The Film Daily (1928)

THE J^^ DAILY Sunday, December 16, jSW Looking It Over {Continued from Page 1) All Agog Tuesday: Your staid Englishman has heen uprooted. His cahn has been replaced bj a not inconsiderable storm. Why not? The deal that must be held responsible would cause plenty of fuss right here where millions— anybody's — are thrown around so carelessly. Gaumont British, backed by Ostrer Bros., important London bankers, has propelled itself into first place in England with purchase of Provincial Cinematograph Theaters and now everyone in London is wondering what might be expected next. This group well nigh dominates the British trade. American distributors cannot ignore it. The question that now arises is whether or not Gaumont British will be patriotic as well as commercial by using its buying power as a means to force English pictures on American companies for release in this market. Part ol London, at least, looks for this to happen. Certainly it is not to be dismissed too lightly as an eventuality. ... The old guard is gone. It will be difiicult, when discussing First National, to realize that old timers like Moe Finkelstein, Abe Blank, Barney Balaban and E. V. Richards are out of the running. Yet it is so. The Warners, assuming complete control of the company and its management, have cut the directorate from 14 to 10, replaced First National men with their own, as is quite natural, and elected Hermann Starr to fill the presidential chair. . . . Under the Skin Wednesday: Something's going on. Vitaphone records will be available for theaters equipped with RCA's proposed disc reproducer. Vitaphone admits it. Now that, to us, is significant. Particularly when V. turns stony deaf when you mention service in connection with other di'sc systems. You know. General Electric owns a lot of very valuable patents, some licensed to Western Electric, others to the Radio Corporation. Now, as fate would have it, both of these companies not so long ago found themselves in the talking picture field. Competitors? Sure enough. Brothers under the skin — well, to say so would be assuming a good deal. But it has appeared for some months that W. E. and RCA would never get particularly rough with each other insofar as sound pictures are concerned. The Vitaphone policy, just come to light, would serve to strengthen that observation. Don't you think so? . . . Theaters. Hardly an important deal reported in which the name of William Fox doesn't appear. One da\ develops this: West Coast Theaters to take over seven Ackerman and Harris houses; $1,000,000 house planned for Spokane; a dreadnaught for Cleveland, while plans are fur thered along for the 24-story office building and 2,200 sound theater on the site of the Central right here in little old Nueva York, . . . Incidentally, don't think the purchase of all those New York City independent theaters has been abandoned simply because nothing has appeared in print in the last week or so. On the contrary, much is going on and along about January the one you may expect developments. . . . Poor Hollywood Thursday. The boys are having one grand funfest out where they make 'em. When all-talkers first appeared several months ago, it was most apparent that, aside from silly spoken lines and mechanical diffitulties with sound recording, the chief trouble was to be found in the sad absence of action. What the screen showed was animated figures talking their lines, but not motion pictures as America's millions knew them. Our duty became clear. The trouble was as clear as daylight. We would expound our observations, all Hollywood would get wise and the epidemic of brainstorms would melt under the weighty influence of a prophetic prediction. But nobody minds much what we write about anyway and so nothing came of it. It appears now that the market for all-talkers may turn bearish and that a pool in part-talkers will get in its say, the point being that all-dialoguers talk too much and do too little. . . . J. E. Otterson statementizes further on interchangeability and cheaper equipment from Western Electric. He "asks" his company's licensed producers to pass judgment on quality over outside reproducers. If W. E. dismisses the interchangeability issue by passing the buck to the producer and distributor, it's all over but the shouting. This is why: Sound means generous increases in rentals to all distributors. They are after those extra dollars and, unless the reproducer is hopeless and unless the complexion of the industry has changed, you can take odds this minute that every theater equipped for sound will be served. . . . Getting Ready Friday: Having cleared away the financial detail in connection with the acquisition of First National and Stanley, the Warners, getting a second wind as it were, are looking around for more theater situations to conquer. And so, itl comes to light, no less than 60 theaters are about to be taken over. Spyros Skouras, of course, enters into this with both feet. Skouras is a young man. Also is he ambitious. Likewise does he happen to.be operating head of all Warner theater properties. With the Stanley chain