Variety (Dec 1929)

iWedtiewiiij^-December A-.^l^ VARIETY 11 u OFTICKEIS Method Tried Set-Flat Sat- irfattoiy—In Blinilriatloh of the* ticket selUhe system n6vr lised in'bo* «fflces aiad Its replacement nvith a toln'checH- -off le being planned by' PubHx for air Itff. theatres shortly after IStew Yeaf's. . Ijistitutfon of the system as .a permahftftt method o£ b'o* office ad- mission by the chain follows mohths "~of expeWmenting with the slug sys- • tern in vavidtis parts- of the cduntry, The first city in which it'wias tried was Chicago, at th? BalibaLn & Katz houses; ■ J'loBt recent was Boston/ The tokens will be sola In lieu of tickets: They will be rptind shaped and a bit smaller than ti <Ilme. Cue tomers pm'Cihasing coins at the box office will drop the slugs into ^Ibt machines similar to' those" used on street cars. Tho niachiries register . the number of deposited coins au- tomatically, thus providing an Im- mediate check on the number of admissions and receipts. . KlAfter 2 ^es—Also in Oaldaiii .. ; Cleveland, , Dec. 3. Tw0 new theatres, ftre to be byilt here by. the Warners, If sites can be secured at the right price., Con ptrudtion nSay stairt:^ iii '^eppukry or March aihd fee completed By fall. Watrners intend one ^o 6^ largest film house outside of New Tork, ^eating near 6,000. Other will be 2,500-seater for run films. Both wtU be built, dn iEuclid avenue between "Easri2t"h arid East 17th streets. Wilrnfers how own' IS picture houseS. in bhid. Negotiations for the two new theatres are being'car Tied on between X Silverman, inan ager of Warner's real estate depart ment, and C. A. Cornsweet, of Gen eral Securities Co., Warner's local real estate rep and land owner. Oakland, Cal.', Dets. 3 Warners has purchased the Broad ^ay and 20th street site for $1,750, 000. Plan immediate construction of a theatre, meanwhile dickering with the Hippodrome over Vita , phone contract. This is the .first of several con Gtruction moves announced. Pjjb- llx is after'a site In the same neigh- borhood, and Fox has announced a new Oakland house for 1930. W. E. Gift to Indies Western Electric's first gift to the indie exhibitor is a trail- er to be run prior to an in- Mailatlon. Film strip Is silent but it Is duplicated in spund to run with the first talker pro- gram or as inany :thereafter as the Indie sees fit; . Govenunenf Cases^f 33 1^ Fiim Industiy Washington, Dec, 3. Of the 33 ^nti-trust "C^ses pend- ing jn the courtS; and mentioned in the annual report of the. Attorney General for the fiscal .year, ending June 30. last, six inyplye the picture 'Industry." ■ . ,■. ' M-Ct.-M, .Hayjs organization, et al lii Illinois ITor allege4 ^conspiracy In •vylthholding films from exhibitors duflngathe picture str4He,in Cl^icago during August and Sept., 1927. Pleas of not guilty were entered and case is'awaiting trial. Information filed March 24, 1928. Paramount, Hays organization, film boatids of trade, and' others on arbitration' in Ne^' • York courts. Trial concluded March 26, 1929, with decision' rieservedv ' • • ' P. N. and the same • group as hamecl,In case*above inVolvihg al- leged" understandings and the work- ings -of credit committees. Trial of case concluded in New Tork courts March 13, 1929; and a decision ad- verse to the .• government handed down. ' West Coast . Theatres, - et 9-1. In- formation filed Sept.; 28, ^928, In- volving protection. ■ Final outcome awaited. • Balaban and. Katz Corp et al. Pe- tition filed Dec. 15, 1928, ia Illinois. iPrptection over long periods. Case awaiting trial. i • Westv..iCoa6t Theatres, Inc., et al. Indictment; returned. April 19, 1929, In Californla on the-same protection charges.^ Case now. in course of trial procedure^ To this now added the Fox and Wamep suits, bringing, total up; to eight.. , _ . In .his general summary, under the .aiiti-.trust Jaws Mr. Mitchell adds tliat there ^ere 58 c6nvictlon3,"ltf- cludlng 86 consent decrees, secured in this class of casej during the year. "Fines amounting to $37,000 wei'e Imposed and sentences totaling three yiaaris were obtained," adds the report. Anti-trust, Suite Against Fox and WiTI»er»' Surprise- Under Claytbh i^ct. Edge With C^verl^i^iiit—Suite Not Und^irstaqidiible at This i^articular Time STOCKS FOLLOW SUITS Waahlrigtpii, Loew stock purchased' liam. Fox last March, ais the "Loew control Dec. 3f ' by Wil- and knovyn •tock," artd the stock bought by W'aifnef Broth- ers oF'First National and Stanley Company; wiil follow' the actibns brought J last week by the govern- ment in an attempt to have the court order that Fox and the War ners divest themselves df those hbldings, it Is stated here. Not much detail can be obtained Various propositions! p^aci.