Inside facts of stage and screen (November 8, 1930)

PAGE SIX INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN NOV. 8, 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. 3 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 Vol. XII Saturday, November 8, 1930 No. 19 We Don’t Care For Red The Industry gains nothing if we rib and pan a picture or its production staff to the public and the profession. The public doesn’t give “phfft” what a trade paper thinks of a pic- ture, and to the profession it is just so much Whang Ho. Pan- ning and ribbing hasn’t improved pictures any more than changing executives. But the Industry will gain if we focus attention on Entertainment Lemons and Box Office Duds to those who finance, produce and exhibit these turkeys. It will gain, if the backers, and the producers get INSIDE’ FACTS DIRECT. Therefore, we introduce a new method of reviewing the picture that will benefit the Industry in a way that will mean gain for all and will hurt no one. When the picture shows carelessness in direction, casting or ignorance of relative box office and entertainment values the public and the profession will merely see a BLUE ENVELOPE in the column that re- views it. The public and profession will see the envelope but the producer will get the contents, DIRECT. We don’t care to review in the Blue, and we will do it onlj r when we see the production staff sending the Exhibitor, Producer and Backer into the Red. WE DON’T CARE FOR RED. Jeff Lazarus is entitled to take a bow. Entire publicity battle against “Daylight Savings” overwhelmingly defeated at the Nov. 4 polls, was left in his hands. Experts on campaigns declare not a bet was passed by Lazarus. Campaign included newspapers, billboards, screen slides, trailers, car posters, hand bills, restaurant menus, letter heads, and everything known under the publicity sun. OLSEN FETES SONG CRAFT Virtually every Los Angeles rep- resentative of the music publishing fraternity, was guest of George Ol- sen, leader and owner of one of the classiest spots west of Chicago, when Olsen put on an impromptu affair one night this week for the sheet music boys. Most of the music men thought it was only. a gag, when they re- ceived wires from Olsen asking them to attend, for usually it is the plugger who fetes the orchestra chief. They responded, however, and are still talking about the party thrown in their honor. Mosconi floor show, with many impromptu bits, went on the pro- gram, and Olsen presented some numbers from his forthcoming show that went over in great shape. Benny Berman handled arrange- ments. Among those still recovering from the invitation shock are: the Sterns from Irving Berlin, the Reeds and Hume from Red Star, the Archers from Donaldson’s, the Bosleys from Robbins, the Grosses from Remick, the Janises and Weincoffs from Famous, Van Berg from Sher- man Clay. Harry Coe from Feist, and the Bermans from De Sylva, Brown, Henderson, Mrs. Art Swartz represented Witmark’s dur- ing her husband’s absence. RUBEN ENDS TASK J. Walter Ruben has completed continuity and dialogue of “The Queen’s Husband,” Lowell Sher- man’s latest actor-director vehicle for RKO. (Continued from Page 3) easily. He held together much bet- ter than the other experts. But the thought persisted: It’s a racket, just the same. Well, Backer had put the skids under the others, clever ones, too. He had helped them to blow up their little schemes, formulaes, systems, and then let the air out of them. Backer was clever. Help- ing a guy to blow himself up and then deflating him. He fingered the sharp pin in the coat lapel of his shrewdness; a somnolent melan- choly touched his eyes. “Listen son, this is show business. Different than any business in the world. We cater to people’s desire for the illusions of life; thrill, spice and adventure. They want moon- beams, the sex clash, the sin and temptation of romance and dreams that life has denied them.” His voice fetched a note of reverence. Gate nodded dolefully: “Hats will be removed. The line forms to the right if you care to look at the body.” “What do you mean ‘look at the body?”’ roared the Big Boss. “Do you think the desire for illusions is dead?” “No sir,” was Gate’s quick reply. “I don’t. But I thought something was. You looked so darned sad.” “Well, those illusions and desires are alive every minute and they do not want to be touched with reali- ties like you find laying around in lavatories.” “You mean laboratories, don’t you? Or were you thinking of that gag the little comic pulled in the last picture you produced? Anyway we’ll pass that.” “There’s a time and place for everything.” ,“I’ll ask you to remember that,” said the Intruder. “Well, don’t try to detour the public’s desire for illusions.” “No, sir, we’re driving a good road, and I haven’t any wish to hit the dirt. You somehow got the Old Bus in Reverse. What they’ve been getting is illusive realities. What they want is real illusions. GETS TWISTED “Maybe I did got my sequences twisted,” apologized Backer, quot- ing his favorite continuity con- structionist when the box