The Film Daily (1930)

^f^ NEWSPAPER 0/ FILM DOM ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME VOL. LII No. 53 Monday, June 2, 1930 Price 5 Cents 49 More Houses Added To Growing Warner List EXPECfT-5-5 TO RECONVENE THKMONTH Canadian Houses Must Pay Music Tax Same As U. S. The Mirror — a column of comment EXPECTATIONS are that the German sound patent tangle will be straightened out within a short period. Entirely too long has American product, with one exception, been out of the German market — both from the standpoint of the American producer and that of the German exhibitor. It is regrettable that a more speedy adjustment of the controversy has not occurred. With the domestic German talker yet in an embryonic state, exhibitors of that country have been unable to answer the clamor for dialogued product to any appreciable degree. On the other hand, American companies' foreign revenue has been impaired by the existing conditions. Now, with the Zukor hand grasping the situation, its settlement seems near. The quicker it is accomplished, the happier all concerned will be. * * * OFF-THE-BEATEN-TRACK type of pictures, those dealing with big game hunting and intimate glimpses of the home life of isolated tribes, are getting a good play, so b. o. reports tell us. They refresh the screen with their novelty and individuality. The reference is to cinematic entertainment of the "Chang" category. Pictures that don't bear the familiar imprint of studio routine. Screen fare of this kind has audience-building properties — a pull that brings in the man-who-seldom-goes-to-the-pictures. * * * AMQNG THINGS worth keeping within one's range of observation is Earl Hammon's plans for a chain of short subject houses. Striking off on a new exhibition angle, he's going to get the lowdown on the pulling power of this type of product when it stands alone. Regardless of whether the findings are affirmative or negative to the project they'll no doubt prove illuminating to a lot of exhibiting gentlemen. Theaters to Be Licensed by Performing Right Society As a result of the reorganization of the Canadian Performing Right Society, Ltd., whereby the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has turned over the performing rights of its members to the Canadian Society and Gene Buck, Louis Bernstein and J. C. Rosenthal became members of the Canadian board of directors, theaters in Canada hereafter must pay a music tax (Continued on Page 8) CONSOLIDATED LAB. PLANS $600,000 COAST BUILDING W est Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Consolidated Laboratories is getting ready to put up a $600,000 building here. Plans have been made and construction is expected to get under way shortly. Poucher Gets Bank Post Ralph I. Poucher, a director of Consolidated Film Industries and various other organizations, has been elected vice president of the Liberty National Bank & Trust Co. of New York. He also is on the directorial board of the bank. Just Room for 3 A tipoff that a new gigantic merger is in the offing was given by Harry M. Warner in his address on the closing day of the Warner sales meet in Atlantic City. He is reported saying that there is room for only three big producing, distributing and theater units. MEXICAN GOV'T FINANCING 1 2 SPANISH COLOR SHORTS West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A series of 12 color shorts in Spanish, financed by the Mexican government, will be made it the Fowler Studios under the direction of Jack Laughlin. The subjects are to be based on popular Spanish and Mexican songs. M. S. Epstin Appointed Head of United Studios West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — M. S. Epstin has been promoted from vice president to the presidency of United Studios, it is announced by Joseph M. Schenck. 170 Closed in Texas Dallas— Latest monthly report of /he Film Board of Trade shows 170 houses having closed in this State. Date for Next Confab to Be Fixed by Kent on Return East Date for reconvening of the 5-5-5 conference, dedicated to the job of turning out a standard exhibition contract acceptable to the industry in general, will be fixed by Sidney R. Kent, confab chairman, upon his return to New York from the Coast tomorrow. Resumption of deliberations had been originally planned for (Continued on Page 2) Shenandoah, Equity Chains Taken Over By Warner Bros. THEATER EVERYWHERE IS Wherever Warner Bros, has no outlet for its product, the company will establish a theater of its own, it was stated by Harry M. Warner at the windup of the sales meeting in Atlantic City. Acquisition of (Continued on Page 8) By acquiring the Shenandoah Valley chain of nine houses in Virginia and the Rialto and Virginia in Charleston, W. Va., together with Stanley Co.'s exercising of its option for full control of the 38 neighborhood theaters in the Warner-Equity combine of Philadelphia, an additional 49 houses has been added to the growing Warner Bros, circuit. In the Shenandoah deal, Warners bought Universal's controlling stock amounting to 75 per cent. Ike Wein(Continucd on Page 8) W. S. BLITTERFIELD READY EOR UPSTATE EXPANSION Detroit — Butterfield Michigan Theaters Co. has about completed arrangements for expansion in the Upper Peninsula, it is announced by \V. S. Butterfield on his return with E. C. Beatty from a 10-day trip through that district. Plans in prospect will add 15 new towns and 20 theaters (Continued on Page 2) L. A. YOUNG TO START THIRD DIMENSION FILMS Experiments sponsored by' L. A. Young, president of Tiffany, with third dimension pictures have reached the stage where actual production is expected to get under way shortly, THE FILM DAILY learns. Young, who has the rights to the Hi-rkhart (Continued on Page 2) 21 Fox Originals West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Twenty-one of Fox's 48 pictures for the new season will be originals. Lots of Plots West Coast Bur. THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Front pages of newspapers offer one of the greatest sources of story material for pictures, according to Winfield R. Sheehan.