Exhibitors Daily Review (Jul-Dec 1928)

Exhibitors DAILY REVIEW, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1928 New Studio "Call Bureau" To Break Qrip of "Agents" Central Casting Service System Extended for Benefit of Stars By .1. HARRISON EDWARDS It looks like curtains for the Hollywood agent. They call themselves "artists representatives" hut the majority of them will have to look to other fields to represent in order to collect their 107c for motion pictures are about to wash them up. Several years ago producers got together and formed what is now known as the Central Casting office. Its purpose was to act as a contact between the studio and the extra and bit player and no charge was to be levied against the player for this service. Each studio paid 5% of the days outlay for these players, to cover the expense of this office. This action was brought about due to the avarice of casting agents in "socking" these players anywhere from 10% to 25% for getting them work and, in addition to this, there had always been a bad smell to these transactions. The Central Casting office has been highly successful from every point of view. "Call Bureau" Recognizing the success of the Central Casting office, the Association of Motion Picture Producers have decided to establish a "call bureau" with offices located in the same building with the Association and its purpose will be to act as a contact between star, featured players and artists of "part standing" and all studios in this association. There will be no charge made for this service, but each studio will assume his portion of the expense for the operation of the bureau in the same manner that Central Casting is operating. No Agents After the bureau is established it will not be necessary for a player to burden himself with the services of an agent in order to get work in any of the major studios. The bureau will act as his agent and he will not have to pay fee. All of this has come about due to the shady work of several agents at different times in the past couple of years. It is the beginning of the end for these boys, the good will have to suffer for the bad. In its present formative state, all those connected with the Association say that no effort will be made to interfere with the work of agents, but that is "baloney". What need will a player have for a ten percenter if he can get the same service (and maybe better) without having to lay out a dime? What Central Casting did for the extra, this call bureau will do for the part player not under contract to the studios. The casting director of each studio will make known his wants' each day to the head of the bureau who will, in turn, get in touch with all players who seem to qualify for that part. By this means, these players will go direct to the studio with first hand Information of what is wanted and be in a position to close for their services themselves. "The Boy Wonder" is being written by Matt Taylor and Clarence Thompson as a starring vehicle for Arthur Lake of Universal. * • • Eddie (line is to direct "The Crash" for First National Pictures. Milton Sills will star. » • » The first assignment that William DeMille will have for M-G-M will be "The Trial of Mary Dugan." He wil direct both silent and talking versions and they will differ considerably. « • » Columbia Pictures have purchased "The Fall of Eve" by Anita Loos. * * * First National have bought the screen rights to "Fast Life" by Sam Shipman and John B. Hymer. * * * Tom Miranda is titling "Shop vVorn Angel" for Paramount and Randolph Bartlett is doing the same for "Loopin the Loop", a German picture which Paramount is releasing. * * * Eleanor Griffith will be featured in United Artists "Night Stick." * » • The title of Charles Gilpin's allcolored picture for Fox will be ''North of Dixie." * * • The title of "The Baggage Sniii slier" has been changed to "Strong Boy." Victor McLaglen has the lead in this. * * * Lumsden Hare has been given a part in "False Colors." * * * Betty Compson and William Holden have been cast in First National's "Weary River." * * * Paramount has renewed its option on Olga Baclanova for another year. Considine-Crosland Arrive for Production John Considine, Jr. and Alan Crosland arrived in New York Monday to prepare the production of Harry Richman's United Artists picture "Say It with Music". PAT ROONEY WITH "U" FOR SOUND PICTURES Pat Rooney, famous stage come dian, song and dance man, and the idol of countless thousands of vaude ville patrons from Coast to Coast, has been signed by Carl Laemmle for Sound Pictures. Marian Bent, his wife and stage partner, and Pat Rooney III, their son, also have been engaged by the Universal Pictures Corporation. Edgar Allan Woolf, noted playright and stage producer, who has been responsible for many Pat Rooney successes in the past, is to write the stories for the Rooney-Universal pictures. He already has started work on them, and is in close touch with Rooney. COMPLETE STAFF FOR MET. STUDIOS NAMED Phil Goldstone yesterday announced the completion of the studio technical staff which will be in charge of Biophone production at the Metropolitan Sound Studios in Ft. Lee, New