Film Daily (1931)

THE Presentations ^^.By JACK HARROWER^— Italian Atmosphere At Roxy The Roxj .-tage show goes Continental this week, with several stage hits that are very lavishly produced as to costumes and sets. "Piazza San Marco" is a colorful number, featuring Margaret Sande and the ballet corps. "The Barcarolle" shows a Venetian scene, with carnival merrymakers dining on a terrace and a gondola arriving with the dancers. rhe principals are Leonide Massine, Nina Polsley, Nicholas Daks, Irene Mc Bride, George Kiddon and Jennie Delaroff. "Carnival of Venice" is an interlude, with Beatrice Belkin singing her high notes from a side balcony box. "The Lido" is another Italian setting, with a novelty effect revealing the Roxyettes forming a gorgeous gondola. Specialty numbers follow with some final vocalizing and a mechanical doll that is a pip. Principals are Gomez and Winona, Reeves and Leu, Harold Van Duzee, the ballet, chorus and Roxyettes. New Show With "Skippy" at Para. Although the screen feature, "Skippy." is being held over at the New York Paramount, a new stage show is being offered at this house with the idea of heightening the inducement to those desiring to see "Skippy" twice. The current presentation is Frank Cambria's "Winging Home," a nice variety lineup with Sylvia Froos,' Conrad's Pigeons, Three Allison Sisters, Webb and Douglas, Mary Reade Girls, and Charlie Davis's gang. Jesse Crawford also does his bit at the console. Capitol Show A Knockout One of the most entertaining and colorful Broadway stage shows in many a moon is the way to describe the Chester Hale production, "Rivera Revels," at the Capitol. It's a knockout. Mitchell & Durant tumble through some excellent acrobatic dancing and win plenty of applause. Big-time adagio work is presented by Dolores, Eddy and Douglas. Louis Barrison and Silvia Nelson also toss in their entertainment chips. STHE nKNHKRUtt Of HLMIOM Congratulates : NORMAN TAUROG for his painstaking and sympathetic direction of Paramount's delightful production of "Skippy" No. 15 of 1931 "Good Deeds11 Series •c&Ok DAILY Sunday, April 12, 1931 • • • THE WISE GUYS in Hollerword have suddenly made a surprising discovery it is that Latin folks south of the Rio Grande speak an entirely different Spanish from that which is taught in the universities of old Madrid or along the Barcelona waterfront or even on the sunny mountain slopes of Sierra Morena but up to the present writing they have been turning out Spanish talkies with players wrio spoke the Spanish of the mother country and wondering why the folks in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay didn't go for these pix in a big way in spite of the parallel situation that has always existed between this country and Great Britain c'n y' imagine Clara Bow, Will Rogers, Jack Oakie and Robert Woolsey appearing in Elstree pix and trying to pass 'emselves off as products of Oxford and Piccadilly? might strike Britishers as rather absurd, don't you think? that's exactly the way these Hollywood Spanish pix strike the citizens of the countries south of the Rio Grande but did that stop the Big Minds from going ahead and makin' these absurdities? nozzir not until Argentina slapped a prohibitive tariff on Hollywood product just about 15 times greater than before with the other South American countries getting ready to follow suit and now the boys in the Town of Know-It-All are scratching their heads, and beginning to realize that their Latin cousins are teaching 'em Something and it's proving an awful tough lesson running into millions of pesos in American dollars which recalls to us that many months ago a big Argentinian of wealth and influence came to Hollywood he pointed out in his politest manner the situation his people wanted to see Argentinians in the casts of these Hollywood Spanish pix sent to his country he explained patiently how Argentinians are a proud people proud of their traditions, their language which is QUITE different from the Spanish idiom and that it is no compliment to an Argentinian or a Mexican to be taken for a Spaniard they are proud of the fact that they are Argentinians or Mexicans, as the case may be sounds reasonable, doesn't it? but the Hollywood Hierarchy just yawned in a bored way ..and went right on filling casts with Spanish players for pix designed to get revenue from Mexicans, Argentinians, etc so this is the nice stew they face today, dished up with their own clumsy hands the prohibitive tariff is operating beautifully in Argentina there are a couple of hundred pictures waiting in the customs house to be taken out an Argentina syndicate has subscribed 10 million pesos (about three and one-half million dollars) for a big native studio which will be in operation next month with a schedule of 12 pix every three months another syndicate has built a studio near Buenos Aires Mexico has started its own productions and now they are figuring on a reciprocity agreement between all LatinAmerican countries barring out Hollywood product the result is that Hollywood production of Spanish talkies is almost dead with the exception of slight activity at one or two studios now they are trying to work out a scheme for a jury of representatives of the five nations previously named these men will pass on the qualifications of all players to be cast in pictures for Latin-American and Mexican consumption a very intelligent idea that may mollify the outraged nations and make 'em let down the bars again which brings us back to the elementary principle of Merchandising you've got to sell the customer the merchandise he WANTS and when he stands ready and eager to buy that merchandise well, what's stoppin' us? let's go! « « « » » » Foreign Dispatches i By GEORGE REDDY', Germany Drops Levy on Shorts Berlin — Following agitation by the Schutzverband, leading body in the German film industry, local authorities have promised that no more taxes will be levied on abbreviated types of shorts which do not run to more than 200 metres. Made Fox Reel Head in Australia Paris — Harry Lawrenson, for sixyears news editor here for Fox Movietone, leaves shortly for Australia, where he takes charge of his company's newsreel operations there. Among the equipment Lawrenson will take with him, will be two sound trucks. Carlyle Blackwell With Radio London — Carlyle Blackwell has been signed by Basil Dean to star in three pictures to be made this year by Associated Radio Pictures in conjunction with RKO. First of Blackwell's trio of _ films will probably go into production early in May, under the personal direction of Basil Dean. Madan, RCA Distrib. for India Calcutta— RCA Photophone, Ltd., has appointed Madan Theaters, as official distributors of RCA apparatus in India, and until further notice Pathe, India, will share the extension of territory in Burma and Ceylon. Myerson, Fox Singapore Manager Hong Kong — Ralph Myerson has left this city for Singapore, where he will take over the duties of manager for Fox Films there. A.B.C. Circuit Books "Cim," "Beau" London — A.B.C. has booked "Cimarron" and "Beau Ideal" for engagements over the entire circuit. 300 Wired in Italy Rome — There are more than 300 Italian theaters wired for sound. American devices make up about 80 of the total. MANY HAPPY RETURNS Best wishes and congratulations are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating their birthdays i April 11 12 Frank O'Connor James Ryan Edna Morgan Frank Borzage Rena Lewis Walter W. Lilley Homer G. Delabar Frances Teague Virginia Cherrill