Inside facts of stage and screen (March 29, 1930)

PRICE 10 CENTS Only Theatrical Newspaper on the Pacific Coast RADIO MUSIC ESTABLISHED 1924 EDITED BY JACK JOSEPHS Vol. XI Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927, at Post- office, Los Angeles, Calif., under Act of March 3, 1879. Saturdav. March 29. 1930 Published Every Saturday at 800-801 Warner Bros. Down- 9 town Building, 401 West Seventh St., Los Angeles, Calif. No. 13 AGENTS CHARGE GENERAL PAY-CUT IS AIM OF PROBE SEE BARRIER SET TO START Reports that a new major pic- ture producing company, with Winfield Sheehan at its head, would be formed immediately if William Fox wins the battle now raging in New York courts over the Fox properties, were current . this week. The rumors which, of course, had no official confirmation, de- clared that the new organization would be financed by Halsey, Stu- art and Company of New York and the Western Electric Corpora- tion. It was stated the plans included buying in one of the present pro- ducing companies located here, and that negotiations already had been tentatively started to acquire the Shubert houses as the nucleus for a nationwide producer-controlled release. There are slightly over 100 houses in the Shubert chain. The story was to the effect that such an organization had been guaranteed to Sheehan and to oth- ers prominent in the Fox business enterprises before they came out for the Halsey, Stuart plan of re- organization of the Fox companies, which is the plan which Fox claims would force him out of the companies he has established. Fox is trying to re-establish his former untrammeled hold on the Fox properties through a financing plan backed by Bancamerica-Blair. Was a Surprise Sheehan, John Zanft, head of the Fox Theatres, James Grainger, head of the Fox Film Exchanges, and Sol Wurtzel, head of the Fox Studios, came out in favor of the Halsey, Stuart plan on the grounds that the financial scheme advanced by this banking concern was the only one possible to give adequate protection to the stockholders. Fox, on the other hand, declares this plan has for one major ob- jective his own overthrow, with Halsey, Stuart and the W. E. be- coming the dominant factors in the Fox enterprises. Announcement by the Sheehan group of its adherence to the Halsey plan came as a surprise, due to their long connection with Fox in posts of honor and remun- eration. It was deemed virtually certain that, should Fox win out, changes would be made, due to this declamation. W. B. Rumor If the Halsey, Stuart plan wins, it is understood the group will all (Continued on Page 2) BARBARA BEDFORD Featured In “Philadelphia” Vine Street Theatre, Hollywood MOTHER-SON PLAY During the run of “Sarah and Son” at the Paramount, the man- agement made a tie-up whereby every mother and son who attend- ed got a coupon entitling them to a free photograph by a local stu- dio. CLUB OPENS APRIL 23 Opening of George Olsen’s night club at the Plantation has been set for April 23. Olsen’s band and a stage revue will be featured, with approximately 30 in the show. Seating capacity will be over 500, under renovations now being made, it is stated. HAVE SHOW RIGHTS James Norval and Harry Staf- ford are understood to have ob- tained the coast rights to “The Strawberry Blonde,” which was produced on Broadway under the Schubert auspices, and to be look- ing for a backer for same. While the producer-sponsors of the move are proclaiming it a ne- cessity to protect the Hollywood film players, certain of the personal representatives charged this week that .the whole so-called agent in- vestigation is a shield behind which the producers are planning a general lowering of wages in the film industry. Their contention is, that they being trained business men, can obtain for the artists salaries pro- portionate to the returns they bring into the studios either by name draw or quality of service, but that an individual unskilled in business ways cannot possibly do this in an industry which has such devious business methods as has the picture game. They said that one decision of the investigating committee which is almost certain to be made is a general barring of agents from the studios. This, they declared, would be enough of a lever to beat down wages all along the line. The check now, they stated, is the fact that a direct approach to a director or other person interested in the biggest possible success for a picture will induce him to take the person best able to do the part, no matter if such person’s, salary is more than those of other- less proficient ones in the same- class. But other studio execs, not: vitally interested in the success of any one picture so much as in a general economic operation of the- studio, will be inclined to cut costs, on pictures even with lesser qual- ity being the result. Opinion Differs This, they said, added to the admitted general inability of the artistic temperament to get the maximum from business transac- tions without outside help, would! make a gradual and individual re- duction in salaries possible with. Hollywood scarcely realizing what was taking place. The new five- year non-strike basic agreement makes the setting perfect, accord- ing to this slice of agent opinion. Another group of agents takes an entirely different view. Thev feel that the probe is solely for the _ purpose of purging the pro- fession of certain of the brother- hood inclined to business legerde- main, and that such a step will spell a long life to the business in (Continued on Page 2) YOU’LL SEE IT IN FACTS