The Film Daily (1934)

Intimate in Character Internationa! in Scope Independent in Thought '<? $S^*^> JAN 1934 The Da ly N ewspe per Of Mo t i o n Pict u res Now Si> :teen Years Old -*F DAILY VCL. LXV. NO. IS NEW YCCr, MONDAY, JANLARY 22, 1934 .5 CENT/ Midwest Theater Activity is Liveliest in Six Years CODE AUTHORITY IS SUED IN ALLIED HT CASE 7,000 Assents fromTheaters Expected by Code Authority About 5,000 Compliance Signatures Are Already In Anticipation that approximately 7,000 theaters of the active and regularly-operated houses in the country, will assent to the code was expressed at Code Authority headquarters Saturday. Out of about 13,500 theaters now open, estimate was made that 10,500 may be classed as regular film accounts. Up to Sat (Continued on Page 7) FOX RELEASE DATES SET UP TO JUNE 1 Fox has now set its releasing schedule to June 1. Starting with "Frontier Marshal," released Saturday includes: Jan. 26, "Sleepers East"; Feb. 2, "Carolina"; Feb. 9, "Ever Since Eve"; Feb. 16, "Hold That Girl"; Feb. 23, "Disillusion"; Mar. 2, "Coming Out Party"; Mar. 9, "David Harum"; Mar. 16, "Murder in Trinidad"; Mar. 23, "3 on a Honeymoon" and "Constant 55 More Nominations For Film Code Posts Fifty-five more nominations for members of board and secretaries of the local grievance and zoning boards were announced Saturday by the Code Authority. They include: Atlanta — Love B. Harrell; Charlotte — J. J. Grady, H. H. Everett, Albert Sottille, J. F. Kirby, R. J. Ingram, M. S. Hill; ChicagoJack Miller, M. Saperstein, John Dittman, Cincinnati — Floyd D. Morrow; Dallas — R. J. O'Donnell, Ed. Rowley, P. K. Johnson; Des Moines — Leone Matthews; Detroit — Joe Dennison, Harvey Campbell, Henry Zapp; (Continued on Page 8) Put Fern Appeal in Title Birmingham — M-G-M's "Prize Fighter and Lady" has been re-titled "The Conquering Sex" for the entire run of Wilby houses, starting at the Alabama here this week. Heavy Trading in Loew Shares Trading in Loew shares on Friday and Saturday was the heaviest of any stock on the Big Board, with the stock moving up from a low of 25% on Thursday to 30^ on Saturday, finally closing at 29%. Turnover on Friday was 128,000 shares, and on Saturday 81,200 shares, more than double the figure for the next most active stock. 4 $100,000 SPECIALS PLANNED BY MONARCH John R. Freuler, president of Monarch Productions, now in New York, is arranging finances for four $100,000 specials to be produced by National Players, Ltd., and released with 10 other features on Monarch's 1933-34 lineup. A 25 per cent budget increase on the latter pictures also is intimated. Freuler returns to Hollywood in a few days to resume production activity. Launch New Move in Miss. To Bring Down 10% Tax Jackson, Miss. — With the present sales tax law expiring soon, a bill has been introduced in the House to make the tax permanent. Amusements, now paying the highest sales tax of any business, are trying to have the rate cut from 10 per nent to 2 per cent. Louisiana and Alabama have their eye on a similar sales tax. A. LP. LAUNCHES EXPANSION PROGRAM London — As part of an intensive program of expansion, Associated Talking Pictures is doubling the capacity of its Ealing Studio in preparation for a program of 12 features and other increased activity in prospect, it is announced by Basil Dean. A. T. P. and its affiliated companies have safely overcome what might be called the "teething (Continued on Page 8) E. M. Loew Takes Over 2 Massachusetts Houses Boston — E. M. Loew Circuit has taken over the Richmond theater, North Adams, from Ben Taylor. Ownership of the Strand, Peabody, has passed from Marcel Mekleberg and Harry Sperling to E. M. Loew and G. Schwartz. Consolidated Amusement Co. remains as the operating firm. Theater Openings in Midwest Exceed the Last Six Years Annual Poster Convention Is Slated for St. Louis Annual convention of the National Poster Service Ass'n, comprising independent poster firms, will take place at St. Louis in March, with election of officers as one of its features. No code will be drafted to cover this business, it was indicated Saturday. All members of the association, which claims to represent 88 per cent of all poster companies, have signed the President's blanket agreement, it was stated. Bv KENNETH FORCE FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Kansas City — More houses are being opened and reopened in the small towns in this territory than in the past six or seven years. F. M. Malone is opening a new house at Boonville, Mo. A new one is going into Turon, Kan. Dawker is opening a new one at Lexington, Mo. One is planned for Brookfield, Mo. Definite word is about that there will be two or three new ones in St. Joseph, Mo. Louis Gates is (Continued on Page 7) Seek to Enjoin Authority From Refusing Qualified Code Assents In a test case sponsored by Allied States Ass'n, suit was filed Saturday in the U. S. District Court in New York by Congress Theater Inc., Newark, N. J., against Sol A Rosenblatt, Divisional Administrator of the NRA, and the members and secretary of the Code Authority for the motion picture industry, to enjoin the defendants from refusing to accept a qualified assent to the code tendered by the Congress Theater, under which the latter reserved its rights under the Sherman Antitrust Law and other statutes and laws, or, in the alternative, to adjudge the motion picture code contrary to the National Recovery Act and in violation of the Fifth Amend (Continued on Page 8; HEAVY SCHEDULE SET BY HAL ROACH STUDIO West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Hal Roach Studio will set a new record for activity in the next six months, when at least 24 short comedies and two features are slated for production, it is announced by Henry Ginsberg, vicepresident and general manager. The features are "Babes in Toyland" and one starring Laurel and Hardy. Sam Katzman Organizes Own Producing Company West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Sam Katzman, formerly vice-president of Screencraft, has formed his own producing company and will leave for New York this week to arrange for distribution. He has opened office at 6048 Sunset Boulevard. Admitting It Kansas City — Sign noted on a local theater marquee: "Our Betters" — "Three Little Pigs."