The Film Daily (1928)

1 This Issue Ned Depinet Tells "What's Right With The Movies" DAIL¥^EVIEW Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. — Continuing Exhibitors Trade Review Devoted to the fostering and developing of the Motion Picture Industry. New York, Wednesday, October 24, 1928 OL. 24 No. 95 FIVE CENTS Capital a Our sapient playmate, the New ork Sun, says in a political edirial: "New York after all is the lofficial capital of the United :ates" and that has something to do ith us of the pictures. Far from ring insular the subscriber of these imortal lines is as much at home I a cow ranch in Montana as in the irlieus of the privileged in the reat City. He knows his Pennsylmia, his Connecticut, his Mississ pi and his Montana. * * * But if New York is the unofficial ipital of the United States in other r in general realms, it is without 3ubt the capital of the motion pic ire business. * * * We admire our Hollywood and reret only that its press is a smearjme institution that loves to plaster s own brothers with mud and sock le great souls that help it to be rosperous and aid it to ride rather lan walk. ^ * ^ It has attracted motion picture ilent from all over the world but it till is a producing center and after II that is glory enough for those 'ho are paid in cash for their effort tid who later receive the recognition lat the capital of pictures awards. * # * New York receives the pictures lade by other countries and they are rowing better to the point of promlence and importance, and givec hem their chance in competition /ith the Hollywood that would be ally wonderful if it could abolish ts boundaries and cease to believe hat its local and fully insular social ife was important to the rest of the rorld. * * :!: We heard Joe Schenck one day .rgue seriously for the removal of Jnited Artists business headquarters o Hollywood. We had and have no suggestions to make to him as a msiness man but we thought him )dd and even bizarre in his idea be;ause he sought to overlook the great nelting pot that New York as the :apital of motion pictures affords. ARTHUR JAMES. SHOW US," SAYS WESTERN ELECTRIC TO COMPETITORS Weiss-Tonefilm In Largest Rayart-Pearson In Film Hook-Up With the arrival of George Pearson, managing director of British Screen Productions from London, negotiations were started yesterday between Pearson and Rayart Pictures Corporation, for the joint production of a series of 12 pictures in sound, which will be distributed in the U. S. by Rayart. The deal was first negotiated by David Mountain of Richmount Productions, Rayart foreign distributors, on behalf of Ray Johnston Pearson arrived in New York Monday on the Leviathan. Which sound apparatus will be used on the proposed schedule of productio.n has not been decided (Continued to page 6) Neb.-W.IowaMPTO Open Convention Omaha. — A record attendance of showmen are gathering here today tor the opening of the Annual Convention of the M.P.T.O. of Nebraska and Western Iowa. President Charles E. Williams will make the formal address >f welcome this morning. The sound film predicarnent which has been worrying many mid-west exhibitors, who have not been able to obfain talking picture equipment as yet, and who lack e.xpert data on the diverse synchronizing devices. Technical experts have been invited to address the theatre owners on this score. Arbitration, tent and non-theatrical opposition, advertising and_ publicity will also form part of the discussions. 5-Hr. Warner Broadcast On Election Night To Produce Eastern Studio Alfred Weiss, known to the picture business ever since if has been a business, is in the sound field with Tonefilm, a recording and reproduction device that evidence the perfection now required by the trade and the public. Alfred Weiss has been at work on the completion of his plans and product for more than twelve months, during which lime there has been no statement, as he preferred to let the sound device speak for itself. This can be said to be sound reasoning and sound policy. Tonefilm already has contracts for novelty subjects with Paramount and activities are to be enlarged to include sound features, the first of which will be an operetta to be made under the direction of Phil Goldstone at the Peerless Studios at Fort Lee, which have been purchased by Mr. Weiss and which, within the week, will be transformed into the largest sound studios in the east. This work has been in progress for some time. The advent of Alfred Weiss, who knows pictures, picture conditions and exhibitor picture problems, in the sound field is regarded by this newspaper as a stabilizing influence. Otterson in First Official Statement Makes Interchange Situation a Future Issue Scoff at Rivals J. E. Otterson, President of Electrical Research Products yesterday issued a statement clarifying the company's position on interchangeability of sound pictures on apparatus of types other than that of Movietone or Vitaphone. He said: "The Western Electric Company through its subsidiary. Electrical Research Products, Inc., have developed, introduced, and perfected the apparatus now being used in over seven hundred theatres for the showing of talking motion pictures. It also developed and supplied the recording equipment being used by substantially all the producers in the motion picture industry. It is in (Continued on page 4) Rosenberg in Rush to Look Over Bristolphone Mike Rosenberg, Vice President of Principal Theatres and associate of Sol Lesser, arrived in New York yes■'crday from the Coast on the Century, md without stopping oflf to d i any busi. ness in tne city, m.ppea a .a.uei lur Waterliury to look over the Bristolphone plant and apparatus. Millions of Americans will hear about Warner Bros, and their Vitajihone pictures on Election Night, November 6th, from 8 P.M. until 2 A.M. when Warner will furnish radio entertainment for si.K_ consecutive hours oevr the Columbia Broadcasting chain. Western Electric Clauses Forbid Inter changeability Without Consent Under heading of "Replacements" in the operating instructions issued by Electrical Research Products Inc., to theatres, attention is called to a clause in the standard theatre contract which reads : "The Exhibitor agrees he shall not', without written consent of products move, alter, change or modify the equipment, nor add anything thereto nor take anything therefrom . . . nor operate, use or employ the equipment in conjunction with any record of sound or with any other device in any way related to the production or reproduction of sound, unless said records, devices other than those made under license from product's, shall have first been tested by products and found by it to operate properly, reliably and efficiently and to reproduce sound with accuracy of quality and adequacy of volume, and approved by the legal counsel of products as to freedom from infringement of patents. . . . "It is expressly forbidden to experiment with the equipment of products ... by using records of types not authorized by us, as this might result in a situation constituting default of contnut.