The Film Daily (1937)

Thursday, May 27, 1937 DAILY U. A. PRODUCERS SET 26 MILLION BUDGET (Continued from Page i) Charles Chaplin, Alexander Korda and Samuel Goldwyn. "For the new season, United Artists will release 20 American films 5n addition to the London Films Productions produced by Alexander Korda", Schaefer stated. "For the purpose of acquainting our personnel with our forthcoming product policies, I am calling two regional sales conferences early in June, one in New York and the other in Chicago." Productions to be issued for 193738 by Samuel Goldwyn will include: "Dead End" with Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart, Wendy Barrie, Claire Trevor and Allen Jenkins, now in production under William Wyler's direction; "Stella Dallas," with King Vidor directing John Boles, Anne Shirley and Alan Hale to be completed within the next 10 days; "The Hurricane," under John Ford's direction, now in product'on; "The Adventures of Marco Polo," with Gary Cooper and Sigrid Gurie, due to start June 10th; "The Goldwyn Follies" slated for July production in Technicolor; "The Cowboy and the Lady," starring Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon. Pictures to be released by Alexander Korda next season will include "Knight Without Armor," with Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat; "Four Feathers," starring Robert Donat; "The Divorce of Lady X", starring Merle Oberon, and a second Merle Oberon picture in Technicolor. Charles Chaplin will personally produce one production bearing h's name. Selznick International's first three will be "The Prisoner of Zenda" with Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey and David Niven; "Nothing Sacred" with Carole Lombard and Fredric March under William Wellman's direction and starting June 10th; "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", with an allstar cast directed by H. C. Potter. Walter Wanger's releases will include "Vogues of Nineteen ThirtyEight", in Technicolor with Warner Baxter, Joan Bennett, Helen Vinson, Alan Mowbray and the Wanger Models under Irving Cummings' direction, and almost completed; "52nd Street" with Ian Hunter, Leo Carrillo, Pat Patterson, Ella Logan, Sid Silvers, ZaSu Pitts, Maria Shelton and Kenny Baker, with Harold Young directing; "Carelessly" with Joan Bennett; "Stand In" starring Leslie Howard, directed by Tay Garnett; "Personal History," by Vincent -fl^ean with Madeleine Carroll. L 0. 0. F. Hall as Theater Unionville, la. — Mrs. O. Bensen has leased the first floor of the I. O. O. F. hall here for a motion picture theater. (Continued from Page 1) was three hours in length. Recently, a beauty operator bemoaned the fact she had seen a certain film on Friday night because too many extra features had been lugged in. GRACE LEONE BARNETT, Freeport, III., "Journal-Standard". • LACK OF SINCERITY— There is a lacking of sincerity in a great many films today. Looked at the old silent "Sunrise" the other night and depite the exaggeration of the day, O'Brien and Gaynor had an earnestness that still is more real than most modern stuff. Possibly mass production to meet expanded production schedules has something to do with the more machine-like performances. WILLIS WERNER, San Diego, Cal, "Sun". My particular squawk is bank nights. Why, oh why, must we have them? True, the theaters are jammed to the doors with morons who don't care for the picture and who attend merely for the money which they hope to win — and never do. Theater managers claim these nights increase the weekly gross, but I doubt this for the reason that thousands weekly attend theaters only on bank nights. What the theaters make up in patronage on bank nights they lose on the other nights of the week. The further claim of theater managers that bank nights bring patrons that never attend movies is the bunk. It's the old time movie fan, with a gambling yen, that you find in the bank nights crowd. MARY LOUISE WALLISER, San Antonio, Tex., "Evening News". ASSORTED SQUAWKS The industry is a victim of bad writing and sloppy thinking from: 1 — the newspaper reviewers; 2 — the studios' publicity boys, and 3 — the so-called dramatists who are entrusted with the important job of preparing a story for the screen. EDGAR HAY, Miami, Flu., "Herald". • What's the matter with reviving some of the better