Inside facts of stage and screen (March 8, 1930)

SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE THREE NEED NEW COMEDY-MAKERS DEAL 7 00 PROFIT OF STAGE PEOPLE (Continued from Page 1) many of the present non-person- able performers out. Many an in- genue voice now throbs in a ma- tronly throat, and many a sweet tenor emanates from a truck-driver torso and Bull Montana physiog. It is hardly likely that the public would be willing to see their pres- ent favorites so auraed by disillu- sionment, and still maintain their current rating. And some of the wise ones, taking their example from the silent picture actors who were caught all unprepared when they were suddenly called upon to speak, are prepared to take train- ing in stage technique and deport- ment with the first authentic word that television is about' to be broken generally throughout the coutitry. Meantime the studio managers, declaring they weren’t yet certain as to just wdiat the Equity move foreshadowed, refused to definitely put themselves on record as to how they would receive the A. E. A. proposition if the New York vote favors organizing the air. “No Abuses” “We have no knowledge of what this portends,” said one manager, “a,nd we cannot be expected to have any opinions at this time. We do not know what Equity’s propo- sition is, or will be; it might be good for us and our artists, and then again we might think other- wise when the cards are dealt.” “So far,” said another, “no abuses have been called to our attention There are no transportation prob- lems, and in Southern California the number of cases where salaries for paid entertainers have failed to materialize is insignificant. Nor have we yet found artists abusing us to the point where we required outside support.” “The answer to the conundrum is undoubtedly Television,” ven- tured a third. “Legitimate actors no doubt feel that when radio per- formances become visible, an im pending development that may wreak more havoc with the estab lished scheme of things than did the talking pictures, there will be opened up to them opportunities greater than anything now realized, and they probably are preparing to put themselves in a position of in fluence and power against that day.” Moves to Organize There has been no move to or- ganize radio artists in the west un- til recently, when Billy Cantor of the National Radio Artists Associa- tion came out from Chicago to spy out the land for his organiza- tion, which maintains headquarters in Chicago and at present limits its field of influence to Denver and points east. The N. R. A. A. was organized in 1924 and incorporated about two years ago, and so far has acted more as an informative and social organization than protective. Con- ditions so far have not seemed to require protective effort, according to Cantor. In Los Angeles the only move at present under way appears to be a plan being developed by Jack Parker to organize the Microphone Club, an exclusive, limited club of premier radio artists, for social pur- poses only. TO PLAY PALACE Johnny Downs, boy picture play- er, is now doing a single act on the RKO time, with song and dance included. His contract is a long terni one, embracing a tour of the circuit as a headline feature of a standard intact show. Johnny plays the Palace the week of March 29 for the second time, he formerly having appeared there with two other “Our Gang” mem- bers when he was with the Roach Rascals. Young Downs is only 16 years old now. Everett Hoagland Trio BERNIE TOLIVER F. SAPUTO FRANK HUBBELL Frank Hubbell, Bernie Toliver and F. Saputo, who form this popular organization, are all members of Everett Hoagland’s Troubadours and are featured on the air daily from KFWB both in the morning from 8:30 to 10 o’clock and again with the Troubadours in the afternoon program from 4 to 6 o’clock. Although they have broadcast from KFWB but five weeks, their popularity is far-reaching, as evidenced by the flow of daily requests they receive, and because of their versatility much is predicted for them. These boys not only sing arrangements of close, high-pitched harmony, but they also feature soft- muted trumpet solos backed up by a sub-tone clarinet obbligato and guitar accompaniment, which is very unusual in itself. Each one is a soloist offering a wide variety for their radio work. Besides the radio work, they appear in many pictures, having just completed work in Universal’s “The Czar of Broad- way,” with Betty Compson. Indianapolis, Ind. Editor Inside Facts, Los Angeles: The editorial in your issue of February 22, seeing the appoint- ment of Charles Evans Hughes to the chief justiceship of the United States supreme court as an indi- cation of unrestricted big business mergers and the end of our com- petitive system, is written from a wrong idea. Points against your viewpoint can be summarized as follows: 1. The Thatcher decree means much to independents. 