Inside facts of stage and screen (February 1, 1930)

SATURDAY, FEB. 1, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE THREE NEW LINDEN RADIO CHAIN SOON :D S| \% mmmik I Gene Gary, Dick Jewel and Eddie Pope With “Odds and Ends,” RKO This Week Those bookers who choose the talent for talking pictures would do well to interview and try out The Harmony Trio, whose picture appears above. They are a trio of unusual merit, each member possessing valuable stage experience, having played juvenile roles at various times in the East and on the Coast. Probably the most noted critic in the Northwest spoke of them in the highest regard, saying that this was undoubtedly the best harmony trio he had ever heard, playing a special compliment to their stage appearance as well as to their vocal ability. Each member is a soloist. U STARTS OH 12 Universal has started produc- tion of 12 two-reel all-dialogue and sound pictures with foreign speaking casts. The pictures will be made in French, Italian, Spanish and Mex- ican, and will be short dramatic sketches and musical comedies fea- turing foreign stars. Paul Kohner is supervising the productions. A musical picture, with singing in Italian, will feature Renee De Loiguora, concert pianist. There will be three musical pictures in Spanish, in which Andre Segu- rola, opera singer, will be fea- tured. The picture in Mexican will- fea- ture Tirado, Mexican comedian; Lupita Tavor; Nancy Torres, singer and dancer, recently signed to a long-term contract by Uni- versal; Delia Megana, and Laura del Puente. As a feature, each of the for- eign language pictures will be in- troduced by a Universal star, speaking that particular language; Laura La Plante, John Boles, Jo- seph Schildkraut, Glenn Tryon, Mary Nolan, Hoot Gibson and Ken Maynard. All of the series will be filmed strictly in a foreign language and played by actors and actresses of that nationality. NOW PLAYING SOLID Solid time, with no layoffs, is now in effect in Southern Cali- fornia for Fanchon and Marco “Ideas.” The “Trees Idea,” which closed at Loew’s State Thursday, is the first to get a consecutive five weeks. The solid time was obtained by acts opening on Thursdays at San Diego and Long Beach, and by adding five days at the Fox West Coast The- atre in the latter city. Until the new arrangement was in effect, acts lost a day between Los An- geles and San Diego, where they opened on Friday, and five days after doing two ; in Long Beach, prior to going into Graurnan’s Egyptian, Hollywood. SOLOMON’S BALLROOM TO OPEN AS NITE CLUB Solomon’s Ballroom on Grand Avenue changes to a night club this week under the name of Solo- mon’s Jungle Room. The usual penny dance will no longer be in session, the new pol- icy including a floor show of six- teen girls, with Sonny Brooks’ Eleven Music Masters. There will be four hours of free dancing and a free buffet lunch served nightly with a thirty-five cent admission. Matinee admission will be 25 cents. Saturday nights will be ’49er nights, with forty-nine cents ad- mission. Solomon is redecorating the ball- room, following the general design of the Cocoanut Grove at the Am- bassador Hotel. BEN OPPOSITE BEBE Ben Lyon, Bebe Daniels’ fiancee, has been selected for the leading masculine role opposite her in “Smooth as Satin,” at Ra- dio Pictures’ Studio. It will be di- rected by George Archainbaud. Val Valente And Band Ace Drawing Group Acclaimed by San Franciscans as an ace band, Val Valente and his organization current^ are one of the biggest music hits in San Francisco. Valente, whose picture appears on the front page of this issue of Inside Facts, is at the fa- mous Roof Garden Cafe, an out- standing spot among the Bay city’s many night clubs. As a result of his excellent mu- sic and attractive personality, Val- ente’s Band is accredited as being one of the best draws in night club circles. In addition to its popularity at the Roof Garden itself the band is a big favorite over KFRC, Val’s greeting of “This is Val Valente’s music” being known from San Di- ego to Vancouver. Valente expects, to. announce a recording contract with one of the major companies in the near, fu- ture. SEATTLE PLIED SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 29.— Rumors recently printed in In- side Facts that Adolph Linden, former head of the now defunct American Broadcasting Co., was about to make a re-entry into the radio field were apparently near confirmation this week. Seeming- ly authentic reports from people “on the inside” claim that Linden has promoted sufficient capital in the East to pay off the majority of claims against A.B.C. and will again start his ether activities. Linden is expected in Seattle this week where he will begin preparations for a chain of sta- tions made up of KJR, Seattle; KGA, Spokane; KEX, Portland; KYA, San Francisco; KGER, Long Beach; a new station at Agua Caliente to which call letters have not yet been assigned and one other in Los Angeles. Ac- cording to the reports the plans are to tie KGER in Long Beach in with the Los Angeles station to allow the. new network two broadcasting channels. Telephone companies handling transcontinental programs for the A.B.C. have been paid approxi- mately ,$90,000, the amount due them for past services. With this and other obligations wiped off Linden bids fair to make a bril- liant re-entry into the field, but probably on a much more modi- fied scale than when he offered such high-grade programs over A.B.C. and ran into debts over his head. E 1 TALKIE Aimee Semple McPherson