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

PAGE TWO INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1930 ORDER RUSH FOR $3750 WIRING LEGIT BDXOFFICES UP WITH RECORD FIGURES EXPECTED With the Albertson-Macloon pro- duction of “New Moon” holding its own and the Civic Repertory’ and Vine Street showing lots of health, Lent does not seem to be making much of an impression on Los An- geles’ legitimate theatre boxoffices. All houses are up to or better than average, with the Biltmore promis- ing a new high figure for this year so far. The current Biltmore offering, “The Perfect Alibi,” starring Madge Kennedy, opened big and a gross of $20,000 is expected from the one week engagement. “Rope’s End,” William E. Smith’s production at the Vine Street, gained strength and garnered $8100, away over the average of $5328 for the first quarter of the year. This show closes Saturday night, with Andy Wright’s production of “Phil- adelphia” to follow Sunday for a scheduled three weeks’ run, to be in turn followed by Dudley Ayres’ staging of “Among the Married.” $4500 at M. B. The Hollywood Music Box grossed $4500 for the second week of “The Romantic Young Lady” by the Civic Repertory Players, Ian Mac- Laren featured. This is $500 bet- ter than the previous week and a consistent gain. This show closes Sunday night, and “The Hero” will follow, featuring Grant Mitchell. “Your Uncle Dudley” held strong- ly through its second week at Hen- ry Duffy’s President to the tune of $5800. The average for this house since the first of the year is $5450. This Taylor Holmes ve- hicle is to carry on indefinitely. At the Duffy Playhouse in Hol- lywood, May Robson drew $4500 with “Helena’s Boys,” seven cen- tury notes better than the gross for the week previous, but not quite as good as expected. Heming Does $5500 Violet Heming and “Let Us Be Gay” drew $5500 to the El Capitan for its third week, a good showing and very close to average. This bill closes Saturday night, followed on Sunday by “Broken Dishes,” featuring Percy Pollock and Grace Stafford. The Belasco is casting “The Criminal Code” and the Mayan is still figuring on a Franklyn War- ner production, with nothing defi- nite set. The Figueroa, Actors, and Egan are dark, with no im- mediate prospects. At the Mason, Fred Waring and Elis Pennsylvanians opened Tues- day night in “Rah Rah Daze” to a big send-off and a healthy gross is expected. Waring’s shows' have al- ways hit in Los Angeles, and this bids to be no exception. MAY DO WRIGHT’S Sol Lessor may do Harold Bell Wright’s “Eyes of the World” in talk as one of the Henry King productions of Inspiration. Henry Henigson, formerly with Univer- sal, has joined the Lessor forces, and it is thought he may super- vise the Wright filmization. “Eyes of the World” was made by Clune as a silent about a dozen years ago, shot at the Clune studios, which have since become the Tec-Art studios, where Inspiration has its headquarters. DAN’S GREETER Syd Ray has taken over the role of greeter for Coffee Dan’s since Eddie Kay’s departure for Salt Lake City. Syd comes here from Luigui’s in Detroit and the Ren- dezvous, Chicago, and was most recently at Coffee Dan’s in Den- ver. His specialty is hoke comedy. DIRECTOR HERE Hugh Simonton, who played comedy leads with the Coburns, and then was director of the Em- pire Playhouse in Toronto, Can- ada, for two years, has arrived in Hollywood under management of The Blanchards. He is seeking picture direction assignments, hav- ing directed pictures in England prior to his work with the Co- burns. Two Theatre Records Fall MILLION DOLLAR RETURNS TO IDE A vaude and picture policy was put into effect at the Million Dol- lar Theatre, Los Angeles, begin- ning March 27. Acts have been booked for four weeks ahead, and after that depends upon the public response. For the opening bill S. M. Laz- arus booked the Three Freehands, George Yeoman, Noodles Fagan, Sonia and “Revue Internationale,” Hadji Ali and the original Empire Four. In the pit is to be a seven-piece orchestra under Ronald Phillips, formerly at the Hillstreet. The screen opus is Nancy Car- roll’s “Dangerous Paradise.” ACENflCHARGE OP PAY-GUT PLAN (Continued from Page 1) general. And this is the purpose of the probe as set forth by the investigating committee. The com- mittee has also announced that all legitimate representatives will be given franchises, to which the lat- ter group points as additional proof. But the former group, which is as well, and perhaps bet- ter thought of man for man than the former, answers, “Yes, but what good is a franchise if the representative won’t have any chance to further the interests of his client?” Licenses Due Attempts thus far to organize the agents in a stand upon the whole matter have proved unavail- ing, but a demand for such action is widespread and other attempts to bring about such a union may be expected within the next couple of weeks. Another point which the agents make is that it is just too bad that the new franchising isn’t to be an- nounced before the first of April. Licenses become due then at a cost per agency of about $250, all items totalled. MAJOni CD. READY TO START (Continued from Page 1) be retained in their present posts, or else be given advancement. But, so the story goes, their endorse- ment of the plan was not made until the W. E. people had stated their definite determination to get actively in the producing and ex- hibition end of pictures in any