The Film Daily (1931)

DAILY Sunday, June 14, 1931 r Short Product for 1931-32 Placed 'On the Spot' Quality of Output Must Be Superior to All Past Achievements By STANLEY BERGERMAN luct, 'I'll l.K: ie definite necessity and onlj mic that I know of For tlii> coming season a i.»r a the short i oncerned. That is promust be bitter than they ■ ever been in the historj oi the moving picture business. No matter what .standards have previous^ t up, no matter what sucies have been scored, what repetitions have been made, next year must top them all. The production l>rain> of the moving picture industry are challenged. Fur, after all, the maintenance of the equilibrium of the American public depends upon motion pictures. In times like this, it depends more upon comedies than upon anything else. Comedy means short product. Therefore, it is distinctly ui> to us in the short product held. ' In planning this coming year's program, we have taken advantage of .ill of the suggestions which have been made to us by exhibitors and all of the box-office records and reports which have come U) US in connection with the showing of our short product. We have made a careful analysis of conditions in the short feature field and have planned our program in strict accordance with that. We haven't kidded our-elves; we haven't built a program on hope and expectation. We have built it on actual performance, both of players and of directors, cameramen, technicians and production officials. In addition to the best bets of last \e.ir's program, Slim Summerviile, rge Sidney, Charlie Murray, Lloyd Hamilton, Daphne Pollard, 'Strange As It Seems," we have endeavored to give the necessary novelty and variety to the program. Nothing in Nature or in business stands still. One must progl Hut the new features on the I'ni\ crsal program, we feel, have every prospect of adding that vital novelty and originality which every program should have. The All-America Sports series which Christy Walsh has devised for us. with such players as Babe Ruth, Vincent Richards. Charley Paddock, the famous football gladiators of N'otre Dame, among whom is numbered Frank Carideo and the new ch, Hunk Anderson: and Poo Classical West Coast Bur. THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — A series of seven classical shorts, sponsored by the Italian Filmopera of New York, is being made at the Cinephone Studios under the direction of Alfredo Verrico. The subjects will feature ballets, operatic arias, solos and duets. Star Names Exert Biggest Draw By CHARLES ROSENZWEIC Viet President in Charge of Distribution. HKO Radio Pictures THE very first element in box-office appeal for shorts is "names." Producers of two-reel comedies and other short subjects are realizing this more keenly than ever, with the result that the new season's programs promise to contain more "name" shorts than ever before. In the case of Radio Pictures we have such stellar attractions as the Lou Brock lineup of Clark and McCullough, Chic Sale, Ned Sparks, Rosco Ates, Jimmy Savo, Ceorge von Elm, the noted golfer, and others. The Mickey I Himself) McCuire comedies produced by Larry Darmour also belong in the "name" class by virtue of the widely syndicated "Toonerville Trolley" cartoons on which these subjects are based. Finally we have the subjects turned out by Amedee J. Van Beuren. whose name is an established assurance of good product. Our short subjects bear the trademark of the big Radio Pictures feature, and they carry with that trademark the responsibility of making good with a public whose goodwill is priceless. 32 Releases from Educational During June-September Period In the period from June to Sept. 15, a total of 52 short subjects will be released by Kducational. The list includes: Eight Mack Sennett comedies. "Hold 'Er Sheriff," with Andy Clyde, Marjorie Beebe; "Monkey Business in Africa," with Andy Clyde, Marjorie Beebe, Harry Gribbon; "Slide, Speedy, Slide," with Daphne Pollard, Tom Dugan, Wade Boteler; "Speed," with Andy Clyde, Marjorie Beebe, Frank Eastman, Alberta Vaughn, and four untitled; a Vanity Comedy, "A College Racket," with Glenn Tryon; an Ideal Comedy, "The Lure of Hollvwood," with Virginia Brooks, Rita Flynn, Phyllis Crane; a Gayety Comedy, "Foolish Forties," with Ford Sterling, June MacCloy; a Tuxedo Comedy, "What a Head." with Jack Duffy, Frances Lee; four William