^d before the' logral minds were 'feyaded. One such was what it felther di the "puY chasers had disposed of their con trol holdings or part of theni. An dther was If the Dept. of Justice gained a decision and Walrners and Fox had to get rid of their control stock holdings, to whom and at what price could they theja be dis posed of? ., Only answier obtainable was that the. stocks, follow the suits, with out further enlightenment., al though it was stated that, the gov- ernment's suit does not pU^ce an actual Uen upon the stock Involved •.A xiuestion If Warners and Fox, or either, disposed of control holdings to firms or persons not in compe tition with them or their subsid larles, .what could be the ,, result, -wis met by a vague reply- tfiat that mlght be a solution. Warners hold 100% of the Stan- ley and about' 75% of the First National stocks. Fox bought trom the Nicholas Schenok gr<>up, ac- cording to the government's com plaint, around 436.000 shares of Loew's. Since that time. It Is said Fox has acquired another 225,000 shares In the open market. This (Continued on page 19) ., , lios Angeles, Dec. S. Forum theatre here, a 1,600-seater hoiise, t>ne floor, has been purchased by Warners from the American . Mortgage Company fo^^ $690,000. Theatre -was built five years ago . and has . been under lease , to- Gus Metzger, who operated witb second runs at. 25 cents top. Warners will' redecorate and use It for neighborhood first runs. Meti- ger receives $50,000 to vacate from the new Comers. He had a 10-year :,lease with eight to go. Bandit's Return Date Flop; Lingering to Squawk Fatal Los Angeles, Dec. 3. ^ Walter Temklepaugh flopped ''•when he^ played a return-stick-up at the Golden Gate theatre. Temklepaugh held up Helen ' Weddle, cfltshier, Sept. 22 iind got away with 1162. 'He the re- turn date Nov. 23, only got $20 and . lihpered to squawk on the small . Pickens. Miss Weddle got a good look at him, went down to police -head- Qunrters and pointed out his mug = ill the gallery. He was later picked lip at Fullftrton and will, be ar ruigned Dec^ 5, Loew'sMost Pay Pittsburgh Contracting Firm $114,824 New York appellate division af- firmed a judgment for $114,824 against Loew's, Inc., in favor of the Mellon-Stuart Co., Pittsburgh con- tracting company, for breach of an agreement by which the contrac- tors were to build a theatre of the defendant In Pittsburgh at cost plus $100,000. The. deal fell through after It had been arranged to build at Penn avenue and 6th street, and a theatre was built finally for the Al- dlne Amusement .Co., later known as the Penn-Federal Co., Loew sub- sidiary, by another contractor. The appeal was based on the . con- tention that the plaintiff rested Its cas^ on an oral statement by Mar- cus Loew during a preliminary dis- cussion, and that Loew's, Inc., was not bound by It. It was also as- serted that the plaintiff failed to prove It would have miade |100,000 if it had received the contract. Places Eugene Ziibr in High Post 1st RnnS on Broadway (Subject to Change); : Wsek Doc. "6 i , Capitol.—"Song of Lave" (Co-j - l^umbia). • '• ' ; Colony—"Skinner Steps Out" Paramount —"Half-Way to.; Heaven" (Par). Roxy — "South- V Sea Rose" ■ (Fox). Strand "Gold D1 g g « r s" :(WB).- Week DeCi tS. Capitol—"Hallelujah" (M^G- M).' '•■ ... • : - Colony — "Lucky in Love"- (Pathe). Par amount-^ ''Glorifying: American Girl" (Par). . . j Roxy-^"CJhristina" (Fox). Strand—"Paris" (FN). ■ Runs Dec. 9 — "Hunting" Tigers" (Cohan). ' ■ Dec. 14—"Dance Haiv; (Globe). Dec. 23—"Devil May Carfe" (Astor). UNION MEN HELD Operators Arrested ort/ Bombino Charge at Barrinfltottj^ lllif : , Elgin; III., Dec. 3. Two local picture operators'Union officials, Frank H. StIqkling, sejjre- tarj% and Frank i A, McBrien, ngent, ar6 at Ilbertjr iindier |B;O0O* bonds each, following their arrest on war- rants charging them with conspir- acy to 5iamage the business of tjie CatVow theatre in Harrington, lU.» after. ;the?Ltre. had been bombed; damagjlnff the front.. Damiage esU- mated at.