Film Daily (1931)

THE Sunday, June 21, 1931 ■c&m DAILV EASTERN STUDIO ACTIVITIES By HARRY N. BLAIR GLETT SEES GOOD YEAR FOR INDIE PRODUCERS Due to a shortage of product, independent producers are in for a it year, according to Charles it, general supervisor of Simple Simon Comedies, who lias just returned from a tour of the country. Glett says that if the independent producer will live up to his press hook and especially if he maintains the >tandard of his first release, he is set for plenty of business. He found a greater willingness than ever before on the part of circuit bookers to give the independent man more of an opportunity to sell his product. Glett also found the bookers very fair in their dealings. The demand is tor good pictures regardless of who makes them, he concluded. Shorts Must Develop Own 'Names,' Says Cline Shorts must develop their own boxoffice personalities to obtain their full share of public favor, in the opinion of Eddie Cline, veteran comedy director, who has just completed "The Girl Habit" for Paramount. Cline points out that, in the old days, .-horts were the real stock company of films. It was in the one and two-reelers that such players as Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson. Ford Sterling, Chester Conklin, Ben Turpin, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Mabel Normand. Al St. John and Eddie Quillan, to name but a few, were developed. Today shorts are more inclined to use "names" already developed in the feature film and other fields of entertainment, says Cline. Another thing, he declares, is that producers are depending too much on novelty to put over their shorts which, of course, is much easier than building up real personalities. It is only by adopting the latter course, he believes, that shorts will assume the importance to which they are entitled. There are plenty of potential box-office winners available, Cline declares, if producers will only taki the time to develop them. Freddie Spencer Laid Up Freddie Spencer, assistant director at I'aramount's New York studio, is laid up with a broken toe, the result of some hectic tennis which was al played in a night court. HAROLD MULLER FIRST CAMERAMAN IN dependence 3-0743 Wisconsin 7-5448 Short Shots from New York Studios CCOTT Kiil.K, who scored in ° \11 Quiet On the W< Front," is included in the cast chosen to support Tallulah Bankhead in "My Sin." Others are Lily Cahill, Ann Sutherland and Harry Davenport, all well known to Broadway. Rehearsals are now in progress at tl e New York studio under the direction of George Abbott. TWO tikort subject* scheduled for production by Par* ' week will consist almost entirely of ex. One is .luck Benny in "Taxi while the other will hare Billy House burlesquing a ton in "Bull-Mania." Aubrey Scotto will direct in both cases. "Bridge of Songville," a mount short subject featuring The Four Musketeers, radio favorites, has been completed under direction of Aubrev Scotto Random Notes: Cecil DeMiile walking in the rain on Fifth Ave... Jack Adolfi attending all the Broadway hits... Larry Kent his cheerful self again following his wife's recovery from a serious operation . . . Eddie Cline playing baseball with the studio gang back of the car barn . . . Casey Robinson all set to ankle up the altar on June 30. Al Ray is making arrangements to enter his stable of 11 racing grey hounds at the Mineola, L. I. track. Included in the pack is the worlds champion quarter miler, "Dan Sheehan,'* only living son of "Badly Blended," who was never beaten. Harold Sugarman of Paramount's foreign production dept. assures us that while the English and Canadians pronounce "The Smiling Lieutenant" as "The Smiling Leftenant," the original title will be used in both cases. Betty Garde, who graced such pictures as "The Lady Lies" and "Damaged Love," and who will shortly be seen in "The Girl Habit" and "Secrets of a Secretary," both Paramount productions, was interviewed over Station WOR by Mike Simmons, Ampa prexy, last Wednesday evening. Harry Bellock, formerly connected with the sound department at Parammtnt's New York studio, brok* speed records getting to Hollywood in six days and four hours, to accept n berth with Columbia. Wynne Gibson, now one of Paramount's leading contract playerr, made her film debut in "Nothing Bu* the Truth," with Richard Dix and Helen Kane, at Paramount's Long Island studio. FOREIGN MARKETS By GEORGE RBDDY ONLY 300 HOUSES WIRED FRENCH EXHIBS TO EIGHT OUT OF CZECH'S 1,852 MORE RIGID QUOTA LAW Prague — A recent survey of the motion picture theater situation in Czechoslovakia shows that there arc now 1,852 theaters presenting films in the country, and only about 3<> I have thus far been wired for sound. Of this number, 132 are owned by private individuals or corporation-. 219 by municipalities, 128 by organizations for disabled soldiers, and 1.373 by cultural or humanitarian associations. Shanghai Censors Viewed 167 Subjects in March Shanghai — Seventythree ordinary picture and 94 introductory films and ncwsreels were viewed by the censors in the International Settlement and the French Concession here during the month of March. Only three productions were subjected to cuts, and only one totally rejected. J. S. Courtauld on A.T.P. Board London — Major John S. Courtauld has joined his brother, S. L. Courtauld. on the board of directors of iated Talking Pictures, Ltd. A.T.P., under the direction of Basil Dean, cooperates with RKO of America in making British pictures for world distribution. Aafa Dividend Expected Berlin — Aafa. German product :<>n company, will this year again declare a dividend of 10 per cent, according to report here. General meeting of the organization is scheduled to take place on July 1. German Comedian to Direct Berlin — Reinhold Schuenzel. German screen comedian has been signed by Ufa to direct "Adventure With 100 P.S.," with Renate Mueller as the feminine lead. The production will be made under the supervision of Guenther Stapenhorst, and will have two versions, German and French French Film Pioneers Honored Paris — Leon Brezillon, ex-presideni of the French C.E.A., and Mons. Lilly were guests of honor at a banquet held here recently in celebration of their 20 years' service in the motion picture industry. New Hungarian Studio Starts Budapest Hunnia Film Stud new sound production owned bj the Hungarian Film Fund has begun operations here. I hi dio has be( n equipped with an up to iund film apparatus of ' manufacture costing $120,000, and 9 microphones and an el< i trie film device h.-u e installed. I he plant QStrui t'on Paris— The Syndicat National de 1'Kxploitation Cinematographique, an iation of exhibitor ting mostly in the provinces, haa resolution that any pn ; Government to tighten the qu shall be energetically opposed by the organization. This move by the exhfb body lias been brought on by the ii of the French authoi remould the contingent in retaliation to the newly established (irrman quota regulations, the result of which the theater men fear will be a generally stricted quota, causing a shortage of good foreign product. The Syndicat's opposition will be based on the following groun iiat the number of French talking films under production is not sufficient to satisfy the needs of exhibitors. That a stricter quota would deprive the independent exhibitor of the films he needs, to the bt the chains of theaters and produi who have their own houses; and a reduction in the number of synchronized foreign films would make the exhibitor in the provinces thi of French trusts. British Firm May Exploit New Film Coating Process London — Formation of a new company is planned here for the i p tation of a Belgian invention known as "Protectfilms," which is said to strengthen film with a protective coating. The process consists of coating film, both on the plain and emulsion side, with cellulose by a new method. Cost of the device used for the purpose is said to be approximate!] Yugoslav Tightens R.R. Film Law Belgrade — Xew regulatioi ing the transportation of film by rail, have been issued by the Yugoslav State Railway Administration. The new ruling, which is believed to have been prompted by a recent phe in Egypt, when coach burned, prohibits th< oi film .is handbagi film is to he ; convi >nly. Calcutta Cinema Library C.ilcutt.i — A cinema library, where access may be had to books and journals treating on the technique of motion pictures was opened here recently. Membership, acquired at the cost of one rupee entrant and 3 rupee per month is said to now number 150