2. President Hoover “took a hand” in the Thatcher case,, as was evidenced by his letters to me personally last April and July. 3. The country is predicated on equal opportunity as a basis of equality of men. Both prohibition and Big Mergers are on the down- hill. (Signed): F. J. REMBUSCH, National Secretary, LTnaffiliated Motion Picture Exhibitors of America. U. STARTS LAST PICTURE ON PROGRAM FOR ’29-’30 Universal’s 1929-30 program is completed except for finishing up pictures now in production, the last to start shooting being Mary No- lan’s “What Men Want.” New program will not be started until after a series of New York conferences, and no official an- nouncement as to its content has as yet been issued, though it is ex- pected to be “fewer and better.” Booth Tarkington’s “The Flirt” is tentatively set as the first on the new program. “CODE” TO CAST SOON Casting of “The Criminal Code,” which is planned for production at the Belasco here, won’t get active for a few days yet. Fred Sullivan, of the Jacobs and O’Brien offices, is doing the casting, but, it is un- derstood, will wait to see how many of the New York cast will come west for the Belasco show. Ar- thur Byron, who did the lead, is one, and perhaps his wife is an- other, with probably others also. Sullivan left Saturday night for an out-of-town business trip, but was due back this week. MOTHERS’ NIGHTS DENY VINE ST. STORY Stories printed in various publi- cations other than Inside Facts to the effect that Noel Madison was opening ‘‘Rope’s End” at the Vine Street without an Equity bond, were indignantly denied this week. Investigation proved that a cash bond had been duly posted a week before the opening date (next Mon- day), and alj other Equity rules complied with. The War Mothers are taking over the Hollywood Music Box for the nights of March 7 and 27, get- ting rid of the tickets for $2 and $3 a pair for the current offering, “Bill of Divorcement,” which will be on the boards for the first of these nights, and the next current bill on for the last one. Sponsors of the affair are advertising for people to telephone to leads fur- nished, working on a 20 per cent commission. If anyone wants the job they can phone WE 0820. 10 HI OAKLAND PALACE OAKLAND, March 5.—Publix has definitely put its finger into the Oakland theatre pie by leas- ing frontage on Broadway and announcing plans for the construc- tion of a $1,500,000 picture house. Site of the theatre is on Broad- way between Twentieth and Hob- art streets, a block north of the proposed Warner Brothers’ house and two blocks north of the Or- pheum. The house will seat 3500. The lease was made for 30 years and involves a total rental of $5,- 250,000. It will be about a year and a half before the house opens. At the present time Oakland has four first run downtown houses, two of them owned by Fox. One, the Oakland, does the city’s out- standing business on a policy of films and Fanchon and Marco Ideas. The other, the Fox T. & D., is on straight pictures, while the Vitaphone, an independent, and the Orpheum with pictures and five acts of RKO vaude, com- plete the list. Warner Brothers plan on entering Oakland soon, having but recently signed a lease for Broadway property midway between the present Orpheum and the site of Publix’s new house. Oakland is heavily overseated, the population of 350,000 finding over 40 houses quite enough. HIMELHOCH IS NAMED MANAGER OF COLISEUM SEATTLE, March 6. — Earl L. Crabb, divisional manager for Fox West Coast, this week announced the appointment of Dave Himel- hoch as manager of the Coliseum Theatre here. This is Himel- hoch’s first theatrical spot in Se- attle, although, before coming here many years ago he was affiliated with the show biz in Chicago. Himelhoch replaced H. C. Rober- ton, who returns to the divisional offices in an executive position, which he has been filling the past year in addition to managing the Coliseum. Himelhoch, who retires from the women’s apparel business to take over the helm of the Coli- seum, is also president of the Board of Theatre Censors. FRANCES SCULLY ILL Healy & Cross Talented Duo At RKO Theatre Healy and Cross, whose picture appears on page one of this issue of Inside Facts, are currently go- ing over to big returns at the RKO Theatre, Los Angeles. These two boys are a harmony duo, playing their own piano ac- companiments, and selling their songs and personalities for sure- fire entertainment value. A natu- ral for the talkies, being not only personable and talented but also possessed of extreme versatility. Healy and Cross have been a standard act on the RKO time for years, and have an immense following in all parts of the country. AGENT PROBE FAILS TO DEVELOP ANYTHING HOT Frances Scully, of the Catholic Motion Picture Guild staff, who has been ill, was expected back at her desk the latter part of this week or the first part of next. “MURDER” PAYS Cast of “The Latest Murder,” which closed at the Figueroa Play- house Saturday after a non- remunerative run, were paid up to within a comparatively small frac- tion of their last week’s salary early this week, with prospects of full payment before the week ended. The local office of the state la- bor bureau has written to various Hollywood picture agents calling their attention to the fact that the