The Film Daily (1929)

THE Sunday, December IS, 1929 to ■s&n DAILY OFFER $1,000 REWARD IN ATLANTA DYNAMITE PROBE (Continued from Page 1) bv Mrs. Anna Aiken Patterson. City police attribute the incident to union labor trouble. Two months ago the management, declining to meet demands of union operators, began employment of non-union men. The theater has offered $800 of the aggregate reward while the Independent M. P. Machine Operators have put up an additional $200. Independent operators are now manning about 12 projection rooms in Atlanta, all except the Metropolitan, being neighborhood houses. Two months ago anonymous circulars were distributed through the 10th St. section declaring that "the 10th St. theater is endangering the lives of women and children from film fire by employing incompetent non-union operators." The theater replied with a trailer saying: "The 10th St. theater employs only competent operators who have been duly licensed by the electrical superintendent after passing the rigid examination required by the City of Atlanta." American Film Companies Rejoin Chambre Syndicate (Continued from Page 1) Chambre Syndicale, the French trade organization, it has been learned, as a result of interviews with Charles Delac, the president, and Harold Smith of the Hays organization. W. E. Scores More Points In Foreign Patent Suits Western Electric has received cable advices from its European office to the effect that the Swiss court 1 in Zurich has dismissed the request | for an injunction against the Capij tol in that City on the use of its Western Electric equipment. This ! court has further suspended all sim. ilar proceedings until an action ! brought by W. E., to invalidate the opposing patents involved, can be | heard on its merits. Another point has been scored by Western Electric in London, where a court has refused to grant a petition made by German interests^ to 'inspect W. E. equipment, against 1 which patent infringement is claimed at the Empire. J. E. Brulator Opens Third i Branch in Expansion Move (Continued from Page 1) pees at 1727 Indiana Ave., Chicago. I Other branches of the company are located in Los Angeles and Long I Island City. Photos Taken on Metal Ithaca, N. Y. — A new photographic process making it possible to record pictures on metal without the use oi sensitized plates have been developed by Dr. P. H. Carr, a graduate student at Cornell University. Arbitration the Big Topic (Continued from Page 1) ticularly as it pertains to the arbitration system. It seems to be a case of "get together or else" — the "or else" meaning that unless an accord is reached in the situation, the Government, acting under the Judge Thacher decision, will step in and force matters The dark spot of the week came with the tragic fire at the Pathe Sound Studios, Tuesday. It is deplorable that such a catastrophe is necessary to emphasize the need of strict enforcement of fire regulations Monday; An interesting sidelight is focused on the Fox refinancing situation by news to the effect thai $27,000,000 of the $91,000,000 debt is understood held by interests represented by John E. Otterson, president of Electrical Research Products, and Harry L. Halsey of Halsey, Stuart & Co., the two trustees appointed to aid the film magnate in working out his difficulties. Digging a little below the surface reveals that Electrical Research is wholly owned by Western Electric, which, in turn, is owned, 98 per cent by A. T. & T • • A Smoky City judge agrees with the Thacher decision, finding that the arbitration clause in the standard contract is illegal and invalid. A lot of Federal probing preceded this decision The deal whereby Fox is reported negotiating with William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper and picture man, and Louis B. Mayer and J. Robert Rubin, both of M-G-M, to get rid of Loew's is still alive. The stock price believed under consideration is considerably lower than the figure Fox paid when he acquired the organization not so long ago.. . . . .Theater seat manufacturers will now take their turn at attending a trade practice conference, scheduled for Dec. 19 in Abram F. Myer*9 town. We'll expect bigger and better seats, after that Tuesday: Attracting national attention Tennessee exhibs are set to expend every possible effort to spike the proposed state tax of 10 oer cent, on theater admissions. This is one movement, at least, that will have the entire industry's sympathy The Fox situation, which never for a moment has implied that there is anything organically wrong with the structure of the companies involved, looks brighter with the statement that there are no pressing obligations against the organization RCA photophone, convinced that the per sonal touch means dollars in business, plans organization of companies in England and France to carry on its installations