The Film Daily (1931)

TRIP TO EUROPE IS PRIZE IN RKO THEATER BIZ DRIVE A trip to Kurope and return is the grand prize being offered KK<» iter managers for the best box. -ult for the month of July. All managen who have been in dicharge of an RKO theater for months or longer are eligible. Actual results based on previous id net business will be considered, and not total business. This ha been decided on account of the variance in seating capacity and fluctuating; value of shows and pictures to be hooked for the month. Transportation from the winner's home city to New York and return, and a full month's salary upon departure, are included in the award. The winner will be announced . 10 and the trip, which will be on the Conte Grande of the Lloyd Sabaudo line, will start Sept. .11. Judges will be Herman Zohbel, O. R. McMahon, Nate Blumberg and E. M. Glucksman. Information covering rules and regulations is now being sent to all managers by Mark A. Luescher, national publicity director. Four Already Finished By Monogram Pictures Although Monogram Picture is not scheduled to start releasing product until next month, the company already has completed four feature* and has two others under way, said W. Ray Johnston yesterday just before departing for the coast to confer with Trem Carr, vice-president in charge of production. Publix, Comerford Sign Golf Shorts Thirty-five M. E. Comerford houses in Pennsylvania and 25 Publix theaters in the Boston area are among the latest to sign contracts for Vitaphone's Bobby Jones golf shorts. Pittaluga Film for Warner "Maciste in Hell." based on Dante's "Inferno" and produced by the Cines Pittaluga, Italy's leading film organization, will be the next attraction at the Warner on Broadway. It opens Friday. It's Now Commodore Cohn West Coast Bur. THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Harry Cohn, vicepresident in charge of production for Columbia, has bought a 59-foot yacht, which he has christened lobelia, derived from the first names of his father and mother. HOLLYWOOD FLASHES By RALPH WILK DPI A STANWOOD, wife of H. B. Warner, noted film star, has returned to the screen after a 15-ycar's lie has been assigned a role in "The Sphinx Has Spoken." Rita Stanwood was one of the stars of the old Triangle company in days when that organization, headed by Tom I nee, Mack Sennett and David W'ark Griffith, was among the foremost producing organization.- of it> time. * * * Waldcmar Young, scenarist on a number of Lon Chaney's great screen successes, has signed a contract as a Paramount staff writer. He comes to the Paramount studios from First National, where he recently completed work on "Penrod and Sam." Norman McLcod will direct "The Round Up" for Paramount. Eugene Pallette and Stuart Erwin are to be featured in the cast. Big Crosby and His Boys have been signet, by Sack Sennett for a new comedy. Othei players signed for this comedy include Marioi, Sayers, Arthur Stone, Julia Griffith and Luis Alberni * * * irencc Brown will direct Marie Dressle in her new M-G-M starring vehicle, "Emma.' * * * Tom Dugan has been re-engaged by Mack Sennett for the male comic lead in "The Albany Branch." » * * John Russell, who wrote "The Sea God," in which Richard Arlen and Fay W'ray a| peared for Paramount last year, has signe a contract to write for Paramount the screen play of "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer,' current best-selling book, which will have sequences photographed audibly in the actual locale of India by Ernest B. Schoedsack. * » * Having directed almost every type of pic. tuie for Fox except an outdoor one, Hamilton Maeladden adds a Western to his list with I. is new assignment, "Riders of the Purple Sane" by Zone Grey. George O'Brien will play the lead. * * * Al Cooke, Joseph (Jqrard ami "Spec" O'Dom.ell have been added to the cast of "The Mystery Train," the feature being made 1\ Larry Darmour. Phil II. Whitman idirecting, * * * Sue Carol has been engaged by Curl Lacmm'c, Jr., for the feminine lead in "Graft" opposite Regis Toomcy, under the direction of Christy Cabaunc. At the same time. Harold Goodwin was added to the cast, which already included Dorothy Revier, Willard Robertson. William Davidson and Richard Tucker. * # » Paul Lukas, borrowed from Paramount. gets the leading male role in Universal': "Strictly Dishonorable." John Boles, mini nally slated for it, is reported laid up with an ulcerated tnoth. Production starts todav under direction of John M. Siahl, with Sidney Fox playing opposite Lukas. Others in the cast include Lewis Stone, William Ricciardi, George Meeker and Sydney Toler Gladys Lehman adapted the play. * • » Paul Porcasi, who played a leading comedy role in Columbia's "The Good Bad Girl," has be;.i awarded the identical role in the Spanish version of the picture. Anthony Coldcwcy, scenarist, is one who punches a time clock -when lie writes. Only etting a rigid schedule for himself can Loldewey operate successfully at his type writer, lie insists. * * * Hetty Ross Clarke, former London stage star, made her debut before the camera this week when "The Age for Love" was placed into production by Howard Hughes. Adrian Morris, brother of Chester Morris, also has been added to the cast, which also includes Billic Dove, the star; Lois Wilson, Edward it llorton, Charles Starrett and Mary Duncan. Frank Lloyd is directing. * * » ./ ne-.v industrial department is now operating full flast on the Radio Pictures lot. It is a completely equipped upholstering factory, with an employment capacity of three experts the year around. Frank Vert, head of th, studio drapery department, is in charge. * * » Completing the cast for the second "Gay Girl" comedy. "Take 'Em and Shake 'Em, Charles Judels and Arthur Hoyt have been signed tor the masculine leads. William Goodrich is directing the comedy, for which Beatrice Van wrote the original story. June MacCIoy, Marion Shilling and Gertrude Short are featured. Richard Boleslavsky's latest directorial effort, "Kisses by Command," is completed, according to William LeBaron, production head of Radio Pictures. This is the original story authored by Ivan Lebedeff and benn W. Levy, featurng Lebedeff along with Genevieve Tobin and Betty Compson. Others in the cast are Ilka Chase, Colin Campbell, Edwin Martindel, Arthur E. Carew, Rita LaRoy, John St. Polis, William Orlamond and Ralf Harolde. * * * An interesting member of the cast supporting Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell in 'Merely Mary Ann" is Tom Whiteley. He was the last man rescued from the Titanic when it sank about 19 years ago. He also had some hair raising experiences as a member of the British air forces during the war. Hanging up a new record for footage of film passing through tlie recorder in one day, Max Steiner and a group of musicians provided the Radio Pictures music library with 10,000 feet of perfectly recorded music in six hours. John Tribby did the recording and out of approximately 100 "takes" only two were unsatisfactory. Virtually all the music represented compositions of Victor Schertttinget. Seven additional players have been signed by Radio for "The Sphinx Has Spoken." They are Captain Arthur Clinton, Wilfred North, Eric Wilson. Gerald Barry. John Elmore, Joe North and Allen Pollard. Tiffany's "Morals for Women," an original A. P. Younger which starts production this week under the direction of Gene Lewis, has a cast that includes Bessie Love, Conway Tcarle, Natalie Moorhead, Lina Basquette, June Clyde, Emma Dunn, Virginia Lee Corbin, Edmund Breese, Crawford Kent, Otis Harlan, Ethan Allen, John Hyams, Wilber Higby and Walter Perry. Lorna Balfour, daughter of the British actor-director, Wilfred Noy, will make her talkie debut in Fox's "Merely Mary Ann," in which Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell arc co-starred. * * * David Burton and Louis Gasnier, Paramount directors, have been assigned to "Ladies of the Big House," dealing with the women's quarters of a penitentiary. * * * Leo McCarey has been dubbed "A Missionary from Hollywood" by theater ana newspaper folk in New York since the director's sojourn there. The sobriquet arose from McCarey's stout defense of the film capital against a flock of people who like to break into print with tirades against everything and everybody connected with the picture industry. * * * Phil Goldstone. Tiffany studio chief, announces that production will start shortly on "The Monster Kills," a mystery thriller. The cast to date includes Alice White, Eileen Pringle. Clara Blandick, Leslie Fenton. Robert Elliot, Brandon Hurst, Richard Tucker and William Humphries. Frank Strayer will wield the megaphone. ALLIED SEES LEGAL MOVES AS AID IN ZONING SOLUTION "Prospective legal action may go far toward solving the protection problem," according to Allied States Ass'n leaders. They list the aims of > Allied as follows: Fair copyright laws, elimination of protection beyond prior run, lower service costs on sound equipment, end of block booking, lower trailer costs and better contract conditions. Drive for Theater Biz Being Concluded Aug. 1 Warner Bros.' inter-circuit cometition for higher grosses is scheduled to close Aug. 1 after running since May 1. Prizes will be awarded to the zone manager whose territory gets the most money over its expectancy figure. Similar prizes will be given district managers and managers of houses turning in the best reports. Awarding of prizes will be made by a committee comprising Sam Carlyle, W. F. McDonald, David Weshner, Don Jacocks and James Brennan. Arthur Ashley Stages Radio Bill Arthur Ashley, one time a headliner in World Film productions and now connected with the William Morris Office, has arranged a radio presentation for the White Owl Cigar program, July 6-10 over Columbia network, with an array of talent including George Jessel, Irene Bordoni, Helen Kane, Belle Baker, James Barton, Walter C. Kelly, Guy Lomhardo and John W. Green. A/eirV Low Rates in HOLLYWOOD [4 ROOM WITH BATH 5 Right m the heart o/ Hollywood— wick interesting places to gopeople to s» q 5(1 and thing! so do. wftm Wt D0$dUt€. v A lU)OSeV€LT saaaas HOTeL= ROBERT y McCABE. IbMOB ^ HOLLYWOOD. CALIFORNIA