The Film Daily (1934)

Wednesday, June 27, 1934 THE EXPLOITETTES 'Health Cards" Exploit 'Men in White" in N. E. (~)NE week before the showing Wof M-G-M's "Men in White" in M & P Theaters in Boston and New England territory arrangements were made for all ushers and doormen to wear doctors' uniforms with a ribbon running crosswise on the front with the title of the picture printed on it. The cashiers wore nurses costumes and one girl in uniform was stationed at the exit in the lobby distributing health cards. These cards, two by four inches in size, had in the center a dark red spot about the size of a penny. The copy above asked that the reader breathe on the red spot and watch the result. If the spot turned blue, he was advised to see a doctor. If it remained red, he was told to see "Men in White." A check-up revealed the smallest number of discardcards ever observed. Clark Gable and Myrna Loy are costarred in Metro-GoldwynMayer's "Men in White" under direction of Richard Boleslavsky. In the cast are Jean Hersholt, Elizabeth Allan, Otto Kruger and Henry B. Walthall. — M. & P. Theater, Boston. Get Big Space on "Villa" in Wichita Paper M] 'ETRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER exploiteers, in their Wichita (Kansas) campaign on "Viva Villa!", obtained a large spread on the first page of the feature section in the Sunday Eagle. Surrounding a head of Wallace Beery, star of the film, were a number of stills from the photoplay. There was also a lengthy story by Paul I. Wellman dealing with two Wichitans who had been in Mexico during the days of the Villa regime and who vouched for the authenticity of the picture. A tip-off on the importance of the spread is the fact that the only other article on the page was a signed story by Mark Sullivan, political writer. — Wichita, Kans. BIG NEWS AS SEEN BY THE PRESS AGENT "W. C. Fields makes up his own dinner menu for his cook each morning while eating breakfast."— PARAMOUNT. • • • ONE OF the finest stories that has come out of Hollywood this year because it is so unlike Hollywood the Story of An Unselfish Deed it seems that for some time John Boles has been secretly financing the vocal training of three young men with promising voices and he hopes that one of them at least will prove to be his successor some day for they are being trained by Harold Kellogg the man who gave Boles his first singing lesson and started him on the road to fame and sheckels • • • WHEN THE story leaked out Boles explained his action thus "My own start in music was very difficult I had to work for several years picking cotton under a hot Texas sun before I could save enough cash for my first lesson I just wanted to help a few ambitious young chaps over the bumps and get them off to a running start." and after this beautiful gesture, Mister Boles we for one will always view your film work with a feeling that there is at least One Big Hearted Gent whom Hollywood has not destroyed. . . • • • IT COST Charles Ruggles exactly 35 smackers to get to work on time the other day at the M-G-M lot for "Murder In the Private Car" on the way to the stude the chauf discovered a nail in a tire Charlie told him to keep going, as he was late the tire went blooey but they kept driving the tire was mangled but Charlie was on time this, girls and boys, is today's lesson be punctual even if it costs you your own dough • • • ON THE eve of July 8 James Cagney will broadcast greetings to the U. S. Fleet stationed at Norfolk, Va. on a coast-to-coast network in conjunction with Warners' world premiere of "Here Comes the Navy" at Loew's State theater in that city Harry Rathner, New York representative for several m. p. distributing agencies ... has leased offices on the 21st floor of the RKO building in Rockefeller Center • • • CONSIDER THE luck that seems to attend individuals connected with Du World productions Joe Berne (unknown practically), directed a pix called "Dawn to Dawn" Berne was signed as a director for Universal the star of the pix was placed under contract by Radio in "Girl In the Case" featuring Jimmy Savo Jimmy was grabbed up by Hecht-Mac Arthur for a 5 -year contract involving over a million after kicking around Hollywood unwanted for yars and Dr. Eugene Frenke, hubby of Anna Sten who directed it was signed up by Universal now the director of "Tell Tale Heart" has been able to form his own company with releases through Fox and Norman Dryden, the star of this Poe classic, who was persuaded into acting by the director against his will is being sought by a couple of the majors a natural "find" so it looks as if "Du World Luck" is more than a mere phrase O • • OVER IN England a gent named Sidney Bernstein has a swell string of de luxe theaters he is very progressive so he grabbed our Critics' Questionnaire plan and adapted it to his own purposes he got up a series of questions for his patrons to say frankly just what they thot about films and film stars so that Mister Bernstein can arrange his programs to give 'em what they want he has about 250,000 weekly attendance in his houses we will give you some of the FRANK opinions of his patrons later boy, they're HOT « « « » » » TIMELY TOPICS Urges "Hollywood Theater" For Try-outs of Plays ^/TTH English and German film competition getting more important every day, it is obvious that the one great chink in Hollywood's armor is its lack of a theater. I am glad to see that steps are being taken to remedy this lack; that studio-sponsored little theaters are being formed; that stock companies introducing and pioneering new plays are in the offing. With this matter cared for, there is no reason why Hollywood's film position should not remain impregnable. I should explain my use of the term theater. By it I mean a developed stage industry, wherein new plays are constantly being tried out; new players given their first trial of fire before an audience. British film studios have the great advantage of the very fine theater of London. Hollywood is remote from its principal theater, New York, by 3,000 miles. Up until the new turn of events Hollywood had only occasional shows. To get the different tang of the theater; to restore to players the definite inspiration which comes from working before an audience, it was necessary to go to New York. By no means do I wish to give the impression that such contact is needed because the film and stage arts are so closely related. This is not true. They are vastly different in technique, but they are fifth cousins to a degree that inspiration, lift, can always be gained by devotees of the one, through contact with the other. — Herbert Marshall. FACTS ABOUT FILMS Of the 1,479 films imported in Australia last year 66.3 per cent came from the U. S. and 25 7 per cent from England.