and servicing Wednesday: Robert T. Kane bobs up in France with a plan to spend $10,000,000 on production of talkers in French. Here, at least, is one enterprising American who's not going to let the foreign market go to pot Looks like there must be a dough-providing market for sound newsreels. Paramount will release two of 'em in sound each week beginning Feb. 27 There's an increased optimistic reaction from the words uttered by Adolph Zukor at the annual stockholders' meeting when he proposes putting Paramount stock on a $4 annual basis Thursday: The "shoulder-toshoulder" movement gains impetus again, this time through the formation of an association of laboratories. Better business practices is its principal aim — and a worthy one.. The sound picture era has shot enough holes in foreign sales charts of American distributors to force United Artists to rearrange and incidentally reduce its facilities in Europe. Joe Schenck, along with his side-partner, Sam Goldwyn, leaves Saturday to swing the knife.. Friday: Looks like more drastic fire regulations will be evoked as a result of the Pathe studio fire tragedy. Even Mayor Jimmy Walker, long an intimate friend of the industry, may sit in on the investigation. . All pepped up Universal division and exchange managers set off opening gun signaling the selling season An edict of far-reaching consequences is issued by the Chicago fire department, compelling exhibitors to remove all padding not approved by them in the walls of their houses — and within three days. Inconvenient but certainly a valuable preventative measure Today: Australia breaks into the headlines with a cabled report that 250 houses were combined today under a deal between Hoyts and Union chains. Sounds like American theater expansion figures Fire regulations investigation is going on intensively in New York and it certainly looks serious from where we sit Exhibitors throughout the land will cheer Mrs. Anna Aiken Patterson in her efforts to run to earth the parties responsible for the dynamiting of her 10th St. Theater at Atlanta. And every right-minded union official, too. Universal Managers Changed Atlanta — R. B. Williams has been appointed branch manager of Universal in Atlanta, succeeding C. P. Lester, who has been transferred to Kansas City to fill the place of Leo Abrams. Marinette House Opens Marinette, Wis. — The new Marinette has opened here with sound pictures. Audible Preparing Third West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Audible Pictures is preparing the third of its series, namely, "The Lotus Lady," which will soon go into production under supervision of Lon Young at the TecArt Studios. 250 THEATERS IN HOYTS, III (Continued from Page 1) bine now is approximately $50,000,000 and completely dominates the exhibition field in Australia with fully 98 per cent of the first run house now under one banner. In completing the deal, F. W. Thring and G. F. Griffith acted for Hoyts interests while Stuart F. Doyle and Edwin Geech represented Union Theaters Ltd. Among the houses controlled by Union Theater are; 12 in Sydney; 11 Melbourne; five in Adelaide; four in Perth; four in Newcastle; four in the South Coast Circuit; four at Brisbane and numerous other houses in surrounding surburbs. While the majority of the 101 houses controlled by Hoyts are located as follows: 66 in Victoria; 19 at New South Wales; seven in New Zealand; five at West Australia and two each at South Australia and Queensland. EASTERN STUDIOS PAY TRIBUTE TO FIRE DEAD (Continued from Page 1) ford, dancer, were conducted at the Holy Name Church, 96th St. and Amsterdam Ave. Final tribute was paid Judd W. Quinn, studio employee, with a high requiem mass at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, Brooklyn. Stradling's Condition Serious Richard Stradling, electrician, who was badly burned in the Pathe studio fire, was reported still in a serious condition last night in the Harlem Hospital. Syracuse Houses Fight Over "Rita" Second Run Syracuse, N. Y.— A legal fight is in prospect to decide whether the Keith here is within its rights in playing a return engagement of "Rio Rita" in the face of the fact that the Salina Theater Corp. claims a contract for the second run showing of the picture here. The R-K-O people contend that the return engagement does not constitute a second run, but the Salina Corp. argues that it is entitled to the picture on its second appearance here and will resort to injunction proceedings unless R-K-O changes its plans. Andrew Arbuckle Dead Buffalo — Andrew Arbuckle, actor, is dead here, according to word received by his brother James, Jr. Harry Lachman Re-Signs With British International (Continued from Page 1) tract with International to make a number of pictures. After finishing "Song of Soho," Lachman will begin production on another talker as yet untitled.