Inside facts of stage and screen (March 15, 1930)

SATURDAY, MARCH IS, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE FIVE EXHIBS LUKEWARM ABOUT COLOR PHIL 10 BELIEVE E ARE BIG EVENTS OF E Paramount’s “The Vagabond King” at the Paramount Theatre, and Fox’s first Grandeur, “Happy Days,” at the Carthay Circle, were the highlights of the past week at the picture house boxoffices. Paramount’s all-color spectacle, featuring the New York singer, Dennis King, sent the Paramount figures skyrocketing up to $42,000 on its first week, this being some $15,000 over average for the house. Milton Charles at the organ, and screen shorts were the support. “Happy Days” came through at the Carthay Circle to the tune of $23,593, virtually a double up on the average. Western Sells Fox’s Zane Grey western, “The Lone Star Ranger,” brought a throwback to silent day cowboy enthusiasm, totaling to an intake of $35,308, about $8000 over aver- age. A Fanchon and Marco stage show, featuring the New York beauty contest winners, and a much-ballyhood Laurel and Hardy three-reeler were the support. Radio Pictures’ “Sergeant Grischk” wasn’t so hot at the Or- pheum, doing a mediocre $12,500. Bob Hamilton at the organ and screen features were in support. Lawrence Tibbett’s voice still drew ’em to “The Rogue Song” at the Chinese, gross being $22,187. A stage show and screen support at this house. W. B. Houses Up Greta Garbo held the Criterion up to better than average in the last week of her run, nosing under the tape with $10,816 for her M- G-M picture, “Anna Christie.” Fox’s “Men Without Women” fol- lowed. Warner Brothers’ houses ran nicely but not sensationally, the second week of Winnie Lightner in “She Couldn’t Say No” bring- ing $19,000 to the downtown spot, and the second week of George Arliss in “The Green Goddess” doing $17,000 for the Hollywood Theatre. First figure is about $4000 up from average, and the latter is about $3000. Some Slumps “Condemned” went under the house average in its second week at the United Artists Theatre, garnering only $13,500. Columbia’s “Murder on the Roof” was also weak at the RKO, pulling a light $13,700. The Boulevard continued the slump it has hit in the last couple of weeks, being way down to $6930 with “The Woman Racket” and a stage show. This house seems to have hit a sudden fit of the doldrums after spurting up for several months previously. PAR SEEKING PLAYERS FOR SPANISH STOCK Paramount is making camera tests of potential members of a Spanish stock group. The second of its Spanish lan- guage pictures will be “The Ben- son Murder Case,” to start shoot- ing in a few days. Cast will in- clude Antonio Moreno, Barry Norton, Ramon Peredo, Vicente Padula, Carlos Villar, Andre de Segurola, Maria Alba and Marie Micelli. Cyril Gardner and A. W. Pezet are co-directors. EDDIE KAY Extemporaneous Master of Ceremonies Coffee Dan’s Los Angeles 14th WEEK Visitors Last Week: Desmond Roberts and Party from “Journey’s End” Co. and some of the boys from “Rope’s End” Co. I Thank You—Eddie Kay Eva Mandell Eva Mandell is featured in Fanchon and Marco’s “Changes Idea,” which opened at Loew’s State, Los Angeles, this week. She comes from New York, toured the RKO circuit and has been featured over every major radio station in New York and Chicago. Eva works after the manner of Sophie Tucker and Winnie Lightner and would be a buy for talking pictures. Her accompanist at the piano is Dave De Winter. PICTURES COMING (Continued from Page 1) ducers, it is declared, the inde- pendents such as Universal, Tif- fany, Columbia and lesser ones seeing its benefits as well as the Hays group. Another angle which many see as boosting the boom is the fact that William Fox apparently is going to get out of the financial tangle which for a while threatened his presidency of the Fox studios and theatres. His Bancamerica plan for refinancing won an over- whelming vote from the stock- holders of both corporations, ap- parently keeping Fox in the field as the major independent of the industry’s history. One opinion around the exec offices of the stu- dios has been that if Fox were forced out the American Tele- graph and Telephone Company would establish a monopoly of the American film business, and competitive production would be- come a thing of the past. This, it was pointed out, would mean the industry would settle into a definite business routine which would eliminate that spirit of gamble and gold-seeking which has been the life-blood of show- dom from time immemorial. All in all the spirit around the executive offices was decidedly optimistic this week, with a gen- eral expression being that the in- dustry was currently high-gearing itself for the rpost stupendous year of production ever seen. CHANGE IN STAFF Eddie