The Film Daily (1931)

THE Monday, June 8, 1931 -cm DAILY TIMELY TOPICS A Digest of Current Opinions c Does the Public Support Worthwhile Pix? WHEN a theater presents two such pictures in succession as "Skippy" and "The Millionaire" that part of the public which cries against the exploitation of sex and the picturization of crime on the screen should turn out and fill the theater for every performance. But does it? Well, "Skippy" played to pretty good houses, thanks to an extra lot of publicity, and as the week progresses the public begins to realize that George Arliss in "The Millionaire" is worth seeing and attendance grows. But neither packs them in like Clara Bow or some racketeering film. The motion picture companies will make pictures just as good as the public will patronize sufficiently to make them profitable. They will make most pictures of the type which is most profitable. The best argument, therefore, for a higher standard in picture making is a higher standard of attendance. George Arliss is worth seeing any time in anything he will make. "The Millionaire" will not get the rating among the year's productions that his "Disraeli" received — one of the best pictures ever made. But "The Millionaire" is clean, delightful comedy with superb acting. And when his "Alexander Hamilton" is offered to the public if it doesn't draw houses full of intelligent people the first day, then there aren't enough intelligent people to fill the theaters which will present it. And we don't mind giving this advance advertising here to the greatest actor on the American -re and the picture he is making — Dallas Dispatch The United States produces 95 per cent of the world's supply of pictures. THE MALT • • • THINGS WE Never Thought Worth Mentioning Till Now that the largest outdoor movie audience in the world is located in the Chelsea Park section right here in this hamlet where every Monday and Friday evening during the summer in this neighborhood of tenements and factories an average of 5,000 men, women and children who cannot even afford regular movies are entertained by the Hudson Guild through the generosity of Roxy, who provides the shows and has been doing it for years without any personal fuss or ballyhoo and that Roxy, incidentally, probably spends a greater proportion of his income on Secret Charities than any other gent in the film biz for that's the kind of a guy he is • • • THAT Leo McCarey, who will direct "Queer People" for Howard Hughes, spent several weeks in Hollerword in a vain attempt to locate the proper "types" for the featured roles so came to New York to find 'em! and considering the types he needs, this looks like a* Dirty Dig at our hamlet or is it just Hollywood propaganda to prove that such types as the author describes do not really exist in the Cinema City? • • • THAT we called up Joe Fliesler, manager of the Eighth Street Playhouse on the phone, and took the phone number from his theater program on the cover and some foreigner kept answering "Ya, ya, Suikiyaki" after this happened several times, we glanced at the theater program again, and found that the phone number was that of a Jap restaurant advertised on the cover and the phone number of the theater itself is NOWHERE on the program oops. • • • THAT we have at last discovered how Rumors start in the film biz for we were standing with a gink on Broadway, watching men taking the mazda bulbs out of the big sign covering the front of the Criterion and the goof sez "An economy move — saving dough, along with salary cuts in the organizashe" and puttinp the two together, it sounded reasonable one is just as sensible as the other but passing the theater an hour later the workmen were busy installing Bigger and Brighter Bulbs in the sign and that, girls and boys, is how Rumors start in the film biz • • • THAT our friend, Pete Harrison, God's everlasting gift to the independent exhibs, has inaugurated a new Pip Service called "The Harrison Forecaster" a dope sheet that gives the lowdown on all the scheduled productions to be adapted from stage plays and novels first Pete reviews the production in its original form as a stage play or novel then shows what can be done with it as a screen play, pro and con in this way wising up the exhib, so when the salesman drops around he will know as much and mebbe more about the offering than the salesman • • • THAT Jack Holt gets regular facial treatments from Mme. Sylvia out in Hollerword the big panansey and we always thought he was a he-man! that in spite of the fact that they don't resemble each other in the slightest, Kirk McGee and Charley Dowe. of the Roxy managerial are constantly being mistaken for each other and both Kirk and Charley arc still trying to dope out whether to Ininsulted or elated a toss-up, sez we that a Scotchman developed the stuttering habit when he suddenly realized he could make his words last longer but wo licit him to it for with these eight dots we've been stuttering umns for years but then, we're Scotch, too EXPLOITETTES A Clearing House for Tabloid Exploitation Ideas €) « « « » » » Closed Schools Early To See "Skippy" r~\XR of the many excellent stunts put over by Manager L. P. Weaver in advertising "Skippy" at the Publix-Rialto, Phoenix, Ariz., was the early closing of schools to permit the children to attend a special showing of "Skippy." Weaver contacted the superintendent of schools and sold him on the idea of dismissing schools early to permit the children to attend the first matinee showing of the picture. The children were granted a special admission price for opening matinee. — Rialto, Phoenix, Ariz. * * * Masquerade Ballyhoo For "Charley's Aunt" ^JAXAGER Wm. E. Schmidt's most effective stunt in ballyhooing "Charley's Aunt" playing at the Orpheum. Wilkes Barre, Pa., was a man ballyhoo in woman's attire. The man was dressed in woman's clothes, woman's hat and wore a wig with long curls reaching to the shoulder. A sign on her back called attention to the title of picture. Orpheum, Wilkes Bam, Pa. * * * Miniature Covered Wagon Ballyhoos "Cimarron" MANAGER J. T. Comerford used a street ballyhoo to exploit "Cimarron" at the PublixShawnee, Plymouth, Pa. The ballyhoo consisted of a small covered wagon pulled by a tandem of seven Shetland ponies. The "head" poney had a boy on his back — and the covered wagon carried copy about the picture. Publix-Shav Plymouth, Pa. Many Happy Returns Best wishes and congratulations are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating their birthday*: June 8 Clarence Badger Erni ;iont Dorothy Coburn Joseph J