The Film Daily (1931)

THE ■Z2H DAILY Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1931 Chinese Interior Gets First Movies —Slapstick Wows 'Em Province of 60,000,000 Being Modernized by Film Influence Peking — Motion pictures are making their first appearance far into the interior of Szechuen province and their advent is bringing about a gradual modernization of the Chinese hinterland, according to reports reaching here. The coming of movies to these remote towns is forcing the introduction of electric lights and other improvements heretofore unknown in the back country. Szechuen is the largest of Chinese provinces. It is three times as big as Texas, and it has a population of 60,000,000. One result of this condition is to make news reels popular with the movie fans. Some of the small houses show only that kind of picture. Age is no barrier and films of events dating before the World War can still be seen. The sight of two men pelting each other with custard pies puts a Chinese audience into hysterics. Dramatic thrills, especially when they savor of the mysterious or supernatural, pack 'em in, and the old American serials have large followings. Comedy reels, however, are a. dead loss unless of the slap-stick variety. Rentals Confab With Hays Awaits Additional Data Although Will H. Hays has arrived in New York from the Coast, the committee representing the T. O. C. C. on the matter of lower film rentals will not interview him until data on (he subject has been compiled by Charles O'Reilly. Members of the association are now sending in information. Coston Books Tiffany Product Chicago — Joe Merrick, midwest district manager, and Elmer Grace, Chicago exchange manager, have completed a deal with the Coston Booking Circuit whereby it will play the entire feature output on the Tiffany program. Publicity Men Instructed Publicity and advertising directors have received from the Hays office a communication in which is stressed "the absolute necessity of cutting out dollar sign publicity." Pass the Cake Providence — "Just the Cake" exclaimed Harry Storin, RKO Rhode Island head, as the Pilgrim Bakers presented him with an enormous hunk of pastry on the occasion of the company's second anniversary celebration. Today Albee customers will receive free pieces — as long as the cake survives. a Caesar" Draws Notables Zeb Epstein and his assistants made a list of the notables who entered the Strand, to see "Little Caesar," during the 24 hours ending Monday midnight. Here they are: Mae West, Eddie Leonard, Texas Guinan, Bill Tilden, Pauline Starke, George Bancroft, Irving Berlin, Grant Withers, Tammany Young, Primo Camera and "Shipwreck" Kelly, who tried to crash the gate with his wife and whole family. Industrials in Big Demand For Educational Purposes Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Demand for industrial motion pictures for use in educational work has become so great that even the Bureau of Mines, Department of Commerce, which has perhaps the world's largest collection of industrial educational films, is unable to fill all requests, it is stated by M. F. Leopold of the Bureau's Moving Picture Production Section. More than 2,500,000 persons saw these educational pictures last year at about 11,000 separate showings, it is estimated by Leopold. The Bureau now has more than 700 sets of films, covering nearly 60 subjects and totaling approximately 2,100,000 feet in length. They represent an investment of about $1,000,000, all of which has been paid by co-operating industrial concerns. Improved Microphone Developed by Photophone Perfection of the"Ribbon Microphone", in process of development for several months and already operated in studios using RCA Photophone recording system, is announced by Lowell V. Calvert, manager of recording operations. The new device, said to be a revolutionary step in transference of sound to film, was developed by Dr. Harry F. Olson, research engineer. It is described as simple in construction and much easier to maintain than the so-called condenser transmitter type now in vjse. R-K-0 Managerial Changes Following the resignation of David Beehler, R-K-O theater division manager for Brooklyn and Long Island, and until his successor is named, Charles McDonald, in charge of the New York City division will supervise Beehler's territory. A. M. Roy has replaced B. D. Hooten as manager of the R-K-O Palace, South Bend, Ind. J. W. Duebach has replaced Howard P. Kingsmore as city manager of Milwaukee. Robert Cotton, has replaced Jack Bruce as manager of the R-K-O President, St. Paul. Cotton formerly managed the R-K-O 7th St., Minneapolis, which is now managed by Dick Gaston. Warners Book Minstrels In Public Response Test (Continued from Pane 1) tour starting this week in the circuit's Shenandoah Valley houses. The minstrel unit will give a 45-minute show and also provide the timehonored street parade in each town. Warners have bought the show outright and each house playing the attraction will be required to handle the date at its own expense. Additional attractions booked for the Warner circuit in connection with this public response test include the Dave Harris unit, Davey Lee, the Our Gang Kids and others. The houses will get these shows every other week. At practically all of the stands included in these bookings, Warners are without opposition. One result of this policy is expected to be the wiping out of cheap musical tabloid shows and other inferior stage attractions by educating the public to the better quality of talent. Oscar Hanson Attending Allied Meet in Chicago Oscar Hanson, sponsor of the proposal to merge the M. P. T. O. A. and Allied States Ass'n, will attend the Allied meeting scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11 in Chicago. (.t Sally Chayes Sells Novel "The Way of Some Flesh", a novel by Sally Chayes, of the Paramount Publix editorial department, has been accepted by Horace Liveright and will be published next month. _ Auction Baltimore Theater Baltimore — The Circuit Court has decreed that the Hippodrome be offered for sale at public auction in a receiver suit, on Fe,b. 16. Silverberg on Arbitration Board Buffalo— Herbert T. Silverberg, local attorney who deals chiefly in theatrical and motion picture cases, has been appointed to the panel of the American Arbitration Ass'n. LOKAN CIRCUIT OF CHINA BUYS 16 RCA PH0T0PHONES A campaign to install sound equipment throughout the Lokan circuit embracing the principal cities of China has been started with the purchase of 16 RCA Photophone units by the Theater Equipment Co., Ltd., of Shanghai, controlled by Lokan. Ten of the machines are now on the way to China. Fox Portland Division Being Discontinued (Continued from Page 1) unit. The combined district will be known as the Northwest Division and will handle all houses in Oregon and Vancouver, Wash. Robert Bender is supervisor of the new district, with headquarters in Seattle. J. J. Parker continues as chief of the Portland group and Floyd Maxwell gets the berth at the Portland Paramount, with supervisory right over the Rialto in that city. Roech Slated to Succeed Ross as Photophone Head (Continued from Page 1) tive vice president who died on the coast last Thursday, The Film Daily learns. S.M.P.E. To Discuss Films for Teaching "Teaching Films" will be the subject for discussion at the meeting of the New York Section of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, to be held Friday night at the Westinghouse Lighting Institute, Grand Central Palace. K. R. Edwards of Eastman Teaching Films will deliver an address and demonstration of Teaching Films. Chicago Exhibs, Union Seek Early Settlement Chicago — A series of meetings is being held by the Illinois Independent Theater Owners, headed by Aaron Saperstein, and the operators' union with a view to an early settlement of the wage controversy. Most of the exhibitors declare they would be unable to operate profitably if obliged to pay an average of $100 weekly to two operators. Hoot's Split Policy Hoot Gibson will split his time between vaude. and pictures during 1931-32. He will play six weeks of R-K-O vaudeville, then make two productions for M. H. Hoffman, after which he returns to RK-O for six weeks, then back to pictures, and so on.