known old musical comedy favorites? Think of the chance for real music, real orchestras, real musical comedy stars in newer settings! ROLAND BOYD MILLER, Hudson, N. Y., "Daily Star". • Cut out so many gangster pictures where the children go in hundreds to see the idiotic, impossible situations where one man, with a gun in each hand, stands off a dozen gangsters. JAMES LOGIE, Douglas, Ariz., "Daily Dispatch". • Squawks: Double bills; Improper timing in comedy lines; Punk short subjects with mediocre song and dance numbers. J. F. ABELL, Washington, Pa., "Observer and Reporter". • My pet peeve is Hollywood's frequent attempts to shove someone down the public's throat because they've spent money. Also, Hollywood's attempt to cash in on current raves. ALT A L. LITTELL, Grand Rapids "Herald". • Producers are turning out pictures like Ford cars — mass production — they pay no attention to the story, very little to the direction and, as a rule, miscast the play ers. Give us better pictures and let the reviewers teil the truth, and then we'll have better attendance at the theaters. VANCE CHANDLER," Authenticated News Service". • My squawk is the historical film that distorts history and puts historical figures in historical events in which they had no part. S. G. McCAW, Norfolk, Neb., "News". • Please, let's ease off the fire-eating, knock-down, and drag-out news reporter who solves all the crimes committed since the beginning of time and some that never were committed, "shows up" the police or detective. DUDLEY HILTON TAYLOR, Hopkinsville, Ky., "New Era". • I would like to see just ONE newspaper story that didn't doll up the newspaper office and didn't glorify the reporter so much — after all any newspaper man gets a huge laugh out of the thrilling and exciting life the film reporter has — we all wish we had a job as interesting as that. CHESTER R. BROUWER, Fort Wayne, Ind., "Journal-Gazette". • I would like to see "The Desert Song" renovated like "Rose Marie," "Maytime" and "Naughty Marietta" have been, for McDonald and Eddy. The music has a tremendous popular appeal. BETTY McKELVEY, Green Bay, Wis., "Press-Gazette". • Eliminate all double feature programs. Make the newsreels in two rather than in one reel. LESTER C. GRADY, "Film Fun". U. A. PLANS TO SWAP U. S.-BRIT. TALENT West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — "A plan of closer cooperation and wider exchange of talent between the American U. A. producers and Alexander Korda" was developed at the annual meeting of United Artists stockholders here, it was said yesterday by Dr. A. H. Giannini. The sessions, which spanned several days, also resulted in the crystalization of sales policies and set the company's policy for foreign distribution. Dr. Giannini's statement said, specifically: "The proposed new British Quota Law (Moyne Committee Report) was analyzed in detail and constructive plans were put into motion to meet the new quota requirements and to give United Artists producers a maximum of distribution abroad." Commonwealth Amusement Spring Meeting Closes Kansas City, Mo. — Twenty-six managers of theaters in the Commonwealth Amusement Corp., circuit attended the organization's annual spring meeting held at the Blue Hills Country Club yesterday and Tuesday. Business sessions were followed by a golf tournament in the afternoon and a banquet in the evening. Officers of the organization including C. A. Schultz, president, 0. K. Mason, secretary and treasurer, L. R. Allen, head booker, L. D. Parrett, auditor, and Dick Orear, purchasing agent addressed the business sessions. The Commonwealth Amusement Corp., has purchased the Orpheum Theater and the Fotosho Theater at Neosho, Mo., from Hugh Gardner. Coronation Technicolor Reel Plans Due at Meet John D. Clark, 20th Century-Fox sales chief, will disclose the company's plans for the Coronation reel in Technicolor, at the 20th-Fox convention on the coast, it was said yesterday at the home office. Kuhn Replaces Schnell Black River Falls, Wis. A. Kuhn, former assistant manager of the Eastwood Theater, Madison, has been named manager of the Avalon Theater here, succeeding John Schnell, who has resigned because of poor health. Cleaver Handling Imperial Detro't — Imperial distribution in Michigan, recently handled by Excellent Pictures, has reverted to F. Raoul Cleaver.