The Film Daily (1929)

THE iday, November 8, 1929 izti DAILY Musical Notes • By CLEF* Sound Picture Progress Abroad Rapid, Says Nathan D. Golden OE KEIT over at Remick's doesn't do things in halves. Not •ing satisfied to have Helen Morgan ng "What Wouldn't I Do For That an?" in "Applause," he succeds in Bring ner d° tn's nt>niDer in th.e reen adaptation of Ziegfeld's "Gloriing The American Girl." How do >u do it, Joe? This is the last instalment of a series of papers prepared by Nathan D. Golden, assistant chief of the M. P. Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, dealing with effects of sound in various foreign countries. This chapter deals with sound activities in Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland. r Wan Cameron, formerly with Ager iellen & Bornstein, is now getting Is mail at Sherman-Clay, where he I band and orchestra man. Idn Yarschauer, manager (ess) of Vierman-Clay New York office, rearts that all the songs in Jama rrruze's "The Great Gabbo" are 100 zr cent mechanical. Action, we ills it. "Love Found Me" (When I Found ou), the theme song for the Pathe roduction "Oh Yeah?" featuring ob Armstrong and Jimmie Gleason as written by George Waggner, Tay larnett and George Green. Shapiro lernstein will publish this number Ihich looks like a sure winner. Eileen Allen, daughter of Jack [lien, Fox booking executive, is do•ig a song and dance act at the new lolly wood Restaurant on Broadway red seems headed for the "Big 'hue." Runs in the family we dareay. Andy DeRose, brother of Peter that genial songwriter," has severed :onnections with Shapiro-Bernstein t Co., Inc., and is now head of the .hipping department at Robbins Mu,ic Corp. Incidentally, Steve Levitz n charge of production, finds in Andy in able assistant. This theme song business cerainly is expanding. Shenandoah /alley, claimed by many to be the nosi beautiful spot in the East, has i theme song entitled, "Beautiful Shenandoah Valley," which was written by Perry Alexander, Mckinley Rouark and Woody Fresino lack Mills will publish the soiig. Werner for Loew's Jersey Jersey City— Harry Werner, fcrler assistant manager of the Loew Century, Baltimore, has been transerred to the new Loew's Jersey here. [Teddy Joyce has arrived here to kct as master of ceremonies. New Omaha Offices Omaha — Liberty Films, Bestone, Inc., and the Blizzard Fan Sales, Inc., managed by Phil and Mayer Monsky, film salesmen of Nebraska and Iowa, have moved into their new headquarters at 1522-24 Davenport St. Jeanette MacDonald on Radio Jeanette MacDonald, featured player in Paramount productions, will be featured artist in the Paramount-Publix hour tomorrow night over the Columbia network. POLAND No theaters as yet have been wired for the reproduction of sound films in Poland. The situation is causing considerable perplexity among cinema owners. They have been experiencing poor business for the past six months and are reported to be in a very poor financial state. Their ability to go into the sound film field, therefore, depends chiefly on the willingness of the banks or other financiers to aid in the wiring of their theaters. If this financial backing can be secured, probably 50 cinema owners in the large cities of Poland may arrange for the installation of sound-reproducing apparatus when they can satisfy themselves as to how the Polish public will accept sound pictures in a foreign tongue. SWEDEN According to reports sound motion pictures have met with the approval of the Swedish cinema-goer, and several additional theaters will be wired in the near future. Sound pictures have been shown in Stockholm since May 2, 1929, and the attendance has been unusually high. While there is considerable adverse criticism regarding the talking picture, there are strong indications at least in Stockho'm. that the public prefers the sound film to the silent. Talkies have been limited to a few short-length newsreels with the exception of one American feature ; however, a great number of features have been shown using sound effects, music, and singing. Tt is estimated that there are about 1.500 theaters throughout Sweden. 25 of which have seating capacity over 750. but at present there are only 7 theaters in Sweden equipped for showing sound pictures, six of which are located in Stockholm and the other in Malmo. Six of these installations are of American manufacture, while the other one is the invention of a Swedish engineer. The prospects for the sale of sound equipment in Sweden depends, to a large extent, on the initial cost and whether or not the apparatus can be used with both American and European sound films. Sound pictures have not yet been produced :n Sweden but it is reported that the Svensk Fi'm Tndostri of Stockholm intends to produce during the current year two sound pic•ures. Neither recording nor reproducing sets have been manufactured in Sweden. The German K'angfilm sound-reproducing equipment is being installed in one theater in Stockholm 3"*1 in another in Gothenburg; •he Svensk Fi'm Tndustri are contemplating ■ sine this svstem in a number of theaters operated bv them. DENMARK Denmark has onlv 270 theaters. 30 of which have a seating capacity over 500. so it is evident that sound installations will be comparatively limited. A few of the larger theaters have already been wired, and it :s understood that apparatus will be instal'ed :n several more of the leading theaters later •r\ the year. Tenders in the industry in r0penhaee" feel that immediate prospects for the general sound development are very good. , The o'd company, "Nordisk Film. has comnletelv discontinued operations, due to heavy competition with American and Herman made mVtiires. A new company ' Nor-lisk Tone-Film" has now been organized. Tt has been producine one-reel sound pictures, running not more than from five to eight minutes in length and composed chiefly of singintr or short talks, the cast consisting entirely of local artists. _ . The recording process now in use is the Petersen & Poulsen system of Danish make. This system differs from that of the American recording process, the picture being made on one film and the sound on another, but they are so arranged that the result is perfect synchronization. It would be impossible to use, with the present apparatus, methods of projecting sound-films of any other process, owing to the fact that two separate sets of apparatus are required. This device is the only type of recording apparatus and reproduction set used in the Danish industry. The Nordisk Tone-Film Company is in