Meredith and Grace Meredith are no longer con- nected with Inside Facts in any capacity. Singers’ War Has Echo in Ads in Papers The war of the premier screen singer was on this week, with Lawrence Tibbett the M-G-M en- try, and Dennis King the Para- mount fav. Paramount led off with “Para- mount Proudly Presents” in their newspaper ads for King’s “The Vagabond King.” Alongside of this ad, M-G-M spotted an ad twice as big, and with type that couldn’t be missed: “And they still prefer Lawrence Tibbett in ‘The Rogue Song’ at Grauman’s Chinese.” LEGIT PRODUCING AT GOOD STRIDE (Continued from Page 1) the Curran, San Francisco. Sev- en of the New York cast and 15 local castings will be the roster. “Among the Married,” which Dudley Ayres is planning to pro- duce, to break in at Long Beach, then play the Curran, San Fran- cisco, and follow with a run in Los Angeles. “The Nut Farm,” which Emer- son Treachy, who had the com- edy lead in the production of it which recently closed at the Vine Street, plans to put on the road. Others in Consideration “Slapstick,” now in rehearsal at the Egan for opening at that house about March 24. In addition to these, several others are in a tentative phase of consideration, with finances not set as yet. Stories concerning the various offerings listed above will be found elsewhere in this issue. TREAGY MAT PUT Emerson Treacy may organize a road show company to exploit “The Nut Farm” along the Pa- cific Coast. “The Nut Farm,” a farce of Hol- lywood life, was produced at the Vine Street Theatre, Hollywood, last month, written and directed by John C. Brownell. The run was successful. Treacy had the leading role. DANCING UNITS Specialization in unit dance groups designed for picture studio work is a new department of the Smaroff-Trask Creations, where training includes jazz, oriental and classic. This is in addition to presentation, vaude, club and spe- cial dates. Despite the enthusiasm of Hol- lywood for color in films, a slice of opinion among exhibitors and exchange men reveals a lukewarm appreciation of any advantages that color may have. Their objections were stated as follows: Color film has emulsion on both sides and consequently demands extremely careful handling. Dam- aged color film can only be re- placed at a cost five times as much as the black and white. Box-office value of color seems negligible and it heightens the possibility of poor projection and a spoiled performance. Only the best projection equipment can place the color on the screen sat- isfactorily. The images to be pierced by the light rays are dens- er, as well as being on both sides of the film instead of just one, as in the black and white. Projection problems!* already complicated by the sound and talk, are doubled when color is used, and when in many cases indiffer- ent and inconstant sound gets by because the pictures are clear and can be fairly well followed, when projection through color is poor the result is a failure. According to exhibitors, so far as they have been able to judge up to now the use of color has not attracted more money to the boxoffice. Even good color will not sell a picture if the entertain- ment is not to full value, and if entertainment value is up to snuff the picture will draw with or without color. The greatly increased cost of production occasioned by the use of color does not enter into the exhibitor’s problem because the pictures using it are specials, which play on a percentage ba- sis and do not affect rental costs. To use or not to use color, there- fore, is purely a production angle, and so far public reaction has not seemed to support the enthusiasm of many producers for the luxury of color. Hardly ever a comedy picture, whether feature or ‘short,’ that doesn’t select anywhere from one to a dozen jokes and gags out of MADI- SON’S BUDGET. The author of MADISON’S BUDGET is now located in Hollywood, and al- though Thanksgiving Day is a long way off, is ready to talk ‘turkey’ to some big motion pic- ture concern that desires a writer who really knows his laughs. So DIAL for DIALogue and other comedy require- ments to JAMES MAD- ISON. ORegon 9407, the addreru being 465 South Detroit St., Los Angeles SIuAlRiLE wallace Always Busy Developing Dancing Stars but Never Too Busy to Create and Produce Original DANCE ROUTINES and REVUES That Sell Belmont Theatre Bldg., First and Vermont Phone Exposition 1196 Los Angeles, Calif. SxBUb MURRAY K\ SCHOOL/^STA&E Associates Gladys Murray Lafe Page 3636 BEVERLY BLVD. — Los Angeles — Tel. DU. 6721 PRACTICAL STAGE TRAINING STAGE TAP DANCING (In All Its Branches) BALLET Technique! By SIGNOR G. V. ROSl SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Mr. Lon Murray is no longer associated with this school BUD MURRAY, Principal