The Film Daily (1937)

1 1 Saturday, Sept. 4, 1937 DAILV FOX-MIDWEST UPPING '"ilCES IN 85 HOUSES {Continued from page 1) houses in some locations are being raised to 25 cents. This schedule applies only in the country towns, the admissions at Kansas City houses, where the circuit operates 13 houses, remaining at the present level. A general upping by local houses is expected soon, however, with the major operating circuits and the majority of the independents in agreement on the need for such a move. GN Files With SEC Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington, D. C. — Grand National Films, Inc., yesterday filed its I annual report with the SEC stating I, that no material changes took place i that were unreported previously. I Seventeen Grand National films had been released at the end of the fiscal i year, it was stated. Other SEC action included withdrawal by Hollywood Famous Pic 1 tures, Inc., of its registration statement. The withdrawal request was filed August 24, 1937. Cinecolor, 1 Inc., also filed a request to withdraw its statement. Copyright Action Settled Copyright infringement suit brought by Francis Hackett, author j of the book "Henry the Eighth" ' against Alexander Korda, London Films and United Artists over the film "The Private Life of Henry the Eighth," was discontinued yesterday in Federal Court following settlement out of court. Amount of the settlement was not disclosed. SICK REPORT West Coast Bureau of THE FILM 'DAILY Hollywood — Stricken with a cold, Claudette Colbert has been forced to abandon, temporarily, work in Warners' "Tonight's Our Night." The company under the direction of Anatol Litvak is "shooting around" her. New Orleans — Paramount exchange manager Harold Wilkes' son broke his arm playing football before the practice season officially opened. West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Grace Moore has delayed a vacation in Europe with her husband, Valentine Parera, and entered hospital here where she underwent a minor operation. Seattle — Linda Berlin, 5, daughter <vf: Irving Berlin, is reported here hi lysicians as rapidly recovering fiL _» an illness diagnosed as intestinal influenza. Her parents flew with her via seaplane from a yacht off Deception Pass for treatment by local physicians. A"£UHe "£ots By RALPH WILK " NEW PATHE NEWSREEL DUE IN LATE OCTOBER HOLLYWOOD "gUD BARSKY, who is producing for Grand National, will soon place "Wallaby Jim of the South Seas" in production, with George Houston as the star. Charles Lamont will direct. T T T John Alton, head cameraman for "La Vida Bohemia," Spanish feature starring Rosita Diaz and Gilbert Roland, is authoring a technical book titled, "Foto-vibrations." It will be published in the fall for use as a college text-book on moving pictures. T t ▼ Earl Felton is writing the screenplay for "Half Way House," based on the novel by Ellery Queen. T T ▼ Wanda McGee, who was once a Vitagraph aerial stunt queen, known to fans as "Gloria Burke," was discovered working as a hairdresser on the set of "La Vida Bohemia," initial production for Cantabria Films, starring Rosita Diaz and Gilbert Roland. T T T Richard ("Red") Skelton has won the top comedy spot of "Itchy" in "Having Wonderful Time," RKO Radio's screen version of the Arthur Kober prize comedy, outstanding Broadway current hit. Skelton flew to Hollywood from Cleveland for the screen test, and was signed on the spot. T T T Virginia Verrill, who was assigned a prominent singing role in "The Goldwyn Follies," has withdrawn from the production because she refused to let picture work interfere with her radio career. Managerial "Strip Tease" at Commonwealth's Outing Kansas City, Mo. — Forty managers and staff members of the Commonwealth Theaters chain will be guest of C. A. Schultz, pres., and 0. K. Mason, secretary and treasurer of the organization, at a two day outing on the Lake of the Ozarks, Sept. 15-16. The entire Osage Beach Hotel has been reserved for the party which is in celebration of the organization's summer business drive known as the King of the Sun Contest. A feature of the affair will be a "Strip Tease" banquet on the first night, with theater managers attending in those articles of clothing which they still possess under the rules of a summer operating budget in which the complete budget was represented by a full outfit. Winners of the contest will be announced at the banquet, while local exchange executives have been invited for the last day of the outing. K. C. Unit to Sign Pact With Indies on Tuesday Kansas City, Mo. — Claude Cessna, business agent of the Motion Picture Operators Local No. 170 has announced a meeting for Tuesday, with all local independent