The Film Daily (1931)

F y, August 28, 1931 f^E^ DAILY TIMELY TOPICS A Digest of Current Opinions t) W sterns Are Hlance Wheel WESTERN films pulled the motion picture industry ut of one bad hole and sent it n its way to greatness. Years iter, they repeated that feat. oday, they are still safeuarding the industry. Screen ntertainment was about to die 1 its infancy when the cowboy nd Indian thrillers came along nd saved it. The novelty of lere movement had worn off. 'hen the first westerns introuced fast action thrills in conjnction with stories. The westrns sent in action to successully pinch hit for novelty and lave the industry again after (alking pictures ceased to be lew. In the first days of sound, iieople flocked to the theaters last to hear the screen players lalk. They soon begun to hear ntirely too much talk. Charles '.. Rogers and Harry Joe Brown lade the first Ken Maynard 'utdoor talkers to prove that 'he audible films did not have b be confined within four walls jnd to chatter. Fox crashed Ihrough with "In Old Arizona," nd Paramount turned out "The /irginian." Westerns, with deir sweeping action outdoor [cenery and terse dialogue gain had saved the day. Right i;ow, they are one of the in[ustry's great guardians. They jeep the motion in motion piclures and youngsters in the Im-going habit. They are also wholesome balance lever [gainst too much talk, sophisication, and sex. —Robert F. Hill Mew Incorporations NEW YORK CHARTERS avewein Theaters; J. I. Goodstein. 21 '■■■ 40th St., New York. 200 shares comII'. dee Productions, theatrical ; Bennett & Wtenberg, 26 West 44th St., New York. !2000 pfd., 100 shares common. ayette Theater Corp., theatrical enterir;;s; Lee & Judson, Utica, N. Y. 200 b/es common. DELAWARE CHARTERS Jild Theaters, Inc., Wilmington, Del., theitJ3, amusement places ; Corporation Trust -j Dover, Del. 100 shares common. -idland Theaters, Inc., Wilmington, Del., hters, music halls; Corporation Trust Co., 3er, Del. 100 shares common. .aytona Beach Theaters, Inc., Wilming0 Del., theaters, music halls; Corporation rist Co., Dover, Del. 100 shares common. RIALT • • • MASS MIND production is our individual way for typifying the system where the entire product of a studio is supervised and governed by one or two individuals who in the course of time reduce all their product to a Deadly Formula because that is the only way a few minds can possibly meet the demands of a heavy production schedule for they are forced to Fordize their factory to maintain the steady output and so the vehicles are turned out in different models, of course Comedies, Dramas, Sex but if you lift up the hood and peek inside it's the same ole standardized motor drivin' the bloomin' things in a word no spark of Distinctiveness or Innovation or Originality to differentiate one model from another • • • WHICH IS all by way of sneaking up on you gradually and spreading before your gaze the Opposite System that guarantees absolutely that Distinction. Innovation and Originality shall not be ironed out of the finished product with the rubber stamp of a Few Minds working together mechanically which is the nature of rubber stamps and nothing can change it except discarding the rubber stamp and turning your Comedies, Dramas, etcetera, over to Specialists in each field each having his own separate and specially organized unit trained and equipped to do that one particular type of picture superlatively well and knowing nothing about what the other units are doing and caring less because their specialized job is a big assignment calling for all the ingenuity, experience and concentration they can command and that, folks, is the Educational system demonstrated to us graphically and conclusively at their latest preview showing of five Pip Shorts • • • F'R INSTANCE, take "The Tamale Vendor" . with Tom Patricola puttin' over the Mexican atmosphere with a New Slant a beaucoup combination of slapstick and the finished art of a trained trouper who strums a guitar and shakes his hoofs as only Tommy can do those two things and all an Intrinsic Part of the story not just thrown in for a buildup of a piece of boloney that couldn't hang together without it which seems to be the general formula with some short comedy producers and that mugg Charlie Judels supporting Tom with his eccentric Mexican characterization deserves a series all to himself he's that Good • # # AND FOR the first time we saw a detective story from Real Life properly presented with studio technique at its best in "The Trap" a fast moving, suspenseful William J. Burns Detective Mystery then by way of utter contrast "Dreamworld" a California idyll of desert, mountain and ocean a Brown-Nagel saga of beauty, with Claude Flemming's voice making it very human and real then off on another slant with "The Trail of the Swordfish" with Mack Sennett rockin' you in your seat as he fought titanic combats with a giant tuna and swordfish so realistic you could almost smell the salt tang, and feel the lash of the wind across your cheek and for a finale an ingenious comedy a cunning mixture of goofiness, hilarity, trick shots, and more production stuff than we have seen in a comedy short this season called "The Cannonball" an Andy Clyde sidesplitter from the Sennett salon • • • TUSH, TUSH how we (do Vave but, whoin'ell wouldn't after seein' five Pips in a row all from one company Educational Specialists in Diversity, Innovation, Class EXPLOITETTES A Clearing Houm for TabloM Exploitation Ideas f) Bathing Beauts Line 'Em Up ■yOGEL GETTIER, manager of the Ottumwa, Ottumwa, la., increased 2>4 times average business with a bathing beauty parade. The preliminary work and judging took place at the municipal swimming pool. This pool is an improvement of the mayor's, so Gettier had all the city officials and newspapers behind him. No announcement was made as to who the judges had selected as the six most perfectly formed girls. To learn their identity, it was necessary for people to visit the theater the next day where the judges' choices were displayed on the stage of the theater with applause of the audience electing a Miss Ottumwa. — Ottumwa, Ottumwa, la. Big Campaign On "Up for Murder" CTUNTS used on "Up for Murder" at the Metropolitan, Baltimore: Radio broadcast one week in advance and currently; giant 24-sheet net banner suspended at intersection in front of theater; tie-up with McCrory's 5 and 10 Cent Store, in which they inserted candy slips into every bag of candy that was sold. These slips were imprinted with the name of the attraction, and lucky numbers. Fifty lucky numbers were posted in the lobby of the theater, which entitled winners to passes; front window display of McCrory's 5 and 10 Cent Store was given over to tie-up; 2,000 tab "News-Heralds" were distributed. Some of these were distributed from prominent news stands in the city. — Metropolitan, Baltimore « « « » » » Many Happy Returns Best wishci and con^ratulationi are es'ended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating their birthdayi: August 28 Edmund Joseph Paul Pritzhoff Gretchen Hartman Al. Ray