The Film Daily (1934)

Intimate in Character Internationa! in Scope Independent in Thought Wr _ •Li!** «•• ' The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Sixteen Years Old -1FDAILY' VOL. LX>. NO. 19 NEW yCCr, TUESDAY, JANLACY 23, 1934 <5 CENT! Shortage of Production Execs Seen by LeBaron ED KUYKENDALL ATTACKSALLIED'S ABVJCEON CODE Hope to Keep Code Authority Nut Down to $250, Oi Musicals . . no longer a "cycle" By DON CARLE GILLETTE = IN SUMMING up what the song-and' dance pictures have done this season, it is apparent that anybody who still looks upon screen musicals as a "cycle" has fallen out of step with the times. Judging by the consistently favorable public reception of these pictures for nearly a year, musical productions may now be considered definitely established as a permanent and substantial part of screen entertainment. The only annoying factor in the situation is the persistence of some cinema commentators in harping on what they call a "musical cycle" and an "epidemic cf musicals." • THIS audible minority needs to be set ' straight. When the legitimate theater flourished, nobody ever heard dramatic critics or anybody else complaining about an epidemic of musicals just because a good portion of the stage offerings were musical comedies, operettas and revues. Musicals always were a large part of theater entertainment, expected and accepted. Now that theater entertainment has become more than 90 per cent movies, it is inevitable that a generous part of screen fare should be musical. THE misguided attitude toward this type ' of film is partly due to the false start made by musicals a few years ago. But the studios have since learned how to make them; the cream of the necessary talent is at their command because this talent now has found the screen its best outlet; and finally, musicals have maintained patronage because, on the basis of entertainment values, these pictures as a whole have surpassed all other types. So let no producer allow himself to be fooled about musicals being a "cycle." They are here to stay; the time is ripe for more of them, of more different varieties, and as a type they will be more widely profitable than any other productions. A Definite Appropriation Is Being Withheld Pending Study Major company executives who are members of the Code Authority are understood to be hopeful that the costs of administrating the film industry code can be kept down to $250,000 annually. No definite ap (Continued on Page 4) H. S. McLEODlEADS LOUISIANAMPTOAUNIT By WILLIAM SPBCHT FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent New Orleans — In a stormy session involving clashes between President Ed Kuykendall of the M.P.T.O.A. and Henry Lazarus of Allied Theater Owners of Louisiana, a temporary organization to affiliate with the M.P.T.O.A. was effected Sunday with H. S. McLeod as president. S. Higgenbotham, Joe Barceloni and (.Continued on Page 7) Glazer Urges Soft Pedal On Educational Values West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A general warning to the industry, to stop stressing to the public that the screen is educational as well as entertaining, is issued by Ben Glazer, writer-producer. Propaganda of this kind, unless held (Continued on Page 7) No Trust Law Letup Wash. Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Coincident with the executive order issued Saturday by the President establishing the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice as direct appeal agencies for small independents who are not satisfied with the way their cases are handled by code boards, Donald R. Richberg, NRA general counsel, stated that the provisions of the anti-trust laws are still in force and no monopolistic practices are permitted under codes. The President's order emphasized that codes cannot be used for discrimination or price-fixing. CODE AUTHORITY GETS 62 ADDITIONAL NAMES Sixty-two more nominations for local zone boards and secretaries, including 29 for the New York metropolitan territory, were announced yesterday by the Code Authority. Today's list, which embraces members of the T. O. C. C. and Allied Theaters of New Jersey, is as follows: Albany — Tony Ryan, Victor Bunz ; Buffalo (Continued on Page 8) Board Named to Arbitrate St. Louis Operator Scale Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — A special arbitration board is understood to have been set up for St. Louis operator wage scale controversy. Oscar (Continued on Page 7) Gradual Drift to Indie Field Predicted by William LeBaron Studio Routine Upset By Code, Says Selwyn Production routine at the studios has been upset by the code, says Edgar Selwyn, M-G-M director, who arrived Sunday from the coast for a rest and to look around for story (Continued on Page 4) West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A marked change in production methods within the next five years, resulting in an acute shortage of production executives at major studios, is predicted by William Le Baron, producing exec now associated with Paramount. "The independent field offers such (Continued on Page 4) Only Unqualified Code Assents Count, Says MPTOA Head Terming alleged Allied statements to the effect that exhibitors are not required to sign the code in order to protest to local clearance boards and the Code Authority as a "brazen lie," President Ed Kuykendall, in a statement yesterday, declared that the NRA administration has never made a ruling on the matter. Only unqualified assents count in indicating compliance with the code, he asserted. He cracked out at "false and mis(Continued on Page 8) HERSCHEL STUART JOINING F. & M. Herschel Stuart, former general manager of the RKO circuit and for the past six months connected with Paramount theater operations, has been granted a leave of absence by Ralph A. Kohn starting Feb. 10 and ending May 1. Meanwhile Stuart will make his headquarters at the Fanchon & Marco offices in the Bond (Continued on Page 7) Robert Wyler Organizes Own Producing Company Robert Wyler, former Universal director, has organized Wyler Productions, Inc., a New York corporation, to produce pictures. Wyler is president of the company, with the board of directors also including Murray Garson, John Wexley, whose (Continued on Page 8) Walker May Succeed Farley Wash. Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Likelihood of Frank C. Walker succeeding Postmaster General Farley as chairman of the Domocratic National Committee was reported yesterday.