Inside facts of stage and screen (March 22, 1930)

SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE FIVE CHAINS TO DROP SMALL HOUSES cam office AYRES PRODUCTION TO START RUN MARCH 30 Dudley Ayres’ production of “Among the Married,” the show which Edward Everett Horton put sun put IZE' AT HEADQUARTERS OPENED BY CONGO PICTURES Headquarters of Congo Pictures, Ltd., formerly in Mombasa, British TTncf Afrira Tin vp hppti transferred t S. I. c. E 10 ALLOW PROFIT The big picture companies are finding little profit in many of their smaller houses, and probably will attempt to unload them to independent exhibitors. Many of the houses are showing constant red, it is said, and the chain system of doing business, with charges against the house of a proportion of the big central office overhead, is not such as can put them on the right side of the ledger again. It is believed, how- ever, that inde managers, giving their personal attention to the houses, and without the central office overhead, would do so, and thus make the situation profitable to all concerned, as film rentals to the house would then be clear profit. The first talkie rush by the big producer organizations to grab up all independent houses of any rat- ing whatsoever is now definitely declining, and it is doubtful if the houses will have any market at all within a short time. Reaction to the policy may re- sult in a revival of Hollywood in- dependent picture producing to some extent, though the greater hazard of talkie making is hardly likely to revive it to any degree comparable to the halcyon days of Poverty Row and its kindred spots. NEW FRANKLYN SHOW Franklyn Productions, of which Franklyn Warner is the head, pro- ducers of “Oh, Susanna!” are planning an original dramatic pro- duction for the Mayan Theatre, to open in about four weeks. Re- hearsals are slated to begin in about ten days. No names have been designated as yet, either for the play, director or cast. over for excellent boxofifice as his Majestic closer, is declared to be definitely set to open either here or in San Francisco March 30, though negotiations for houses in either city have not been closed as yet. Charles King is manager and di- rector, and the cast includes Ayres, Robert Frazer, Alma Tell, Miami Alverez, Howard Russell and Vir- ginia Thornton. 400 AT GUILD MEET An attendance of some 400 turned out for the annual St. Pat- rick’s day meeting of the Catho- lic Motion Picture Guild held in the K. C. Hall, Hollywood. Johnny Hines, m. c.’ing the show, had an exceptional stock of wares to of- fer, and turned the trick for a nifty. Included on the program were Walter Catlett; Margaret Warren, who did Irish songs; Frank Richardson, who balladed “Mona” and “Without a Song”; George McFarland; Beverly Hill and Roscoe Ates in a sketch, and Tommy Clifford, billed as “an Irish youngster.” Maureen O’Sullivan was hostess. OPERA SINGER ARRIVES Grace Moore, opera singer, has arrived in Hollywood to make a motion picture for Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer, based on a story suggested by the life of Jenny Lind. Sidney Franklin will direct. SUPPORTING SHEARER Raymond Hackett has been cast in support of Norma Shearer in “Let Us Be Gay,” which Robert Z. Leonard is directing for Metro- Goldwyn-Maver. Rod La Rocque is opposite Miss Shearer. Others in the cast are Marie Dressier, Hedda Hopper, Sally Ellers, Tyr- rell Davis and Gilbert Emory. Representing a $50,000 invest- ment before the first curtain goes up, Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians open in “Rah, Rah Daze” at the Mason Tuesday. Plans are to play the show here, and maybe also a run in San Francisco, as the only coast dates. If it gets over, it will jump straight back to Chicago for a. summer run. The entire production will be shipped except the 36 ensemble girls, recasting of this section of the show to be made in Chicago before the opening there. Players under contract to War- ing include the Three Girl Friends; Dorothy Lee, an RKO picture player who is doubling into the show; Evelyn Nair and Jack White, comedian. Fred Waring, who gets a salary of $6500 a week for himself and his gang, has had several picture offers at that figure, but he turned them all down in favor of his “Rah, Rah Daze” production, pre- dicting it to be a knockout. The entire show is original, and on the revue pattern. $2,000,000 RKO JOBS Contracts aggregating $2,000,000 for new work at the Radio Pic- tures studios have been awarded, with work to start at once and last into the summer. This will bring the total change-over costs from the old F. B. O. plant to ap- proximately $6,000,000. Structures to be built include two new stages, a four-story dressing room build- ing, and new properties and still camera departments. KAYE LEAVING L. A. Eddie Kaye is leaving Coffee Dan’s here to open at the Tavern, Salt Lake City, next week. A special /‘Coffee Dan Nite” will be a weekly feature at Eddie’s new spot. to Hollvwood. Executives are Nat H. Spitzer, president, in charge of production; William Alexander, vice-president and general sales manager; Harold D. Smith, direc- tor and treasurer, and William 9 S. Campbell, secretary knd supervisor of production. The first offering is “Ingagi” (Gorilla), which had its world pre- miere at the Spreckels Theatre in San Diego early this month. It is a record of Sir Hubert Winstead’s expedition to Africa to locate a na- tive tribe said to consort with gorillas. Further expeditions to Africa are now under way, and a South Sea expedition is being projected to search for the “missing link,” and other scientific thrills. “FOLLOW THRU” CASTING Paramount is now concentrat- ing a deal of attention on their film version of Schwab and Man- debs stage success, “Follow Thru.” Production is to start late this month. Nancy Carroll and Buddy Rogers have the leads, with sec- ond romantic leads to be played by Margaret Lee and Don Tom- kins, creators of the parts in the original New York production. Zelma O’Neal and Jack Haley, also of the original, will redo their comedy leads, and Thelma Todd has been signed for a supporting part. RAY SMITH LEAVING Ray Smith, head of the William Miller Productions art department, is planning to leave for Honolulu, where he will look after some of Miller’s interests in the Hawaiian Islands. CHANGE TITLE “New Boy” is the new title for the Warner Brothers special for- merly called “A Woman’s Game.” Roger W. Powers has bought out C. C. Spicer’s interest in the Playhouse, Salt Lake City, and opens Sunday, March 23, with practically the same company. It is understood that he intends to replace General Manager Clog- ston. The only changes contemplated in the cast are understood to be new leads, with Beh Erway and Gladys George getting the berths. Powers may follow the stock star system for the last couple of weeks of his season, when the star competition is keen in S. L. C. The lease purchased by Powers from Spicer has six and a half years to run. Powers was a visitor in Los An- geles the early part of the week. NEXT CADDO NOT SET Whether Howard Hughes, pres- ident of Caddo Productions, will do “The Front Page” as his next picture is not definitely determined as yet. He is too busy with pre- miering and releasing “Hell’s An- gels” at present to be otherwise interested, it ws stated. Hughes has several stone' up for consid- eration, ‘The Front Page” in- cluded. ‘ANGELS’ PREMIERE SET “Hell’s Angels,” Howard Hughes’ air story which required three years, more or less, to make, is definitely booked to have its world premiere at the Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, April 19. CUNNINGHAM ILL George Cunningham, dance di- rector, is confined to his room at the Ritz Hotel by illness. STARTS BIG '"HOLDS EVERYTHING AND COMES BACK STRONGER THAN EVER! SECOND WEEK OF EDDIE PEABODY AT LOEW’S STATE Found the Ace of Banjoys GOING COMING AND GETTING BIGGER — FASTER — BETTER THE LATCHSTRING OF POPULAR APPROVAL ALWAYS HANGS OUT ON THE RETURN OF EDDIE PEABODY Exclusive Management—MRS. EDDIE PEABODY