The Film Daily (1931)

Wednesday, June 3, 1931 fj^^S DA1LV Ambridge, Pa. — Publix is entering the local field through acquisition of the Senate from Ellwood Amusement Co., it is announced by Sam Gould, Pittsburgh theater owner. The transfer takes place Aug. 8. Warner operates the other two movie houses here. Birmingham — The Famous has been purchased by F. H. Mohns from J. W. Whitfield. The sale price was $125,000. St. Louis — Jack Haley returns to the Ambassador on June 19 as master of ceremonies. House hasn't done so well since Ed Lowry left. Memphis — Operation of the Malco was transferred this week to Memphis Theater & Equipment Co., under the direction of Charles F. Boyd. A contest is being held to pick a new name for the house. Detroit — George Arliss in "The Millionaire" is holding over a second week at the United Artists. Dallas — Oscar Blatt, who spent several years in active production of motion pictures about the time Erich von Stroheim produced "Foolish Wives," and who has since been connected with Publix theaters as style .-how director in Texas, recently completed a scenario dealing with banks and crime which he expects to take to Hollvwood soon. Erie, 111. — Plans for the erection of a theater on the site of the old livery barn, now being razed, have been announced by L. W. Osborne. Liberty, Ind.— Re-opening of the new Union is to take place in the immediate future, according to Charles Stahr, manager. Millinocket, Me. — R. E. Salisbury has been promoted to the management of the New Opera House. He was formerly in charge of the Pastime in Franklin, N. H. Pickneyville, 111.— W. O. Hall has sold the Harriett to the Pickneyville Amusement Co. COMING & GOING MR. and MRS. JOSEPH K. PLUNKETT arrived from Europe yesterday on the He de France. GILBERT ADRIAN, M-G-M costume designer, is in New York on a vacation. LOU SNITZER, general accessories manager for Radio Pictures, is back from a tour of the south. SYDNEY COHEN returned from Europe yesterday on the He de France. DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS and MARY PICKFORD arrived in Montreal on the Empress of Britain from England. HARRY CURRY, independent distributor of New Zealand, is in New York and making his headquarters with J. H. Hoffberg Co. JACK WHITING and wife, formerly Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks, left yesterday for the coast. GRADWELL L. SEARS and A. W. SMITH, JR., of the Warner sales forces are en route to the middle west. I r ttl\lTO„ PHILM • • • RICHARD WALLACE, directing for Paramount, is toying with a New Idea it's good, if he can get away with it Richard got fed up on examining hundreds of players in an effort to select his casts so he sez to hisself "Why not pick a dozen all-round players who can do almost anything, and use 'em in all my pix?" great? eh, what? of course the same general idea is the basis of all stock companies and stock companies went outa business but mebbe the system is due for a comeback like everything else that moves in cycles and it might as well be tried out in pictures that's where everything else is tried out, sooner or later * * * * • • • HENRY HOBART, film exec, has completed a survey of extras employed on the RKO lot he finds that 40 per cent of them arrived in the film capital in the past three months he tells 'em all cynically that the chances of even an experienced girl or boy crashing into the big money are far less now than they ever were so an average of 40 per cent disappear with their Crushed Hopes every three months and are replaced with another bunch of Optimists from this data, it should be a cinch for Richard Wallace to figure out the exact month when the supply of New Extras in the Youessay will be exhausted then they'll be forced to use his stock players plan • • • A.M.P.A. announces the first of their team for the Film Golf Tournament Jim Milligan is the entry they tried to line up Bobby Jones, sending a wire to the Coast, but were unsuccessful Bobby replied "Ain't it tough enough playing in films without adding film tournaments?" sounds reasonable • • • LILY DAMITA has had an offer to return to the Paris stage as star of the Casino de Paris Revue, where Chevalier got his start Jean Harlow, on her way to Hollerword, denies that she will appear in Ziegfeld's Follies or Earl Carroll's Vanities and now our mind is greatly relieved at doing our duty by this old Ziegfeld-Carroll gag wouldn't it be tough on the screen players and the pressageys if Ziegfeld and Carroll went out of business? what would they use for publicity between pictures? * * * * • • • A HAM vaude actor's wife came home unexpectedly, and found him entertaining another dame "Just trying out a new act," sez he, brightly "An' it's a flop," sez the wife, as she slammed the other dame to the floor the "new act" picked herself up and scramned through the door and down the street, with the outraged wife hot on her heels the ham gazed at the flying pair, and exclaimed "Holy jiminy! That's the first time I ever saw a Flop in for a Long Run." • • • OUR RECENT suggestion for a Novelty Western with the gal rescuing the hero from a runaway instead of the usual formula has brought a raft of protests from readers the consensus of opinion seems to be that if the hero cowboy doesn't meet the gal by rescuing her from a runaway, it WON'T be a Western as one correspondent sez "This scene is the only way I can tell I'm lookin' at a Western nowadays, for the rest of the footage is CONVERSATION." only one mugg gave us any encouragement he thinks the idea is swell for the gal to rescue the hero but suggests that she lasso him around the neck as he is falling over a cliff and let him hang there till he strangles to death but then the picture would have to go on without a hero which might be a Big Improvement, at that « « « » » » Short Shots from New York Studios ^_k By HARRY X. BLAIR L^ARL FREUND, chief cameraman on "Personal Maid," now nearing completion at the Paramount New York studio, will have as his next assignment the entire direction of "Strictly Dishonorable" for Universal. Edmund Goulding is making suggestions on the final editing of "Night Angel," his latest production, by trans-Atlantic telephone from London. Harlem is excited over the report that "The Green Pastures" will be filmed in the East with D. W. Griffith directing. This Pulitzer prize play just closed after a successful season on Broadway. Charles Ruggles, Betty Garde and Susan Conroy, featured in "Girl Habit," are all graduates of various stock companies and consider this the ideal training for a film career. Osgood Perkins, just signed by Howard Hughes for an important role in "Scarface," recently completed the role of a sympathetic villain opposite Tallulah Bankhead in "Tarnished Lady." Wide selection of experienced stage actors for minor supporting roles is one of the chief arguments in favor of East Coast film production, in the opinion of Frank Heath, casting director of Paramount's New York studio. 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: June 3 E. M. Orowitz Francis E. Ziesse Kerry Clarke George A. Davidson, Jr.