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

18 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD May 10, 1930 Columbia’s Five Million Booking Deal Puts Films in All RKO Theatres Two Millions Estimated Daily Attendance Capacity of Houses Included in Deal for 1930-31 Product — Shorts Also Covered (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, May 6. — Outlet for Columbia in every city of consequence in the United States is assured by the five million dollar booking deal just completed with Radio-Keith-Orpheum whereby Columbia’s entire 1930-31 product of twenty sound pictures will show in all the RKO houses from Coast to Coast. Columbia’s short product also is included in the negotiations. A S a result of the booking arrangement, U* Columbia will have a production house and “show window’’ on Broadway in the Globe theatre, first run of RKO, and in the RKO theatre being erected at Broadway and 47th street. Likewise, the Columbia product, when available, will go into any additional theatres of which control may be acquired by RKO. 2,000,000 Estimated Capacity Radio-Keith-Orpheum comprises a huge chain with representation in each major city from Coast to Coast, including the primary holdings of Keith in the East and Orpheum in the West, plus the Proctor, Pantages and Libson circuits and others, an estimated total capacity of almost two million patrons a day. Hundred per cent entree into these theatres makes the Columbia outlet a parallel to that of the major chain-owning producers. The product which will go into these theatres will include : “The Criminal Code,” Martin Flavin’s prison play; “Rain or Shine,” starring Joe Cook; “Madonna of the Streets,” front W. B. Maxwell's “The Ragged Messenger” and starring Evelyn Brent ; “Bless You Sister,” Alice Brady’s vehicle ; “Brothers,” starring Bert Lytell ; “Subway Express,” stage play by Eva Kay Flint and Martha Madison ; “Arizona,” Augustus Thomas’ stage play ; E. Phillips Oppenheim’s “The Lion and the Lamb” ; Kate Horton’s “Ballyhoo” ; Ralph K. Murphy’s stage play, “Sure Fire”; Helen Topping Miller’s “Lover Come Back,” and others. Directors and Writers Directors chosen to date are Frank Capra, Edward Sloman, Ira Hards, A. H. Van Buren, Karl Brown, Tames Flood, Matt Moore, Bert Glennon, Louis King, A1 Ray and E. Mason Hopper. Stars include Jack Holt, Raloh Graves, Evelyn Brent, Barbara Stanwyck, Dorothy Revier, Joe Cook, William Collier, Jr., Margaret Livingston, Johnnie Walker, Sally O’Neil, Molly O’Day, Sam Hardy, Aileen Pringle, Ian Keith, Joan Peers, George Sidney, Charlie Murray, Lowell Sherman, Marie Prevost, and Matt Moore. Writers are Jo Swerling, Ray Harris, Douglas Doty, Dorothy Howell, Norman Houston, Leonard Praskins. Florence Ryerson, Colin Clements, Joe Lilly, Edgar Waite, Tames Whittaker, Tack Bechdolt, J. G. Hawks, Jack Clymer and Marion Jackson. Famous Canadian Minority Meeting Called for May 15 (Special to the Herald-World) NEW YORK, May 6, — With new opposition arising against the offer of Paramount to shareholders of Famous Players Canadian for an exchange of stock on a basis of four shares of Paramount common for five of the Canadian company, the latest development is that Arthur W. Roebuck, a Toronto attorney, has called a meeting of shareholders in Canadian Famous Players in Toronto, May 15. Roebuck claims to be the legal representative of minority shareholders and interested himself when the annual meeting was held in Toronto several months ago. This meeting was featured by a sharp discussion regarding the resignation of N. L. Nathanson as managing director and also regarding the rejection of the alleged offer of $75 a share by British-Gaumont. Another development is that an application has been made to list Paramount common on the Montreal Stock Exchange. This means that trading in shares of the United States company probably will take place on the floor of the Montreal exchange for the first time if the offer for Canadian shares goes through before the scheduled date of May 25. Premier Asked to Make Copyright Less Drastic (Special to the Herald-World) OTTAWA, May 6. — A direct appeal has been placed before Prime Minister W. L. Mackenzie King of the Canadian Government for a reconstruction of the bill presented by Hon. Fernand Rinfret, secretary of state, to amend the Canadian Copyright