Jersey. The staff consists of James Byers, Engineer in charge of sound; H. Tackats, Engineer in charge of Synchronization; George Orth, Studio Manager; Charles Nasca, Art Director; Louis Katzman, Musical Director and Music by the Anglo Persion Radio Orchestra. Fox Starts "Big Time" Howard Hawks, Fox director, is about to begin production on his next picture, "Big Time." His latest production, "CThe Air Circus," on which he was co-director with Lewis Seiler, is now current. The new film deals with vaudeville and concerns a hoofer and his dancing partner who graduate into a major circuit. Marion Nixon will have the leading feminine role. Paramount "Sounding" Paramount will immediately launch at its West Coast studio a vigorous sound campaign preparatory to the opening of its four new sound stages early in January. Active work is now being rushed on the production within the next two months of twelve 100 percent talking pictures, three of which are now under way. Ten additional pictures synchronized with dialogue and singing, are also in various stages of preparation and production. Willard Mack's First Willard Mack's first talkie for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will be "Hunted." This is of the melodrama type and has been written by Mr. Mack, dialogue and all. It is thought that Evelyn Brent will have the leading role in this, if it is possible to get her, with Robert Ames as the male lead. TALMADGE OPENING DRAWS NOTABLES Among those who have made reservations for the gala first night of Norma Talmadge in "The Woman Disputed" tonight, at the Rivoli, are Dolores del Rio and her mother, Senora Asunsolo, Irving Berlin, David Belasco, Fannie Hurst, Mary Ellis, Channing Pollock, Fannie Brice, William De Lignemare, Alan Crosland, Basil Sidney, John W. Considine, Jr., Thomas Meighan, Hope Hampton, Eugene O'Brien, C. Gardner Sullivan, and members of the Notre Dame and Army football teams. OPINIONS By W. R. WILKERSON SAM KATZ To talk to Sam Katz or hear him talk to others, will make you or anyone else a Sam Katz booster. He is really one of the truly fine characters in this or any other business He is modest, retiring, extremely democratic, a natural-born organizer, a tireless worker and one of the greatest and most successful mei in the motion pictures business. He is at the head of a tremendous organization and every man in that organization would cut his right arm and both legs off at the nod of his head. Katz is human and has an' understanding of the proper treatment of men under him that few others have. His success has been fairly won and is the result of unceasing and tireless work coupled with ideas that have been right. THE REASON One of the main reasons, as we see it, for the success of Sam Katz, and as a result the success of every theatre he has ever had under his wing, is the model — and if you care to think "high-hat" — service given patrons from the minute they buy their ticket until the time they leave the theatre. The particular service we refer to was original with Katz in his first big theatre venture, the Central Park in Chicago and carried by him with a little more elaboration to his Riviera Theatre in the same city and improved on, by him in every new theatre undertaking. This service was distinct and without paralell in any theatre whether it be pictures, vaudeville or legitimate. Consequently we were quite surprised to read in one of the weekly publications that, after a swing around the Publix circuit, Katz had decided on many changes and among others is mentioned "to make house service pleasing and uniform, the house staffs should place themselves on a par with the audience". If that is not bunk, we don't know the meaning of the word. The story states further, that this servility on the part of usher and house attachee's has gone too far. In other words, it is being overdone. More bunk. MORE FLATTERY The very foundation as we see it, of the Sam Katz success has been his management of "the" theatre. Not so much in the booking of the right pictures or the proper staging of prologues or his desire to get the best music obtainable, BUT the service given patrons once they entered. This service has been so remarkable it has been flattering, and to flatter anyone, be it a hod-carrier making his monthly trip to the movies or Mr. Park Ave. in his regular weekly visit, is to win them and when you win them you have a customer and these customers have made Katz and his associates rich. So for anyone, to suggest that this service is to be changed causes us a big laugh. Instead of putting a muffler on it, we believe that Katz lays awake at night trying to devise means of improving it. charitable: But let's get back to the Katz of the first, paragraph. His great success has brought him millions and from what we gather he is giving a great portion of it to worthy charities. One item we know costs him thousands every year. He has endowed and pays the entire overhead of a tremendous orphanage in or around the City of Chicago and this undertaking reflects his one great "weakness" (if we dare call it such) and thai is love for children. A very remarkable young fellow, we call him.