theater operators at which contracts, the terms of which were agreed upon early, in July, will be signed. On the same day, W. A. Finney, district manager for Loew's, will be in town to confer with Cessna and Felix Snow, representative of Exhibitor Employees Local No. 24 on contracts with the major operating circuits. Fox-Midwest executives, have signed contracts with Local No. 170, governing terms for operators in 16 houses in greater Kansas City. The terms of these contracts have not yet been announced, however. No Further Delay in Guild Shop, Eastern Studios Told (.Continued from Page 1) ence Martson, eastern executive secretary of the SAG. Milton Schwarzwald, Mentone head, was to have notified the Guild about his position on the Guild contract on Sept. 1, but failed to do so. The Guild now has contracts with Audio Productions and Wilding, and will receive a signed agreement from Caravel on Tuesday. Jam Handy, the other large commercial, producer, has also accepted the Guild shop. With these companies and the major companies signed up, the Guild now feels that it can enforce a closed shop without inconveniencing its own members too much. The Guild is solidly supported by the local unions. "Victoria the Great" Wins Coveted Cup of Nations "Victoria the Great," which is to have its American premiere soon at the Music Hall, has won by unanimous vote a jury representing 14 countries, the Cup of Nations Award from a field of 70 entrants, at the Fifth International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art, now current in Venice. Award was made by the Ministry of Press and Propaganda. Accompanied by Miss Neagle, Herbert Wilcox, the producer, will come to New York sometime this month, bringing the cup with him. Attack Allied Defense Refusal of Paramount to deliver certain pictures which exhibitors claimed were withheld does not constitute a defense to the action which the distributor has brought in the Federal Court, Milwaukee, before Judge Nordbye, the company contends. Paramount seeks a preliminary injunction against Allied Theaters of the Northwest and certain individual exhibitors. Case has been continued to Wednesday. (.Continued from page 1) head an enlarged staff of narration and monologue writers; and, in keeping with the sweeping reorganization plans, that the Pathe Building, 35 West 45th St., is being remodeled, changes being made to lobbies, elevators and floor space. Butterfield said that the new form of Pathe's Newsreel will offer a different main title; changes in the present form of the sub-titles, and that even the familiar rooster, trademark for many years, will be altered. Furthermore it is planned, Butterfield announced, to increase the footage of future releases and incorporate into them a "highly modernized technique." Frank Donovan, Pathe News' production manager, left New York yesterday for the Coast, stated Butterfield, to arrange greater coverage there for the new reel, increase the staff in that territory, and coordinate already arranged cooperative action between RKO Radio's Hollywood studios and the Pathe personnel to whom production assistance will be given, and to whom the music library, comprising orchestrated footage totaling some 250,000 feet, may be made available. William O'Brien, head of Pathe News' foreign staff, headquartering in Paris, is augmenting the staff overseas and arranging wide coverage of the Sino-Japanese conflict both by company operatives and native newsreel agencies. Company will continue to use RCA's Ultra Violet High Fidelity Noiseless Recording — the only newsreel organization currently doing so — and will shortly provide improved cameras and equipment to its staff of cameramen. British Film Industry Sees Higher Admissions Coming (Continued from page 1) hood of a general increase in prices as a logical development. It is pointed out that admission figures have not changed for many years, although production costs have been steadily mounting, from the days when pictures cost at the most 100,000 or $150,000, to the enormous outlays of today, when as much as $2,500,000 can be spent on one super-production. Hays Okay for West Script West Coast Bur., THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Mae West's "Every Day's A Holiday" has been approved by the Hays' office and shooting will start Wednesday at Major Pictures, with Edward Lowe, Charles Butterworth, Walter Catlett, Roger Imhoff in the cast and Edward Sutherland directing. The period of the picture is the '90's and some of the spots which will be picturized are the Bowery, Chinatown, Trinity Church, Rector's, Harlem and Times Square at election time. The story is by Jo Swerling, with screenplay by Mae West.