is go- ing to enter pictures, hallelujah! The Angelus Pictures, Ltd., is the name of the new company un- der which the making of talkies by the blondined actress-preacher will operate. J. Roy Stewart and Victor Emden are to be connected with the project. The first feature will be a super- super, so the Angelus people say, called “Clay in the Potter’s Hands,’’ and is to be a story of Aimee’s life “with variations,” from a scenario and dialogue being pre- pared by Harvey Gates. The parts of Steve and Rose have not, it is understood, been cast. Nor is it mentioned whether a part will be written in for Ormiston, nor whether the high-light wdll be a desert swim. The feature will not be made immediately, however. Last week Aimee appeared at Tec-Art studio and made some film and voice tests. She appeared in her well known white robe with its silver cross. She went through a series of gestures and spilled plenty of dialogue, and did it well, so it is said. It is further said that Aimee’s daughter, Roberta, will have a prominent part in the cast. ' Before making the feature, how- ever, Aimee stated that she would make a couple of short sermon- ettes which would be presented in her temple for an audience reac- tion some time when she was not present. If they go over, they will be used in the Temple while Aimee goes to Palestine. STEPIN WITH GANG Stepin Fetchit, colored; com- edian, singer and dancer, whose contract with Fox expired about two months ago by failure to re- new the option, has been signed for ,a featured part with the Hal Roach Gang. Stepin Fetchit was to do a part in a Columbia picture, but this was called off. It is understood billing of the Roach picture is to read “Our Gang With Stepin Fetchit.” W. C. BUYS HOUSE Fox West Coast Theatres have purchased the Hippodrome Thea- tre, Joplin, Mo. The Hippodrome is the largest theatre in Joplin, a city of 30,000. The house has a seating capacity of 1500 seats! Kathryn Irwin With “Odds and Ends,” RKO Ihis Week Miss Irwin is a coloratura soprano with quality based on unlimited training in the best art schools, coupled with experience gained on the operate stage in such roles as Inez in “II Travatore,” with the Boston Opera Company, and with the valuable experience which Frank Cambria gave her in his “Undersea” ballet which toured the Publix circuit. No wonder, then, she is acclaimed by the critics everywhere. Her popularity increases by leaps and bounds from sea- son to season, and talking motion pictures should take advantage of the opportunity to record her voice while she is in California on her present trip. WARNER BROTHERS BUY OF W. C. AGAIN RUMORED A story printed exclusively in Inside Facts in the issue of Jan- uary 11 in which it was stated that Warner Brothers were seek- ing to purchase the West .Coast Theatres chain from William Fox was again to the fore this week when it was revealed in the re- ceiver’s suit in New York by Fox’s attorney, Samuel Untermeyer, pleading for an extention of time before Judge Frank J. Coleman, that Fox had a plan for reorgan- izing his corporation and raising enough money to satisfy his cred- itors. According to Mrs. Susan Dryden Kuser’s attorneys, who filed the action against the film magnate, it was stated that negotiations were under way to dispose of the West Coast Theatre properties for a sum said to be $20,000,000. Saw ‘Bat/ He Is Now Full Fledged Critic SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30.— Show people are getting a chuckle still out of an incident of the trial here of the “Bad Babies” cast, a trial wffiich resulted in an acquittal by a jury in seven minutes—but further raids by the police. A doughty police officer was on the stand, so they’re telling it, and the defense attorney asked him if he thought himself a com- petent judge of the drama. “Sure,” was the answer. “Did you see ‘The Strange In- terlude’?” he was asked. “No.” “‘The Command to Love’?” “No.” “‘Lulu Belle’?” “No.” “‘The Road to Rome’?” “No.” - “Well, what have you seen?” “‘The Bat.’ I went to that ’un ’cause it had a detective angle, see.” EXECS OF PATHE E Pathe has brought its shorts department executives from the New York offices to Hollywood, but the transplanted department has not yet been straightened around to definite form. The transfer was in plans prior to the recent fire at the Pathe shooting headquarters in the East, but the disaster hurried the move. William Woolfenden, who was casting director in the New York office, has charge of the depart- ment at Pathe now, with Arch Heath, formerly in charge of shorts for Universal, also here. The first of a series of two- reel music and comedy westerns which Pathe is to make has al- ready been started, but no start- ing date has as yet been set for the second of the shorts. When the program gets into full swing, plans are to make 52 a year at the rate of one a week. Various writers are now work- ing on the forthcoming pictures. E PUBLIX PERSONNEL Jerome Zigmund, former assis- tant manager at the Publix United Artists Theatre here, was trans- ferred this week to the Publix Avalon Theatre at Grand Junc- tion, Colorado. Clayton Long, former treasurer at the Paramount, replacing Usher. PERFECTING TRANSFER The Producers and Technicians Committee of the Academy of Mo- tion Picture Arts and Sciences are to meet Thursday night to per- fect plans for the taking over of the Technical Bureau heretofore run by the Association of Mo- tion Picture Producers and Dis- tributors. The Bureau is being transferred to Academy manage- ment.