The Film Daily (1936)

Intimate in Character International in Scope Independent in Thought The Daily Newspaper Of Motion Pictures Now Eighteen Years Old VOL. 70, NO. 68 NEW YORK, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1936 TEN CENTS Equity Warns 25 Players to Join Screen Actors' Guild ESTIMAtTOVER $ 1 ,0007000 PARA. QUARTER NET Longer Grind Hours Being Adopted by Many Houses Increase is Noted in Early Openings Among Key City Theaters Partly due to returning prosperity and partly on account of a greater number of special box-office attractions, a tendency to open theaters earlier in the morning and grind later into the night is noted in a number of key cities. Along Broadway there are now two houses, the new Criterion and Loew's Mayfair, admitting patrons shortly after 8 A. M. The Capitol started shows at 9 A. M. yesterday for "Great Ziegfeld," which opened its popular-price run at the house, while the Music Hall is opening at 10 A. M., against the more customary 11:30; the Strand, 9:30; Loew's State, 9:30; Palace, 9; Rialto and Rivoli, 10. The Roxy also has gone in for earlier openings on occasions, while the Paramount is more frequently adopting "breakfast hour" starting time in the first week of special attraction runs. BUTTERFIELD TO OPEN 2 NEW HOUSES IN OCT. Detroit — Two newly-built houses are expected to be ready for opening by the Butterfield circuit about the middle of next month. One is the Eastown, Grand Rapids, and the other is in Bay City. Butterfield recently reopened the rebuilt Capitol, Lansing. The circuit also has taken over the Riviera, at Niles, with owner Gerald Kern remaining as manager. CBS Acquires Property For Hollywood Station Hollywood — It is reported that the Columbia Broadcasting System has bought the property on Sunset, near Gower, formerly occupied by the Christie studios, and will erect a modern broadcasting station. CBS (Continued on Page 4) UNITED ARTISTS SETS RECORD ON DELIVERIES With seven pictures to be released between the present time and the first of 1937, United Artists is establishing a new record for deliveries, stated George J. Schaefer, general manager, yesterday. In addition to "Last of the Mohicans," which has just gone into distribution nationally, other pictures and their dates are as follows: Sept. 23, "Dodsworth"; Oct. 15, "Gay Desperado"; Oct. 30, "Come and Get It"; Nov. 7, "Garden of Allah"; Nov. 15, "Rembrandt", and Nov. 22, "We Live Only Once." 10 Radio Programs in Tieup On Mickey Mouse's Birthday Hookups with 10 nationwide radio programs already have been arranged in connection with the eighth birthday of Mickey Mouse to be celebrated the week of Sept. 25. Programs include Guy Lombardo and other orchestras on WABC, WEAF and WJZ, as well as Kate Smith, Burns and Allen and other popular radio attractions. Walt Disney, producer of the cartoons for United Artists release, also will be interviewed by Cecil B. DeMille on the Lux hour next Monday. Irving Ber (Continued on Page 4) HAWKS URGES STUDY OF COLOR TECHNIQUE Producers and directors have a lot to learn about the technique of handling color before it becomes a permanent and definite asset to the screen, declared Howard Hawks, director, when interviewed in New York yesterday. Studios moist get the knack of using color without distracting from performances or story, said Hawks, instead of applying it so that it destroys audience focus on secreen events. Hawks has arrived in New York from the coast to confer with Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur on "Gunga Din," his next directorial effort for RKO. Before coming East he worked on "Come and Get It" for Samuel Goldwyn and previously made "Road to Glory" for 20th Century-Fox. Three New Warner Features Go In Productoin Next Week Hollywood — ■ Three new features will be placed in production by Warner-First National next week. First will be "Another Dawn", with Kay Francis and Errol Flynn, followed by "San Quentin", with Pat O'Brien, and "Ready, Willing and Able", with Ruby Keeler and Ross Alexander. 25 Players Face Ejection from Equity Unless They Join Screen Actors' Guild Accounting of Profits Ordered in Patent Suit General Talking Pictures is ordered to produce an accounting of profits from DeForest Phono Film sound equipment operations, as well as to surrender all of the infringing prod(Continued on Page 4) Twenty-five screen players, including John and Lionel Barrymore, Alice Brady, Lionel Atwill and Jack Oakie, were warned yesterday by Frank Gillmore, president of Actors Equity Ass'n, that unless they join the Screen Actors' Guild within the next four weeks they would be automatically ejected from Equity and (Continued on Page 4) Sharp Upturn is Seen in Operations of Paramount As a result of improved conditions, both at the studios and over its large circuit of theaters, Paramount is expected to be back in the black to the tune of more than $1,000,000 for the third quarter of this year, according to Wall St. estimates. This showing is figured despite the fact that the third quarter includes the hot months which ordinarily mean poor business. The upturn has taken place particularly in the theater field. Normal earning power of the circuit is put at $5,000,000 to $6,000,000 annually, and current operations are said to be running close to this rate. Management at the studio end also is reported running smoothly now, with pictures being held within bud (Continued on Page 4) FRIEDL TAKES OVER 2 IN CIRCUIT EXPANSION Minneapolis — Minnesota Amusement Co. took over two theaters yesterday, in line with the expansion program anounced recently by John Friedl, president. One house is the Strand, St. Paul, owned by by Joe Friedman, independent operator. Other is the State, Watertown, S. D. Strand is a seconoT-run downtown house, while the state is a first-run, owned by P. H. Knutson. It is understood here the deal is a partnership affair. No change in present policy is contemplated. Film Shipments by Air Increase 130 Per Cent Shipment of motion picture and newsreel negatives and prints by air in the first six months of this year increased 130 per cent over the corresponding period last year, according to a report just issued by the Air Express Division of Railway Express Agency. In July alone, (Continued on Page 4)