close contact with the British Acoustic Ltd., and the Gaumont Company of France, and in this way keeps in touch with the trend of the trade and the types of pictures demanded by the public. NORWAY At present there are no studios equipped for sound-fi'm production in Norway. Neither is there any local manufacture of reproduction sets or recording apparatus. There are approximately 10 theaters in Norway having a seating capacity over 750 and 20 others ranging in seating capacity between 500 and 750 which should lend themselves to wiring for sound pictures. In Oslo the theaters are owned and operated by the Commune. One independent theater outside the city with a large modern building seating 2,000 has been in negotiation with an American Company for the installation of sound film equipment. The Commune has also been in touch with the same company for the wiring of its theaters. In addition, one other downtown Oslo theater is expected to be wired in the near future. If sound films prove popular, three or four other installations may fol'ow soon after. The larger houses in Bergen. Trondhjam and Stavanger will also undoubtedly be interested in the new development. It may therefore be said, that the immediate prospects for sound film development in Norway are very good, and once the equipment is instal'ed, sound films should be as popular in Norway as anywhere else. SWITZERLAND At the present time, three theaters in Switzerland have been wired for sound pictures, all three installations being American reproducing units. It is felt that at the end of this year the larger Swiss cities, with the exception of Berne, will have at 'east one theater each equipoed to handle talkers. Out of total of 300 theaters in Switzerland, 25 have a seating capacity over 750. These theaters are potential purchasers of sound equinment. This country has no moving picture industry, except for very small concerns, eadh turning out a few reels per vear. Thus, nractically all films must be imported. At present, a'l silent films are provided with subtitles in two laneuages. either French and German, or French and Italian. Possiblv the greatest handicap for sound pictures is the very heaw expense involved in the original installation. The Swiss cinema fie'd is at present reported to be greatly overcrowded, and theaters are constantly reported to be in difficulties. The American System of sound nroiection is almost universal'v favored. Tt is regarded as verv much better than »he German systems, but is also about ten times as expensive. 0»ce the problem of installing such expensive apparatus is so'ved. it is orobable that the 'aneuaere difficulties wi" be overcome in much the same way as is the <-ase now in Pans theaters, in which the music onlv is registered, while on the screen 'he subtitles remain in two languages. _ The "xtensive use of sound film is a tiling of he future, however, and will not be realized =n Switzerland, for some years to come. Discussing the finding in the survey, Golden says: "I hope T have made clear to you. from •■he foregoing, that the introduction^ of dialogue and sound synchronized films will, within the next few years create an entirety "Afferent situation in the field of motion pictures in Europe. Beyond a doubt, this new invention has been received abroad as enthusiastically as Americans have welcomed 100 Talker Houses in Virginia by Christmas Richmond, Va. — At least 100 theaters in the state of Virginia will be wired for sound by Christmas, according to a survey just made of current activities in this line. Among the houses which have recently installed equipment are the New, Woodstock; New Market, Warrenton, Warrenton; Schoolfield, Y. M. C. A. Auditorium, Danville; Venus, South Richmond, and Lyric, Blackstone. Theaters at Martinsville, Pulaski Radford, South Boston, Strasburg. Luray, Manassas, Orange, Salem. Front Royal and Abingdon are likely to be invaded by film talkers within the next few months. Publix Looking Over New England Theater Sites Boston — Publix is reported looking over local territory with view of either acquiring or building theaters. A representative of the company is said to have been making a survey recently visiting Fall River and inquiring about municipal tax assessments on various theatrical properties. Rosenbaum Joins Screen Service Buffalo — George R. Rosenbaum has been appointed sales representative for National Screen Service for upper New York State with headquarters at the company's Sales Office here. He has been associated for sometime past with Warner and Fox, and more recently, representative in the Albany territory for Columbia Pictures Corp. Rosenbaum succeeds Evan Roberts, who has been assigned to an important post in the Chicago territory. More Seats for Aberdeen, S. D. Aberdeen, S. D. — In addition to sound equpment, 100 more seats were added to the Lyric here. it. Time alone will solve the problem of language difficulties at present encountered in foreign markets where English is not the predominating language. However, production of American dialogue pictures in more than one language should not meet with serious handicaps. "Inasmuch as it will undoubtedly be at east two years before the total sound installations abroad will equal or even approach the number in the United States, it is safe to assume that exports of American motion pictures should continue to maintain the same high level as in the past. Those theaters abroad not equipped to present sound pictures will continue to show silent versions of pictures; recently published production schedules of American producers indicate .hat there will be a sufficient number of silent versions of sound pictures to meet the requirements of those theaters in this country is well as abroad. "The American silent film and the sound film without dialogue should continue to dominate the foreign field from a qualitative -tandpoint. Whether films of this type of manufacture can actually maintain America s prestige abroad, rests entirely on the upkeep of quality and the production of a sufficient number to meet European demand. On this score there should be slight uneasiness. "I desire to express my thanks to C. J. North, Chief of the Motion Picture Division, for his coooeratron and capable assistance in the preparation of this paper. My thanks are also extended to George R. Canty, Motion Picture Trade Commissioner to Europe, and other European representatives of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce for their valuable reports, wluch have made this paper possible."