Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

INDEPENDENT EXHIBITOR "FILM BULLETIN" INDEPENDENT EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN Vol. 2 No. 3 5 April 29, 1936 Issued weekly by Film Bulletin Co., at 13 23 Vine Street, Phila., Pa. Mo Wax, editor and publisher; Roland Barton, George F. Nonamaker, associate editors. Saul S. Leshner, business manager. Bell Phone, RITtenhouse 7424 Address all communications to Editor, Film Bulletin Merritt Crawford, Publisher's Representative 165 8 Broadway, New York City Room 486 — Circle 7-3 094 NEW&YORK NEW YORK. The T.O.C.C. and the I.T.O.A. are slated to merge this week. Harry Brandt will probably be elected to the presidency of the combined group. Charles L. O'Reilly, who has led the T.O.C.C. for many years, will become a member of the board . . . The town has been filled with independent exchangemen for the past week. A new national indie exchange outfit is said to be brewing . . . "Ziegfeld" looks set for a long, long time at the Astor. Sellouts every day and lines waiting to buy advance tickets almost any part of the day . . . The edge is off Shirley's popularity, if business at the Capitol is any criterion. "Captain January" will probably stay only one week — and that one not so hot at the b.o. . . . "Desire" clicked to a fine two and one-half weeks' biz at the Paramount. This house is far behind on its playing schedule and holding up the rest of the territory . . . "Mr. Deeds" took a good second week's gross at the Music Hall. One of the best of the season, as a matter of fact . . . Strand held "I Married a Doctor" for a second week only because of lack of replacement . . . "Things to Come" is struggling at the Rivoli . . . The Roxy opens with "Connecticut Yankee," Will Rogers' reissue on Friday, after a poor week with "Amateur Gent" . . . "A Message to Garcia" nose-dived in its third week at the Center. Fox Northwest Mountie yarn, "The Country Beyond," opened Tuesday night at this spot . . . Our underground agents tip off that there may be a revolution in RKO's executive staff very, very shortly . , . While local film exchanges and exhibitors are carrying on their legal battle against the N. Y. sales tax, the State Legislature passed an extension of the levy for another year after July 1st, 1936 . . . Jimmy Grainger was signed to a new three-year contract to stay as Universale sales manager. ELK. IH € IL ILT WCC ID If IL II CKE RS By HARRY N. BLAIR Hollywood, April 28. If Joe Kennedy becomes Paramount's prexy what becomes of John Oterson? Will Adolph Zukor once more become a power in his company under the new banking set-up? Bringing Manny Cohen back into the fold gives Paramount exclusive claim on its big three — Cooper, Crosby and West, all of whom hold personal contracts with Cohen. With LeBaron boss of the big Paramount lot, Cohen will make his headguarters at General Service Studios soon to be vacated by Walter Wanger when, after some hesitation, he steps, over to U. A. Irving Thalberg was once Carl Laemmle's office boy. Uncle Carl encouraged the lad, has remained his friend through the years. What more natural then than for Laemmle to resume production reins under Thalberg at MGM now that his beloved Universal has passed into alien hands. Pictures, no matter how good, still must be sold. That's why the new Universal bosses are being congratulated on re-signing Jimmy Grainger for another three years. The new selling season gets under way. To Kansas City planes Nat Levine to huddle with Ray Johnson and old massa Herb Yates. Manhattan bound are Louis B. Mayer, Bill Goetz and Al Lichtman. Harry Cohen faces another tough situation. Manny Cohen's sudden switch to Paramount means a name shortage at Columbia hard to hurdle in view of the growing reluctance on the part of the majors toward loaning boxoffice stars. New names for old. Warners lose Jimmy Cagney and discover Errol Flynn. Which is why insiders are wondering who the Warner Bros, will find to replace Bette Davis when the blonde filly decides to kick over the traces as many say she is planning to do! Sam Briskin may have the reputation of being a "tough hombre" around the RKO lot but no one can deny he is a man of action. With "Marry the Girl" and "M'liss" starting this week, RKO will have six new films under way by June 5th. "Romeo and Juliet" winds up this week. Few pictures have been made on such a lavish scale and fewer still can boast such a star studded cast. A new, amazingly youthful Norma Shearer is revealed. George Cukor, who megaphoned, will next direct "Camille," starring Greta Garbo. Indie producers are plenty worried over the labor situation here. Word has gone forth that the little fellows must unionize which means an increased payroll. Some say they cannot stand the gaff and will have to fold. Labor's position in Hollywood has never been stronger than at present due to a tie in with the AFL affiliated Writers, Actors and Directors Guilds. Producers are at the mercy of the important, if unseen, thousands who toil behind the camera and who are now in a position to call a strike of the entire talent group if necessary in order to force their demands. The situation calls for diplomacy and tact heretofore sadly lacking. While on the subject of tact, award a palm to Darryl Zanuck. With two kid stars under contract and each crowding the other it's amazing that Zanuck manages to keep the parents of both prodigies in a happy state of mind. One way around the situation is by confining Jane Withers' pictures to the old Hollywood studio while Shirley emotes exclusively on the Westwood lot, many miles away.