The Film Daily (1935)

Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Seventeen Years Old -W=DAILY VOL. 68, NO. 42 NEW YORK. MONDAY, AUGUST. 19, 1935 TEN CENTS Zanuck Unit Set on Complete List of Stories NEW INDEPENDENT CIRCUIT NOW HAS 93 HOUSES Small Says $30,000,000 Yearly Lost by Mass System Advocates More Thorough Follow-Up on Smaller Film Programs West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Approximately $30,000,000 in potential annual film revenue is lost because of the mass production policy, because producers cannot devote their full time to following through on every detail of their pictures, declares Edward Small, vice-president and production head of Reliance, in connection with his announcement that for the coming year he will concentrate on five feature films for release through United Artists. "Making a ^box-office success is not a matter of merely getting an idea, putting a staff of writers to work developing it, assigning a director to direct," says Small. "You must concentrate on your venture, work with the writers, with the director and players, then assist your cutter (Continued on Page 11) ROSENBLATT-WELT AIM FOR 20 HOUSES Expansion of the Rosenblatt-Welt circuit to embrace 20 theaters is planned by Jan. 1, Leon Rosenblatt said yesterday. Houses will be acquired in New York and New Jersey to supplement the nine theaters now being operated. Filing Olympia Plan Sometime Next Month Reorganization plan for Olympia theaters, Paramount subsidiary, will not be filed until sometime next month, it was learned yesterday. 24 "Curly" Holdovers "Curly Top", latest Shirley Temple picture, was held over in 24 tirst-run engagements last week. Another Fox release, "Dante's Inferno", is holding over in four cities, with 1 1 additional exploitation engagements under way this week. WARNER-F. N. STUDIOS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Warner First National studios are operating far ahead of production schedule, with eleven features completed and awaiting release, five currently in work and seven in preparation. The features ready for release are : "The Goose and The Gander", with Kay Francis, George Brent and Genevieve Tobin; "Page Miss Glory", Cosmopolitan Production starring Marion Davies, with Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Mary Astor, Frank McHugh, Allen Jenkins and Lyle Talbot in support; "Bright Lights", starring Joe E. Brown; "Little Big Shot", with Sybil Jason, Robert Armstrong and Glenda Far (Continued on Page 11) Guarantee Eight Weeks On "Crusades" Two-a-Day Paramount is understood to be guaranteeing eight weeks for "The Crusades" at the Astor. The picture will have one of the most elaborate premieres ever seen on Broadway on Aug. 21. Mayor La Guardia and perhaps Governor Lehman are expected to be in attendance, besides a host of political, social, business and film luminaries. WILL ROGERS' BODY ON WAY TO H'WOOD The bodies of Will Rogers and Wiley Post yesterday were en route to the Coast from Alaska, where they met their death early Friday morning when the latter's plane crashed. Mrs. Rogers and her daughter, Mary, arrived in New York Saturday en route to Hollywood. Miss Rogers had been playing in summer stock at Skowhegan. Will Rogers Jr., who was on an oil tanker off the west coast when the tragedy occurred, left Saturday by plane for New York to meet his mother and sister. Another son, Jim, also is in New York. All three will proceed to the coast this week. Newspapers on Friday night and (Continued on Page 2) William Fox Examination Shifts to Atlantic City Examination of William Fox, defendant in the action by Fox Theaters and Fox Films to determine what became of the proceeds of a $50,000,000 stock issue floated by these companies when he was at their head, will be resumed today at the Hotel Claridge, Atlantic City, where Mr. Fox is recuperating. All 12 of Zanuck Stories Set; Six Pictures Ready by Dec. 1 Two Gulf Houses Added By Small-Town Circuit New Orleans — Two more houses are slated for the Joy Hock circuit here, one at Moss Pt., Miss., and one at Arcadia, La. Hock, who started with a tent and built a circuit of canvas shows, now will have 13 situations with his new spots. He keeps to small towns. West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Darryl Zanuck is now set on all of the 12 stories to be made by his unit at 20th CenturyFox, and it is planned to deliver at least six of these specials by Dec. 1, while the remainder will be completed by April. First of the productions, to be available early in November, is "Metropolitan," with Lawrence Tibbett. This will be fol (Continued on Page 11) Expect New Indie Circuit to Start Functioning This Week Independent Theater Circuit, Inc., now has 93 theaters lined up and expects to add seven more, bringing the total to 100, in time to start functioning this week, it was said yesterday by Milton C. Weisman, counsel for the new circuit and one of its organizers. Weisman said he has been holding daily meetings with the leading figures in the new circuit and that he has received the certificate of incorporation of the circuit. It is said that a number of foreign motion picture companies have made offers to buy into the circuit as an outlet for their product. GRIFFITH CIRCUIT BUYS W. B. PRODUCT 100% A 100 per cent product deal covering Warner-First National-Cosmopolitan features and Vitaphone shorts and trailers for 1935-36 has been signed by the R. E. Griffith Amusement Corp. embracing 58 theaters in 58 towns in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, it is announced by Gradwell Sears, Warner (Continued on Page 11) Interstate Circuit Gets 3 South Dallas Houses Dallas — Three suburban houses in South Dallas will be taken over Sept. 1 by Interstate Circuit from M. S. White. Theaters are the White, Forest and Dai-Sec. The Forest has been leased, while the other two were bought. This gives Interstate 11 (Continued on Page 2) 7th Week in Minneapolis Minneapolis — "Escape Me Never," with Elisabeth Bergner, has gone into a seventh week at the World Theater. Another current holdover is "Curly Top" at the Century.