event, with promises of good posi- tions for all the big Fox officials. One story had it that the W. E. has its eye on Warner Brothers, and will attempt to buy that pro- ducing and exhibition organization if they fail to enter through ac- quirement of domination of Fox. But this was by no means definite insofar as any negotiations were known to have taken place. Fur- thermore. another rumor this week declared the long-reported Para- mount-Warner merger was near- ing completion, with a new chain of houses to be purchased as part of an enlargement schedule. PAT DOWLING MANAGER Pat Dowling has been appointed to the general management of the Industrial Picture Department of Metropolitan Sound Studios, a newly organized service for the filming of all kinds of business and commercial talking pictures. Dowling was associated with the Christie Film Company for eleven years as publicity and sales di- rector. Others connected with the new department will be Curtis L. Meik, as production manager, and in charge of recording R. S. Clay- ton and A. M. Granich, Western Electric engineers. Atmosphere Is Almost Cause Of Disaster SEATTLE, arch 27.'—Animals have been known to have an ear for music, but it remained for the goat here last week with Fanchon and Marco’s “Peasant Idea” at the Fifth Avenue to develop a taste for the rhythmical arts. The beast, as the victim of the animal’s childish prank termed him, while idling on the stage as atmos- phere for the show, stood close to the band’s cello player, and not having anything else to do, and obviously desirous of indulging in a moment of gastronomical calis- thenics, proceeded to devour the entire stock of sheet music resting on the musicians’ stand. SPANISH TALKIES GET L. A, BREAK Taking the house on a twelve weeks’ contract with options for renewal, Tom White is opening the first of a series of foreign-language pictures at the California Theatre, Eighth and Main, Saturday. First night is to be a gala one, bright lights, chauffeured limosines and all the rest of it, with a large delegation from Hollywood due to be present. White has been a promnient figure in the picture in- dustry for years, and the cinema is to be out in force to give him a good send-off. In addition to the regular fea- ture, the house on the opening night will have the world premiere of Laurel and Hardy’s first Span- ish-language picture, a four-reeler. The feature picture for the week will be "La Rosa De Fuego,” a seven-reeler produced by White at his Monrovia studios. Don Alva- rado,. Rene Torres and Emanuel Martine arez featured. Four more Spanish pictures will be shown on the succeeding weeks, and then a talkie imported from Germany will be put on. Follow- ing this there will be a Japanese- language picture. This and all the Spanish pictures are Tom White productions. His program is for 12 to be released to the foreign markets, seven are yet to be done, with four completed and one now finishing. They will be road- showed through Mexico and other Spanish-language territory. Prices for the California, after the opening night, will be 65, 50 and 35. Opening night scale will be $2, $1.75 and $1.50. STORIES CONFLICT ON SAWTELLE CLUB RAID Conflicting stories emanated this week on the raid a week ago Sat- urday on a club-booked show in Sawtelle. Reports from the victims said their clothes were being held, and consequently they couldn’t go to work on other dates. They also said that one of the girls, a singer who always is dressed in long skirts and completely modest cos- tume, was at first booked on a “vag lewd” charge, while, ap- parently because this was a mis- take, the others were charged with participating in an indecent per- formance. The police station, however, re- ported that all were booked on the vag lewd charge, which includes the charge of participating in an indecent performance. Police authorities also admitted that the show was no worse than some running unmolested and pub- licly in Los Angeles theatres, and didn’t know just why the Sawtelle raid should be made when raids were not made on the others. Trial is set for April 9. RE-SIGN JOE JACKSON Joseph Jackson, writer who has been under contract at Warner Brothers for the past three years, has just signed another long-term contract with them. Two records went smash in the current picture house business period, but apart from that the intake checkup was of a decidedly mediocre nature.' Maurice Chevalier’s Paramount picture, “The Love Parade,” was hot at the Egyptian, Hollywood, to the tune of $15,192, a new house record for the current year. Previous high was $12,961 regis- tered by Harold Lloyd’s “Welcome Danger.” and average is $11,384. The other record was made by Warner Brothers’ “Hold Every- thing” at Warner Brothers’ Hol- lywood Theatre. The high for this spot since the first of the year is a $31.000-week done by “Sally,” and the all-color “Hold Everything” ran up a to- tal of $25,000 in its first four days, gala opening night included. Win- nie Lightner, Joe E. Brown, Georges Carpentier and Sally O’Neil head the cast, but the real draw came from the rave given the laugh elements of the picture by local daily press. They spread it. “Hold Everything” came into the house to buck up the boxoffice after two very poor weeks done respectively by Edward Everett Horton in ‘Wide Open” ($16,100) and Billie Dove in “The Other Tomorrow” ($14,500). One of the neighborhood houses, the Boulevard, did another surprise for