The Film Daily (1931)

100 SHORTS, 2 FEATURES ON SPORT TOPICS PLANNED (Continued from Page 1) sports and at least two sport features. The regular program of 26 "Sportlights" produced by Van Beuren and released by Pathe will meet competition in Universal's 'Christy Walsh Ail-American Sport Subjects" featuring Knute Rockne, Babe Ruth and others, of which there will be 26 during the fiscai year; 12 Bobby Jones gojf shorts released by Warners and Either 13 or 26 "Sportfolios" to be made by Al Mannon for Tiffany. It is reported that Brown and Nagel will produce a series of sport shorts featuring Gus Sonnenberg, the wrestler, for Educational release. Bill Tilden and others prominent in outdoor sports have been signed by M-G-M for a series of short subjects. The number has not as yet beend ecided. Several sport series already in distribution will be included in the new season's sales manuals. Pathe's Knute Rockne football series, of which there were six, still being pushed by the sales force and their six Johnny Farrell golf shorts will also be included. Warners are still offering a Charles Peterson reel on billiards which was released a year ago and also a more recent tworeeler featuring Earl Sande, jockey. A. Tom Hagan short, "Golf Clubs," is now in release by Tiffany. According to the present plans of Universal, one feature length subject starring Babe Ruth will be produced, and a fight feature is planned by Sqno-Art for 1931-32 release. In addition to the scheduled shorts and features of sports and athletics, newsreels will devote ronsiderable footage to sporting events. The RK(JPathe news has already signed Ruth Nichols as aviation editor and Fox Movietone will continue its policy of including one sport sequence in each release. Out of 12 major producing companies, eight have included some nature of sports release in their 19311932 sales schedule. Monday, February 16, 1931 1 TEN YEARS AGO TO-DAY IN ETHE nUNHBMftt orniMDOM Betty Compson to be starred by Famous Players. • • * R. A. Walsh buys "Kindred of the Dust" from William R. Hearst. • • * Hobart Henley Productions for Associated First National distribution. Jersey City — Herman Starr, formerly manager of the Strand, Niagara Falls, is now managing the State here. Niagara Falls — Walter League is now managing the Strand, having come from the Avon at Utica, N. Y. Winnsboro, S. C. — Boyd Brand has opened the Carolina, formerly known as the Public. Sound has been installed. Crawford Bros, and Jordan were the former owners. Detroit — Carl Krueger, formerly manager of the Michigan, is now managing the Punch and Judy. Steve Barutio succeeds Krueger at the Michigan, having come from the Paramount, New York. Big Lake, Tex.— H. Ford Taylor plans to reopen the Palace soon. Sound has been installed. M. R. Williams of Texon is the former owner. Topeka, Kan. — Elbridge H. Shriver, formerly manager of the Jayhawk, has left for Los Angeles, where he will join the Dollar Steamship Line. Don Farquharson replaces Shriver. Seattle — The Follies, formerly the Pantages, has been sold by the Follies Theater Corp. to the Midland Theaters Co., Inc. The house will revert to a straight picture policy. Dave Himelhoch and Johnny Northen remain as manager and publicity man, respectively. Boston — Ideal Theaters Co., owners of the Strand, has elected the following officers: President, Edward D. Aston; vice president, M. C. Twomey; treasurer, P. H. Carr; clerk, Edward D. Aston. Directors are: P. V. Mingo, Henry M. Thompson, Dr. W. E. Hunt, L. L. Lyons, Mrs. J. P. Freeman, A. E. Covelle, M.*. O. Twomey, Edward D. Aston, P. H. Carr and F. R. Kaulback. Sound-on-Film Now Beats Disc, Says P. H. Evans, W. B. Engineer (Continued from Page 1) a step forward for film recording for which disc recording has no counterpart. This improvement in film recording will go a long way toward making the film record superior to the disc record. "During 1930 I emphasized one ot the chief deficiencies of film reproduction, namely "high frequency flutter." This deficiency, which is due to the lack of mass on the part of the film at the point at which the sound is taken from it, was recognized last year by a sufficient number of engineers in the business to result in the development of a machine which eliminates this effect by incorporating sufficient mass with the film at the point at which the sound is taken from it to eliminate the high frequency