The Film Daily (1929)

DAILY Thursday, September 5, 1929 -AND THAT'S THAT By PHIL U. DALY RUMOR HAS, it that Joe O'Suilivan of the Pathe publicity palpitators visited his brother while on his vacation . The brother is head of a well known Conservatory of Music in Memphis. As far as we can dope out, Joe had a notion that he could pick up some new class for cultivating the Pathe Rooster's crow so as to put it in the class of prima donnas. But can you class roosters with prima donnas? That's the problem Joe is now trying to dope out. * * * "Did I Deal?" "The popular belief that a minor suit should not be bid originally by 3rd or 4th hand if a no-trump bid can be made, is fallacious. Third or fourth hand are ideal positions in which to make introductory minor suit bids, even when holding three aces." * * * Mur-Ad // you are a fillum reviewer, and for the opening night they give you side seats where you can only see half the screen, be nonchalant — light a Murad and be thankful you're only half as uncomfortable as those who can see the whole picture. * * * Anxious Depositors Dave Bader, sojourning with his boss, Carl Laemmle, at Karlsbad, where they are taking that powerful water cure, sends us a postcard showing a run of the citizens on one of the local banks, after taking the cure. Dave is now continuing his run through Czecho-er-Czscheslo — Oh, well, it's one of those Central European countries. * * * DEFINITIONS SALES CONVENTION — Where the idea of sound in pictures originated. * * * Theme Song "Street Girl, You'll Always Cop the Dough." * * * Famous Film Conversations "Who's he trimmed now?" OBBIES! BILLY BRANDT is one of our very best pinochle players. Side Line — Golf. Along The Rialto with Phil M. Daly, Jr. TT will be quite a change with "Pete" Woodhull out of the Empteeoh orfice, but "Pete" carries with him in his new field the best wishes of a raft of friends Out in 'Frisco they're pretty excited about Fox's new singing-talker, "Sunnyside Up," which teams Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell It's homecoming at the Noo Yawk Capitol Friday for Walt Roesner, popular m.c. Al Grey is back in harness again as general manager of Jimmy Cruze's Incorporated. Al's surely pepped up over Cruze's first pitchur, "The Great Gabbo," which he will roadshow Universal is gathering Scotch jokes with which to gag "The Cohens and Kellys in Scotland" B. Lester, Toronto exhibitor and his wife were in the danger zone in the Palestine riots, but are reported as unharmed "Uncle Carl" Laemmle received a special invite from the Wurtemberg government to attend the return of the Graf Zeppelin to Fredrichshafen. Another Coast Equity drive is declared planned but with a different line of procedure "Jolly Bill" Steinke, veteran cartoonist, got a real bust in the radio section of "The N. Y. Sun," last week-end The foreign star who would refuse an interview in Hollywood would be branded an impostor Jack Richardson has done 20 years' time in pitchurs Peter Blysma, Victory theater, Napoleonville, La., wants to know who put the sin in synchronization William James, president of the Ohio unit, went by plane to Mackinac, after the Cleveland session Tuesday H. M. Richey, who flew to Cleveland from Detroit in order to get there on time, went home more leisurely by boat 4 4 If talkers and mechanically synchronized pictures are here to stay it behooves every theater owner to sharpen his pencil, inventory every department of his investment and concentrate a little more than ever before upon cutting the overhead of his theater from top to bottom. Don't miss J 5 a trick in this survey. R. F. WOODHULL n*w] Industry Statistics No.33 By JAMES P. CUNNINGHAM Statistical Editor, The Film Daily Only one of 6,000 Hollywood extra girls averages a full week's work of five days, according to the Central Casting Agency, which supplies practically all extra and bit talent for West Coast production interests. Eight average four days weekly, 21 average three days, and the remainder, 5,970, average two, one or nothing. Usual pay is $7.50, although the average runs to $8.32 per day. About 600 extras, male and female, are employed daily. Three hundred bit and part players receive daily calls. It is roughly estimated that a total of 18,000 persons are avail able on the West Coast for extra jobs. Number of regular contract players is comparatively small. "Variety" estimates there are 462 on the permanent-player roster. In 1928, there were 210. * * * Total annual salaries paid to all employees of West Coast studios approximates $100,000,000. Fifty feature units and 15 short subject companies are active on the West Coast during an average week. Short subject units, however, predominate over feature companies in eastern studios. Timely Topics A Digest of Current Opinion €) Talkers Seen Replacing Old Style Operas THE old style opera probably isa thing of the past. Talkies promise, not a substitute for opera, but a means for bringing operatic music to the remote communities. Operas will not become musical talkies. Opera will always remain itself. Yet opera will follow the developments of the new day physically and in every other way. It will find new ways of adjusting itself to the needs and spirit of the times. Otto H. Kahn Churches Adopting Sane Policy on Motion Pictures TNSTEAD of moaning and ■■■ wringing their hands, churchmen have decided to try to find out something good about motion pictures. The Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America will not ask for censorship. On the other hand a commission has been appointed to look for pictures it considers worth seeing. And these pictures will be recommended to church people. Censorship, of course, is repugnant to most of us. We want to be free to decide for ourselves what we read and what to see on screen and stage. It is a forfeiture of self-respect, in a sense, to have someone eternally saying thou shalt not do this or that. But anyone is glad to get a suggestion concerning a book or a play. The Federal Council of Churches has wisely recognized this very important point in phychology. "N. Y. American" TEN YEARS AGO T0-DA1 IN Famous acquires screen rights t< all George Broadhurst productions. * * *• C. R. Seelye resigns as secretar of United Pictures. * * * Florida exhibitors plan state or ganization.