The Film Daily (1937)

THE Saturday, May 15, 1937 ^PRONATION PICTURES AT THEATERS TUESDAY (Continued from Page 1 ) reels are not expected to take it off the liner via plane as it approaches New York but instead pick it up at the French line pier. Jack Connolly, Pathe general manager who has been supervising filming of the Coronation, returns to New York Tuesday on the Normandie. Exp ect Wisconsin Senate \o Pass Allied's Divorce Bill (Continued from Page 1) similar measure has become a statute, the \Visconsin bill is sponsored by Allied. In event the Wisconsin proposal becomes a law, approximately Vo houses owned by producers would be required to be discarded. Warner Brothers are interested in about 25 houses and 20th Century-Fox in approximately 47 theaters which are operated by the Skouras brothers through H. J. Fitzgerald. Paramount is in two situations. Kaimus Re-election by Technicolor is Slated (Continued from Page 1) lowing the annual stockholders' meeting Monday. At the Monday session, five directors will be elected for threeyear periods and one for a one year term. Deaths ' of Alfred W. Erickson and W. D. Cooiidge have caused two vacancies on the present directorate. (Continued from Page 1 ) is there a place for players who have learned their trade and are not starred because they won a beauty contest, figured in a sensational story or possess a fetching drawl. More players like Muni, Laughton, Rainer, Bill Powell and Bette Davis and fewer grammar school girls and boys will help. The present trend toward seasoned writers is a healthy sign. Playgoers are beginning to use their heads for something besides hats, but some producers have not yet arrived at that stage. JACK REEL, Omaha, Neb. "BeeNews". TALENT INTERCHANGE— not acts tion resemble a with each to another. collection of vaudeville number having no rela THREE CIRCUITS AFTER WESTCHESTER HOUSES n genjob — a before, a few Cocalis Buys Interest of Kutinsky in 6 Houses (Continued from Page 1) conia and Wakefield Theaters in the east Bronx beginning July 1, Kutinsky informed The Film Daily yesterday. The deal gives Cocalis a two-thirds interest in the theaters. Cocalis plans expansion of his circuit along the Jersey coast. Al Friedlander Funeral Rites Set for Tomorrow (Continued from Page 1) 7:30 in the Flatbush Memorial Chapel, 1283 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn. He died suddenly last Wednesday morning at the offices of Harry Thomas in the RKO Building. 'Shall We Dance" in 350 Simultaneous First-Runs /■£ Chall We Dance," RKO Radio's My c musical starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, is playing between 325 and 350 simultaneous first-runs throughout the country, according to a statement from RKO Radio. I have no squawk with pictures eral. Hollywood is doing a swell much better job than it ever has If you don't think so sit through British-made pictures. My suggestion would be that there be some positive arrangement for interchange of talent between studios. Often a player who would fit into a part like an old shoe is barred by being under contract to or busy at another studio. Sometimes a part that has a certain type player written all over it is in a story owned by a studio that does not have access to the player in question. Sometimes salary contracts make it impossible to get player needed. If every picture was well cast, pictures as a whole would benefit. R. A. HIGGINS, Xenia, O. "Gazette". MOTIVATION, CASTS AND PRESSBOOKS— There should be more character development in pictures; you should know why a character does one thing and not another, not to mention why he does it at all. Motivation for his actions should be revealed. Why not run the cast at the end of the picture as well as at the start; lesser characters mean nothing until after the show and then you wonder who they are, but can't remember. In press books I'd quote a few lines of gags from the film if it's a comedy. Such quotations could be used by reviewer to brighten up his article. I'd get away from painted backgrounds. They always look painted and jerk an audience into consciousness that it is all illusion anyhow. People tend to "live" a movie for the time they are seeing it and should not bo awakened from that feeling. I'd also stop using so much tap dancing in revues, it is getting overworked and scon will go the way of bicycle acts in vaudeville. I'd quit grabbing every radio star for the movies too; most of the boys and gals are better by ear than by sight. Remember what happened to opera! Revues should have unity