The Film Daily (1937)

22 NEW EFFORTS TO END STRIKE ARE AWAITED {Continued from Paqc I) cipated, however, and observers termed the outlook "hopeful." The FMPC's insistance upon a closed shop is said to be the only bar to an end of the two weeks' walkout. For the first five years of the ten year agreement between the Screen Actors' Guild and producers a 90 per cent guild shop is provided for stars and featured players, with producer making 40 or more pictures a year having right to use three non-Guild stars or players in two p'ctures a year and producers with less than 40 pictures a year allowed to use three non-Guild stars or players in one picture a year, it was announced at the Guild meeting Sunday night. During the second five years of the agreement there will be a 100 per cent Guild shop for everybody. One hundred per cent Guild shop is provided for extras, stunt men, day players, free lancers and stock players for the entire period of contract. The Guild agrees not to strike dur.ng life of agreement but the Guild and producers' committees will confer every April 1 to make revisions deemed necessary. The Guild shop goes into effect at once with working conditions becoming effective June 1. Newest producing company to sign the agreement is Major Pictures with Guild given assurance that Republic and Sol Lesser will also sign. Secretary Kenneth Thomson announced that by next week every producing company in Southern California will have signed. The agreement covers production in the U. S., with rules to be worked out for production outside U. S. sss «• Monday, May 17, 1937 Goldstein's Circuit Places Help on 40-Hr. Week Basis Springfield, Mass. — Nathan Goldstein, president of Western Massachusetts Theaters, Inc., announced a maximum 40-hour week effective immediately in the entire circuit for all ushers, doormen and cashiers. At the same time company employes are forming the Wes Mass Club with vacation and sick benefits. Photophone Convention Ends With Conferences Indianapolis — RCA Photophone's sales convention closed here Saturday with the program given over to individual conferences of district managers and sound supervisors with Camden execs. "Broken Blossoms" Retitled After playing a successful "test" engagement at the RKO Terminal Theater, Newark, as "The L'mehouse Murder," RKO has given "Broken Blossoms" a New Yprk circuit booking under the new title. (Continued from Page 1) features — the majority of persons I've talked to don't like double bills, and I've talked to 'em from Chicago to New Orleans. WILLIAM V. KINNEY, Rock Island, III. "Argus". REQUEST FOR COOPERATION— I suggest that the motion picture companies give their fullest co-operation to the critics and the general public in helping them to put over better and more interesting pictures during 1937. Some producers will not listen to sound reasoning and good judgment and that was the result of a lot of criticism from certain church organizations during the past few years. For the sake of the industry, let's work together and put out better pictures and show the people that you know what they want and are willing to give them what they pay for. MARILYN MATZ, Unique Feature Syndicate. QUALITY vs. QUANTITY— "I'm heartily in favor of eliminating the double feature program. This can be done if Hollywood begins producing more A pictures, concentrating on quality rather than quantity. No matter how good the picture is, it's rlways tiresome to sit three hours or more watching nothing but films. A good stage show and good picture is about the best combination, but apparently can't be developed because of the percentages of good A pictures. Unfortunate, since it's the only satisfactory program. DAVID B. KAUFMAN, Mason City, la. "Globe-Gazette". MORE ABOUT DUALS The biggest squawk still needs to be broadcast fully. Not a day passes without steady reverberations of the complaint against continuance of two feature pictures being shown. It actually retards box office sales. Any theater manager who would be willing to pioneer could get a splendid reaction if he should show one good picture, a novelty such as "Mickey Mouse" or "Merrie Melodies" and newsreels. No theater manager need fear loss of attendance by offering this in contrast to the double features of his competitors. Can't public influence get direct cooperation in this? MONA ]. PAPE, Sheboygan, Wis. "Press". DUALS, ADVERTISING, ETC.