$500. ' . ., J ^ Stickling, stag^ electrician, lor Public-Great States, houses l*er«< and--McBrlen, -operatoy .in the rPe kalb and Sycamore region, denl^il they knew anythins about .the l)omblng. CatloWi ojvner of the. house, states that fetlcltillng and McBrien had Come to .him and told him to hire union'operators for the good of his business. : Merging, of all Paramount-Publir departments arid re-allgninig theni under the. supervision of onie' cen- ^^alfeed head^ Is seen iri the recent change In .department management brougiit about In the twin orgahiza- tibh. It hot'only combines the. .re-> search departments of both the Jkic- ture company and tbe theatre, chain but iilso shifts th& construction and malnterianbe departments undeV one heaid.'; ■■■ Siipervi^fng these activities will be fiugene Zukor. The change as effected Is eipected to ihaterlally reduce expenses In a.11 the. digpartments. Previously they ; Were segregated and (Coriducte.d" in- dependently. Some-of the dcpartnients head- qtuartef^d in other sections • Of the 'country. Tliey have been shifted to the home bfllce. Theatre cbn - Btfuctloh pljinned and originated troth New. Ybrk iirider the :new re-, alignment, and all stitdio construc- tion. Prior to this the constrUctipn department of Pubtix was located in Chicagro. Young Ztikor's Post The new change comes on ' top Of the recent appointment of A; J. 'Balaban, to be chief of all Publix stage and short production for' both companies. The realignment of departments makes the younger Ztikor boss of everything except distribution, the- atre management, booking and pro- duction: ' Directly under Eugeno and acting as assistdnt.to lilm is Morris Green- berg, now holding the neMy created post of'general'sui)e*Trisor of Pub- lix. < He formerly-.was in charge' of the construction. • B. B. Buchanan, formerly of tho construction depart- ment in' Chicago, and long aisso- clated with Balaban & Katz, Is the head' of all construction, activities. The" research departments of Para- imount'^and Publix^ united> i^ .under tlie; directorship of Dn . N. M. La Porte, also of ChloAgo, while J. Elder is now in charge of the main- tenance department.' .^.vJEY»n'.Perkins. Is . genera.l s.uperin-_ -tendent, and Jtoscoe Major, general engineer. Confession Clears Eyerly Des Moines, Dec. 3. Joe G. Eyerly, former theatre owner and promoter of Newton, la., was charged with assault to commit iniirder^on^lnformatioTi-flled^by-'po^ lice in connection with the shooting of Lloyd Bennett of Newton, Mary Ella Ream, charged with abetting Eyerly, was brought to Des Moines from Peoria before Bennett confessed to having inflicted the woitnd himself. The two men have been rivals for Miss Ream's affections. CARIVIELITA GERAGHTY Carmellta Geraghty, who has been a featured player Ih silent pictures for several years, is one of the yourr riliyei'a who made an instant nit When talking pictures arr^^til. . ^. Miss Geraghty's first talkl*' te.«»t (levlirped that ahc hu-s u distinctive rich quality in her voice pf^ciiliurly rle.-u'noN' I'or t.-ilkin^' i>ii't,urf;s. ■ Her first engagement w.<.- in 'TJu-i'-: 35 >ini(l."' *'ollo-.v"ii i>y yJioihor im portant role In "The MlK-;i.M.sii)i)i (JMurul -r ' ;.it\i1 .-i nV<n mkh-o prominent role in "The Thing Called Love." Like other successful actrosf-es in II«<lly%voo(l Miss Cai nicliiii ha.-i pujic< tuated her screen work -vvitii occasional btaare engacft'm'.-ntij. C. B. LAHA CHARGED WITH GRAND LARCENY Syracuse, K. T., Dec, 8 Grarland B. Latta, head of the |2,» 000,000 investord LTnderwritlng^ Corp., financial power back of tiao Salina theatre Corp., controlling' the Empire, Syracuse, and Brighton theatres here, was arrested yester- day (Monday) on three warrants charging grrand larceny. Arrest took place at the offices of the uu- der'tvritlng corporation Jn the Lo«iw building. Two of the warrants charge grar d larceny In the fivst degree. TJte other placed the alleged offense at second degree grand larceny. They Virere issued by D. M. Mawhlnney, assistant district attorney. Affaire of the Latta corporation came to a stand still last week when Hamilton Ward, attorney genesral, obtained an Injunction to prevent the sale, purchase, or Issuance of securities, until Dec. 7 when the state will move to. make the In- junction permanent. W, B. Unbe- hend, vice-president of the Lincoln National Bank and Trust Company, was named receiver for the corpora- tion. State's Injunction was sought upon affidavits citing charges of fraud against the corporation and declaring that customers have been unable, to obtain the delivery of securities purchased for them. The state Charges in Its civil action that LoJ;te_drw^235,Q^g^^^^l^^^^ company for his. own personal arid private ventures. Latta broke Into show business durini? the summer when he ac- quired the lease of the Empire the-r atre. Later, he is said to hai'e financed the deal' which gave the Salina Theatre Corp. control o£. tlie Syracuse and Brighton.