as such, and LEE GROVE, St. Paul "Daily News". DUALS AND AD FILMS— I have two pet peeves, just at the moment. They are: double features and advertising trailers. The double feature is brutal and I believe that it will eventually do harm to the industry. Even the larger houses are doing it. I realize they draw fairly well, because of the bargain element, but that doesn't justify them in my observation. I don't like them and I never will, and I'm not one who has grown bored of movies. ad trailers — the kind many vitamins there These us how certain loaf of bread — are One theater in this city these persistently and I that tells are in a the worst yet. of 13,000 runs know that it (Continued from Page 1) developed the situation include the acquisition of the Broadway and Park Hill, Yonkers houses, and the Parkway, Fleetwood, by RKO the Cameo in New Rochelle by Loew's and Bronxville and Scarsdale houses by Skouras. Other deals involving these three major circuits are now pending. RKO has practically closed a deal to take over the Roosevelt Theater at 145th St. and Seventh Ave. from Sam Cocalis. Papers are being drawn on the Roosevelt Theater acquisition. gets on the nerves of a lot of the customers. These trailers, added to the trailers of next week's shows are run night after night, and it's nothing more than jamming bad medicine down the customers' throats. I know of many people who purposely avoid this tripe, but it's a lot of trouble and often they miss part of the show. The anouncers in these sound like they're talking into barrels and the so-called actors do worse than a bunch of high school beginners. They're terrible and more often than not it's sickening to watch. I'm for chucking these things, but if theater owners persist, and think they're necessary, some attempt should be made to make them presentable. I maintain that they're not necessary and that high-class shows should avoid them. They're little better than the old ad slides — at least the audience got a laugh once in a while when the operator got one in upside down. ROBERT BUSBY, Lawrence, Kan., "Journal-Wrorld". DETAIL INACCURACIES— When are our movie producers going to learn that newspapermen are not drunken bums, do not invite baldness by eating and sleeping with their hats on, and — believe it or not — they actually do work? That's our pet grievance, together with misrepresentations in other professions too numerous to mention. The office philatelist complains about the war-time Austrian stamp on a movie letter — a stamp issued in 1929. The office historian snickers at the flag with 48 stars at Custer's last stand in "The Plainsman." Let's get these details right. The movies are doing a good job, but their inaccuracies in some respects are appalling. BYRON S. CAMPBELL, Vandergrift, Pa., "News". Money Awards Dropped by Houses in 3 Mich. Cities Detroit — Theater operators in three Upper Peninsular cities, Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee, upon request from John Voelker, Marquette County prosecuting attorney, have agreed to discontinue Bank Nights and other special attractions in which money prizes are offered to patrons. Mass Meeting Tomorrow Fights Dunnigan Measure Helen Hayes, Maurice Evans, John Anderson, Marc Connelly, Peggy Wood, Morris Ernst and others will be the speakers at the Dunnigan bill protest mass meeting tomorrow night at the New Amsterdam Theater. The meeting is part of a drive to persuade Gov. Lehman to veto the measure. Union Withdraws Organists Organists employed in four RKO theaters have been withdrawn by Local 802, musicians' union, in its campaign to require the circuit to employ two orchestras in each of the five boroughs. The organists were withdrawn from the 58th St., 86th St., Flushing and Richmond Hill Theaters. DATE BOOK Today: RCA sales convention, Indianapolis. May 15: Spring conference of 4-Star Clubs of National Board of Review, New York City. May 16-19: Grand National sales convention, Los Angeles. May 17: Universal sales convention, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. May 22: Queen City Variety Club supper dance, Netherland Plaza, Cincinnati. May 24-27: American Theater Council convention, Hotel Astor. May 24-28: SMPE Spring convention, Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood. May 26-28: Allied National Convention, Milwaukee. May 31: Republic sales convention opens at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. May 31 : 20th Century-Fox sales convention opens, The Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles.