The Film Daily (1931)

f-^g^ DAILY Thursday, Dec. 31, 1931 Vol. LVII No. 76 Thorsdiy. Dec. 31, 1931 Price 5 Cents iOHN W. ALICOATE Editor and Publisher Rublished daily except Saturdays and holidays »t 1650 Broadway. New York. N Y, "nd copyright (1931) hy Wid's Films anH Film Folk. Inc. J. W Alicoate, President "■-litor and Publisher; Donald M Mersereaii Secretary-Treasurer and General Manager \rthur W. Eddy, Associate Editor: Do' ■^arle Gillette, Manaptinff Editor. Entered > fecond class matter. May 21, 1918. at the ■xist-nffice at New York. N. Y.. under the act of March 3. 1879. Terms (Postaee fre. f^nited States outside of Greater New Vnr $10.00 one year: 6 months. $5.00: ^ months t3.00. ForeiRn, $15.00. Subscriber shoulH "■mit with order. Address all commnmrati. o THE FILM DAILY, 1650 Broadwa> <Jew York, N. Y. Phone Circle 7-473ft. 7 i"37-4738, 7-4739. Cable address: Filraday, Vew York. Hollywood, California Ralph Wilk, 6425 Hollywood Blvd.. Phone Granit. SeO?. London — Ernest W. Fredmar Thf Film Renter. 89-91 Wardour St., W ' Berlin — Karl Wolffsohn. Lichtbildbuehne Friedrichstrasse, 225. Paris— P. A. Harle La. Cinematographie Francaise, Rue dr ' Cour-des-Noues, 19. FINANCIAL NEW YORK . Am. Seat ^c?, Fm. Ind Hj^^^m. Ind. pfd. EasT^ Kodak Fox Fm. "A" Gen. Th. Eq. (new) Loew's, Inc Paramount Pathe Exch do "A" RCA RKO new Warner Bros do pfd STOCK MARKET Net High Low Close Chg. 4/8 954 80 25^ 27 6-5^ J^ I'/a 3 2Vt. 10 \v^ m 9/8 78/ 2/ / 9^ + 2/ — + 265^ 27 + 6'/i / IJI 5H 254 254 10 65^8 + / — !/» 1^8 m, + /s 2% — V% 2/ 10 NEW YORK CURB MARKET Fox Thea. "A".... / Vt, / — Gen. Th. Eq. pfd... 9-16 / / .. Technicolor 154 1/ 1^ + Trans-Lux 1/ 15^ 1/ + NEW YORK BOND MARKET Gen. Th. Eq. 6s40. 3 2/ 2y^ ~ Keith A-0 6s 46.. 40-5^ 4054 40/ + Loew 6s 41ww 76/ 75 75 — Paramount 6s 47.. 46/ 46 46/ — Far. By. 5/s51. . 69 65 68 + Par. 5/s50 40 38 40 + Pathe 7s37 605^ 59 59 Warner's 6s39 265^ 2'5?4 26 ROXY HOLDS "DELICIOUS" Fox's "Delicious," with Janet Gaynpr and Charles Farrell, is being held a second week at the Roxy. ♦.♦ ix J.t New York Long Island City ♦"< *.t ,; 1540 Broadway 154 Crescent St. j"« J.{ BRyant 9-4712 STillwell 4-7940 J*! lEastman Films | 1 1. E. Brulatomr. Inc. H t^__. I % ^: j'j Chicago Hollywood K t'{ 1727 Indiana Ave. 6700 Santa Monica K J'{ ■ CALumet 3692 Blvd. V. ix HOLlywood 4121 J-' iy • M.P.T.O.OFPflJ.J.,DEL ISSUE CREED FOR 1932 (.Continued from Page 1) by David Barrist, chairman of the exhibitor organization's board of directors, calls upon producers to check the highbrow trend and revert to good melodrama and hokum, also to deflate the big incomes, instead of cutting or letting out minor employees. On the third point, dealing with the necessity of battling tax legislation, Barrist urges the two exhibitor organizations to declare a truce and fight together. The full message follows: 1. Give the public what it wants! More "hoke" and less sophistication. Re-establish the contact with the box-office. Art may enhance the star's and director's reputations, but it's often hell on the box-office. Tap the vast reservoir of source material in the classic melodramas of a generation ago — "The Silver King," "The Middle Man," "Hoodman Blind," "The Two Orphans" — to mention but a few. Modernize these and give them star leads. Give the public what it wants ! Not what the star and director think it ou^ht to have. The public is fed up on public drawingroom comedy, on one-reel plots stretched to eight reels. End the era of society page drama. In this year of hard knocks the movie patron, sore beset by grief and trouble, wants his entertainment, whether comedy or drama, served up in healthy, meaty chunks, not in froth and coating. Good, hearty belly laughs ; tears that don't stop at the eye lashes but roll down and land on the shirt front ; deep-dyed villainy that brings audible hisses, and virtue that brings applause. Give the public what it wants ! Not what the screen's high-brow critics think it ought to have. Don't try to educate them, promgandize them or elevate them. It can't be done I The place for education is in the classroom the place for art, in the museum, and the place for entertainment, in the theater. Critics' raves seldom square with the box-office statements. 2. More deflation in high places. This organization was criticized in certain quarters for calling upon Hollywood to deflate four months ago. Subsequent events have proved the wisdom of our stand. Without the drastic deflation courageously undertaken by leaders, the industry today would be bankrupt. There has been too little deflation in the high places ! Too much head-cutting in salary slashing among stenogs and ushers md not enough re-adjustment in the millionaire income class. And end the crazy competition for story material that gives tvery author with a Broadway hit a field lay in Hollywood. And don't forget that the box-offices of the nation are supporting Hollywood If you can't be kind to, them ; be fair. Pass some of the savings on to the theaters. If they are unhealthy, the entire industry is sick. And the present complaint of the box-office is not so much too little business as too much overhead. Restore prosperity at the box-office and you restore prosperity to the whole industry ! 