The Film Daily (1934)

Intimate in Character Internationa! in Scope Independent in Thought VCL. L\V. NO. 141 Ul ' The D aily N ewspe iper Of M o t i o n Pict ures Now S ixteen Years Old -1FDAILY' EWyCRI\,MCNDAy, JUNE 18, 1934 <5 CENTS New SeaMfr Feature Bookings Set for RKO Circuit BIG CUTS NOT PLANNING SUMMER PRICE CUTS Re-appoint Paramount Trustees Pending Reorganization Company Files Answers to Petitions for Reorganizations Appointment of Chas. D. Hilles, Eugene W. Leake and Chas. H. Richardson, present Paramount trustees pending a reorganization of Paramount-Pubiix under the new bankruptcy law was made Saturday by Federal Judge Alfred C. Cox. The appointments followed a hearing on two petitions requesting reorganization under the bankruptcy act to which Paramount had made reply admitting sufficient material allegations to bring the company within the purview of the new law and asked that the two petitions be consolidated. RKO Takes Over Ochs Theaters Aug. 2 Contracts were signed Saturday between RKO and Lee A Ochs giving RKO full control of the four remaining Ochs' theaters. Under the deal, exclusively predicted in Film Daily last Tuesday, RKO will operate and book the houses with Ochs taking no part in administration. It is understood that Ochs retains a percentage of the ownership. Four theaters involved are the Yorktown, Midtown, Costello and Uptown. RKO will take over operation about Aug. 2. LEVY TO OPEN RKO MEETING AT CHICAGO Chicago — RKO Radio Distributing Corp., will open its annual sales convention this morning at the Drake Hotel with an address of welcome by Jules Levy, vice-president and general manager, to some 250 Radio home office sales and studio executives, branch managers and salesmen. Then, Ned E. Depinet, president (Continued on Page 16) New Thomson Company To Handle 6 Westerns Fred Thomson, formerly associated with Ideal and Principal Pictures, is organizing his own company to handle world distribution of six action melodramas to be made by Hoyt & Hirsch Productions, (Continued on Page 15) Ask Kuhn, Loeb to Draft Plan The Paramount bank group committee has joined the Vanderlip bondholders' protective committee in asking Kuhn. Loeb & Co. to draw up a plan of reorganization for Paramount-Pubiix, the fourth trustees' report reveals. The trustees are cooperating with the committees in providing them with necessary data on the company's condition. PARA, CASH POSITION IS GREATLY IMPROVED Improvement of $1,152,356 in the cash position of Paramount-Pubiix from the time of the filing of the third trustees' report on Sept. 29, 1933, is noted in the fourth trustees' report filed Saturday in U. S. District Court. It outlines a pending plan for reorganization of the huge Paramount Theater bondholders' claim in tracing the progress made in reorganizing various subsidiaries (Continued on Page 15) Order Detroit Houses To Raise Admissions Detroit — Two decisions affecting minimum admission prices have been issued by the Detroit zoning and grievance board. Both ordered increases in admission. The first case was decided against Mrs. Sophie Helki of the Perrien on com (Continued on Page 15) 175 TO ATTEND M-G-M CHICAGO CONVENTION Chicago — Approximately 175 MG-M representatives will attend the company's annual sales convention opening Thursday at the Drake Hotel, where a three-day session will be held. Executives attending will (Continued on Page 2) Four More N. Y. Houses Set by Springer-Cocalis Springer-Cocalis has two houses under construction and is planning erection of two more in New York City, it was stated yesterday by J"ack Springer. Selection of sites for the two planned theaters will be made within the next two or three weeks, Springer said. The houses under construction are 1,500seaters, one at Beacon, N. Y., the other at Westchester and Pilgrim Aves., The Bronx. Both will be completed in August. 130 Major Company Features Are Bought for RKO Circuit Last Warner Regional Meet Ending at Frisco San Francisco — Winding up a series of Warner Bros. -First National regional sales meetings, the final session gets under way today at the St. Francis Hotel, with Gradwell L. Sears, divisional sales manager, presiding. Talks will be given by Jack L. Warner, Norman H. Moray, Major Albert Warner, Harold S. Bareford and Carl Leserman. In the evening the men will attend a screening of "Madame DuBarry." Feature film booking arrangements for the 1934-35 season have been practically concluded for the RKO circuit, The Film Daily learns. It is understod that the circuit will have 50 RKO Radio pictures, 30 Warner, 30 Paramount, 10 Columbia and 10 Universal, a total of 130 major company pictures. The number will be increased through "spot" bookings from other companies. It is known that RKO will not play Fox pictures during the coming year except under spe(Continued on Page 16) Executives Hope to Be Able to Boost Scales Next Autumn Major circuits will not effect reductions in admission price scales during the summer months, according to statements made to The Film Daily Saturday. All are hopeful of increasing prices next fall, states officials of Loew's, RKO, Warner Bros, and Skouras Theaters. In some competitive situations it is planned to offer "earl ati nees." General opinion i creased operation costs make price cuts impractical and furthermore, the picture-going public seems to have more money to Spend than last summer, executives declared. ■ GORDON MAY GET RKO CENTER ON SE Negotiations are practical between the Rockefellers and Gordon which will turn the Center into a musical comedy ter about Sept. 1. Hassard is being considered in the direct of productions. First production will be "Waltzes from Vienna," recently produced in London by Sir Oswa i Stoll. I oi. summation of the deal is expected this week. Idea Swapping Feature An exchange of ideas towards closer and more efficient cooperation between Famous Theaters Corp. and its partners will be discussed at the first meeting of the company's National Advisory Committee today (Continued on Page 2) Hal Skelly Killed Hal Skelly, age 42, stage and screen actor, was instantly killed late Saturday afternoon in a grade crossing automobile accident at West Cornwall, Conn. Funeral will be held tomorrow in New York.