The Film Daily (1934)

Intimate in Character Internationa! in Scope Independent in Thought -CffT^ "^^ l~ The Da Or Mo Now Si> ly N t i o n :teer. ewspc Pict Years i p er ures Old OL. LXV. NC. 129 NEW yCCI\, HCNDAy, JUNE 4 <5 CENTS 375 Players Under Contract at 8 Studios for '&)l-35 CHAPLIN AND PICKFORD FILMS ON i . . . . Warner-F. N. Eastern Sales Meeting Opens Today Indecent Films . . . there really aren't any By JACK ALICOATE PO MUCH is getting into the newspapers ' «* these days about "indecent films" that exhibitors are beginning to worry about :ffects on the box-office. It is a needless apprehension. The live-wire showman, the one with' punk enough to defend firs interests instead of just taking it on the chin or laying ostrich like so much of this indusry is d«ing most of the time, has a very effective recourse. If any group in his town condemned 2 jicture as "immoral" and advised folks to ■=tay away from it, he would compel that group to prove its accusation or retract it. No proof should be deemed acceptable unless it is the majority opinion of a truly [representative local committee comprising not only the professional purists who arc r>ut to construe everything possible as bad but an equal number of normal citizens from at least a dozen other local circles. A verdict by such a committee would b convincing to any community and would checkmate the snipers. • THE public has never been fully apprised ' of the fact that, because every film must run a long gauntlet of previewing committees, censors, licensors and other official and quasi-official watchdogs, no picture can possibly reach the screen unless it gets their combined okay. So it seems rather silly, after a film has been passed by all these duly constituted agencies, for some self-seeking group to denounce it as indecent. Even exhibitors sometimes seem to forget that no producer, however dumb or money-mad he might be, would be foolish enough to purposely make a dirty picture, because he knows very well he couldn't show it, . Therefore, every film is made and offered in the belief that it classifies as clean. When anybody professes to find it -other*ise, the reason it to be found solely in the difference of opinion that exists on all things. In other words, indency in a picture, by the time it has been admitted to public showing, is entirely a matter of individual and very limited minority viewpoint. You can even go so far as to label it a pure case of "honi soit qui mal y pense." 1934-35 Program Being Announced Today in Atlantic City Atlantic City — Warner-First National's eastern sales meeting gets under way at the Ambassador Hotel here at 9 o'clock this morning, with A. W. Smith. Jr., executive in charge of eastern and Canadian distribution, presiding. Smith will introduce H. M. Warner and Major Albert Warner, whose talks will be followed (Continued on Page ] 1 ) RKO ANNOUNCING ONLY HALF OF TITLES We't Const Bveau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — RKO will announce only half of its proposed 1934-35 lineup at its sales convention in Chicago, June 18, The Film Daily learns. More than 20 features will not be announced until later in the season so as to give the production (Continued on Page 13) Venice Exposition to Give Medals for Best Film Work Venice — In addition to two big ^ups offered by the Government for the best Italian and foreign films, the second International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art, to be held here in August, will award gold medals to the best director, actor, actress, writer, cameraman, animated cartoon, documentary film and other achievements. Practically all nations have signified intention of participating in the exposition. 20 Appeals Await Hearing Twenty appeals from local boards await hearing by the Code Authority. Only one definitely scheduled for hearing at the Authority's meeting Friday is the appeal of Skouras Theaters from a New York grievance board decision awarding Herbert Rogowsky, operator of the Embassy at Port Chester, 22 pictures which they had bought for their opposition house. FORCING OF TRAILERS SEEN BY KUYKENDALL Apprehension over possibilities of producers who are making their own trailers forcing them with thenfeatures was expressed by Ed Kuykendall, president of the M. P. T. 0. A., in New York Saturday, when he deplored the decision of another firm to make its own trailers. With the policy spreading, exhibitors will soon be forced to buy their trailers from individual companies instead of from one firm, as (Continued on Page 16) Wick Contends He Obeyed Local Code Board Order Buffalo — In his action filed with Judge Alonzo J. Hinkley in the U. S. District Court, seeking an injunction against the local grievance board ind distributors to restrain them from stooping his film service, Edwin Wick, operator of the Majestic in that city, claims that he ceased his "country food store nights," which the board had found to be a (Continued on Page 16) M-G-M Leads in Talent Roster With 80 Players Under Contract By DON HANCOCK Approximately 375 stars and feature players will start the new production season in Hollywood under term contracts with one or more of the eight major producers, according to facts compiled for the coming Film Daily Production Guide and Directors' Annual. Although many of the companies do not differentiate between stars and feature players in announcement lists issued periodically, it is estimated that of the total, 130 are stars and 245 feature talent. For years it was the custom of producers to "hold tight" to star talent, refusing to share their (.Continued on Page 13) 24 Features and 18 Disney Color Cartoons j Outlined by Litchman Chicago — A minimum of 24 features, including a Charlie Chaplin and a Mary Pickford picture which are still tentative, and 18 Walt Disney cartoon shorts in color, will be released in 1934-35 by United ArHsts. it was announced yesterday by Al Liehtman in outlining the product at the annual sales meeting in the Drake Hotel. Among producers who will supplv the features are 20th Century (Schenck Zanuck), Samuel Goldwyn, Reliance (Small (Continued on Page 15) HAYS SAYSCRJTICISM LIFTSSCREEN POSITION Crawfordsville, Ind. — Film criticism, whether good or bad, is evidence of the important position of the screen as an art, Will H. Hays told his fellow-alumni in an address Saturday night at Wabash College. Hays reviewed the history of popular entertainment and declared that "proper entertainment is a remedy (Continued on Page 11) Metropolitan Clearance Staying About the Same First zoning and clearance schedule established for the greater New York City territory and effective with the 1934-35 season will be substantially the same as the present system. The fact that only a few complaints have been filed with the New York zoning board indicates his. Zoning boards throughout the country are now hearing protests in connection with new clearance setups, preliminary to actual work of drafting systems. Second the Motion Crawfordsville, Ind. — The most popular of all after-dinner speeches, in the opinion of Will H. Hays, who was here Saturday to address his fellow-alumni of Wabash College, is contained in five words, to wit: "Let's go to the movies."