the period by failing to get good business with Greta Garbo’s first talkie, “Anna Christie,” con- sidered one of the boxoffice nat- urals for the year. In the past few weeks this house has hit a spell of the doldrums from which nothing seems to jerk it, not even a Garbo. With the average of $8131 run up since the first of the year, bv good boxoffices earlier in the season, “Christie” fell down to the tune of a mere $7586, less than $2000 better than the low for the year. Warner Brothers’ second all- color film on display, “Song of the West,” hit the skids on its second week at the W. B. Down- town house, taking some $4000 less than house average to a total of $18,900. The first week had been good. Harry Richman’s first talkie, “Putting on the Ritz” (U. A.), went way down on its second week, following a first week that also fell below average and which was way off for an opener. Harry could only draw $13,000 in the second stanza, which is just $1000 better than the lowest week of the year, and almost $6000 under house average. The Paramount and Loew’s State ran just ahead at normal. Elinor Glyn’s “Such Men Are Dangerous,” Fox picture with Warner Baxter and Catherine Dale Owen, pulled in $32,084, slightly under house average. Fanchon and Marco’s “Changes Idea” was the stage support. Paramount’s “Sarah and Son,” with the cast headed by Ruth Chatterton and Frederic March, brought an intake of $29,800 to the Paramount Theatre. The lucrative run of Lawrence Tibbett in “The Rogue Song” was beginning to fade at the Chinese, with the register showing $15,292 for six days. This is some $8500 under the average for 1930. ‘Happy Days,” Fox Grandeur, still held up well at the Carthay Circle, doing $15,164 on six days. Fox’s “Men Without Women” slightly overstayed its welcome at the Criterion, getting the figure of $9055 in its second week, not bad but still not good. The second week of “Rio Rita” at the Orpheum saw the boxoffice at about the normal figure of $17,- 000 . DOUG’S NEXT Douglas Fairbanks’ next picture is to be an early day California story taken from the historical character of the bandit, Murietta. The story is by Elton Thomas (Douglas Fairbanks) and the dia- logue is being prepared by Porter Emerson Browne and James Warner Bellah. , F, STORY BRNGS QUICK RESPONSE FROM EXHIBITORS The new Western Electric sound equipment for small theatres, ex- clusively announced b y Inside Facts last week for the first time, is to be an immediate actuality. The need for this type of installa- tion is instanced by the receipt by Western Electric of 500 orders from various parts of the country immediately following publication of the story. The new equipment provides sound for theatres up to a thou- sand seats, at a price of $3750. Installation can be had by any exhibitor on practically his own terms, W. E. not needing the cash and being principally interested in getting more theatres opened and having them continue in operation. The increased business resulting from talkies projected on high grade equipment, the company feels, will easily take care of the cost of installation, and the chief concern of the credit department will lie in the seriousness of the intentions of the exhibitor. The manufacture and installation of these new units will call for a huge expansion of facilities. It is understood there are now some- thing like 1500 unfilled contracts for major equipment on hand by W. E. and the flood of orders for the new small unit will have to be taken care of promptly or defeat the purpose. In the restricted territory of Southern California and Arizona alone, 125 theatres are dark be- cause of lack of a sound equip- ment that can be handled finan- cially and yet deliver results. An- other interesting feature develops in the fact that in foreign settle- ments 35 theatres are dark await- ing Spanish talkies. CIVIC REPERTDRY MEETING CALLED The Civic Repertory players have met with such success in their productions at the Hollywood Mu- sic Box that a civie campaign is to be launched to make the enter- prise a permanent institution, the same as it is in other leading cities of the country. The boxoffice returns have shown a heavy increase week by week, encouraging the sponsors to the point where a meeting of 75 civic leaders of the city has been called to give the movement sanc- tion and permanence. Following “The Romantic Young Lady” now current, which is scheduled to close March 31, “The Hero” will be produced with Grant Mitchell, who originated the part in New York, in the title role. It will run two weeks, followed by Rudolf Schildkraut in “The Imag- inary Invalid.” Schildkraut has played his original role in this ve- hicle in French and German, and for the Hollywood production will use English. PAT HENDERSON SAILS Patricia Henderson, of the local Equity office, is sailing Thursday aboard the SS. Sierra for Australia for a visit of several months with her parents, who live there. Jane Leigh has taken her place in the Equity office during her absence. IS U. ASSOCIATE Albert DeMond has been made an associate producer at Universal. He has been with U. for three years as title and dialogue writer. HORSLEYS IN S. F. SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— Arthur and William Horsley, heads of the Horsley Film Laboratories, Hollywood, were here last week on a short vacation trip. IN WALSH FILM David Rollins has been cast by Raoul Walsh for a role in his Fox picture, “The Oregon Trail:”