Boxoffice (Jul-Sep 1938)

"Snoop" Popular "Cultural" Course of Academy Strikes Snag; Van Dyke Quits Manager Harry Wallen of the Paramount Theatre, Los Angeles, sold 4,000 copies of Paramount’s new picture magazine, “Snoop,” in three weeks by erecting the display shown here in the lobby. The booth was placed in a prominent spot and a boy was on duty throughout the day. Shown here is Dorothy Howe, Paramount actress, looking over a copy of the book, which carried a plug for the “Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment” campaign on the back cover. New Programs Hail Radio Fall Season Radio Row laid down a barrage of activity along various fronts during the week as the new fall season began to get into its stride, with several new programs hitting the airwaves and ether experts perfecting the final details on a number of others slated for early starts. A double-headed launching of two transcontinental shows, each going out over the Columbia Broadcasting System and each topped by a film luminary, highlighted CBS activity. Getting the gun on Tuesday were the A1 Jolson variety show and the Edward G. Robinson weekly dramatic stint, with Claire Trevor repeating her last year’s chore in the feminine lead. Both shows are on a 39-week stretch. On the technical side, CBS formally dedicated its new $350,000 transmitter, located in Torrance, with a half-hour broadcast and a banquet attended by radio and civic dignitaries. At the same time the chain disclosed that the new Texaco “Star Theatre” show, which will headline Adolphe Menjou, Una Merkel and Charlie Ruggles, will swing into action October 5 from the new Columbia Square plant. Returning to radio work after nearly a Efforts of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to justify its continued existence by divorcing itself from economic and political phases of industry activity — leaving those problems to the talent Guilds — and, instead, establishing itself as a “cultural clearing house” to sponsor and promote technical and scientific achievement, hit its most serious obstacle this week when the same issues that have been the bone of contention between producers and the various Guilds entered into the Academy’s reorganizational plans. Keynote of the stumbling block was contained in a letter to the Academy from W. S. Van Dyke, chairman of the reorganization committee, in which he tendered his resignation because of the “antagonism of the Guilds to the Academy” and his decision to remain loyal to his “economic colleagues.” Van Dyke, in effect, voiced the Guilds’ suspicion of the reorganizational move and demanded that the producers place economic ahead of cultural cooperation. Thereupon, Frank Capra, president of the Academy and a leader in the affairs of the Screen Directors Guild, wrote the producers a fervent plea that they resign from the Academy as a manifestation of their good faith and to remove the Guilds’ fears that the Academy is a producerdominated body. Capra declared the reorganization committee could not get “anything but opposition to the Academy as long as the producers are members.” Darryl Zanuck, representing the producers, strongly vetoed Capra’s request that they resign, intimated he would urge year’s absence this fall will be W. C. Fields, stage and screen comedian, who has been signed for a 13-week stretch in a comedy spot on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade, also a CBS offering. Other developments found the Don LeeMutual network again increasing its representation by signing Station KTKC, Visalia, as a member of the coast circuit. KTKC becomes the 29th station in DL-M’s Pacific division. The Metro “Good News of 1939” airshow met with a change in structure when Ed Gardner, producer of the broadcast, turned in his resignation to accept a position with an advertising agency here. Louis K. Sidney, Metro’s radio chieftain, is filling in for the time being, while a permanent replacement is being sought. Visiting during the week was Don Stauffer, vice-president of Young and Rubicam agency, which outfit is handling several forthcoming fall shows. Stauffer is reported interested in the now-being-worked-out Republic studio airshow, which is taking form under the guidance of Beverly Barnett and Owen Crump and will draw upon the studio talent roster for its entertainers. other producers to take the same attitude because it would be “basically unfair,” concluded that he had almost come to believe that “the actual desire for harmony and peace in our industry is nothing but a fantasy.” This occasioned a rebuttal by Van Dyke, who summed himself up as “one of those stupid individuals who place economic interests ahead of the cultural” and again urged Zanuck and the other producers to step out of the picture to allay the fears and suspicions of the Guilds as a “noble sacrifice” by “making the Academy bigger than yourself.” The blow-up came only shortly after Academy officials had reported the reorganization committee was about to resume its work of transforming the organization into a headquarters for scientific and technical achievement and completely cutting the Academy away from the political and economic side of the industry. Possibility that the resignation of Van Dyke may cause a wholesale exodus of Guild members from the Academy immediately sprang up, to remain unanswered until after a meeting of the Inter-Talent Council, comprising the actors, writers and directors, which was called for late in the week. At the same time the Academy board of directors was also to convene to consider the crisis and endeavor in some way to stem the tide in which the reorganization plan has begun to crumble. Producers had been given until Saturday to resign, their action on that date being awaited to definitely decide the fate of the Academy’s attempted reorganization. "Stanley -Livingstone" Is To Start in December Twentieth Century-Fox plans to get “Stanley and Livingstone” before the cameras early in December after nearly three years of preparatory work, including the sending of a location crew to Africa to pick up background and atmosphere. Darryl Zanuck has okayed a budget of well over $2,000,000. Kenneth MacGowan will produce, with Ernest Pascal, Edwin Blum and Sheridan Gibney now scripting. "Three's Company " to U As Bing Crosby Vehicle Universal has purchased “Three’s Company,” an original story, from Herb Polesie, to be utilized as the vehicle in which Bing Crosby will star, and has ticketed Polesie as the producer. Shooting is expected to start early in November, when Crosby returns from a vacation in Bermuda. BOXOFFICE : : September 24, 1938 47