The Film Daily (1933)

Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Fifteen Years Old VOL. LXI. NO. 7 NOV YOPr, TUESDAY. JANLARy 1C, 1933 * CENTS Cohen Doing Fine Job and Staying, Says Zukor SCHAEFER, DEMBOW AND COKELL ON PARA. BOARD 111,325,817 Attend Business Film Showings in Year Class Films . . can be made to pay By DON CARLE GILLETTE= IN the myriad of "Ten Best Pictures" ' lists being published these days, it is interesting to note the prominence given to pictures whose merit is chiefly artistic. These selections, of course, are by individuals and limited groups, and therefore represent isolated opinion rather than a consensus of the whole country like you get in THE FILM DAILY'S original and annual "Ten Best Pictures" poll. Nevertheless the interest in artistic pictures seems wide enough to warrant specific effort in catering to that group — under a production budget commensurate with the possible revenue from that field. POR one thing in particular these "photo' graphed stage plays" are particularly popular with the higher intelligentsia. This is because they have a quicker grasp and a keener appreciation of good dialogue. Producing such a picture, with a small cast and in a very few sets, should cost little enough to make it possible to show 3 profit in spite of limitations in audience appeal. And there is every indication that this audience will expand materially as a result of all the support and discussion being accorded artistic productions by motion picture writers, civic organizations, etc. CILM companies, in contrast to other great corporations, show only a slight appreciation of the value of good-will as created and perpetuated by sound and steady advertising. This is brought out by a recent radio talk in which Dr. Julius Klein, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, said an increasingly large part of the hundreds of millions now being spent on advertising in this country is devoted to precisely this type of goodwill maintenance. Sound institutional advertising means that a company is pledging itself to maintain its reputation for integrity. By thus stepping out into the open it creates the necessary confidence and goodwill. Check over the most successful companies and see if they aren't among the biggest advertisers. Exhibitions Reported by 1,030 Commercial Concerns Showings of business films by 1,030 representative business concerns were attended by 111,325,817 persons in a year, according to reports made by these concerns to the motion picture division of the Department of Commerce. The pictures (Continued on Page 2) $20,000 SAVING MADE IN RADIO CITY NUT Savings of $20,000 were effected in staff reductions at Radio City over the week-end. J. H. Turner and S. Jay Kaufman, both aides to Samuel L. "Roxy" Rothafel, have (Continued on Page 4) Admission Scales Cut In E. J. Sparks Houses Jacksonville, Fla. — E. J. Sparks Amusement Enterprises, through District Manager Guy A. Kenimer, announce reduction in prices at firstrun local houses. Class A houses are 25c and 35c in the afternoon, and 35c and 40c at night, with vaudeville running four days a week at one house. Class B house is cut to 25c and 35c at all times. This is a maximum reduction of 10 cents. "Ten Best" Out Tomorrow Official announcement of the "Ten Best Pictures" of the past year, as selected by 368 of the country's leading film critics and editors in the eleventh annual poll conducted by THE FILM DAILY, will be made tomorrow in this publication and simultaneously in hundreds of other papers throughout the country. WARNERF. N. RELEASES SET FOR NEXT 2 MONTHS Warner-First National has set its feature release schedule up to March 1. Dates are as follows: Jan. 14, "Frisco Jenny," Jan. 28, "Parachute Jumped-" and "Hard to Handle"; Feb. 4, "Ladies They Talk About"; Feb. 11, "Employees' Entrance"; Feb. 18, "Wax Museum"; Feb. 25, "Blondie Johnson" and "King's Vacation." Two pictures, "20,000 Years in Sing Sing" and "Forty ( Cont inued on Page 4) Barron Made Chief Booker in Warner Pittsburgh Zone Pittsburgh — Bill Barron, formerly with the Warner home office in New York, has been appointed chief booker for the Warner theaters in the Pittsburgh zone. Nat Fellman, who was acting as chief booker temporarily, returns to the home office. Ben Steerman has become contact manager, succeeding Fred Juergens, who also returns to the home office. Adolph Zukor Spikes Reports That Emanuel Cohen is Leaving Thalberg III Weit Coast Bur., Til!-: FILM DAILY Hollywood— Irving Thalberg, M-G-M executive, is confined fo his home by i severe attack of influenza. Hii condition is not serious, but he will not return to the studio for another week, according to his physicians. The 1933 Film Dally Year Book will be Bluer and Better than ever. — Advt. Circulated reports to the effect that Emanuel Cohen would withdraw :i head of Paramount production activities were spiked yesterday by President Adolph Zukor in the following statement: "There is absolutely no truth in ]the malicious rumor that Emnnuel Cohen, vice-president in charge of (Continued on Page 4) New Paramount Directors Also Join Company's Exec. Committee George J. Schaefer, Sam Dembow, Jr., and Walter B. Cokell were elected members of the Paramount board of directors yesterday at a meeting of the board and also appointed to its executive committee. Cokell additionally was named assistant treasurer of the company. The Paramount finance committee did (Continued on Page 4) MULLER WINS VERDICT Indianapolis — After Electrical Research Products had been eliminated as a defendant, the Federal Court here handed down a decision in favor of Harry Muller, former operator of the State and Crystal theaters, Anderson, Ind., awarding him triple damages totalling $120,568.74 in his suit against six distributing companies charged with conspiring to force him out of business through alleged blacklisting methods. Muller (Continued on Page 4) Schenck, Rubin, Feist Going West for Confab Important production conferences are reported scheduled to he held at the M-C U plant at the Coast upon arrival of Nicholas M. Schenck, .1. Robert Rubin and Ft I V. feist, who are slated to leave N'ew York late this week for Hollywood. Rubin at present (■ ill with the grippe* Wangcr Starts at M-G-M Ji.-rr Cm* Bur., THB FILM PAH Y Hollywood — Wilier Wjnger yeiterd.iy took up hit new dutiei at a production eiecuttve »t the M-G-M itudiot He resigned recently from Columbia. Winger'* Paramount contract If under Wood to have been settled with a part fiayment In cath and the remainder In ntfallmenti.