J. Burns Detective Mysteries, "The Meade Trial" and three untitled; three Romantic Journeys, "Dreamworld" and two untitled; four Lyman H. Howe's Hodgepodge, "Jungle Giants," "Money Makers of Manhattan," "Music Hath Charms," "Highlights of Travel"; five Terry-Toons, "2000 B. C," "By the Sea," "Blues," and two untitled; and, of the new series, one Mack Sennett-Andy Clyde comedy, one Mack Sennett Comedy Featurette, one Mack Sennett Brevity, one Mack Sennett Cannibals of the Deep. Columbia Adopts Featurettes As Official Name for Shorts In recognition of the growing importance of short subjects, Joe Brandt, president of Columbia, has decided on "Featurettes" as the official name for the nine groups of diversified single reels on the company's 1931-32 program. With single reels representing as much in production value, story material and star or director name as Warner and Ernie Xevers, has started most auspiciously. \\'e are thoroughly satisfied with the results of the first four pictures The first production with Charlie Lawrence has also more than come up to expectations. It is a golf story entitled "Fun on the Green," featuring the comedian who was featured in the Los Angeles company of "Once in a Life-Time." The "same can be said about Don Brodie's first effort, entitled "Out Stepping." We also are entertaining splendid expectations for Gene Morgan and Walter Merrill. the long feature, Brandt believes that the short has achieved a new position in the amusement field, where it can no longer be considered as film entertainment selected to round out a program, but as a pulling power in itself, which can more appropriately be described by the title, "Featurette." Columbia's shorts last season received bookings from major circuits like RKO, Fox, Publix, Loew and Warner Bros. To further enhance the diversity of its 1930-31 featurette line-up comprising of Disney's "Mickey Mouse" and "Silly Symphonies," Charles Mintz's "Krazy Kat," "Screen Snapshots" and Walter Futter's "Curiosities," Columbia will offer during the coming year three additional and entirely different series: Charles Mintz's "Scappy," a new cartoon character; Walter Futter's "Travelaughs," featuring John P. Medbury dialogue, and Bryan Foy's "Monkeyshines," a group of animal comedies. PATHE STUDIOS COMPLETE ONE FOURTH OF COMEDIES West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — One-fourth of RKO Pathe's 1931-32 program of short comedies, being produced by Lew Lipton under the supervision of Charles R. Rogers, has already been finished. The list includes 48 tworeelers, and the completed dozen are: Two Masquers comedies, "Stout Hearts and Willing Hands," and an unnamed subject, both with all-star] casts; three Manhattan comedies featuring Daphne Pollard, "She Snoops to Conquer," "Oh, Marry Me" andl "Crashing Reno"; two Benny Rubin i comedies, "Julius Sizzer" and "The! Messenger Boy"; two Mr. Average] Man comedies featuring Edgar Kennedy, "Lemon Meringue" and "Thanks Again"; two Traveling Salesman comedies featuring Louis John Bartels, "That's My Line" and "Beach Pajamas"; one Newspaper Reporter comedy featuring Frank McHugh, "That's News to Me," and one Gay Girls comedy featuring June MacCloy, Marion Shilling and Gertrude Short, "June First." 12 RADIO PICTURES SHORTS SET FOR CURRENT QUARTER Twelve shorts, all two-reelers except for one Humanette, are on the Radio Pictures release chart for the next three months. The two-reel comedies include four Mickey McGuires, Rosco Ates in "A Clean-Up on the Curb" and "The Lone Starved Ranger," Ned Sparks in "The Way of All Fish" and "The Strife of the Party," Jimmy Savo in "The Hou#e Dick," Chic Sale in "The County Seat," and Ford Sterling and Lucien Littlefield in "Trouble From a Broad." The complete Radio line-up for 1931-32 includes 24 Lou Brock productions starring Ned Sparks, Rosco Ates, Chic Sale, and others; six Mickey McGuires from Larry Darmour, and 13 one-reel Tom and Jerry Cartoons and 13 one-reel novelty shorts from Van Beuren. Start Kid Series West Coast Bur. THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Work is about to start on the series of one-reel kiddie novelties to be produced by Ray Smallwood Productions with casts composed of the Meglin Kiddies. Ethel Meglin will direct and supervise the first subject, "The Scarecrow Loses His Throne," from "The Wizard of Oz," by Frank L. Baum.