The Film Daily (1931)

Tuesday, June 2, 1931 O&ILV I. W. MYERS LINING UP NEW SOUTHWEST CIRCUIT (Continued from Page 1) theaters in Texas and Louisiana, he announces. He has opened houses jn Baton Rouge, Alexandria, and is on a deal for a house in Terrell. He iplans to take on about 15 houses and to tie-up with Loew vaudeville. Texas Governor Signs Stench Bomb Measure Austin, Tex.— A law imposing a heavy penalty on anyone found guilty of throwing stench bombs in theaters has been signed by the Governor. The measure was sponsored by the Theater Owners' Protective Ass'n. ALON Till Projection School Head Held for Stench Bombs Seattle — Two young men are being held in jail charged with several stench bomb outrages against Seattle motion picture houses. One is Walter Kelso, proprietor of the Pacific Coast Institute of Motion Picture Engineers, a projectionist school. The other is an employee of Kelso. Ft. Worth Majestic Doubling Ft. Worth — RKO's Majestic will have a double feature policy during the summer. On Tuesday and Friday after 9 P. M. the current picture and the feature to open the following day will be shown at usual admission prices. Chas. Koehler With Red Seal Milwaukee— Charles Koehler, formerly assistant manager of the local Fox "exchange, has been named as booker at the local Red Seal exchange, succeeding Max Wiesner, who is manager of the Security Pictures exchange, opened here recently. Publix in New Detroit Sector Detroit — Publix will enter the northeast sector on Labor Day with a house, as yet unnamed. McFarland Adds Detroit House Detroit — The Our theater has been bought by E. N. McFarland, local circuit operator, from Vern Olmstead. Fox Opening Hutchinson House Kansas City— The new Fox at Hutchinson opens June 8 under the managership of Ed Haas, resident manager for Hutchinson. COMING & GOING RIALTO* l>HILMI)\LY GARY COOPER has arrived in N. Y. from Hollywood and will sail June 5 tor the .Mediterranean. E W BALLENTINE, manager of exchance operations for RKO Pathe, is hack from a tour of exchanges. K<>Y DISNEY i due in New York about the end of the week from Hollywood. GLORIA SWANSON Mils June :> on the He de France for a month's trip abroad. F F STURGIS, salesmanaurr of Da-Lit* Screen Co., Chicago, is in New York ADRIAN', costume designer for M <> M. arrives from the coast today. • • • SIDNEY R. KENT, vice-prexy of Paramount, is always ahead of the Picture Parade he has an uncanny knack of calling the turn on what John Public and his family want in the way of entertainment so the following opinions of the trends in public taste in pix coming from Mister Kent are worth heeding he sez taste in screen entertainment is swinging away from extreme sophistication to that of clean, healthy, down-to-earth subjects sex subjects always will be treated in entertainment because that is life but there is a right and wrong way of presenting it and film patrons are INSISTING on the former .religious pictures, such as "The Christian," will be successful in the immediate future gangster subjects will meet with public disfavor because the nation is tired of that phase of life the screen has OVERPLAYED the underworld, just as has the press today's trend in public taste is explained by the simple fact when entertainment reaches one extreme, it always swings radically to the other extreme and that is the condition TODAY heart interest instead of gunplay is the public cry and viewing Mister Kent as one of the main marshals of the Paramount Parade which eternally has the public following it Mister Kent's pronouncement means SOMETHING to all in this film biz who have sense to listen * * * * • • • BILL HURST, former foreign < editor of Fox News, has an offer to take charge of an educational film expedition to Madagascar but Missus Hurst has a notion that Bills eddycating can be done in Ainityville, Longisle, just as well and she should know Frank Whitbeck had a date to visit a sick friend in Brooklyn two weeks ago and the other day the mugg phoned him, and sez "Thanks for not calling, Frank, I'm completely recovered." sounds like a dirty dig Steve Wright, who is Joe Plunkett s sec, rented a summer place at Jones Beach, Longisle, and is pa'"1ing the darn thing himself after trying out all the different colors, and looking at the result, a neighbor suggested he call it Rainbow Inn * * * * • • • RUSSELL MOON saw a lovely untenanted summer bungalow on the Connecticut River but the owner didn't want to move in himself, nor would he lease it and in these tough times 1 so Russell thinks fast, and sez brightly "Let me move in f ree — as caretaker." Henry Lewis, the well known designer of men's clothes, who was selected by Edmund Goulding to play a special part in "Night Angel," is a dead ringer for "Fatty" Arbuckle... . Budd Rogers is feeling pretty good these days over booking of "Hell Bound" in de luxe Fox, RKO and Loew houses • • • LEO TRAIXOR and Jimmie Dunn, house managers of the Rivoli, are trying to scare up a foursome for the Film Golf Tournament trouble is that some of the ushers play better golf than they do and they are afraid of losing caste and prestige, as it were Milton Weiss is subbing for Milton Beecher, of Enigeem's press dep't, while the latter is in Hollerword all the Wall Street brokers these days are devoutly humming that new song a if it were a prayer "When the Shepherd Leads the Sheep Back Home. .. • • • WILLIAM MORRIS now wears a French decoration In recognition of his efforts in promoting international amity and good will between the amusement worlds of France and America, the French Government has conferred upon Morris the official decoration of "Officier de LTnstruction Publique, according to cable advices received in New York yesterday. Presentation of the decoration was made at a formal dinner given by the Minister of Education in Paris It was accepted in Morns' behalf by Abe Lastfogel, general manager of the Morris enterprises, who is now abroad engaging talent GOOD PRODUCT SHORTAGE FORCES RIALTO CLOSING (Continued from Page 1) which opens at the Paramount on Thursday, was rushed from the coast for the Broadway release, which was not definitely set until it passed the or board yesterday. Warners and RKO will not close any of their Broadway houses, even though RK< > may not take up its option for the Columbia product next season. I'ublix recently closed one oi its Minneapolis first-runs because of suitable product shortage, and both this and other circuits will have several more key city first-runs closed this summer for the same reason. Dubinsky and Publix Reported Dickering Kansas City — Negotiations arc reported under way for a deal between the Dubinsky circuit of IS houses and Publix. It would be either an outright acquisition or an operation arrangement. Williams Buying Houses In Small Texas Towns Dallas— J. D. William has E, ■ a string of .-man town t Blacks may open a pleasure camp at Lake Dallas. Duffy-U. A. Deal Off San Francisco — Deal whereby Henry Duffy was to produce plays which would later be made into pictures by Samuel Goldwyn for United Artists is reported off, for the time being at lea-t. Seattle House Back to First-Run Seattle — The Coliseum, Fox West Coast theater, has been changed back to a first-run house. Many Happy Returns « « « » » » Best wishes and congratulations are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who »re celebrating their birthdays: June 2 Hedda Hopper Benjamin Goetz Harry C. Arthur, Jr. ioseph Nadel rank Melford Glenn Cook Ada Williams