The Film Daily (1932)

Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Fifteen Years Old VOL. LX, NO. 1 C9 NEW yCRK, MONDAY* NOVEMBER 7, 1932 5 CENTS Decentralization of Film Buying Urged by Hammons LAST MONTH WAS BESTJFOR THEATER REOPENINGS Michigan Unit Drops Out of Allied-MPTOA Confabs Board of Directors Said to Have Voted Withdrawal Action Detroit — Allied Theaters of Michigan will not participate in current or further conferences being held by Allied States and the M. P. T. O. A. with Sidney R. Kent in an effort to adjust various industry problems. This explains why H. M. Richey, who was one of the two Allied representatives at the initial New York conference, did not attend the Wash (Continued on Page 7) PICKUP AFTER ELECTION SEEN BY H. B. FRANKLIN Following the glamour and excitement of tomorrow's election the theaters of the country will settle down to better than normal business, according to Harold B. Franklin, who returned Saturday from a tour of mid-west cities and the coast. He believes that theater business has touched the bottom and (Continuet on Page 7) Belle Bennett Dies After Long Illness West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Belle Bennett, for years ,a stage and screen name, died Friday night in the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital after a long illness. She suffered a breakdown last May while visiting in the east and never fully recovered. Miss Bennett, who was 41, made her biggest screen hit in Samuel Goldwyn's "Stella Dallas." RKO Sales Ahead More than 50 per cent of the RKO branch offices have reached their quotas on the cash drive inaugurated Sept. 17 to run 12 weeks, ending Dec. 9. Sates to date equal last year's combined sales of RKO and RKO Pathe for the same period, an executive told FILM DAILY yesterday. Latin Audiences Becoming Anglicized Audiences in Latin countries do not want dubbed versions because the people are gradually learning English from listening to the dialogue while reading the superimposed Spanish titles, says David 0. Selznick. Many exhibitors and distributors met Selznick in Havana, where he stopped while en route to New York, and urged the producer to continue the present policy of super-imposed titles. CHICAGO DUAL BILL BAN BOOSTS VITA. SALES 400% As a result of the dropping of double features in the Chicago territory, sales of Vitaphone shorts in that section have increased fourfold, says Norman H. Moray, Vitaphone sales manager, who returned last week from a swing through the middle west. Exhibitors in the Chicago field are back in show business instead of conducting harmful bargain wars, declares Moray. In other localities, also, he reports optimism and upward trends. New Sm alley Theater Opening on Thursday Norwich, N. Y. — Opening of the new Smalley circuit house here is scheduled for next Thursday evening. It is a 854-seat semi-atmospheric theater and store building. Victor A. Rigaumont was the architect. SHORT SUBJECT SERIES. PLANNED BY NEW UNIT West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Associated Productions, under the direction of Oswald Davis Land, has opened offices in the Republic Studios, where production starts immediately on a series of short subjects and Screen Novelties. Release to be announced later. Edwin A. Salisbury is handling the business. Cleveland Agreement Still Uninterpreted Cleveland — No decision has as yet been reached by Samuel Horwitz, local attorney, on the interpretation of the monopoly agreement affected by the suit by independent local exhibitors against producers and distributors, scheduled to go into practice Jan. 1. Uncertainty prevails as to whether pictures available or pictures released Jan. 1 come under the settlement agreement plan. Hammons Would Decentralize Film Buying Same as Theaters Commending the present move toward decentralization of theater operation as "the most hopeful sign for the future of the picture industry which has developed in years," E. W. Hammons, president of Educational and chairman of the World Wide executive committee, declares that "when the big circuits go a step further and decentralize their film buying as well as their theater operation, they will have made another move which, in all sincerity, I believe to be necessary before our industry can be put back on the profitable basis which we all wish for. "Mr. John Hertz is absolutely right in his statement that the interests of the theaters themselves can best be served by placing more authority in the hands of the local manager," says Hammons. "No executive a thousand miles away can possibly hope to have the grasp of local conditions which the alert showman can have after long daily contact with the clientele of his theater. In the proper handling of short subjects, this is (Continued on Page 7) October Showed Spurt in Houses Resuming Operation Percentage of theater openings and reopenings as compared with closings in October made the most favorable showing so far this year, according to monthly reports of the Film Boards of Trade. Of the reports already in, the Dallas territory shows 22 openings, against 9 closings; Chicago, 17 vs. 5; Philadelphia, 17 vs. 8; Los Angeles, 12 vs. 2; Oklahoma City, 7 vs. 0; Charlotte, 8 vs. 1; Indianapolis, 7 vs. 2; Kansas City, 5 vs. 2; Seattle, 3 vs. 2. CLOSE CONTEST RESULTS IN PICKING BEST SHORTS West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Because the vote on M-G-M's "Swinging High" and Mack Sennett's "Wrestling With Swordfish" was so close, both shorts will be run off Wednesday before the full membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to decide the winner of the award for the best novelt/ short of the year. Winners oi .Jv cartoon and comedy shorts ha\e been decided upon, but will not be made public (.Continued on Page 7) Youngstown Operators Return at Lower Scale Youngstown — Operators' strike has been settled with the men returning to their booths for $70 a week, compared with $85 under the old scale. Contract becomes effective next Saturday. Two Paramount, two Warner and one RKO houses are involved. No Paper Tomorrow On account of Election Day, there will be no issue of THE FILM DAILY tomorrow.