The Film Daily (1931)

THE [HE NEWSPAPER Of FILM DOM ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME VOL. LV NO. 31 NEW yCCr, FRIDAY, fEDCLACy 6, 1931 5 CENTS New Fire Code Facilitates Financing of Theaters 31 CONTRACT SUITS JTLED IN CONNECTICUT Hughes-Franklin Acquire Seven Kansas City Theaters The Mirror — a column of comment BILLS specifying how many projectionists must be used in a booth have been introduced in a number of State Legislatures ... .These measures are typical of a raft of "interference legislations." The kind that try to tell a man how to run his own business. And incidentally help kick plenty high his operating costs. Such measures are totally unnecessary. Alert exhibitors don't have to be told how many operators they need in order to adequately project a show. Exhibs not under this classification eventually find out through audience reaction. Oppressive and meddling bills of this breed ought to be squelched pronto. Their ultimate results are in nine cases out of ten more destructive than constructive. CARL LAEMMLE'S Silver Jubilee is note being celebrated. . . .The industry is removing its felts and strawj to a leader who has guided one company for the extraordinary stretch of 25 years. Big names quickly wax and wane in this biz. That's not news. But when an executive remains on the top for a quarter of a century, that's achievement. FREE-LANCE actors' contract at the Coast has been ratified to cover a period of four years Another tribute to arbitration. With relations between players and producers now clearly defined, another obstruction to concentrating all attention on the making of box-office product has been eliminated. New Circuit May Build 2 Other Neighborhood Houses Kansas City — Seven local theaters, the Oak Park, Madrid, Lindbergh, Tivoli, South Troost, Bagdad and Murray have been acquired by the Hughes-Franklin circuit. It is reported that the new theater organization also may build two additional neighborhood houses here. Wilmington, Del. — Hughes-Franklin Theaters, Ltd., has been issued j. Delaware charter. Capitalization is iriven as 4,000 shares of common ?tock. TIFFANY PLANS SERIES FOR CLASST HOUSES Tiffany will make a series of between 12 and 15 pictures aimed directly at the Class "A" theaters of the country, said Richard A. Rowland yesterday. This is in addition to others with which the company intends to serve "B" and "C" houses. Hiring Special Trains For Allied Convention Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Special trains are being chartered to take care of the attendance from the strongholds of {Continued on Page 12) Wiring Hotel Circuit Due to the increasing use of talkers by industrial organizations to carry sales messages to branch and district meetings, all of the Statler Hotels are being equipped with sound apparatus. The move is expected to spread among other hotel groups. DARROW URGES EXHIBS TO FIGHT LEGISLATION Calling upon exhibitors to "stand by their guns" and to "defend their rightsi," Clarence Darrow, internationally-famous trial lawyer, yesterday blamed theater men for the flood of censorship bills now sweeping State Legislatures throughout the country. Darrow, who spoke at the Arthur Greenblatt luncheon in New (.Continued on Page 12) Conn. Exhibs Appoint Legislative Committee New Haven — A legal committee to pass on legislative problems confronting exhibitors has been appointed by the M. P. T. O. of Connecticut. It consists of Edward G. Levy, counsel for the association; George Le Witt and James L. Shulman. Financing of New Theaters Made Easier by New Fire Code "Caesar's" Record In its four weeks' run at the New York Strand, "Little Caesar" gave 202 showings and played to approximately 326,000 paid admissions. The house seats 2,858. At the Brooklyn Strand the picture played three weeks, giving 152 performances to about 240,000 paid admissions. New York City exhibitors will have an easier time financing new theaters under the new fire code bring prepared by city officials and exhibitors, declared Charles O'Reilly in speaking at the Arthur Rosenblatt luncheon yesterday at the Astor. Under the revised code, building over auditoriums will be allowed, he pointed out. More than 300 exhibitors attended (Continued on Page 12) Numerous Cases Brought by Distributors Over Unplayed Films Mew Haven, — Connecticut courts now have pending 31 cases in which distributors are suing exhibitors to enforce contracts for tmplayed pictures, it is disclosed by Attorney Edward G. Levy, counsel for the M.P.T.O. of Connecticut. The first of these cases to be acted on, an action involving $5,000 filed by RKO against the Brede, Norwich, has been decided in favor of the defendants. N.Y. STATE CENSOR ASKS MORE APPROPRIATION Albany — Additional appropriations, to permit increases in the staff of reviewers because of the extra work necessitated by sound pictures, are asked by James Wingate, head of the motion picture division of the Education Department, the state censoring body. The income of the division during the last fiscal year from license fees and duplicate permits totaled $227,731.50. From this (Continued on Page 12) Earl Crabb Handling Northwest Division Portland, Ore. — Earl L. Crabb has returned to this territory from Los Angeles to represent Hughes-Franklin Theaters as Northwest division manager. April 1 is understood to be the approximate date for the opening of the circuit with about 100 houses as the nucleus. 5 Daily at Capitol In anticipation of the drawing powers of Greta Garbo in "Inspiration," opening today, the Capitol will give five de luxe shows daily, except Sunday. Jack Benny heads the stage show.