The Film Daily (1931)

Tuesday, November 10, 1931 ONE OPERATOR ENOUGH, VIRGINIA COURT RULES (.Continued from Pivic 1) ly obtained an injunction to stop the union from picketing, with the union in turn seeking dissolution of the injunction. The court, however, entered an order continuing the ban on picketing. Denying any merit in the defendants' contentions that booth operation is clearly a two-man job and two men are necessary for the protection of patrons, the court stated that, while film is highly inflammable, and high-powered lamps are used in the projection of pictures, extraordinary means are provided for protection against fire, and the court cited many theaters, in Virginia and elsewhere, where only one person is employed in the projection booth. "When one considers," said the court, "the thousands of motion picture establishments in the land and the infrequency with which fires break out in houses provided with standard equipment in fireproof rooms, the menace of fire becomes practically negligible. In such circumstances, when fire does occur, experience has shown that it is confined to the fireproof room and is quickly extinguished." The court held that the action of the defendants in picketing the Colony and the publication of the theater as "unfair" is inconsistent with any reasonable view that such action is justifiable as a measure of self-protection for the picture operators or for the safety of the public, therefore the real purpose was to intimidate and coerce the theater management into yielding to the will of the defendants. Col. Geo. C. Cabell and Bertram Nusbaum, attorneys for the defendants, expressed tne opinion that the case would be appealed. Publix Reopens Vicksburg House Vicksburg, Miss. — Publix is reopening the Alamo, after reaching an agreement with the union. COMING & GOING JOE KANE. RKO Pathe film etl'tor, ar rives in New York this week from the coa' t to do the final editing on "Suicide Fleet." E. L. ALPERSON, Warner-F.N. Reneral sales inanaR:er, who is now makinc: a survev of the Washington zone with ANDY SMITH will be accompanied by GRADWELI, I, SEARS, western sales manager, when he visits the coa^t in about two weeks. LYDA ROBERTI left New York yester day for Hollywood to work in a Paramount picture. C. C. PETTIJOHN of the Hays office has arrived at the Coast from New York. ARTHUR COHEN, managing director of Famous Players Canadian, has returned to Canada after a home office conference. WALLACE BEERY is in New York from the cost. H. WILLIAM FITELSON, general counsel for Tiffany, has returned from a sevenweek tour of Continental cities. ADOLPH ZUKOR is en route to the Coast from New York. RICHARD ARLEN and JOBYNA RAL STON arrive in New York tomorrow. CLAUDETTE COLBERT is expected back from Hollywood on Sunday. —^B^ DAILY • • • WE SEE by the public prints that the Alarmist Boys are still at it digging up that ole wheeze about extrava gant star salaries still citing the case of Constance Ben nett drawing "30 grand a week" when even the kinder garten students in the film biz know that Connie was contracted for only TWO weeks at that salary to make one pix for Warners which is a fair price for any star of her magnitude and drawing power to make a pix Connie did in two weeks what ordinarily would have taken six weeks or longer because she only had two weeks' vacation from her Pathe contract to do it in ergo, the dramatizers of the news figger that Miss Bennett is drawing an annual salary of 30 grand a week! that's how the multiplication minds of the Alarmist Boys work and the grand news it spread far and wide to the public already in the doldrums of Depression and split salaries if they are lucky enough to be drawing any wages at all and this same Jawn Public and his wife scrimping and chiselling to pay for the bare groceries are expected to rush to the box-office and Cheer the boys and gals drawing down 30 grand a week • • • THE GRAND work is nobly carried on by another Bedtime Story on the radio delivered by Louis Sobol who is supposed to know the film game who etherized Sunday nite that Jackie Cooper is getting five grand a week although it has been repeatedly stated in trade papers that the kid's salary is exactly $1,500 and the next newspaper gent will boost it to 10 grand by the time the pick-up writers get the yarn in the hinterlands, the boy's salary will be 30 grand just like Connie's so the public absorbs this piffle on the radio and in newspapers then takes a flash at their own depression-trimmed salaries and is it any wonder patrons of the films are beginning to turn sour ? and grumble at "extravagance of the movies ? " • • • THE PRESSAGEY in the producers' publicity departments is chiefly responsible for these Arabian Nights extravaganzas with fairy tales about the star's ermine coats, expensive limousines, yachts, Hollywood bungalow furnishings and whatnot so the sooner the home office execs kill ofif this damfool publicity, the sooner the film biz will start to recover from Extravagantitis that more or less imaginary disease so far as star salaries are concerned that makes Jawn Public lose interest in the films and the stars for you can't expect a starving populace to line the avenoo and cheer vociferously as the Parade of Stars bedecked in jewels and ermine goes ridin' by on gorgeous vehicles of gold and silver ALL created from screwy Publicity Brains with imagination run wild in a period when every sane person in the biz should Soft Pedal the Extravagant Stuff and even if it were true ain't this a helluva time to bring the matter up? • • • A CERTAIN gent in a producer's publicity dep't called up his sweetie in Losang and talked $38 worth but it's the way he did it that makes a story he walked into one of the Broadway theaters of his company at one o'clock in the morn and charged the call against the theayter anonymously thinkin' he cold Get Away With It but the accounting dep't did a li'l snoopin' and so they held up his salary until he paid the 38 smackers for goo-gooin' to Vivian in Losang! n * * * • • • THERE ARE 10,010 bulbs in the electric sign of "The Champ" outside the Astor theayter count 'em yourself, and if we're wrong, we'll run the correction « « « » » » FROHMAN AND KAUFMAN OFF PARAMOUNT BOARD (Continued from Page 1) liani H. English was elected to the new office of chairman of the board, and Hertz was made a member of the finance committee in place of English. A meeting of the finance group will be held later, at which time it is expected Hertz will be named chariman of that committee. Directors again declared a quarterly dividend of 2 J/ per cent in stock, equal to l-40th of a share, payable Dec. 31 to stock of record Dec. 4. Recount on Sunday Vote Asked by E. Liverpool East Liverpool, 0. — A recount of the Sunday show vote, which was oflScially reported as a 20 ballot majority against Sabbath performances, is being asked. Under the law, the recount is to be made within 10 days. Meanwhile theaters plan to run on Sundays. In St. Clairsville, previously reported as having lost, official count discloses that Sunaay movies were legalized. With Bellaire also voting favorably, this leaves East Liverpool as the only town in which the vote went against the theaters. New Indie Distributor in Conn. New Haven, Conn. — Incorporation papers have been filed for Vine-APhone Pictures, Inc., to distribute and deal in motion pictures. Authorized capital is $50,000, with $1,000 paid in. Incorporators are Israel H. Vine, Noah A. Weiner and Philip Troup. Illuminates "Champ" Opening Motion Picture Service Co. supplied a generator set and special lighting equipment for the street lighting used in connection with the opening of "The Champ" at the Astor last night. Ufa's Buffalo Opening Buffalo — Nicholas J. Basil, owner of the Hollywood, which was contracted to show Ufa films exclusively, announces that the new policy will start soon with Emil Jannings in "Der Grosse Tenor." Many Happy Returns Best wishes are extended by THE FILM DAILY to the following members of the industry, who are celebrating their birthdays: November 10 Samuel N. Burger Cal Jones Dave Stamper Leon D'Usseau