Act to permit the collecting of royalties from theatres on musical copyrights. Premier King has been asked to make the measure less drastic for exhibitors. Under the proposed changes, Canadian exhibitors would be subject to double taxation, one levy from the Performing Rights Society and the other from the association in the United States. The bill has not yet had its second reading. M. A. Shea Circuit Takes New Hampshire Houses ( Special to the Herald-World) BOSTON, May 6. — The State theatre, Manchester, N. H., owned by State Theatres, Inc., one of the newest DeLuxe theatres in Manchester, also the State and Colonial theatres in Nashua, N. H., owned by the Colonial Theatres, Inc., have been taken over on operating agreement by the M. A. Shea Circuit of Theatres of New York City Fire Loss Is $10,000 (Special to the Herald-World) HEARST, ONTARIO, May 6.— Fire destroyed the moving picture theatre here, at midnight Fridav. The theatre, a frame structure which was a landmark of the settlement, was burned to the ground, the loss being estimated at $10,000. Two Newsreels Shown as Unit (Special to the Herald-World) TOLEDO , May 6. — Patrons of State theatre, demanding two newsreels in their film fare, have caused the management to show both Fox Movietone and Universal on the same program, the two being run as a single unit. The house is experimenting with a new program sequence, by opening with newsreels and following with cartoon, organ number and comedy. The feature is then shown, and this is followed by a second comedy and trailers. Owner of Stock House In Ottawa Attempts to Condemn Films Via Ads Oscar O'Shea Draws Up Series, But Papers Refuse Some, Delete Others ( Special to the Herald-World) OTTAW’A, May 6. — A sensation has been caused in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, through the efforts of Oscar O'Shea, operating the Embassy theatre, the local home of stock drama, to condemn motion picture presentations. O’Shea prepared a series of pointed advertisements in his attack upon talking pictures. The first of these appeared in the Ottawa newspapers but the further bombardment was halted by the newspapers, the displays being rejected by the publishers. The first assault against the film houses was contained in an announcement regarding a current attraction by the O’Shea Players which read as follows: “No mechanical device, no unnatural voices, no blur of vision, no stopping of speech — “But genuine amusement for living, breathing, pulsating humans by living, breathing, pulsating artists.” Following this, the newspapers censored the Embassy theatre copy voluntarily and further pointed remarks regarding talking1 pictures were deleted. (Special to the Herald-World) ALBANY, May 6. — A report to the effect that C. H. Buckley, owning and operating Harmanus-Bleecker Hall, the Leland and the Clinton Square theatres in this city, was negotiating with Warner Brothers for the sale of Harmanus-Bleecker Hall, was denied by Buckley last week. Co-incident was the rumor that in case the Hall was acquired, the Warner Brothers would close the Ritz and Albany theatres, but would continue to operate the Strand and Madison houses. “Cooperative Theatres ” in Canada Reach Total of 21 (Special to the Herald-World) TORONTO, May 6. — Twenty-one independent theatres of Toronto are now listed in combination newspaper advertising as aperating under the auspices of the Exhibitors Co-Operative of Canada, Limited, a mutual buying organization with headquarters in Toronto. They are listed as “Co-Operative Theatres” and films are bought on the open market as well as through the buying pool. F. R. Lennon is the purchasing agent. Stilt Dancer Sues Company For $55,000 After Crash (Special to the Herald-World) PORTLAND, ORE., May 6. — Robert Stickney, stilt dancer of Fanchon & Marco reviews, filed action against the Oregon Hippodrome company, operators of the Fox Broadway and Fanchon & Marco for $55,000 on account of severe injuries resulting when steps collapsed. Goldstein Made Kayes 9 Assistant in Boston (Special to the Herald-World) BOSTON, May 6. — Jack Goldstein, advertising and publicity director of the former Netoco chain which recently has been acquired by Publix, has been assigned to H. F. Kayes of the Publix publicity staff in Boston. Sale of Albany Theatre To Warner Bros. Denied