Inside facts of stage and screen (September 13, 1930)

PAGE SIX INSIDE FACJS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SEPT. 13, 1930 Published Every Saturday One Year - - - - - $4.00 Foreign - $5.00 Advertising Rates on Application Established 1924 As a weekly publication: Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927 at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. 1 g ^|!^>2 Published by Inside Facts Publishing Company, Inc. 800-801 Warner Bros. Downtown Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. Telephone TUcker 7832 JACK JOSEPHS President and Editor ARTHUR WM. GREEN - Vice Pres, and Counsel JEAN ARMAND - - - General Manager LOU JACOBS Associate Editor Vol. XII Saturday, September 13 No. 11 RIDE PROSPERITY BAND WAGON There have been all kinds of weeks tried to stimulate busi- ness in the motion pictures. We have had Greater Movie Week, Greater Talkie Week and weeks for Greater what-have- yous. They have accomplished nothing constructive. Perhaps a special feature or so have been exhibited during the advertised period, after which the movies dropped back into the same old slush channel. A Greater Week that marks a definite advance in the indus- try that is to be maintained and recognized as the LOW stand- ard for the rest of the year might be epochal but has not yet come into existence. It remained for Jesse L. Lasky of Paramount Publix to suggest a week that IS a Week. He has announced a celebra- tion of PROSPERITY WEEK. That sounds like something. It is to be celebrated throughout the country from Oct.5 to 11. The psychology of Prosperity Week is optimistic, and can be made to spread throughout the town so that a general period of money circulating can be made a vogue, not limited to a few theatres. The great barometer of a prosperous era is the theatre. It is the first to feel a depression, and the first to s'ense a recovery of good times. Prosperity in the theatre reflects throughout all business. The reason is because the theatre is not a credit institution. It handles and places in circulation vast sums of CASH daily. If has no frozen assets. It buys for cash and pays in cash. There is no dead stock nor idle capital investment waiting for buyers to make a turnover. Its debts are incurred and paid weekly. Most all lines of endeavor are the beneficiaries of a success- ful theatre. At the very announcement that a theatre is to be built, real estate immediately takes an advance and brisk trad- ing induces other owners to build close by, thus inaugurating an era of prosperity for the neighborhood. When the theatre is completed, the hardware men, the fur- niture dealers, the carpet and drapery firms, electrical fixture people, electrical sign men, printers, sign painters, advertising firms, paint dealers, plumbers, decorators, newspapers, cloth- iers who make uniforms for ushers and attendants, and many other lines of business are immediately the recipients of large orders of merchandise. When the house is opened, some two hundred or more employees are put to work. This means big profits for the nearby eating places, candy shops, drug stores etc., whose orders to supply this demand are far reaching arms of prosperity. If a presentation is on the bill, there are the costumers with their profits from ornaments and designs and the necessary dry goods, the shoes and stockings for stage and street wear, the settings for the stage, and goods and lumber for making scenery and properties. This is a weekly expenditure aud does not take into con- sideration the money paid for film rental. A successful theatre costs from $10,000 to $15,000 a week to operate, which is a lot of money for one institution to keep moving. What other line of endeavor can show such a dissemination of cash and currency weekly from a single unit? It is the duty of every theatre manager to get back of Para- mount Publix’ Prosperity Weew, and show these facts to the local papers that the merchants might become conversant with what their theatre means to their community. A successful theatre is a reflection of prosperity. It is a symbol of progres- sive sectionalism, and the lay people should be made to realize it. There never was a live town whose theatre was a liability; there cannot be a sick theatre in a going community. Let’s all get back of Prosperity Week. DOUG, REVIVE OLD CLASSICS! George Arliss is going to do “The Devil”. This brings up the suggestion that a great subject for a talkie would be Goethe’s “Faust,” done many years ago very successfully as a stage play by the late Louis Morrison. “Faust” is a great drama, with a wealth of romantic material and much scenic possibility. The brocken scene would offer many possibilities for unique screen and color setting. And what a