— My biggest squawk — and 1 believe I'm not alone in this — is the double-feature policy. This policy is also beginning to annoy the public, particularly when one picture is very poor, as often occurs. Furthermore, why in the world must theaters insist on describing every picture, no matter how bad, as the greatest ever made? A little truth in advertising would be not only a welcome novelty but also more or less of an attraction to the public. That matter of adjectives appiies also to all publicity from all sources. If publicity men would only learn that newspapers won't use such descriptive words, everyone would be happier. Another complaint I hear from various sources is that there is too much cycle stuff — too much trying to copy someone else's hit. And why must everybody think it necessary to include a couple of songs and dance routines? Dance routines, too, are much too long. Some songs go on for too much time, too. HELEN TAIT WALKER, Syracuse, N. Y. "Post-Standard". ABANDON DUALS— Abandon double features. They last too long, and two good ones are never teamed — in fact, it is seldom that one good and one poor one are teamed. Usually both are punk. Otherwise I think the producers and houses do about as well as anyone could expect. Every actor isn't a star, and every story can't clock 100 per cent, and every director isn't a wizard, unfortunately. LAY AH RIGGS, Decatur, III., "Heraid and Review". DUALS AGAIN— Why all this double-feature business anyway? If the exhibitors won't cut them out, why don't the producers do something about it? Instead of trimming the picture down to 70 or 80 minutes running time, leave some extra footage in and the exhibitors will be forced to show a single feature. Perhaps in a way the theater men aren't to blame, and show two features for their own protection because of the shortage of Class A product. So, if the producers will wise up and put forth better pictures with new faces, Screeno, Bank Night and similar inducements can be thrown in the ash heap, and Mr. and Mrs. John Public can enjoy the screen offering without wondering if it's time for the drawing, and whether or not they'll win the jackpot. L. O. ROBERTSON, "Reeling Around" (Syndicate). MINOR IRRITATIONS— I have no pet squawks — just minor irritations coming largely from stupid tricks of exhibitors (which, I suppose, reflect equally stupid tricks of the producers). I have no sympathy with double bills, games, giveaways, inducements, and a continual flood of ballyhoo which lessens the effectiveness of really worthy pictures. LOY WOOD, Wichita, Kansas "Bea 30 U. S. PIX SET 1^ RELEASE IN GERMANY Berlin (By Cable) — American dis tributors are releasing about 30 fea tures in Germany this year, witl approximately the same number se for distribution next year. Para mount, M-G-M and 20th Century Fox, the only U. S. outfits operat ing in the country at the presen* time, together will handle about 2f productions which will be supple, mented by approximately foui American independent pictures. Under the present regulations American firms have 30 import permits a year but, however, can bor row ahead on the next season's li censes, when necessary. Film Industry to Fight Dog Racing at Hearing Representatives of the film indus fry will congregate in Albany today to oppose the bill legalizing gambling on dog races at a hearing to be held by Gov. Herbert G. Lehman. Measure has been passed by both houses of the New "¥ork Legislature and awaits action by the Governor. Herbert Bayard Swope as spokesman for the horse racing interests, is among the opponents of the measure. Vacations With Pay For Para. Theater Employes Miami, Fla. — W. R. Lynch, general manager of Paramount Enterprises, Inc., is inaugurating a series of weekly round-table luncheon meetings of department heads and managers of Paramount theaters in the district. At the first meeting he announced that all Paramount employes will be granted vacations with full compensation. Operate on "Ted" O'Shea Buffalo — Edward K. (Ted) O'Shea, M-G-M manager here, is in Buffalo General Hospital recovering from an operation. He entered the institution just two days after his return from the M-G-M sales meeting in Los Angeles. Kandel Companies Move M. J. Kandel, head of General Film Library and Bonded Film Storage Corp., has moved his companies to new quarters at 1600 Broadway. The new space is larger and includes several new cutting Educ. Birthday Biz So While observing the anniversary week that marked its 22nd birthday, Educational scored one of the three greatest weeks of business in the last four years it was said Saturday, ti»>fi