Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1937)

Grand National, Universal Prepare for Conventions Numbers two and three on Hollywood’s unprecedented schedule of national sales conventions to be held here by the major motion picture production companies are to get underway early next week when the sales and distribution forces of Grand National and Universal were due to check in May 16 and 17 respectively at the Ambassador Hotel. GN Anniversary Sixty sales delegates and 20 production executives are to attend the GN conclave — marking the first anniversary of the company’s organization— which is scheduled for a fourday session of business and entertainment. Fifty district managers and resident exchange managers and ten home office sales executives and officers were to arrive by special train May 16, with whom midwestern delegates, who joined the train en route to the coast, and San Francisco, Portland and Seattle representatives will make up the 80 GN employes attending the conferences. Edward L. Alperson, GN president, and Edward Peskay, vice-president in charge of distribution, are handling arrangements, assisted by Sol Edwards, eastern district sales manager, and James Winn, in charge of sales in the west. Other convention plans are being handled by Edward Finney, producer and advertising director. Among home office executives to attend are Timothy Murphy, treasurer; W. J. Neary, comptroller; Ann Rosenthal, legal advisor; Winn and Edwards; Stanley Hatch, contract manager; Saul Krugman, sales executive; Mel Hulling, division sales manager; Alfred Crown, sales representative for the LatinAmerican countries; Jack Barnstyn, vice-president and foreign managing director; Edward Ugast, assistant foreign manager, and Harry J. Allen, Canadian distribution supervisor. Among entertainment planned will be a tour of the GN lot and a banquet following closing business sessions of the convention. The opening conference will be highlighted by the naming of winners in the current competitive sales drive, which was to end officially May 15. Several branch managers will, as a result of the drive, be given district manager promotions. The GN program of 65 pictures to be made during 1937-39 will be discussed. Universal Opens May 17 A comparable program is being arranged by Universal, opening its convention at the Ambassador Hotel a day later — May 17 — with delegates from the east joining representatives from other parts of the country being transported here via special train. Preparations for the accommodation of the visiting sales forces are being handled by Joe Weil, exploitation director, aided by Marc Lachman, studio publicity and advertising chief. J. R. Grainger is en route to the coast and was expected to arrive late this week to put the final okay on convention plans, during which the forth Jeanette MacDonald Wins SAG Honor Despite the fact that it ivas, at the time, going through one of the busiest periods in its history, having entered into and successfully concluding negotiations for recognition by the major motion picture producers in the face of threatened strikes and other unrest, the Screen Actors Guild this week found time to vote Jeanette MacDonald the Guild monthly award for top acting honors for March. Her award came as the result of her work in “Maytime.” Miss MacDonald had previously been honored by the National Screen Council, which, through BOXOFFICE, presented her with a plague and voted her Metro film the Blue Ribbon winner as the best picture released during March. The SAG gave supporting player honors to H. B. Warner for his work in Columbia's “Lost Horizon.” coming Universal production program, as well as the presentation of awards and promotions to members of the sales force, will highlight the business sessions. Five other major companies which have set Hollywood as the locale of their annual sales meets are rushing preparations for the event. Next in line following Universal and GN will be 20th Century-Fox, whose studio representative in New York, Joseph Moskowitz, arrived in the film city this week to confer with Joseph M. Schenck, Darryl Zanuck and William Goetz, and will remain to help plan and attend the convention, which opens May 31, also at the Ambassador Hotel. Twentieth Century-Fox employes will be brought to the coast via the usual chartered train. The confab will last four days. Others Prepare Groundwork for the RKO Radio convention is being laid here by A. A. Schubart, manager of exchange operations, and Barret McCormick, advertising and publicity chief from the home office, who have set the conferences to open June 16 at the Ambassador Hotel. The sessions will be a six-day affair, with district and branch managers, exchange salesmen and home office executives slated to participate. Plans for the Republic, Paramount and Gaumont British confabs, all of which will be held in Hollywood, are still in the sketchy stage. LONG TERMER TO STOTHART Metro has signed Herbert Stothart, composer, to a new long-term contract. TITLE MIXUP BRINGS SUIT UPON REPUBLIC A confusion in production titles caused Marion Orth, screen writer, to file suit in superior court here this week against Republic for the allegedly unauthorized use of the title “Circus Girl” on a film made by that company. According to Miss Orth’s complaint, which asks $10,000 in damages from the studio, she submitted a book written by her and published in England, titled “Circus Girl,” to Republic as possible screen fare. Then, she asserts, the studio rejected the book, but requested permission to use the name. This, Miss Orth declares, she refused to do. Republic is subsequently alleged to have announced production cf a film titled “Circus Lady.” Monogram Has “Circus Lady” Further confusion arose, the complaint reads, when Monogram Pictures purchased a magazine story titled “Circus Lady,” which caused Republic to switch its “Lady” title to “Circus Girl” despite Miss Orth’s alleged refusal to permit them the use of the title. To add to the complications, the plaintiff is at present on assignment at Monogram, scripting “Circus Lady.” W. E. SOUND TO OVER 70 IN GOLDEN STATE Northern California’s Golden Gate circuit, operating more than 70 theatres in the San Francisco district, has signed contracts for installation of Western Electric’s Mirrophonic sound reproducing systems in all its houses. Immediate installations will be made in the following spots; Central, Diamond and Fairfax, Oakland; State, Auburn; State, Monterey; Merced, Merced; El Camino, San Rafael; California, Petaluma; Capitol, Sacramento, and the Uptown, Alexandria, Harding and Irving, San Francisco. Installations for the remainder of the houses are being shipped from Chicago. In addition to the circuit’s installations, the Rodgers, independently owned house at Corning, has also signed for Mirrophonic. CAGNEY SIGNS FOR TWO MORE WITH GN Completely blasting rumors that his Grand National association was to be terminated— rumors which were dealt their first blow when he signed to appear in 'Victor Schertzinger’s production of “Something to Sing About” — James Cagney this week signed an agreement to star in two pictures for next season’s release, following completion of his current assignment on the Schertzinger musical. ASTOR IN “HURRICANE" Mary Astor draws a leading role in Samuel Goldwyn’s “The Hurricane,” being directed by John Ford from the novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Miss Astor’s last assignment with Goldwyn was in “Dodsworth.” 44 BOXOFFICE :; May 15, 1937.