The Film Daily (1934)

Intimate in Character Internationa! in Scope Independent in Thought ews paper otion Pictures Now Sixteen Years Old ► CL. LXV. NO. 32 NEWyCC^WEDNCSD/iy, f EDKLACy 7, 1934 5 CENTJ Average Film Footage Increases Over Year Ago WTAPHflNHRPI SUIT GIB BACK TO ARBITRATION Spread of 'Keno' Competition Worries Exhibitors Censorship . meeting more resistance By DON CARLE GILLETTE = QV1DENCE of opposition to state censor*— ship of motion pictures is accumulating at such a rate that those reformers who, deprived of prohibition as a field of activity, have been looking to the movies as their next most profitable battleground, are likely to find the sailing pretty rough. Though the latest attempt to end censorship in tough old Virginia did not achieve the desired end, the campaign resulted in exposing the silliness of censorial activities to such an extent that a great amount of salutary good was done. This was accomplished chiefly through a series of very intelligent front-page articles by A. B. Clarke and Clarence E. Boykin in the "Richmond Times-Dispatch" under the general heading of "Movie Censors — Why?" • WHEN the Messrs. Clarke and Boykin point out that, to insist Virginia must have censorship is either to argue for similar nationwide control or to admit that citizens in states without censors are being demoralized or are morally stronger than Virginians, they put their fingers on the button that lights up and unmasks the whole ludicrous situation. And they might have added: when Virginians wander off, as most of them frequently do, from the shelter of their own state into adjoining communities having no legal censorship, what can the home state moral watchdogs do to prevent their charges from coming in contact with the allegedly undesirable elements againsf which they are guarded at home? • TO PRESUME that certain screen matter might be injurious to morals in one state and not in another is too laughable for words. Such reasoning comes from censors who have been appointed on political grounds regardless of their practical qualifications for the work. From any standpoint, public sentiment and existing laws provide far better protection than the farce now being enacted by political appointees under the name of censorship. Disguised Gambling Games Become Serious Opposition in Many Cities Exhibitors throughout the country report an alarming new element of competition in the form of concession games common to the carnival midway and which are drawing tremendous crowds in some of the larger cities. In the Los Angeles district, under the guise of "tango parlors," this competition recently flourished with drastic effects on the theaters, until local authorities got wise to the fact that it was a gambling (Continued on Page 4) THEA. SERVICE UNION MODIFYING ITS TERMS Circuits which sign with the Building Service Employes Union without forcing a recourse to a strike will receive concessions in the matter of wage scales and other conditions, it was stated yesterday by Charles C. Levey, secretary of (Continued on Page 4) Musicals Ringing B.O. Bell All Over, Says Jules Levy More musicals in the new season's programs will boost business throughout the country to a great degree, Jules Levy stated to Film Daily yesterday on his return from (Continued on Page 4) Lasky Staying West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Reported differences between Jesse L. Lasky and Winfield R. Sheehan are understood to have been ironed out and the unit producer is definitely remaining with Fox. Reports had him switching to RKO release, but this was denied by Sidney R. Kent, Fox president. Laskey returned from the southeast on Monday to resume work. FEWER ONE-REELERS ON NEW ED'L LINEUP A reduction of 25 per cent is contemplated in Educational's one-reeler schedule for 1934-35 release through Fox, Earle W. Hammons told Film Daily yesterday. "It is too early to state any definite plan, but it is possible that after a conference with John D. Clark of Fox, Educational may provide for 78 onereelers for the coming season compared with 106 for the present year," said Hammons. "The two (Continued on Page 4) Jam Handy Adds 100 Men In Commercial Film Rush Detroit — A hundred workers have been added by Jam Handy Picture Service, producers of commercial films, according to Jamieson Handy, president. Total payroll of the company now is 350. With auto firms' among major clients, the Handy studios have orders on hand to keep the present staff busy until June. 72'Min. Average Footage Now Against 67 Minutes a Year Ago Wm. K. Howard Optimistic On Outlook for Film Code A new note in Hollywood comments on the motion picture code was sounded yesterday by William K. Howard, who declared that (Continued on Page 6) Footage of features has shown a slight increase in the past year or so since exhibitors lodged wide complaints about short-length, and the average now runs to 72 minutes, compared with 67 minutes more than a year ago, it is shown in a tabu(Continued on Page 6) Delaware Ruling Denies Court Jurisdiction in Royalty Action Bv N. M. MacLEOD FILM DAILY Staff Correspondent Wilmington, Del. — Chancery Court should have refused to assume jurisdiction in the $40,000,0000 accounting and injunction suit filed by Vitaphone Corp., subsidiary of Warner Bros., against Electrical Research Products, the State Supreme Court held in an opinion filed yesterday. The Supreme Court further holds that former Chief Justice James Pennewill, sitting in Chancery Court, committed an error when he overruled ERPI's plea that the mat(Continued on Page 6) FILM CODE ASSENTS PASS 7,000 MARK Total number of assents filed with the Code Authority jumped to 7,005 yesterday, showing an increase of 71 over the previous day's announcement. The Authority's committee on vaudeville and presentations labor met last night at the New York A. C. to study the records of the hear (Continued on Page 4) u. S. Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Prizes Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Decision of the Supreme Court, upholding the Federal Trade Commission in its order against a candy company that had (Continued on Page 6) 10% Tax Passes Miss. House Jackson, Miss. — The House of Representatives has passed almost unanimously a bill re-enacting the 10 per cent amusement tax. Exhibitors had hoped to have this tax reduced to 2 per cent in line with the state retail sales tax. but with this action of the House little hope is seen.