3. Unite to repel tax attacks ! The politicians of nation, state and city are going to try to levy tribute in the form of additional taxes of the movies to take care of their henchmen in office. For the heavily burdened theaters, this spells ruin. The strongest kind of united action will be needed to repel these attacks. The two exhibitor iirgaiiizations should declare a truce in this common cause. The distributors have never failed to cooperate in a matter of this kind and can be counted on again. "Launch a nation-wide counter attack, non-partisan and non-political, on our screens \gain t the menace of the rising tide of 'axes and the extravagance in government. Call for a new deal for the taxpayer and or the deflation of the nation's city halls ind cap'.tol buldings. A crusade against • 5;1i t.nxes led by the theaters of the nation V 1 Invc the fervent support of one hundred and eighteen of the one hundred and twenty million people in our land." BEING STARTED BY FOX (.Continued from Page 1) the order recently issued by Judge Pollock of the Federal District Court restraining the attorney-general and officials of several counties from interfering with operation of cheaters by Fox. Roland Boynton, attorney general, has announced plans for an appeal from Judge Pollock's decision. Wm. Warner New Mgr. For Warner-F. N. in K. C. Kansas City — William Warner has been appointed Warner-First National branch manager here, succeeding Ben Kalmenson, recently jiven the post of branch manager in Pittsburgh when Roy Haines form3rly manager there, was made district manager in the Pittsburgh territory. Al Rosen to Star Durkin In Three Productions West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Al Rosen announces plans for three pictures starring Junior Durkin. BROADWAY CHANGES Instead of the "Manhattan Parade" day-and-date showing originally announced, Warner Bros, will present Lil Dagover in "The Woman from Monte Carlo" at the Hollywood for four days un il Sunday night, coincident with the picture's run at the Strand. "Manhattan Parade" continues at the Winter Garden. At the Rivoli, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" opens this evening, instead of the original plan to show a preview of "This Reckless Age" at midnight tonight and continue "Sooky" until Jan. 6. "Cock of the Air," Howard Hughes production, is slated to follow "Tonight or Never" at the Rialto about the middle of January. INSURANCE CO. EXPANDS Cortland Brokerage Co., Inc., is now handling the office of Rosenbaum Co., film insurance brokers, at the same address, 123 William St. Clifford L. Warren is vice-president and Ben R. Rosenbaum will serve as secretary and general manager. JUDITH WOOD INJURED West Coast Bureau, THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Judith Wood is in the hospital and will be laid up for a while as a result of a fractured nose and other injuries received in a moor car collision. MRS. B. Z. LEVINE DEAD Mrs. B. Z. Levine, wife of the well known Cleveland exhibitor and theater organization official, is dead. THE INDUSTRY'S DATE BOOK Today: Motion Picture Salesmen New Year's frolic. Hotel Plaza. New York Today: New Year's Eve Party, Motior Picture Club, New York. Jan. 3: Dinner-dance of Cleveland Motion Picture Club, Winton Hotel, Cleveland. Jan. S: Testimonial dinner to Aaron Saper stein. Congress Hotel, Chicago. Jan. 7. Warner-First National District Manag^ers' Meeting, New York. Jan. 12-13: Meeting of Allied Theater Own ers of Iowa, Des Moines. Jan. 18-19: Mid-winter meeting of Carolin: Theater Owners' Ass'n. Hotel Charlottf Charlotte, N. C. Jan. 19-20: State convention of Allied Theater Owners of Nebraska, Omaha, Neb Feb. 13: Second annual formal dinner-danci of the Columbians (Columbia Pictures) Hotel Plaza, New York. Feb. 20: Motion Picture Club Ball, Wal dorf-Astoria Hotel, New York. March 13-20: First film exposition in Central Europe under auspices of Czechoslovakian Cinema Artists' Ass'n and National Film Industry, Prague, Czecho Slovakia. March 14-16: Annual convention of M. P T O. A., Hotel Mayflower, Washing ton, D. C. Rivkin Signs With Moss For Broadway Reopening Joe Rivkin, due to end his duties at Educational on Saturday, has been signed to direct advertising and publicity for the B. S. Moss Broadway, which reopens today with a straight picture policy, the first feature attraction being RKO Pathe's "Big Shot," starring Eddie Quillan. The house has been a tough one to out over, due to its location, and Rivkin's job is to make it click. Loew Books Alice White Alice White has been booked for ''our weeks' in Loew houses. She opens Jan. 15 in Columbus. COMING & GOING MCE SILVER of Warner Bros, theaters left New York for Cleveland last night. POI.A NEGRI, now recovering from an operation, expects to leave the coast on Saturday for New York. MORRIS SAFIER is back in New York following a trip to Pittsburgh, Cleveland and other cities. NICK STUART and SUE CAROL have arrived in New York for personal appearances in the metropolitan area. H. M. WARNER has left New York to enjoy a brief rest in Atlantic City over the New Year's holidays. JOHN R. FREULER, President of BIr 4. has returned to New York from Milwaukee, where he spent the holidays. WILLIAM FO.X returns to New York from I'lorida next week. , J. P. McEVOY sailed yesterday for Havana on the Morro Castle. RUBE JACKTER ILL Rube Jackter is laid up at home due to an attack of pneumonia. Competent Secretary; has served well-known executives in field; also writes pubiizity; modest salary. Box 905, FILM DAILY, 1650 Broadway, New York, N. Y.