Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1930)

36 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD May 3, 1930 Cameramen Urge N. Y. Officials To Aid Film Producing in East Paramount Long Island Studio Is Replaced Officially by Paramount New York Studio — Two New Pictures Go Into Work With Oakie and Marx Brothers By DOUGLAS FOX NEW YORK, April 29. — Eastern production will undergo a boost if local cameramen have anything to say about it and Mayor James A. Walker of New York, now suffering from a nervous breakdown, has under consideration a letter from local 644 of the International Photographers of the Motion Picture Industry urging him to create a commission to study the situation with a view to encouraging the companies to increase their production schedules here. The letter complains of the constant and annoying activity (as a result of the Pathe fire) of inspectors who know nothing of the conditions in the industry and who are only hampering production in the East and bringing it to such a point that there is a possibility that producers may consider its abandonment entirely. AAA Cessation of production here would mean loss of employment to 10,000 persons and the loss of more than $10,000,000 annually to the industry and affiliated crafts. The Mayor is invited to remedy this situation and to urge the large producers who raise 80 per cent of their capital in the East to expend part of their great capital in additional facilities for the establishment and maintenance of production in and around New York. Paramount’s Long Island studio has ceased to exist in name and has been replaced officially by the Paramount New York Studio on the grounds that the organization wishes to capitalize the New York studio’s proximity to the nation’s theatrical center from which it draws so much of its acting, writing, directorial and technical talent. AAA Two new productions will be in work at the New York plant by the time this is in print. They are “The Sap from Syracuse” with Jack Oakie and Ginger Rogers, directed by Eddie Sutherland, and “Animal Crackers,” with the four Marx Brothers under the direction of Victor Heerman. Ginger Rogers got her first part in pictures in Paramount’s “Young Man of Manhattan,” her second in “Queen High.” recently completed, in which she shared feature billing with Charles Ruggles, Stanley Smith and Frank Morgan. To be co-starred in her third picture, as she will be in “The Sap,” is quite an achievement for any young woman. Victor Heerman will turn the whole of the upstairs stage of the New York studio into one large set over and through which the entire action of the picture will be carried. Scene is a house party; and the set will consist of various rooms, and a formal garden. With everything there, action can be followed from one part of the stage to another with a minimum loss of time. For “The Sap from Syracuse” the company has built on the lower stages a large part of a modern ocean going steamer, including cabins, lounges, sections of decks, bridges, dining saloons, etc. Exterior shots will probably be taken at sea near New York but most of the shooting will be done right at the studio. The big news at the Brooklyn Vitaphone studio this week is the reception given “Yamekraw,” the Variety which was rushed into the new Hollywood theatre for the inaugural program. Disregarding his former methods Murray Roth made “Yamekraw” modernistic in the extreme with an entirely new camera and lighting technique. The film is a picturization of a jazz symphony of negro life by James Johnston, Harlem composer and is expected to set new standards in the production of short subjects here. Other recent Vitaphone varieties are “The Duel” with Lew Fields, “Going Places” with Shaw and Lee, “A Tenement Tangle” with Benny Ryan and Harriett Lee. Demand for Animal Actors Grows; List Ranges from Monkeys to Cockroaches ( Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 29. — Despite the cry that talking pictures have ended the need for trained animals, because their voices couldn’t be controlled, the market for pets seems to be more lively than ever. In a single month, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios used a complete trained cast of dogs, a cat, twenty parrots, six macows, one lamb, one pig, one ant-eater, several bears, puppies, sled dogs, and one big orang-outang. In George Hill’s prison picture, “The Big House,” a dozen cockroaches were used for a “cockroach race,” small boys supplying the “race horses.” Governor Appoints Zanft (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 29. — Major John Zanft, vice president and general manager of the Fox Theatres Corporation yesterday received from the capitol at Albany, an official notification to the effect that he had been appointed by Governor Roosevelt to a five year term on the board of managers of the Bedford State Reformatory for Women. “Tampico” Rights to MGM (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, April 29. — Metro-GoldwynMayer has secured the screen rights to the play “Tampico,” by Bartlett Cormack and Joseph Hergesheimer, based on Hergesheimer’s novel by the same name. It is a romantic story of adventure in Mexico. Towne Sells Another Original HOLLYWOOD.— Gene Towne sold his original “Sojourn” to the Edward Small company. He recently disposed of “The Femme” to James Cruze. Buys Ticket, Gets $70 Change; (With Gun) HOLLYWOOD, April 29.— The cashier of the Golden Gate theatre in Belvedere handed a lone bandit $70 after he had purchased a ticket. The bandit used a gun. Language School First Step In Vitaphone Export Plan (Special to the Herald-World) LOS ANGELES, April 29.— The Vitaphone School of Languages for stars and all other players under contract to the two companies, is to be established by Warner Brothers and First National. The object of the school is to train actors and actresses with a view to their appearance in foreign language version of talking pictures for export. The school is being established in cooperation with the Berlitz School of Languages. Four Berlitz instructors are being sent from New York to Hollywood to conduct classes in four foreign languages, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Jack L. Warner, vice president of Warner Brothers and production chief of the two companies, stated: “Pronunciation, and the proper accenting of words and sentences, are to be our chief aims. It is not our object to try to compete with colleges and universities in giving complete courses in languages. Rather, we want our stars and featured players to have a working knowledge, such as the average grand opera star has. zls soon as our stars and featured players are proficient enough, we will consider the production of foreign language talking pictures in which they will appear.” The school will be located in the new music arts building being completed on the First National lot. Neither Warner Brothers nor First National have made foreign talkers, except as experiment. Kansas City Pantages Drops Vaudeville; Puts In 25 Cents First Run (Special to the Herald-World) KANSAS CITY, April 29. — An unusual situation has developed in Kansas City following the lowering of admission prices at the Pantages theatre to 25 cents top. The Pantages, playing first run pictures at 25 cents, has 28 days protection over the de luxe suburban houses which charge 40 and 50 cents. This means that the public will pay more to see a picture second run than first run. Last week the Pantages dropped its vaudeville and inaugurated a straight picture policy at 25 cents for any seat at any time. Louis Charninsky, manager, said the new policy was starting off successfully. Kontingent Licenses Hinge on Importation (Special from the Department of Commerce) WASHINGTON, April 29.— The German Committee of Foreign Commerce (film section) has announced in the press that the distribution of kontingent licenses for the 1930-31 season will only be effected after it is definitely known that the present import prohibition for exposed motion picture films will be maintained for the next season and that the regulations pertaining thereto will actually enter into effect. However, every distributor has been informed of the number of licenses which will be allotted to him. Details in connection with the distribution of kontingent licenses will be published in due course.