The Film Daily (1934)

ES Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought ■ I V./ ■ cpty — ~m The Dai Of Mo Now Six ly N t i o n teen ewspc Pict Years iper ures Old J eithei VCL. I_XV. NO. 137 NE^yCC^WEDNCSDAy, JLNE 13, 1934 <S CENT* 'Cara? Gal fife e net Lester l June '■n -reel eifkl I will me 11 torei :o». Wi. I COS! ■etds Id mii, In ! Did ua Tsmi.'Oi Cleaning Firm Fights Proposed CoA" A*nendment ONLY FEW CIRCUIT HOUSE! CLOSINU SUMMER Fox Foreign Language Program Offers 124 Features Fan Publicity . wrong kind from Hollywood = By DON CARLE GILLETTE ^^ \ IT SEEMS that some Hollywood press -agents, instead of fulfilling their intended function in the process of selling pictures to the public, are going in more iad more for racy personal items, intimate revelations and even unabashed utilization of current marital difficulties. The influence of the newspaper gossip columns has enveloped them to such an extent that they are even trying to beat the Winchells and Sullivans and Sobols in predicting blessed events among the stars. A SIDE from the question of good taste |T™» involved, this sort of thing is all wet from the standpoint of showmanship. The greatest showman of them all, old Phineas T. Barnum himself, owed his success largely to the fact that he kept his attractions surrounded by an air of mystery and secrecy. He realized that illusion is quickly destroyed in the fickle public mind, so he took no chances. Not so with the publicists of today They feed the public with so much star gossip, both real and fanciful, that it is hard to find a home in which the private as well as professional life of any film star is not fully known and discussed ever the dinner table or even at breakfast. t THE result is that fan interest is built up * in stars instead of in pictures; distasteful incidents about a star lead to a loss of following; parents forbid children to see films in which scandalized players appear, and, , in the case of personalities whose fame is short-lived the reams of publicity are 90 per cent wasted. S.ihce. 'it is the story, rather than the star,. that must ultimately satisfy the movie patron after he is in the theater, more advance information of the intelligent kind en stories will prove of greater practical value to the industry than keyhole items that only destroy illusion, reduce public curiosity to see stars, create unfavorable impressions about movies in general. On Return From Europe, Clayton Sheehan Outlines Plan In one of the most ambitious foreign picture programs ever undertaken by an American company, Fox is planning to distribute 124 foreign language features abroad during the new season, Clayton P. Sheehan stated yesterday, after landing from the He de France. The head of the (Continued on Page 5) ALLIED FORMING TWO MORE N. E. OUTFITS Boston — Two more exhibitor units affiliated with Allied are being organized under direction of the Independent Exhibitors of Boston. They are Allied Theater Owners of New Hampshire and Allied Theater Owners of Vermont. Organization (Continued on Piuje d) 43 Warner Sales Heads Going to Branch Meets Chicago — Forty-three district and branch managers have left here following the Warner Bros, regional sales meeting, to attend individual branch meetings in 11 key cities (Continued on Page 7) Paramounr's Keynote Showmanship will be the keynote of Paramount's new season product, Adolph Zukor declared prior to leaving New York tonight to attend the company's national sales convention at the Ambassador, Los Angeles. "The acting personnel includes everything from Baby LeRoy to Charles Laughton. from Mie West to Pauline Lord," observed the Paramount president. ■G-M MAY PRODUCE 8 YEARLY IN BRITAIN M-G-M will likely produce two features in England during the 1934-35 season with prospects of increasing English production to eight a year, David 0. Selznick stated to Film Daily yesterday. Selznick who arrived on the He de France following a month in Great Britain said that he conferred with Nick (Continued on Page 4) Landow Leaves Universal; Engel New Philly Manager Following resignation of M. S. Landow, veteran Universal branch manager, Joe Engel assumes charge of the company's Philadelphia office July 2. Landow is entering the (Continued on Page 6) Cleaning Company Offers Own Plan to Stop Code Violations Nearly All Major Group Theaters to Fight For Summer Biz Independent exhibitors who look for a letdown in summer competition from circuit operations will not have their hopes realized, according to a survey made yesterday by The Film Daily which indicates that but few closings are planned by producer-controlled groups. Warner Bros, are expected to darken less than 10 theaters out of its total of nearly 400. RKO has intentions of closing but two houses out of its list of (Continued on Page 5) 115 PARAMOUNT MEN OFF FOR SALES MEET About 115 Paramounters from all sections of the country are heading for the company's annual national sales convention which opens Monday at the Hotel Ambassador, Los Angeles, for a four-day session. Home office delegates leave tonight (Continued on Page 4) Allied Asks for Boycott Of Affiliated Theaters Calling upon heads of various organizations seeking motion picture reform not to aim their wrath at independent exhibitors, Allied, in a bulletin issued yesterday, advocated that they boycott producer-controlled theaters as a means of "cleaning up" pictures. "The producers are vulnerable in (Continued on Page 5) By WILLIAM SILBERBERG FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Washington — A proposed amendment to the motion picture code tightening the labor provisions regarding hours and wages of theater service employees was severely contested yesterday by the American Maintenance Co., suppliers of contract cleaning service labor to theaters. No decision was announced. The company was the only opponent (Coittinueg) on Page 8) Columbia May Make Own British Quota Pictures Feasibility of Columbia producing its own British quota requirements f eight to 10 pictures will be studied by Joseph Seidelman. Co nmbia foreign manager, who sails 3aturday for London. Columbia has (Continued on Page 6) Salaries Report In July Wash. Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Division Administratoi Rosenblatt's report to the President on star and other "unreasonably excessive" S'hries paid within the film industry will be out on schedule sometime next month, it was learned yesterday, contradicting reports to the contrary Rosenblatt studied the situation on a recent trip to the Coast.