flutter and give to film that firmness, crispness and detail which disc records have always possessed and which has been the outstanding difference between them and film. "It is also expected that the year 1931 will result in an expansion of the range of frequencies recorded and should add another octave to the five or six now available. There is little point, however, to this increase in frequency range until high frequency flutter has been eliminated because high frequency flutter in reproduction will either prevent reproduction of this additional octave or will garble it so as to produce a very unpleasant effect upon the listener. In other words, with the reproducing equipment available at present, little, if any, of the frequencies above 4,000 or 5,000 cycles are reproduced. "There is little doubt that the poor reproduction of sound in many of the theaters is contributing as much as any other one item in keeping people away from the box-office. It is true that theater equipment which will give to film the firmness, crispness and detail which it now lacks is not as yet available, but a big step forward has been made in recognizing this as a defect and in providing for the studios equipment for re-recording which will eliminate this defect." John Bransby Editing Picture About Mexico John Bransby, traveler and big game hunter and his wife, Emma Lindsey Squire, magazine writer have returned from one year's expedition through Mexico bringing back 200,000 feet of exposed film. By arrangement with Talking Picture Epics, Bransby has started editing the film into a feature length subject to be named "Mexico Today," with a synchronized descriptive lecture. Lady P. A. for Cameo Starting Monday the R-K-0 Cameo will sport a femme press agent. She is Eunice Lefkovits, formerly secretary to J. J. Hess, director of national advertising for RK-O Theaters. Miss Lefkowits, a Kansas City girl, has been with Hess since he handled the western R-K-O houses from the Chicago office. Cineglow Studio Starts Cineglow Sound Studios has commenced opej-ationg at 130 West 46th St. The studio, operated by a division of Blue Seal Sound Devices, Inc., will handle synchronizing jobs. ALLIED EXPECTS $250,000 IN YEAR FROM "AD" FILMS (Continued from Page 1) ment shall predominate over the advertising features." Specification is made that reels will not be less than 900 feet. Exhibitors directly will not receive compensation for playing the pictures, all revenue going to Allied or its regional units. Hanson estimates that during the first year of operation, the association will get $250,000. Exact details of the financial end of this agreement will be arranged later. Hanson expects to sign 2,500 high calibre houses within the next two months and deliver his initial picture by July 1. Physical distribution will be handled through some established national company, two of which have already made bids for the deal. Selling will be accomplished through Allied units in Allied territories and other arrangements will be made to cover other localities. New York ofT fices will soon be opened and a sales staff to contact advertising agencies will be organized. Of the 400 theaters already signed the biggest unit is that of the Cooperative Theater Service Corp., Detroit, which represents 100 houses. M.P.T.O.A. Directors Meet in N. Y. March 10 (Continued from Page 1) publicize through their theaters plans for producing the George Washington bi-centennial picture which the Government is to produce. Congressman Sol Bloom is in contact with the exhibitor organization on the matter. Says, Exhibs Miss Chance In Not Selling Dialogue (Continued from Page 1) far as the ads go, the public must guess that dialogue of the most entertaining type is contained in the picture." Pathe Players, Directors Receive New Contracts (Continued from Page 1) three-year arrangement with Ann Harding. Helen Twelvetrees early last week! was put under a five-year agreement. Production of Pathe's new1 feature program will begin immediately under the supervision of Charles R. Rogers and Harry Joe Brown, assistant to Rogers. One Foreign Weekly Chapel Hill, N. C. — One foreign talker a week, a policy adopted in December by E. C. Smith, manager of the Carolina, has gone over so well that the practice will be continued. Students at the University of North Carolina find the pictures a help in their study of foreign languages.