Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

26 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 3, 1928 Aggressive Sound Season in Store, Brown Tells Pathe Managers Kennedy Addresses Luncheon — Sales Forces at Series of Regional Meetings Get Facts Firsthand at R C A Studios (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 30.— All Pathe pictures will talk, and an aggressive program is under way, division managers and Eastern branch managers were told at a series of regional meetings starting last Wednesday at the home office. Colvin W. Brown, executive vice-president, presided. OSEPH P. KENNEDY, official advisor delphia; R. C. Robin, manager at Washing J a luncheon at the Hotel Roosevelt that followed the opening session. Brown, in sounding the keynote that "All Pathe Pictures will talk" and discussing the RCA Photophone sound and. dialogue program, expressed complete satisfaction with the success already attained by "The King of Kings," Pathe's first sound picture, in over 100 theatres. He said the first 100 per cent talking picture, "The Missing Man," just placed in production at the studios in Culver City, would be personally directed by Benjamin Glazer. Lists Photophone Features Among the R. C. A. Photophone features, Brown announced that "Captain Swagger," "Ned McCobb's Daughter" and "Marked Money" would have unusual sound synchronization; while those that will be offered in both sound and dialogue are: "The Godless Girl," "Annapolis," "Show Folks," "Sal of Singapore," "The Shady Lady," "The Spieler," "Geraldine," "The Leatherneck," "Noisy Neighbors," "Square Shoulders," "The Flying Fool," "The Office Scandal," "Listen Baby" and "High Voltage." Enthusiasm was expressed over the first issue of Pathe Sound News to be released on Armistice Day, November 11, marking the eighteenth anniversary of the pioneer news reel. Other short subjects in sound that commanded comment were the "Aesop's Film Fables," which already have had an initial release; Topics of the Day, which will be dialogued, and the Grantland Rice Sportlights, which will have vocal description. Visit RCA Studios Following the business meeting Thursday the Patheites visited the studios of the Radio Corporation of America to see and hear some of the Pathe sound features. Those in attendance in addition to Kennedy and Brown were John Flynn, vice-president; T. C. Streibert, assistant to the executive vice-president; Lewis Innerarity, secretary; John Humm, treasurer; Terry Ramsaye, editor-in-chief of Eastern production; Phil Reisman, general sales manager; Ray L. Hall, editor of Pathe News; E. J. O'Leary, feature sales manager; Harry Scott, short subject sales manager; George W. Harvey, director of advertising and publicity; John F. McAloon, manager of exchange operations; Stanley Jacques, central division manager; L. j. Hacking, supervisor, eastern division; Lou Kniskern, assistant to general sales manager; Arthur Rousseau, vice-president, Pathe International Corporation; Lou Miller, sales promotion, short subjects; Bob Wolff and Bill Raynor, manager, New York branch; Oscar Hanson, manager at Buffalo; Bert Moran, manager at New Haven; Charles StombaiiRh, manager at Albany; Bob Mochrie, manager at Phila ton; R. C. Cropper, manager at Boston; Harry Lorch, manager at Chicago; and D. A. Doran, eastern story editor. Tonefilm Signs Up With Goldstone to Make Sound Series (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, Oct. 30.— Tonefilm Corporation, manufacturer of a newly announced talking picture device of the disc type, has made a deal with Phil Goldstone whereby he will produce two Metropolitan short subjects each week and a number of roadshow talking pictures, according to Alfred Weiss, president of Tonefilm. Three Types Planned Tonefilm machines will consist of three types of models, model A being for theatres with a seating capacity up to 600; model B from 600 to 1,000 and model C for theatres over 1,000 seats in capacity. As a part of the regular equipment there will be a non-synchronous apparatus which will play regular records to be used on pictures that are not scored. Tonefilm will install the apparatus ready for the exhibitor to turn on the switch and run. Installations can be promised from 30 to 45 days after ordering, and after December 1 a Tonefilm equipment will be installed in every exchange center in the country, according to the company. Roadshow Film Starts With the competion of his sound stages at the Metropolitan studios at Fort Lee, Phil Goldstone has announced the starting of his first Metropolitan roadshow special. The Metropolitan productions, both the feature length pictures and the shorts, will play on any standard disc apparatus, according to the company. The Metropolitan studios, formerly the Peerless studios, have been reconstructed for the production of sound pictures and have been pronounced thoroughly equipped in every manner for sound production. The Johns-Manville Company had charge of construction of the sound stages. Salt Lake Managers Elect B. G. Thatcher (Special to the HeraldWorld) SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 30.— The Salt Lake theatre managers association has elected B. G. Thatcher of Logan as president; Carl A. Porter, manager of the Paramount Empress theatre here, vice-president; Joe Lawrence of the Rialto and State theatres of this city, treasurer. It is stated that within a few months this association expects to have 100 per cent membership. The Fall Buyers Number of Better Theatres The Fall Buyers Number of Better Theatres, published last week, contains a wealth of material for the theatre owner, managers, executives, purchasing agents, architects and technicians. The service features published cover virtually every phase of modern theatre construction, equipment, operation and maintenance. They include: FLOOR PLAN suggestions INTERIOR suggestions EQUIPMENT suggestions SOUND PICTURE instructions — and many other features of inestimable value to those associated with theatre construction, operation and administration. The Fall Buyers Number is an encyclopaedia of the theatre. Film Boards Called Star Achievement In American Trade (Special to the Herald-World) OMAHA, Oct. 30.— "The arbitration system in the motion picture industry is in my opinion the greatest outstanding achievement in American industry in the last decade," C. C. Pettijohn, general counsel for the M P P D A, told the Federation of Women's Clubs of Nebraska and Iowa, at its convention here last Thursday. This system, he said, has resulted in a "transition from rows to referees." Pettijohn covered various phases of the industry in his speech, but stressed what he termed the evils of censorship. As to the operaton of the Film Board of Trade, he said, "Let it be said without fear of contradiction that in the more than 50,000 cases thus disposed of, there has not been one instance in any case where there has ever been an accusation or even an insinuation that any individual serving on any board has been influenced in his honest opinion by offering or the receipt of anything of value from a cigaret to a yacht. "One thing we can all agree on," he continued, "whether we are on the inside or the outside of the motion picture business. Every motion picture should be fundamentally clean. An unclean picture today is a very rare article. The most unfit pictures that I have seen of late are the so-called sex-hygiene pictures, none of which are made by any of the producers regularly engaged in the production of motion pictures, and the funny thing to me is that these particular pictures portraying the human body — not for educational purposes and most certainly not for entertainment purposes — are all endorsed by doctors, clergymen and so-called social workers who have a peculiar complex that these pictures have a wholesome moral effect on the youth of the land." 'If He Is An EXHIBITOR. He Is A Reader Of The H ERA LD-WO RLD'