The Film Daily (1931)

Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought -ycT^ The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Fourteen Years Old ir^=^lFDAILY' VOL. LVII NC 31 NEWrORr, TKIDAT, NCVEMBEC 6, 1931 a CENTS Hays Has Plan for Avoiding Censorable Material NEW mST NATIONAL' CIRCUlflOOMS Consolidating of Radio Pathe Sales Staffs Effected Merry' Qo" Round — a whirling industry == By JACK ALICOATE= I il If you happen A Week of to be part or parBig Doings eel of the industry called motion pictures, don't turn your head, sleep with one eye open, and stay in town over the week ends. Changes that make or break big business, lay the groundwork for success or failure in gigantic corporations and shape futures of vital importance, are happening within the jolly old industry with machinegun rapidity. And Mister. You ain't heard nothing yet. There's plenty of business still to be done here in New York. But. There's a French revolution brewing in California. And. As we see it, the sooner the indust^'y gets by this painful but necessj job of housecleaning the better. Looking at the The Menace of vicious circle, Overseating we see overseat ing, in practically every important city in the country, playing a villainous role. Los Angeles is but an example. This city was universally recognized as having too many theaters a year ago. Since that time 20,000 additional seats have been added. It is business suicide combined with economic insanity to allow this condition to continue. Every third row of seats MUST be plowed under. Every outfit MUST do its share in this tightening-up process. To come clean you must first take a bath. Negative costs will again show a {Continued on Page 2) Combined Personnel of Two Units Announced by Lee Marcus Consolidation of the sales personnel of RKO Radio Pictures and RKO Pathe was completed and announced yesterday by Lee Marcus, who will direct the combined distribution activities. The changes become effective on Monday. Ned E. Depinet will be general sales manager for the western part of tne country, (Continued on Page 4) Pins Lfllcii" ACTIVITY IN VIRGINIA HER FIELD Fredericksburg, Va. — Benjamin T. Pitts has acquired several Virginia playhouses, in addition to being head of two corporations just chartered, and is financing the construction of one or more places of amusement. J. W. Atkinson & Co., Richmond, was awarded the contract for the construction of a $60,000 theater in Charlestown, W. Va., for the (Contimied on Page 6) Start Nationwide Drive For Federal Film Control Boston — Crfeation of a Federal agency, probably the Bureau of Education or the Children's Bureau, empowered to supervise film production and to censor pictures sent (Continued on Page 6) Hiram Brown Confirms It Merging of the RKO Radio Pictures and RKO Pathe distribution forces, as first announced in THE FILM DAILY on Tuesday, was officially confirmed yesterday by Hiram S. Brown, president of the consolidated companies. Lee Marcus will direct the distributing activities of the joint organization. NEWF IN EXPEDITION FILMS Raspin Productions, Inc., with Edwin B. Raschbaum as president and Sidney T. Pink as treasurer, has been formed with headquarters at 122 East 42nd St. to specialize exclusively in the creation of exploration films and to build up this type of entertainment to its fullest extent. The company, which plans to send out expeditions to all parts of the world, announces that it is presenting its first picture, "Explorers of the World", at the Criterion (Continued on Page 4) 13 "Scientific Brevities" Planned by Roy Rowland West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Research Productions will make a series of 13 one-reelers under the title of "Scientific Brevities". Roy Rowland heads the organization and will produce the subjects, which will be made in Multicolor. New York Indie Exhibitors Working Out ProducerDistributor Plan Preliminary conferences are being held in New York toward formation by an exhibitor group of a producer-distributor organization modeled along lines of the old First National company. Leading independent exhibitors operating in the New York territory are understood (Continued on Page 4) LOEW ANHiDfCIRCUIT IN DOUBLE BILL TRUCE Through an agreement reached between Loew's Theaters and the Manhattan Playhouse Circuit, double featuring has been dropped by four Loew houses and six Manhattan theaters. A policy of single feature with short subjects has been re-installed. Loew houses in the agreement are the Commodore, Canal, Delancey and Avenue B. Manhattan Playhouse theaters in the deal are the Clinton, Appollo, Palestine, Florence, New Delancy and Hollywood. Avoiding of Censorable Stories Being Worked Out in Hays Plan Boston Shorts Theater Makes Its Debut Today Boston — Forma! opening of the South Station Theater, located in the South Station and to be operated with a short subject policy, takes place at 8:30 tonight. This is the first experiment of Its kind and the outcome is being watched with interest. Working out of a plan under which the Hays office can exercise influence against the purchase of screen material considered censorable was discussed at a meeting of general sales managers and story department heads yesterday at the Hays organization. Object is to (Continued on Page 6) Gus Schlesinger Gets Settlement from Warner Gus S. Schlesinger, formerly in charge of Warner Bros, activities in Germany, yesterday reached an amicable settlement with the company, following personal conferences with Harry M. Warner. As a result, Schlesinger has voluntarily withdrawn legal action against the company for breach of contract. Warners Continuing With Own Financing Denying recurrent Wall Street reports that Warner Bros, are getting additional financing, executives of the company yesterday emphatically stated that It is continuing without financial help.