The Film Daily (1934)

THE ■<MH DAILV Wednesday, Jan. 24, 1934 SALARIES SECONDARY, SAYS SOL ROSENBLATT Continued from Page 1) said, adding that he does not plan to establish any maximum salary scale. Rosenblatt was accompanied by Morris Legendre, his assistant and technical advisor, and Mrs. Rosenblatt. The Division Administrator is to make a report to President Roosevelt, he stated. Representatives of the Cameramen's Union held, an informal meeting with Rosenblatt last night to discuss the spread of employment and limitation of hours. About 400 cameramen, which is 50 per cent of the union membership, are unemployed. If the plans suggested by the union are carried out, 200 more members would be given work. Union claims the studios have failed to carry out agreement to reemploy without prejudice men who went on strike last Summer. About 125 cameramen were refused their own jobs, with one major studio keeping out 28 old employees, the union claims. Members of the sound men's union will meet with Rosenblatt. They are members of the I.A.T.S.E. and claim the I.B.E.W. sound men should not be recognized. Rosenblatt spent several hours yesterday in conference with Henry Ginsberg, general manager of Hal Roach Studios. Rosenblatt is expected to hold daily conferences with studio heads and also to meet with labor organization representatives. Allied Got Ruling On Qualified Assent Continued from Page 1) uelson of the Allied board of directors yesterday made known a ruling on this point obtained by Allied. On Dec. 10, Samuelson stated, the question was submitted to General Counsel Donald Richberg of the NRA, and on Dec. 13 Allied received the following opinion from L.M.C. Smith, assistant counsel of NRA: "Individual assent to the code is not required as a condition of appearance before and review of the action of clearance and zoning boards. By reason of the particular functions of grievance boards such assent has been required in their case." ANALYSIS OF MOTION PICTURE CODE By LOUIS NIZER Paramount Hearing Friday A hearing in connection with protests against claims of Paramount Publix trustees is understood scheduled for Friday, possibly at the Bar Association Building. Judge Knox of the U. S. District Court has turned the case over to Judge Woolsey. Peggy Fears Joins Fox in March Peggy Fears, actress producer signed by Fox to a long-term contract as an actress, will go to Hollywood in March to start work. Fourteenth Installment ARTICLE V— UNFAIR PRACTICES—DISTRIBUTORS— EXHIBITORS—(Cont.) (c) Manner of Cancellation The Exhibitor must live up to the following terms in order to cancel: — 1. Notice The Exhibitor must give written notice of cancellation to the Distributor within fourteen days after the general release date of the picture in that territory. Under the Standard Optional Contract, a picture is generally released in a territory if it has been exhibited three consecutive days at a theater in the territory in which the exchange is located which serves the Exhibitor and at admission prices usually charged at such theater. Subsequently, he is credited with this sum when he plays the tenth picture. If the picture to be cancelled is on a percentage contract, how is the license fee to be paid at the time of cancellation, computed? The method is as follows: 1. Prior Distributor's Pictures Average the gross receipts of the Distributor's feature pictures exhibited at the theater during ninety days prior to the notice of cancellation. Apply to this average sum the percentage terms of the contract. The sum thus computed is the amount that the Exhib itor must pay to the Distributor at the time of cancellation. Example: Suppose that the Exhibitor wishes to cancel the fifth picture to be delivered to him. Since he has not yet paid for nine pictures of that group of ten, he can only cancel by paying the license fee of the picture cancelled. If the license fee under the contract is a $50.00 guarantee plus twenty per cent of the gross receipts, the sum to be paid to the Distributor is computed as follows : Suppose that three of the Distributor's feature pictures were exhibited at this theater during ninety days prior to the notice of cancellation, and suppose that the total gross receipts of these three pictures were $900.00. The average gross receipts per picture were, therefore, $300.00. The percentage terms of the contract must be applied to this sum. Twenty per cent of $300.00 is $60.00. Under the contract this sum must be paid in addition to the $50.00 guarantee. Therefore, the Exhibitor, in order to cancel the fifth picture, must pay $110.00 to the Distributor at the time that written cancellation is sent. {To be Continued) Columbus Club Hears Hays, Johnson Columbus — Will H. Hays and General Hugh S. Johnson, speaking over the Columbia network, felicitated the local Variety club at its annual party this week. Nearly 450 attended. William M. James was toastmaster, with John H. Harris, Jr. of Pittsburgh and Senator Harris also among those present. "Devil Tiger" for Rialto "Devil Tiger," the Clyde E. Elliott jungle picture for Fox, will have its Broadway premiere at the Rialto. Opening date has not been set. Closed for Repairs Charlottesville, Va. — The Paramount, one of the Hunter Perry houses, is closed for repairs. It was damaged by fire recently. Marsh Gellner is manager. "Fashions" Holding Over First National's "Fashions of 1934" is being held over for a second week at the Hollywood, starting today. Taking Fight Pictures Pictures of the Ross-Petrolle fight, to be held tonight in Madison Square Garden, will be made by Royalty Pictwes Corp. and released tomorrow to the Rialto and Centra' theaters for first run showings. Fourteen RKO circuit houses will play the films on subsequent run. Howard Gould Joins Midwest Kansas City — Howard Gould has taken over the Nebraska territory for the Midwest Film Distributors at Omaha, Robert Withers announces. RKO Signs Stage Actress Marjorie Lytell, Broadway actress. has been signed by Kenneth Macgrowan, RKO associate producer, for "Finishing School." File Sales Tax Bill in N. J. Trenton — A general retail tax of 2 per cent on gross sales is proposed in a bill introduced Monday night in the state legislature. MACHINERY OF CODE SOON SET TO START Continued from Page 1) filled, including five members of each grievance board, seven members of each zoning board and a secretary for each zone, number 416. R. H. Cochrane presided at the meeting, held at the Hotel Astor. The committee assigned to the job of preparing a manual covering local boards' functions will have its report ready for presentation at the next Code Authority session. Matters of preparing Code Authority rules, code budget and financing were deferred until a later date. As provided for under the code, a committee was named to compile a set of fire regulations covering exchanges. Its membership consists of W. Ray Johnston, George J. Schaefer and Felix F. Feist. It will report back to the Code Authority. Pursuant to a communication from Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt, who is on the Coast, Cochrane, as chairman of yesterday's meeting, will appoint a committee of seven members to investigate protests of a vaudeville group concerning vaudeville labor provisions incorporated in the code. The committee will have at hand minutes of the recent Washington conference on the subject. In the absence of Rosenblatt, Deputy Administrator William P. Farnsworth represented him. Appointment of five members of the Coast agency committee was deferred pending the return of Rosenblatt. The committee on local board recommendations will immediately begin study of the nominations and will meet on Friday to discuss them. Its members are: Charles L. O'Reilly, Sidney R. Kent, George J. Schaefer, W. Ray Johnston, Nathan Yamins and Ed Kuykendall. Date of the next Code Authority meeting has been tentatively set for Feb. 9 at 2 p. m. at the Hotel Astor. If the committee on board recommendations completes its work earlier, the date may be moved forward. Yamins is scheduled to preside as chairman. Charlie Chaplin's assent was received yesterday by the Code Authority. Although United Artists has signed as a distributing company, Twentieth Century and Samuel Goldwyn have not as yet indicated compliance. M. H. Aylesworth, who is in Flo-, rida, was an absentee, without alternate. Joe Bernhard represented H. M. Warner and J. Robert Rubin was alternate for Nicholas M. Schenck. Acquires Goldstone Film American Film Exchange has ac quired "The Mystic Power," produced by Phil Goldstone, for distribution in New York and Northern New Jersey. «