfec- tion that he 'decided after running the records through the loud speaker that the sound would have to be dis- continued at that point because of the break. After opening and play- ing "Beggars of Life" for a week In his Roger Sherman, New Haven, Gottesman said he pulled the pic- ture and cancelled its bookings for his other houses; He said: ' "Talkers are great drawers when they are good but the: will kill at- tendance quicker than a poor silent picture when they are bad." Pred Niblo assigned by M-G-M to direct Tolstoi's "Redemption," fea- turing John Gilbert. Production sta:rts Dec. 16. Emily Pitzroy addbd to "Bridge of San Luis Rey," M-G. Ernie Orsatti, baseballer, added to "The Duke Steps Out," M-G. : So Jin signed for lead part In "Thei China Slaver" (Trinity). Carmelita Geraghty added to "Plve o'clock Girl," M-G. STAGE HANDS LICKED IN SAN ANTONIO STRIKE Sari Antonio stagehands local got the worst of It in their fight to obtain an Increase In salarioa, San Antone stagehands, 17, went on strike In three houses there, Majestic (Interstate) and the Strand aiid Texas (Publix). They (lomanded in Increase for the heads of all departments, refused by the theatre. After seven weeks during which the stagehands pulled out the pic- ture operators, the union found it- self licked, ..through . the Publix houses cutting out all stage sh^ws and Installing'^ound films, but.en- gaglng union operators^ The stagehands iiave. slerned again but losing about every bit of ground expected. It looks like the theatres made the cojaditions. The stajge hands work Saturday morning shows gratuitously and there will bo no overtime In the Publix theatres, one of the things demanded by the union. In other Texas cities Including Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston, sti.gehands have settled on a three- year basis of. no increase this year but a. $3 raise in September, 1920, and another |2 tilt in 1930; Toronto's Sunday Hope Toronto, Dec. 4. Decision of Justice Desaulhiefs of Quebec that Sunday movies are not illegal In that province paves' the way for agitation for a seyen-day picture week in Ontario but no im- mediate action Is planned iaccordlng to Col. John A. Cooper, of the Mo- tion Picture Association. The, liord's Day Act was ruled as not binding In Quebec because Sun- day picture performances were given before! the act came into force. This Is not so In Ontario where Sunday pictures have neVer been shown except under the guise of charity or patriotic purpoises. "Tonight At 12"—Favorable "TONIGHT AT 12" (Comedy, Shumlln and Davis, Hudson). A cleverly contrived mix-up between four married couples boy girl with laughable finale. Written by Owen Davis. Should do » ■ . _ ; ^:76ee. ' ■ "The, Sacred Flame"—Unfavorable "THE SACRED FLAME" (Drama, Messmore Kendall and Gilbert Mn ler, Henry Miller's theatre), '^en mik Placid myistery story within English home, interesting but with deed of a mother killing her Injured 26-year-old son with overdose of sleeoln* drug condoned. Ibee "Rainbow"—Favorable "RAINBOW" (Musical, Philip GOodman, Gallo). Atmosphere of gold rush days of '49, classes ao western but witlfc sound ought to serve Ibee, "The Jealous Moon"—Unfavorable .. ".THE JEALOUS MOON" (Brady & Wlman, Drama, Majestic). Fantastic dream stuff of Harlequinade character, actionless and geni* erally familiar, appealing only because of Jane Cowl's personal per* formance. . Abel "Congai"—Unfavorable "CONGAI" (Drama, Sam H. Harris, Harris theatre). Colorful play of the Far East (Indo-Chlna) but with the heroine a, courtesan. Ibee. Hayderi Stevenson signed to play the trainer in the new Collegians series; U. Bernard Slegel added to "The Charlatan," U. Grauttian's Daily Parade Lios Angeles, Dec. 4. Sid Grauman is making a profit- able ballyhoo stunt out of a neces- sity in connection with the showing of "Noah's Ark," at his Chinese theatre In Hollywood. . : Grauman uses a lot of animals in his prolog. There being no ac- co.mmpdations for them near the theatre, it is necessary to bring them a considerable distance each day. Grauman stages a dally parade along Hollywood boulevard Just be- fore the matinee, with an. elephant, two camels, some zebras, horses and ponies, posters hanging from their sides advertising the picture. The parade has attracted plenty of attention. Nina May McKenny, formerly of the New York "Blackbirds," stage, added to "Hallelujah," M-G-M. Johnnie Morris, vaude player, signed for comedy role In "Square Shoulders" (Pathe) AL LYONS AND, NEAL CASTAGNOtI Featured In FANCHON and MARCO IDEAS liOBWS STATE THEATBic LOS ANGELES INDEFINITELY Uichigan Vaude Hgrs. Ass'n Charlie MACK Booking the most extensive circuit of vaudeville and preBenfation the- atres between Niew York and Chicago Michigan Theatre Bldg. DETROIT standard Acte. Write .or Wire SOUND - PICTURES - TALKING iraiiiiiiimiiimtraimiimuiirimiimnmnmimumiitminMimiimimiiiinuiMUitiiiiininiimi iinniiNiimimmtiiiiminniiimuiniiminitimimiiiiii(HnininiiitiiitniiiininiiriHiMimiiiniiiiiiiiiniiiiiinni. ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF OFFICES IN NEW YORK CITY AND LOS ANGELES, CAL. New York Of f ices Located on 17th Hoor, 1776 Broadway Los Angeles^ Padfic Finance Bldgey 621 South Hope Street SOL LESSER, President FRANKLYN WARNER, Vice-President RICHARD F. BAILEY, Secretary MlO^lfiKllS^ WATCH FOR FDRIHER ANNOONCEMENTS