as a hub, it is natural to add more spokes to the already extensive wheel. Which explains why some of the deals hanging fire concern houses in Pennsyl vania and Maryland. Skouras' own chain which centers in and around St. Louis, the hub for still another wheel and, so naturally again, you can understand why other conferences would concern theaters in Illinois and Indiana. And as each wheel grows larger, it is aximoatic that they will some day meet. And then some day, when they overlap it may be that the Warners and Skouras will set out to master new fields. . . . Every American company has been waiting for it. Germany's new "kontingent" regulation, flashed to the little old paper from Berlin, sets import licenses at 210 for 1929-1930. Mind you that means for all pictures imported into Germany. While the total is more liberal than last year's numerically, there is a dark boy lurking in the woodpile which is causing considerable worry here. However, that is another story. . . . And Still More Today: My goodness! Here comes Bill Fox with some grand plans for West Coast Theaters. Not content with the formidable line-up as it now stands, that struggling young chain on the Pacific Slope has determined upon a new building program involving $15,000,000 and 25 additional houses. Well, at least we told you that nothing is going to stop Fox and his plans. Here's proof. . . . The Radio influence in FBO: "Rio Rita" grabbed right from under several well-known noses we might mention. It's to be an all-talker for next season. Secondly, an all-talker to be build around Waring's Pennsylvanians. And wait until you find out what's coming. . . . Lots of things in the air. The buzzing is becoming quite general about several big deals — really big ones. Hold your horses. You'll find out all about them at the proper time. K AN N 19 Added to Honor Ru (Continued from Page 1) ■ Samuel Spring, Herman Si' Thomas J. Connors, A. W. Sr] Jr., Frank W. Buhler, H. H. 1, baum, Lee Marcus, Marty Schw Charles Schwartz, Barton B. ] burn. Si Seadler. Watch This List Grow Tommy Meighan Charles Einfeld Henry Ginsberg Al Lichtman Red I^ann Joe Schnitzer Mrs. Edna Sussman Sidney Singerm Rebecca Joffee J. Ludwig Harry RosenquI C. C. HoagUi' Frank Mastrolj Paul Gulick i Miss Addie Dannenberg Harry Reichcn Chalman Transferred to Houston Atlanta — Jack Chalman, who, for the past ten months has been director of advertising and publicity of the Howard, has been transferred to a similar position at the Metropolitan, Houston. Hyde at Birmingham Birmingham, Ala. — Bolivar F. Hyde, Jr., has been made manager of the Alabama. Hyde was formerly nianager of various Publix theaters in southern cities. Munday Buys Alaska House Wrangell, Alaska— C. C. Mundav has purchased the Wrangell from Weslet Sorenberger. H. J. Yates Ned Depinet Bruce Gallup Billy Brandt Lou Blumenthal Ed Schiller W. F. Rodgers Vic Shapiro Don Mersereau Tommy Goldberg Arthur Loew Jack Alicoate Charles Jawitz Richard Brady Walter Futter Jim Normanly Nat Levine Paula Gould A. Pam Blumenthal Tom Wiley Wm. Massce David Loew Paul N. Lazarus Herman Robbins Phil Reisman W. J. German Emil Shauer David Picker M. J. Kandall Wm. Ferguson J. D. Trop Stanley Hand George Byrnes Ed Halperin N. L. Manheim Louis Baum Bert Adler Harry Scott D. J. Chatkin Ben R. Rosenbaum Emil C. Jensen Leo Klebenow Charles Moskowitz J. Francis O'Reilly Harry Lewis S. J. Warshowsky Cresson E. Smith N. D. Golden James R. Grainger Herbert Ebenstein Fred Quimby W. S. Butterfield A. H. Giannini Lou B. Metzger M. Van Praag Joe Weil H. M. Messiter Willard McKay A. Schimel Ted Schlanger Helen Hughes C. B. Paine Oscar Binder I. V. Ward • T. H. McFarland f( Henry C. Bate Dan Lederman Dave Bader Milton Silver Len Fields Eugene Walsh i Lee Balsly M. Steinbuch •' G. Byrne R. V. Anderson P. D. CochrajK Alfred Gottesiri Oscar Neufeld Sam Sax Gabriel L. Hess Hedda Hopper Milton Cohen Bernard Edeihe William Pizor M. E. Krauss Harold B. Frat Joe Brandt Jack Cohn Harry Cohn George Harvey James Mulvey D. L. Zjrve Adolph Zukor Nathan Burkac Eugene Zukor Arthur B. Grak E. W. Kramer as Thomas W. Ge Dewey Bloom Wm. James Lee A. Ochs Hank Linet W. P. Wentz Ethel Smith Arthur B. Graha R. S. Wolff John C. Flinn David Bernstein Leopold Friedmi Weiss Bros. F. V. Luporini Henry Siegel E. M. Saunders Clarence J. Norl Louis K. Sidnej Millard Johnson Maurice Goodmi T. P. Mulroonly Ralph Kohn Harry Brandt H. L. MuUer Samuel Spring Herman Starr Thomas J. Conr' A. W. Smith. J: Frank W. BuJile H. H. Buxbaum Lee Marcus Marty Schwartz Charles Schwartj Barton B. Hepb> Si Seadler Lakewood Theater Sold Lakewood, N. J.— The Pala owned by the Lakewood Amusemi Co. was sold at public auction satisfy claims of the Lakewood Tri Co. which held mortgages against Harry Shififman of New York bic in for $51,500. Perron Gets North Park Seattle — Raymond Perron has purchased the North Park from V. V. Williams. Open Capitol at Rome, N. "V. Rome, N. Y. — The Capitol, one the largest theaters in this secti< has opened. It seats 1,250. McAlister House Renovated McAlistcr, Okla.— The Rex is t ing remodeled and adding a staj I 111 k 1 I