word “agency” must be used in all their advertising, letterheads, etc. Apart from that the much-bruited agency investigation doesn’t seem to be taking much form. The list of imposing picture names on the M. P. P. D. A. com- mittee of agency investigation has not caused much scare in Holly- wood, and general opinion is that the whole thing will be a white- wash, with maybe one or two un- influential agents offered up as goats to make the thing look hot. RUTH’S STARTING DATE Ruth Roland’s Sono-Art picture, “Reno,” from the Cornelius Van- derbilt novel, is tentatively set to start within four to five weeks, un- der direction of George J. Crone. It will follow immediately after completion of a Spanish language picture now in production. Regi- nald Denny’s first for Sono-Art, “His Dark Chapter,” has been com- pleted, with Denny signed for three more with the organization, and understood to be signed for four in a period of three years with M-G-M. DOROTHY’S COMEBACK Dorothy Phillips, who retired from pictures two years ago, is making a comeback in the talkies under the management of The Blanchards. She is understood to be about set for a nice part at one of the big studios. Dire prediction was made this week that unless some equitable adjustment is made between the two-reel comedy producers and those who release their product, this class of producers will soon join the Dodo Bird, Poverty Row and other bygone things. Informant claimed that no two- reel comedy maker could show any hefty returns on his books, and that most of the outgo and in- come statements would show about 90 per cent of the comedy pro- ductions written off as a loss. Hal Roach was said to be the two-reel producer who has the prettiest seat of them all. Roach, either by foresight or luck, had two good boxoffice draws under contract when the talkies broke, one being the team of Laurel and Hardy and the other Charley Chase. The Gang is reported to have lost considerable boxoffice ground since talk started. Because of the Laurel and Hardy name and the 'Chase draw, Roach is re- ported to have recently negotiated a new contract with M-G-M at a much more profitable percent- age than that formerly held by him. Sennett’s Color Mack Sennett is understood to be very much interested in a new color, process upon which he is working, and whether he means to give his main efforts to this henceforward is as good a guess one way as another. Christie is not yet set on his new program, having recently fin- ished up his old one. and the stu- dio now being inactive in this de- partment. He has not renewed his Paramount contract. He is going in for the making of industrial films, and also is reading manu- scripts for feature length product, with a general belief that he prob- ably will go in heavily for this on his next program, and probably to the complete exclusion of the two-reelers. But whether this will be the case is too early to be known yet, it was stated, as the next pictures he would ordinarily make would be for release as of August, with production not to start for a couple of months yet. Christie is about decided to make “Charley’s Aunt” as a talkie, it is reported. The plight of the two-reel mak- ers is due to the financial arrange- ments given them by their re- leasers, and not to any lack of boxoffice power in their product, it is claimed. How It Works “Say a two-reeler costs around $33,000, and they can’t be made for much less than $30,000 and be any good,” it was declared. “The higher costs are for good re- cording and for the better players which the talkies require. “Now this $33,000 two-reeler goes out on a program with a $200,000 feature. In the small houses the distributing organiza- tion divides the income from the two on a 75-25 per cent basis, which is very fair. But in the big first run houses, receipts are ap- portioned so that the two-reeler is only allotted 1/15 or 1/20 of the total. And at that figure, we can’t make money.” The two-reel producers are of the opinion that the big companies, if they seek to make their own, will turn out a far inferior prod- uct to that which those engaged solely in making this class of product are giving. But whether they will devise a fairer ratio of division, such as apportioning a feature so much a reel, and con- sidering the two-reeler as one- sixth of this figure, though at a discjunt for the lack of as big boxoffice in the names, is the crux: to the whole situation. “It’s just a question,” . it was stated, of whether the big com- panies give a darn about the class of their comedies.” M. B. PICKING UP WANTS INGENUE LEAD A. McCabe, who bought out Mur- phy’s interest in Murphy’s Come- dians while playing in Phoenix, Ariz., has sent instructions to his local representatives to find him an ingenue lead. Position not filled this midweek. Business at the Hollywood Mu- sic Box, where the Civic Reper- tory Theatre is holding forth, is said to be on the up-and-up. Sub- scriptions are reported coming in nicely, almost setting this house in the sure profit class if the present rate of pick-up continues. The start wasn’t so encouraging.