The Film Daily (1929)

fZ. L. Clarke Heads New Equipment Combine Sfe NEWSPAPER ^^m WVIkab^LTUE NEWS • FILMDOMi^^m^^^^ALLTHE TIME OL. XLIX No. 13 Tuesday, July 16, 1929 Price 5 Cents 'Melody Lane ' ' EDDIE LEONARD, the minstrel man, in "Melody Lane." A combination lat held promise which the picire failed to deliver. Not a appy venture for Leonard or iiversal. The reasons are seval. Any one of them is suffient to have made the going loppy, but when you mix them 1 together this particular enTtainment craft wobbles most rilously. First, a shoddy story, even for ie skimpy tale that runs irough the picture. Mediocre rection didn't help. Neither d Leonard's unfamiliarity with ie camera. Or the bad acting the rest of the cast. Stone and Oswald The program didn't credit Georgie ;one. Yet he was the one sunny §t in "Melody Lane." The other last night's event was a clever rtoon with Oswald, the prankish bbit. Squawky Love Funny age, this era of dialogue. Dr instance. The other night at ie of the big Broadway theaters, nicely handled love scene was unIding itself. In the silent days, ply. In these squawky times, far lerent. For the audience began to ter and here and there were aude gentle words of kidding. Why, u ask? Because the one time silce of the screen gave each specor an illusion into which could be ad the individual's own thoughts, ialogue, unless very, very adroit, lashes the illusion and replaces it th one interpretation: the lines the aracters are speaking. A vast difence and one that strikes vitally the fundamental appeal of the ■reen. Priceless Did you hear the story of the up-the-minute producing organization at worked itself into a froth trying discover what shows Winthrop mes had appeared in? He is one the bright producing satellites of e American theater yet a whole ary of accredited high-powered exeitives didn't even know who he was. KANN CANADIAN GOVERNMENT PROBES RENTALS ON COMPLAINTS LODGED $10,000,000 the Price Minneapolis — Ten million dollars is the price paid by Paramount for the Northwest Theater Circuit (Finkelstein & Ruben), states "Minneapolis Tribune." First announcement of sale of the chain of 150 Northwest theaters was made June 14 by THE FILM DAILY. Paramount yesterday confirmed acquisition of the F. & R. chain. IDEAL TO HANDLE 1929-30 Contract for distribution in the United Kingdom of the 1929-30 RKO product has been closed in London by President Joseph I. Schnitzer and Simon Rowson of Ideal Films, Ltd. The British firm is affiliated with Gaumont British, which has more than 300 English theaters. Schnitzer, who already has left London for Paris, plans a visit to continental exchange cities. 268 Players Sign Standard Contract, Coast Reports West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Two hundred sixtyeight players have signed standard contracts since June 5, despite the mandate to members of Actors' Equity Ass'n. Names of 60 players who have signed have just been announced. WIDTH, SOUND, COLOR IN SINGLE EXPOSURE PLANNED Boston — Revolutionary methods of colored photography, sound pictures and third dimension are promised in an invention being developed by Watson Hartley, inventor, who has subjected his ideas to tests performed at the Paramount Long Island studio. Within a few days it is expected that Hartley will demonstrate a series of his inventions which include sound, color and third di (Continucd on Page 5) Commission Named to Recommend Clean Films William C. Redfield, former Secretary of Commerce, heads the motion picture commission, appointed by the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America. The commission is to review and recommend to churches suitable pictures. The silent treatment will be accorded films conMdered undesirahle. The commission is not in any sense a censor, functioning as an educational and informative bodv. Pincus Is Division Head of A. H. Blank Circuit Omaha — Charles Pincus, veteran manager of the Portland, Portland, Ore., is new division manager of the A. H. Blank chain with headquarters at the Paramount here. John Smith has succeeded him at Portland. Int'l Projector and National Supply Chief Heads New Firm Fingerlin Succeeds Butler as P-F-L Manager at L. I. John W. Butler has resigned as executive manager of the Paramount Long Island studio and John W. Fingerlin has been appointed to the (Continued on Page 5) H. L. Clarke, president of International Projector Corp.. and National Theater Supply Co., two of the seven units in the merger is to be president of General Theaters Equipment Inc., new $67,000,000 combine. The company has been in(Continued on Page 5) Exhibitor Co-op Also Had Registered Squawk on Famous Players Ottawa — Investigation of the sound rental situation as well as activity of Famous Players Canadian Corp., is under way by the Canadian government, acting under protests of exhibitors. As a move of protest against pound rentals, a group of Ontario independents Thursday will close their theaters in an effort to force the issue. The matter has officially come to the attention of Peter Heenan, Federal Minister of Labor. He is conducting an investigation into the situation and has promised that a solution can be reached providing the independent group gives him time by withholding action for the present. (Continued on Page 7) RACE NEARING CLIMAX By GAYNE DEXTER Editor "Everyone" Sydney — Setting at rest reports that a merger is to be effected, rivalry between Hoyts and Union Theaters, the two big circuits of Australia, will reach its climax this year, with the completion of a building program that will have given the capital cities 12 theaters of Broadway calibre within two years. When the building fight (Continued on Page 5) "U" Disposing of Houses in Suburbs of Seattle Seattle — Universal, which has sold its downtown holdings, is gradually retiring from the suburban field here. The latest deal is sale of the Beacon to Miss I. Carstens, former owner, who also operates the Fremont. Exhibitor Found Guilty in Quebec "Kid" Law Test Quebec — Arthur Drapeau, proprietor of the Imperial and Princess has been found guilty on six counts of admitting children under 16 to his (Continued on Page 5)