The Film Daily (1934)

The D ally N ewspe i per Of M o t i o n Pict u res Now S ixtecn Years Old WrCCr,MCNDAy, JUNE 11, 1934 <5 CENTS 4 IglKj w j'i, : n iff Lib! .Ren* Clause in Bankruptcy Law DEFEAT ...MOVE TO UNIONIZE EXCHANGE, WORKERS 17 Houses Join Active List in Pacific Northwest e IC Coast Previews ... a vicious practice = By DON CARLE GILLETTE == CONSIDERING that reliable information * on new pictures is the most valuable f all news for distributors and exhibitors, L ie manner in which this industry service as run into abuse through the medium of ollywood previews is a matter of real ■a sneern. The fault seems to lie in the fact that ollywood, on top of having an artificial ;rspective on life most of the time, evalures its output from that same viewpoint id consequently is wrong on too many ocisions for the good of the business. You have only to take the combined preew reports of any ten, twenty or fifty ctures, and compare those writeups with ie actual returns from the pictures to I illy appreciate the sad story. T T T 'HE viciousness of the practice, aside from the fact that Hollywood preview s are too localized in viewpoint or have ie "home-guard" complex of praising evything that sprouts from its own garden, accentuated by the avidity of some preewers to rush into print with the first sports on a new picture. This has reached the point where they > longer wait for a production to be finhed, but they go out and catch sneak eviews before the picture is finally eded, or get a cutting room glimpse, or ven go so far as to write it up from an dvance press sheet. As a result, home offices of distributing ompanies often are led into thinking they ave something sensational when they acually have a dud, and occasionally vice ersa, while exhibitors in turn are misled, onfused and made distrustful of all claims nd representations of distributors who use ie Hollywood blurbs for sales promotion. ▼ ▼ ▼ vlOW, don't construe this as a flat argu ~ ment against the previewing of picures. It is fully realized that this is important r-d indispensable to the trade. Unless done right, however, it not only j useless, but definitely destructive. Let the preview take place after a picure is fully completed, and hold it somewhere away from Hollywood where the eaction of a normal audience is possible nd where the previewers are not under ny Hollywood spell. Several Portable Circuit Stands Listed Among Openings Seattle — Seventeen houses were added to the active list in this territory in the course of the last two months, while only four went dark, according to the current report of the Film Board of Trade. Three of the situations are new ventures, includingthe Grand, Grand Coulee, and Machah Hall, Neah Bay, where portable circuits opened and the International irn Blaine. Portable circuits also are operating in the Kam, (.Continued on Page 17) TY SURVEYING NO. OF CODE GAS The Code Authority, through Executive Secretary John C. Flinn, today begins a survey in which all local grievance and zoning boards are contacted to learn how many cases they have pending. . Five New RKO Features On View at Convention Five features in the 1934-35 lineup will be screened at the RKO convention in Chicago, June 18-20. Advance guard from the home office will leave New York on Friday, with Ned Depinet, Jules Levy and Bob Sisk leaving Sunday. B. B. (Continued on Page 17) File Saenger Security Plan Saenger reorganization plans have been filed by Paramount with the Federal Trade Commission for approval under the new securities law. The plans involve issuance of new bonds and hence are held to come under the law as a new offering. W. B. MAY LOSE STAKE IN ST. LOUIS SETUP St. Louis — Warner's one-third interest in the St. Louis Properties Co. may be entirely wiped out through the sale of the theaters to bondholders, according to informed sources here. In the case of the Ambassador and Grand Central theaters, it is believed bondholders will get but 35 cents on the dollar, while in the Missouri Theater case only 30 cents miay be paid. Allen L. Snyder has announced he (Continued on Page 3) Activity Stepped Up At Hal Roach Studio West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Although the latter part of June has usually been a dull period at the Hal Roach studios, this year there will be four units in work, General Manager Henry Ginsberg announces. The Irvin S. Cobb unit, Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase and an All-Star group will have shorts in production. I.A.T.S.E. Would Eliminate American Cinematographers' Society By M. M. THOMAS FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Louisville — A motion to include film exchange workers, along with assistant directors, in the membership of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes & Motion Picture Operators was defeated at the closing session of the Interna (Continued on Page 3) MPTOA ASKING UNITS FOR IDEAS ON DUALS The M. P. T. 0. A. is communicating with unit members to acquire their ideas for proceeding against double feature bills, President Ed Kuykendall stated in New York on Saturday. Kuykendall, who will remain in town until after the Code Authority meeting Friday, has not as yet selected the exact date for the forthcoming meecing of the organization's board of directors in New York. Rent Claims Not Retroactive In Proposed Bankruptcy Change Educational Signs Keaton For Four More Comedies Buster Keaton, now making a feature in France, has been signed by E. W. Hammons to star in four more comedies on Educational's 1934-35 program. He made "The Gold Ghost" and "Allez Oop" this season. Educational also has Ernest Truex for six comedies. President Roosevelt will recommend immediate amendment of the bankruptcy reorganization law to provide that future rent claims, which under the new act are provable for three years, shall be nonretroactive, according to information received by attorneys for the Paramount trustees. Ambiguity of the law on this point was pointed (Continued on Page 17) Outline Vitaphone Plans At Chicago Sales Meet Chicago — An outline of the new Vitaphone program of about 130 shorts will be one of the highlights of the regional sales meeting being held by Warner-First National at the Drake Hotel here today and tomorrow. Grad Sears will preside and there are to be talks by Harry M. Warner, Major Albert Warner, Harold S. Bareford on the film code, Carl Leserman, Norman H. Moray on the shorts lineup, and others. A (Continued on Page 3) New Low for Madison Madison, Wis. — A. P. Desormeaux, operator of the Majestic, is advertising two features at the "lowest prices ever charged in Madison." Admission is 15 cents for adults daily and Sunday to 6 P. M. and 20 cents at night. Kids a dime at all times.