Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1937)

Hollpood May Pick Up Wallp-WindsorYarn BUYS FILMS LIBRARY FOR STOCK SHOTS For use as clips and stock shots in its series of 12 productions to be made during the 1937-38 season, the newly-organized Phoenix Productions, Inc., has purchased the Hollywood film library, formerly a part of the Thomas Ince estate. The library consists of 130,000 feet of material. The purchase was made by Lawrence C. Lee, president of the company, who last week closed a deal for rental space with the Hollywood Studios. Charles E. Coe, vice-president of the company, was expected in Hollywood this week to confer with Lee and other members of the company on production details, on which two pictures have definitely been set for early shooting. FIVE DEPART FOR RCA CONVENTION M. P. Burns, Everett Isenhower, James E. Francis, A. E. Jackson and Seth Perkins left last week to attend the RCA Photophone annual sales convention in Indianapolis, which got underway this week. Burns, assistant vice-president of RCA Manufacturing Co. in Hollywood, then journeys to Camden for conferences with eastern officials. Isenhower is manager of district 19; Francis is RCA’s western division manager; Jackson manages theatre equipment in Hollywood for RCA, and Perkins is in the Los Angeles Photophone office. NATURAL NOVELTIES BY WILD LIFE UNIT A series of one, two and three-reel shorts will be produced by Wild Life Productions, Inc., new company being organized by Mervyn Freeman, formerly west coast head of Universal newsreel. The films will be nature novelties. Freeman is dickering for studio space and release channels. First production on the schedule will be “Friendly Enemies.” Ballew for Westerns After casting about for several weeks for a successor to Richard Arlen in his series of Harold Bell Wright and Zane Grey westerns, Sol Lesser has signed Smith Ballew for the chores. Ballew joins Principal upon termination of his RKO Radio contract. The Lesser pictures will be released through 20th Century-Fox. Lease GN Space Victoria films has leased studio space from Grand National for the production of “I Believe in You,” starring Rosita Moreno, a musical to be filmed in Spanish. John Rinehart directs with William Gordon producing. Shooting starts May 20. GRAND NATIONAL PHYSICIAN Official studio physician at Grand National will be Dr. Edward Skaletar, appointed by Edward Alperson. An office with a trained nurse will be established on the lot shortly. Here is Sigvard Bernadotte, left, who has kept his princely position m his native Sweden waiting while he learns the motion picture business in Hollywood. He is shown here directing Madeleine Carroll in court etiquette for “The Prisoner of Zenda," at Selznick International, ivhere he is an associate technical advisor. Prince Sigvard intends to remain in the film colony. Metro Sales Polici] to Follow '36 Lead Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s sales policy for the 1937-38 season will remain substantially as it was during the preceding year, according to the announcement made by W. F. Rodgers, general sales manager, during the closing days of the company’s annual sales convention which terminated here late last week. Certain individual changes will, however, be worked out to cover specific local situations. Increases in gross sales and subsequent increased profits due to the launching of its then revolutionary sales policy during 1936-37 prompted the decision not to change tactics, Rodgers declared. Held at the Ambassador Hotel, the Metro convention terminated Thursday night with a formal dinner dance on one of the studio’s sound stages after five days of business sessions and entertainment. Louis B. Mayer, vice-president in charge of Metro’s production, acted as host to the scores of delegates who attended from all parts of the country as well as abroad. Various executives presented reports of their departments’ progress during the past year. With Great Britain’s coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth occupying the international news limelight, Hollywoodians are commenting this week on the fact that despite the abdication of King Edward, now David Windsor, because of his love for an American commoner, her subsequent divorce and their romantic reunion, which has been one of the most significant happenings in modern history, the film capital’s producers have kept a strict handsoff policy on the making of any films predicated on the world-stirring events. GN May Upset Precedent This policy of steering clear of the story may, however, be upset if negotiations now being carried on by John Barrymore and Elaine Barrie Barrymore with Grand National come to a successful conclusion. A deal is being worked out whereby Barrymore and his “Ariel” will have leading roles in the English stage play, “The Royal Box,” which would be adapted to the screen as “The Royal Lovers” — an announcement indicating that, should an agreement be reached, GN will be first to break the ice and attempt to capitalize through the boxoffice on the WindsorSimpson romance. Hollywood, marvelling at producers’ avoidance of the subject up till this time, in direct opposition to the trend toward going to current headlines for story material, believes the answer lies in reports that the policy was established by preagreement among the major studios, which felt that filmization of the subject would give rise to protests in England which would possibly upset the already perilously wavering British market. Neither representatives from the Hays office nor individual producers could or would confirm the rumors, but it is thought highly probable that they have steered clear because of an unanimous decision that a SimpsonWindsor picture would be nothing but bad business. Independents Lack Financial Backing Independent producers, not bound by such agreements and not as worried over foreign markets and the possibility of incurring British displeasure, have kept hands off chiefly, it is believed, because of the lack of sufficient financial backing to do justice to the treatment. Should the present Barrymore-Grand National deal for the production of a film which has marked resemblances to the royal romance be clinched, Hollywood dopesters aver, the major producers will watch the film’s reception closely before deciding to follow suit. Hepburn Returns After a six-month road tour with the stage play, “Jane Eyre,” Katharine Hepburn has returned to Hollywood and reported to RKO Radio to begin preparations for her next picture, “Stage Door.” BOXOFFICE ;; May 15, 1937. 43