The Film Daily (1929)

^athe Shubert Working Arrangement Sought iTHE ft* NEWSPAPER • FILMDOM ULTHE NEWS ALL THE TIME OL. XLIX No. 56 Thursday, September 5, 1929 Price 5 Cents Bars Let Down THE underground from Hollywood yesterday included several tidbits of inprmation that are disquieting, homething has happened to the prmula governing production ince talkers became the vogue. In he olden days — and they seem •art of a distant age now — certain properties were considered unfilmble because of racy situations and k»o much sex. Sound seems to have altered this pndition. What was taboo once is low considered suitable material p dialogue and producers, propprly so, may be accused of leaning »ver backwards in a questionable [lirection. That, we insist, is somejhing calling for prompt attention. Skimming Thin Ice For instance, once out of favor |>ut now in are, among others, vehicles like "The Command to Love," My Life" and "The Shanghai Gesure." The first concerns a debonair liplomat who serves his country best >y conducting illicit affairs with foreign diplomats' wives. The second s .the lif.e story of Isadora Duncan vnose career might have been short )ut none the less hectic while in the hird you find a wild English girl n liaison with a Chinaman. Producers, as you see, have become emboldened since the introduction of he sound and, in many cases, have readed dangerously on the border of propriety. It has been our opinion for some i:ime that here is a potential volcano which may easily boil over if care pf the most delicate kind is not exjrcised. This impression is not confined to this column by any matter of means. All through responsible and thinking quarters of the industry the state of affairs has been recognized and commented upon. We should like to see these opinions Icrystallize into action. The Dean Goes A name known to show business '■ everywhere is removed from the ledger. F. F. Proctor has passed Ion and the dean of American showmen is no more. From the sawdust of the circus he passed through a hard school of experience until a reward in the form of the influential Proctor chain was his. He demon{Continued on Page 2) ARBITRATION INJUNCTION IS DISSOLVED BY TEXAS COURT Pathe-Shubert Deal On Negotiations are understood to be in progress in connection with a working agreement between Pathe and the Shuberts. It is reported that Pathe will aid in the financing of certain Shubert shows and in return own their film and dialogue rights. Providing the deal goes through Pathe will have access to Shubert theaters throughout the country, it is understood. So far four of them, houses in New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Philadelphia, have been wired. The Shuberts in association with Pathe are on the latter's program for "Greenwich Village Follies." Lee Shubert declined to comment on the report yesterday and E. B. Derr of Pathe said he knew nothing of the story. Joseph P. Kennedy is in Europe and possibly may return to New York within two weeks. RCA PHOTOPHONE PLANS 32 SERVICE STATIONS Cleveland — RCA-Photophone engineering service will be installed in 32 key centers every installation will be thoroughly inspected and adjusted before Thanksgiving free of charge. Col. E. F. Hawkins, sales promotion manager, said at the meeting of exhibitors here. Col. Hawkins pointed out that {Continued on Page 7) 100 OHIO SHOWMEN BACK RKO, T-S FRANCHISE PUN Cleveland — Five year franchise plans of RKO and Tiffany-Stahl were endorsed by 100 northern Ohio exhibitors at the first of three Ohio meetings sponsored by the state exhibitor unit. The other meetings will be held at Columbus, Sept. 9 and at Cincinnati, Sept. 11. Abram F. Myers, president of the Allied States Ass'n, which drafted the franchise {Continued on Page 7) F. F. PROCTOR DIES AFTER SEVERAL YEARS' ILLNESS Larchmont, N. Y. — Death wrote finis yesterday to the career of F. F. Proctor, 77, dean of American showmen, following illness of about two years. Funeral services for the internationally-known showman, will be conducted at 11 A. M. Saturday from St. John's Episcopal Church, here and interment at Woodlawn Ceme{Continued on Page 7) Net of $46,171 for "U" for Six Months' Period Universal Pictures reports for the six months ended May 4, 1929, net of $46,171 equal to $1.93 a share on 23, 861 shares of eight per cent first pre {Continued on Page 2} WORK SHEET NOT PART OF CONTRACT BOARD RULES Work sheet prepared by a distributor is not part of the contract, being merely the best tentative promise the distributor can make, Lewis Nizer, secretary of the Film Board, acting as counsel for Fox, contended successfully in arbitration action brought by the company against the Century (A. H. Schwartz) Circuit, New York. The distributor had {Continued on Page 7) Writ Cancelled When Bond of $100,000 Can't be Raised by Ass'n Dallas — Inability of the Texas exhibitor unit to furnish bond of $100,000 for continuances of its temporary injunction against exchanges restraining exaction of deposits from members who refuse to submit to arbitration or comply with awards, led to dissolution of the injunction in district court here. Distributors here regard the ruling as a signal victory, feeling it will have an important bearing on similar injunction actions in other territories, where Allied States Ass'n units plan to carry on their fight against arbitration through injunction proceedings. In refusing to grant a continuance of the original injunction, which was issued without a hearing, the court was acting on its own motion, after counsel for exchanges requested that the bond of $1,000 furnished by the Texas unit, should be increased to $100,000. After hearing evidence in support of this motion and argument, the court stated it would either dissolve the injunction or grant motion for increased bond. When attorney for the Texas unit stated the association could not furnish the desired bond, the court dissolved the injunction. Paramount Employes to Get Stock at $52 a Share Approval of the issuance of 250,000 shares of common to be offered to employes at $52 a share, each of which is to be paid for on instalments {Continued on Page 2) Temporary Injunction Is Obtained in Detroit Detroit — Michigan's exhibitor unit has secured a temporary injunction restraining enforcement of awards against four of the members. FOX closesd! for KARL HOBLITZELLE CHAIN William Fox has acquired control of the Interstate circuit in Texas, Alabama and Arkansas, under terms of a deal completed in New York with Karl Hoblitzelle, president of the circuit. This gives Fox outlets in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San {Continued on Page 7)