role Mephistopheles would be for Douglas Fairbanks. What opportunities for his fanciful leaping and unique acting. It is a great part for a great actor and would afford Fairbanks as much, if not more, chance to add to his glory as did “The Thief of Bagdad.” And speaking of “The Thief,” why not make a talkie out of that? Its about due for a revival anyway, and the success of the synchronized and sounded “Birth of a Nation” should lend encouragement to renew these old master-pieces. Stage plays are perennial, and some motion pictures are TEL-APHOI JAMES MADISON Short Shots At the News Margaret De Mille, daughter of William C. de Mille, and Bernard Finemen, M-G-M production exe- cutive, will be married within a week. The ceremony will be held in Arizona. * * * Paramount-Famous-Lasky Cor- poration and David R. Faries, exe- cutor of the late Fred Thompson, were defendents in a $64,000 breach of contract suit in Superior Judge K. S. Mahon’s court. The plain- tiffs are Jessie Estelle James and Jesse E. James, Jr., grand-daugh- ter and son, respectively, of the late notorious bandit. * * * Preliminary hearing of Edith Hig- gins, Joseph Marsh, and Forrest Easley, accused of stealing a script of the “Dawn Patrol” from Warner Bros., was postponed by Judge Dailey Stafford until September 25. * * * Platt Music Company celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary last week. Maurice Costello was freed of a $100,000 breach of promise suit filed by Vivienne Sengler, actress, who asked that the charge be dismissed. She may file a second suit, however. * * * HAMILTON, Ont. — Queen’s Theatre was wrecked by a bomb explosion. * * * Mary Fabian sued Everett Mar- shall and his wife, Carolina Segrera, demanding they pay her $300. * * * GARY, Ind.—William F. Brown, music publisher, was killed and Georgia Rogers, a dancer, was seriously injured when the auto in which they were driving was struck by a Pennsylvania passenger train. ALFRED NEWMAN TO TAKE CHARGE AT U. A. STUDIO Alfred Newman, recognized in the musical world as one of America’s most talented young conductors, has been appointed head of the music de- partment at United Artists studios, following recent resignation of Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld. Newman will conduct, score, and supervise whatever music is used in connection with a number of im- portant forthcoming productions. Among them will be “Reaching For the Moon,” starring Douglas Fairbanks, which Irving Berlin will produce; “Kiki,” Mary Pick- ford’s next starring vehicle; Sol Lesser’s production based on “The Dove,” co-starring Dolores Del Rio and Walter Huston; an A1 Jolson production, and a DeSylva-Brown- Henderson opus. He conducted the music for the Florenz Ziegfeld and Samuel Gold- wyn production, “Whoopee,” star- ring Eddie Cantor, and for Arthur Hammerstein’s production, “The Lottery Bride.” W. B. SUBSTITUTES “God’s Gift to Women,” will be substituted in place of “The Egg Crate Wallop” in the W. B. lineup. It is by Frederick Hazelitt Brennan, and recently appeared in Liberty Magazine. GALE IN TWO-REELER Roberta Gale, RKO Radio Pic- tures’ featured player, has been as- signed a part in “Honeymoon Ho- tel,” a Nick and Tony two-reeler comedy being produced by Louis Brock at RKO studio. ‘DR. KNOCK’ NEXT “Doctor Knock” the stage story of an ambitious country doctor, who by the power of suggestion puts a whole village to bed, opened at the Pasadena Community Play- house Thursday, September 11. APPARATUS BURNED SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 11. Shortly after new sound apparatus had been installed in the Newman theatre, fire swept through the projection room when film came in contact with an exposed wire, and caused damage amounting to sev- eral thousand dollars. Hello, William Randolph Hearst. Hello, James Madison. Have you any regrets at being ordered out of France? Only that I am unable to say to them, “I’ve been thrown out of better countries than this.” Hello, Harold B. Franklin. Hello, James Madison. Have you a paradox you’d like to get out of your system? When a building is being razed, it’s being lowered. Hello, Bebe Daniels. Hello, James Madison. My Southern cotton plantation was never overrun with bugs till •I started worrying about them. Weevil to him who weevil thinks. Vera Marsh, recently in “Good News” and other Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer pictures, has just been signed to again appear with Buster West as his leading lady in his present assignment with Christie Brothers. TO MAKE COMEDIES Negotiations between Daphne Pollard and Pathe Studios have culminated in the signing of the comedienne to a contract. By the terms of the agreement, she will make six two-reel, all- talking comedies within six BACK FROM VOYAGE SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 11.