The Film Daily (1929)

DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 1929 -AND THAT'S THAT By PHIL M. DALY NOW THAT we have entered the open season for submitting lists of definitions, questionnaires and goofy questions that nobody can answer, we have decided to kick in with our own private collection of woids that don't mean a thing. And for cryin' out loud, fellers, don't neglect your jobs trying to master 'em. They really aren't worth it. Here they are: MINNIKER — A salesman who fools around with the Minnies when he should be calling on the trade. SNEEZER— A fillum house patron who insists on adding to the sound effects by sneezing. CRABITSER— An exchange manager who keeps crabbing even when the boys have hit the quota. HUNNIFER — A home official who hands the boys at the exchange a lotta honey and salve and then goes back to the big chief and puts in the old corkscrew. ZENKER — An exhibitor who gets a fillum for practically nothing and then yawns about the poor business he did. GABITZER — A cuckoo who insists on horning in on the conversation just when the salesmen is about to close an exhibitor on a tough sale. * * * GOOFY-GRAFS A new ordinance in Oshkosh, Wis., requires every theater to keep a man backstage. * * * There's one ordinance that's licked right now. If you gave any guy the choice of sitting back of an Oshkosh stage or going to jail, he'd go to jail. * * * Meet the Prince Phil De Angelis, prince of billposters, and Billy Ferguson's righthand man for telling the world about M-G-M pitchures by saying it with paper and paste, established a record on the recent opening of "Hollywood Revue" in Bawston. Phil's crew plastered 100 Massachusetts towns with paper measuring 10 feet by 85 feet. When it was all over and they wanted Phil, who weighs 200, to sit down and rest, he sez: "No, thanks, I've been traveling on roller skates all day." That's the kind of a cheerful guy he is. Along The Rialto w way with Phil M. Daly, Jr. ARNERS surely made Broadway sit up and take notice with that great flash front for "The Gold Diggers of Broad Blanche Mehaffey will say "I do," tomorrow at Glendale. Lee Tracy, under contract to New York, is in New York after an air-railway trip from the Coast Oscar Neufeld of Success Pictures, Philadelphia, has sent out a reprieve to exhibitors, telling them they may have an extension on buying time until his new evidence is presented A murderer "burnt" at Sing Sing last week, viewed "The River of Romance," on the new Phonofilm equipment It's seven years now since Phonofilm has been installed in theaters M. S. Bentham is all smiles these days, for both Helen Morgan and Fuller Mellish, Jr., the leads in "Applause," were placed through his office, and Paramount's sure proud of the result. Incidentally, Rouben Mamoulian, who directed the fillum, now plans to divide his time equally between the stage and talkers Evelyn Brent is on her way East, going to Yurrup for a vacation Walter Winchell in "The N. Y. Daily Mirror" says that George Jessell thinks heaven is a place where spumoni is all chocolate and that Al Jolson is a confirmed bromo-seltzer addict It's a case of jumping in and out for Mary and Doug. The famous Fairbanks family arrived in Manhattan turmoil yesterday and then started Yurropward last night Phil Reis man, big sales chief at Pathe, made a quick jump yesterday to Chicago on one of his familiar sales flights Herman Landwehr, who is the big managerial shot at the Capitol, is sending postcards from Bermuda, with his missus signing some of them. 44 Sound cannot but prove a boon to the legitimate stage. Producers of sound pictures, in their ambitious effort to annex the worthwhile performers of the stage, are merely increasing their value, because the public, made familiar with these personalities, ultimately will demand to see them in the flesh. As a matter of fact, both mediums secure an advan J J tage, although through different channels. JOSEPH PLUNKETT No.32 Industry Statistics No.32 HOBBIES! FRANK BORZAGE is an expert wielder of the squash racquet. Side Ball. Line — Hand By JAMES P. Statistical Editor Carpenters represent the largest individual labor group employed at Hollywocd studios, which maintain permanent staffs of 13,645 persons exclusive of all professionals working on a non-contractual basis. Sound recording gives employment to 788. Results of a survey of all groups, made recently by "Variety," follows: *Numbei Groups Employed Art Directors, Architects '. 147 Camera Dept 500 Carpenters 2,124 Casting 63 Cutting 377 Directors 190 Directors, Assistant 181 Effects, Special 129 Electrical Construction 329 Electricians, Stage 977 Engineering 59 Estimating 34 Executives, Producers 194 Gardeners, Nurserymen 37 CUNNINGHAM Tht Film Daily General Office 378 Grips 420 Janitors 132 Laboratory 498 Laborers 1,267 Maintenance 124 Make-up 13 Mechanical 74 Medical Aid 13 Music Dept 320 Plaster Shop 200 Players, Contract 462 Prop Handling 307 Prop Making 237 Publicity 247 Purchasing 60 Recording, Sound 788 Restaurant 202 Scenario 403 Scenic Dept 595 Set Dressing 12] Stenographers 291 Time Keeping 109 Titles 35 Transportation 309 Wardrobe 453 Watchmen 249 (*) Figures include only those ently" employed. perman Timely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion — €)— The President Realizes Trade Value of Films PRESIDENT HOOVER, ac-1 cording to Associated Press dispatches from Washington, told Louis B. Mayer, motion picture producer, the other day, that, in his opinion, "trade follows the pictures" as well as "the flag." Mr. Hoover, in making what many might consider merely a gracious observation as a leader in the motion picture industry, was not talking off-hand. He was giving the listener the benefit of information which he had gained as head of the Department of Commerce on a subject concerning which he feels strongly; for on a previous occasion he had declared: -"If we search in the channels through which acquaintance and appreciation may flow over our borders, we discover that a vast new current has been added by the motion picture. It is the most penetrating and persuasive of all methods of world communication." "The N. Y. Herald-Tribune" Good Prints Are Essential to Sound or Silent Films OOME exhibitors are saying & that against the draw of the wired houses they must buy their silent pictures cheaper than formerly; that they must have new subjects, and belter prints. If a house is to remain silent it will get better prints. Whatever the age of the subject the print will be newer because it will not have gone through the earlier runs. With good prints thus assured, and by dating up as close to release date as surrounding sound runs will permit, the silent house can put on the best show it has ever given. But it will have to pay more and not less for the service. "M. P. Journal" (Dallas) TEN YEARS AGO TO-DAY IN Theaters Owners Ass'n of Los Angeles urges repeal of admission tax. Massachusetts houses raising admission prices.