The Film Daily (1935)

■■ THE OPENINGS, CLOSINGS BALANCED IN JANUARY (Continued from Page 1) in, indications are that openings totaled slightly under 100, while closings were a little in excess of that figure. Among localities where the greatest number of openings took place were Salt Lake City, with 10 openings and no closings; Denver, seven openings and no closing; Charlotte, five openings, including four new houses, and no closings; Oklahoma City, three new theaters and one reopening, while four closed; Indianapolis, 12 openings, including two new houses, and nine closings. Calif. Sets Record For Film Measures (Continued from Page 1) committee it still has another chance. Senator Olson, a friend of Upton Sinclair, has introduced nine bills by himself, with the privilege of filing two more when the legislature convenes in March. Measures carrying the heaviest burdens are those imposing taxes on admissions, film footage and payrolls. Because of the red tape to be gone through, most of the bills are expected to be killed in committee. The Senate appears to have a stabilizing influence despite several blocks it has received from the Assembly, and even should a bill go through both houses it can still be vetoed or pocket-vetoed by the Governor. Get Bids for Criterion Block Paramount trustees are considering a number of bids for the Criterion and New York theater properties received in response to their recent advertisements, it is stated by counsel for the trustees. Identity of the bidders and the amounts of their bids was not disclosed. Film in Four Languages Prague — Meissner Films will make "Robinson and Friday" in English, French, German and Czechoslovakian. Bombay Film Exhibit Bombay — First exhibition of native films under auspices of the government will be held here from Feb. 16 to March 2. FACTS ABOUT FILMS Bulgaria last year produced its first talking picture, "The Song of the Balkans." ■%2!!l DAILY Monday, Feb. 11, 1935 AflONG THE PHIL M DALY • • • AS USUAL the film biz sits back and takes it on the chin when any prominent individual outside the motion picture howls that the screen is misrepresenting, demoralizing something, or gumming up somebody's li'l game so when the prosecuting attorney in the Hauptmann trial at Flemington, N. J., protested against showing newsreels of the trial there was just one film exec who went to bat with him on the issue pointing out with devastating logic that the camera lens and sound equipment record with technical truthfulness what happens and present it to the public As It Really Happens whereas the newspaper writers and radio commentators reflect their own personal opinions, bias, emotions and general unreliableness of the human animal in trying to tell other people about something that has happened those who run newspapers and the radio realize that this Jersey trial is the biggest piece of dramatic news of the age that the public can't get enough of it so they keep on feeding it to 'em and no prosecuting attorney is allowed to tell 'em how to run THEIR business but the film lads? oh, they're used to taking orders from Outsiders T T T • • • NOW COMES the ironical part of this affair all the newspaper correspondents covering the Flemington courthouse proceedings are envying the newsreel lads whose camera medium ALONE can convey to the eager public the drama, emotions, color and above all that feeling of being right there in the court room that no newspaper article or radio talk can begin to equal and the film biz passes up their Grand Scoop! just like that when an offended official puts up a personal squawk the Hauptmann trial has been the biggest newspaper circulation builder since the World War T ▼ T • • • THAT SQUIB about the RKO-Radio golf enthusiasts lining up for indoor practice at the Madison Square Garden Club to improve their short game for the coming Film Daily Golf Tournament has started something the boys over at United Artists accepted it as a challenge so they have organized a team of Specialists on the Short Game to wit Monroe Greenthal, midiron Hal Sloan, brassie Len Daly, driver Al Adams, spade Ken O'Brien, spoon Howard Le Sieur, niblick Herbert Berg, putter through this admirable column they choose to fling their defi in the faces of the RKORadio muggs they say "Name your team, and we'll take 'em over any time you choose." T T ▼ • • • ONE OF the really brilliant affairs of the social season the Press Photographers' annual ball at the Commodore Hotel Friday nite the show was really a Smash with such luminaries as Eddie Cantor, Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Joe Penner, Rudy Vallee, Bob Hope, Block and Sully, Rex Weber, Juliet Lowell, Ed Wynn, Jack Dempsey, Hannah Williams, Ethel Merman, and Major Bowes with Freddie Bartholomew, the "David Copperfield" kid T T T • • • AT THE M. P. Club Forum on Wednesday the affair will be dedicated to struggling young men in various lines of endeavor the principal speaker will be a gent named Harry Hershfield who wants to be known as a humorist a chap named Louis Nizer will introduce the speakers a trade paper publisher named Jack Alicoate will introduce Mister Nizer then Mister Nizer will introduce Mister Alicoate it's an Act they've been doing it for each other for years some day they'll be generally known oh, yes, the Honored Guests just a bunch of dramatic crits who have been writing for the metropolitan rags for centuries (it seems we have been reading some of 'em that long) they also will be introduced CIRCUITS DECREASED _ TO 373 IN PAST YE/fn (.Continued from Page 1) Publix, with an affiliation of 975 houses in the U. S.; Famous Players Canadian, 187; Warner Bros., 436; National Theaters, 165; Loew, 135, exclusive of the 16 Poli houses; RKO, 94. Fox, whose West Coast holdings are now under National Theaters, also has several other groups assigned to different opera | tors. Detroit Items Detroit — Ray Moon, general man j ager of Cooperative Theaters of Michigan, has left for a Vacation j in Florida. Willard Patterson is back from a voyage to Mexico. United Detroit Theaters are boosting attendance nicely at all] first run houses through a radio tieup. Earl Hudson, chief of pub-v licity, is writing scripts for dra-1 matic sketches broadcast from each I film. Morris Dudelson of United Ar-'l tists Sales staff is back from a vaca » tion in Hot Springs. Shamrock Productions has been i formed by William T. Cunningham i real estate man. The company will t have a connection with Shamrock Pictures, Inc., formed by B. C. Fassio. Mrs. Henderson M. Richey, wife!; : the general manager of Allied c St « « « » » » of the general manager Theaters of Michigan, is convalescing satisfactorily from an operation, for appendicitis. Gus Greening is the new manager of the Whittier east side house. Jack Goldhar, manager of Unitedj Artists exchange, has been made a Colonel by Governor Ruby Laffoon of Kentucky. Fred North is the' only other distributor here to share the honor. Edward Jennings, 85, formei, Pinconning, Mich, theater owner, died recently at Bay City. Ben Wachnansky, former manager of Jacob Schreiber's Blackstone Theater, is now free lance manager with the Krim Circuit. Jacob Schreiber has three theaters closed, all on account of th€| widening of Woodward Avenue. Second Fox British Film London — Albert Parker will direct "Six Deaths" as the second Fo> production here. SHOWMAN'S REMINDER How about planning a Spring Style Show?