— Betty Frederick, vaude player, has returned from a vacation in Hono- lulu. She is slated to leave here in October for the East. Hello, Walter Hiers. Hello, James Madison. Have you a twin brother? Yes, and I’m both of them. Hello, Charles Withers. Hello, James Madison. ■ The other day a flapper asked me for a Cremo kiss. She wanted one that wasn’t spit tipped. Hello, Bill Woolfenden. Hello, James Madison. What side of a ship does the Anti-Saloon League object to? The port side. Hello, Jimfiiie Brockman. Hello, James MadisOn. What is your definition of cognac? A delectable variety of spiritus frumenti that changes real cof- fee into reel coffee. Muriel Stryker, Ziegfeld Follies girl who has been a feature in a half dozen Fanchon and Marco units, opens at the State, Los An- geles, next week. It is still rumored Paul Ash will open at the Paramount, Los An- geles, and not with the Warner Brothers. VIKINGS DUE SOON Varick Frissell, explorer and pro- ducer whose films, “The Great Arc- tic Seal Hunt” and “Lure of the Labrador,” were seen last year, is now arranging a release for “Vik- ings of the North,” an all dialogue feature which he made in Alaska. PHOTO CUSTOMERS SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 11. — .\fter giving customers afternoon tea, beauty advice, bridge lessons and golf demonstrations, Publix’s California has instituted a policy of photographing each ticket buyer. PUPIL IN CHARGE SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 11. — Herbert Fredericks, who began six years ago as a pupil of Bill Bickett is now assistant instructor at Bick- ett’s band school, in charge of all beginners. deserving of lasting life. “The Thief of Bagdad” has sufficient of the Arabian Nights classic to warrant it being made immor- tal. It is difficult for Fairbanks to find material that will hold up to his “Robin Hood,” “Black Pirate”—and, by the way, why not a talkie of “The Mark of Zorro?” Doug has a gold mine in his classics if he will consider modernizing and shooting them out again. Hello, Ralph Spence. Hello, James Madison. They tell me your new home is beginning to show cracks. Yeah; wise cracks. Hello, Marty May. Hello, James Madison. What is a back-seat golfist? A woman who lets her hsu- band hold the club while she tells him how to drive. Betty Alden getting herself signed to plav in “Lightnin’ ” It’s Will Rogers new vehicle Alma Real playing a mother in a Spanish version of the “Big House” . .. !. The Tiffany lot crowded with trucks Sidney Fields being a bad man in RKO S Cimarron William LeBaron staying in New York with no intentions of going to Europe’ Evelyn Brent driving a dog team in the “Silver Horde” The Tiller Sunshine Girls on their way to St. Louis Wesley Ruggles is a native son Neely Edwards playing with Ber- nard Granville’s little girl And Mrs. Bernard Granville looking on * * Sylvia Picker being sophisticated Vera Van writing in from New York and sending greetings to all the pals Robert Stone thinking up a new story David Graham Fischer rushing around Maude Feeley looking unruffled and very attractive Isabel Culver' the former “collich girl writing for a new golf magazine Gloria Gray doing an unbilled tap back stage at the Egan Mil- lions of extra players on the RKO lot most of ’em are Alaskan salmon ..... Doug Fairbanks Jr., signing to play “Beau Ideal” Mary Astor preparing for another picture Lowell Sherman being mistaken for either Amos or Andy he’s doing black-face for “The Losing Game” and listening to people talk about him. * * * Tired business men on their lunch hours They like the Newsreel Theatre Jules Buffano smoking a cigarette in the alley back-stage at the Paramount Henry Armetta looking “regusted”. # & If this pecky daylight saving bill goes through, the Breakfast Club will have to serve afternoon tea. . . . Wally Berry is back on the job at the M-G-M- plant but still can’t talk any louder than a Japanese auction- eer. . . . Jim Tully is on his way to New York to lecture about some- thing or other. He’s going by Pullman. . . . Burton Homes, who makes a living finding strange places has moved into Bob Fairbanks house in Laurel^ Canyon. . ., . P. G. Wodehouse bought a new typewriter without any H’s to save him the trouble_ of crossing them out. . . . Bob Leonard put in a swell tennis court at his place in Malibu so he can play nights and keep the neighbors awake. . . . Charley Bickford is mad because somebody dug a hole in his yard and found oil. . . . Mister De Mille (C. B.) was visited by Gov. Christensen of Minnesota on Wednesday and showed him a lot of old guns and things. . . . Mary Doran had a birthday and a day off this week. VERA MARSH SIGNED BOOK MURIEL