office shows the picture’s a flop. “They want real illusions,” con- tinued Gate, “so real they are lifted completely out of the restraints, in- hibitions and restrictions, the dull- ness and ordinariness of life. They want those illusions so convincingly true they can really live them. That is more to their taste than illusive realities.” Backer cocked an appraising eye at Gate. This guy’s racket had a hide tougher than a casting direc- tor’s heart. “While on realities,” said Gate “did you ever stop to think that a great percentage of the paying pub- lic may be realists in another sense? I TUNING - UP Patrick and Marsh are in midst of another busy season, dealing in orchestras and entertainers. They have just contracted to supply the orchestras for this season’s Little Club dances, held twice monthly at the Ambassador. The Little Club is an organization of motion picture celebrities. * * * Jack Stern has a new tune from the New York show, “Brown Dad- dies,” called “Them There Eyes,” that looks good, written by Maceo Pinkard, one of the greatest of dusky writers. * * * Byron Gay is back in the writers’ fold again with another likely look- ing prospect “To Make a Long Story Short (I Love You).” Pub- lished by Red Star. * * * Remick Music Corp. present a chereful outlook. Bobby Gross has just received a new one called “Cheerful Little Earful” from the show “Corned Beef and Cabbage,” starring Fanny Brice, Hal Skelly and George Jessel. * * * Leo Feist, Inc., is now exclusive selling agents for Davis, Coots and Engle, and Nacio Brown, Inc., which includes all of the latter’s theme songs in the future. * * * During Art Schwartz’ trip to New York, Mickey Hester and Hazel Wilbur are keeping things humming for the Witmark catalog. HEAVY PLANS LAID BY ‘UBC’ Elaborate plans, involving big outlay of money for talent and gro- grams are being laid by the new United Broadcasting Company, Ltd., which held its premier broad- cast Wednesday. Abe Lyman fulfilled a last min- ute engagement to start the initial program over a network of nine coast stations, from Vancouver to San Diego. Lyman brought heavy response from listeners in 1500 mile radius, according to wires. Lyman took the air following dedicatory ad- dresses by company officials and guests of honor. Staff artist intro- ductions were followed by Bill Sharpies and gang. Pasadena Cauldron Singers, forty male voices, followed by “Kaleidescope,” over network by remote from KFWB, part time sharer of “U” network Los Angeles schedules with KTM. Opening of new coast chain means addiitonal opportunity for performers, technicians, continuity writers and professionals in general. Frank Vallan and Keith Ashton, formerly of NBC, and G. Donald Gray are staff announcers. DOLIN AT LAKE OAKLAND, Nov. 6.—Swank new Lake Merritt Hotel threw open its doors this week in a big formal reception featuring Max Dolin, who has been signed as musical director of the class hostelry. Lake Merritt is remote controling oyer I<WA and Dolin broadcasts nightly with a stringed ensemble in the dining room. Actualists who along with wanting real illusions are awake to what it is all about; mentally alert?” Backer leaned toward Gate like a hungry actor to a fat part. “Think? Do you know what the average mentality scales at?” "Between that of a twelve and fourteen year old child,” according to the scenario editors.” “According to facts,” snapped the Big Boss. “How do you measure mentality of the average? With the scene painter’s yardstick?” Backer frowned: “We measure it—we measure it with science.” He had stumbled but he was just as quick to pick himself up. “With the science of psychology.” Now let Gate haul out his rela- tive values. The only science that’s still guess- ing. You might measure average mentality with a science everybody understands? The science of com- mon sense and visible facts?” “And relative values?” said Back- er jabbing the last cubic inch ol ozone out of the Kibitzer’s racket. OUT FOR WALK “Sure, that’s a part of the science of common sense.” “So it’s in again?” sighed the Big Boss. “It just got back. It was out looking over the news stands while you were talking about illusions. It was glancing over the forty-five millions and more circulation ol printed entertainment. It w r as count- ing the number of people who read the smooth papers, the Colliers, Liberty’s, Hearsts, Literary Digests aind women’s magazines and the in- tellectuals as compared to the pulps. True Confessions, Lurid Love and Two Gun Tales. Would you care to hear the total circulation of print- ed entertainment read by people who think compared to those .who take their thrills and passions with- out a mental chaser?” “No,” grunted Backer, “I got your point.” It disconcerted him. The Kibit- zer’s racket still stood up. The point of his pin must be dulled from sticking it into those other experts. “H. G. Wells says that human knowledge has grown very varvei- ously in the last few hundrde years. And it occurs to me that it’s grown more in the last twenty than it has n the previous two thousand. Ra- dio, newspapers, magazines, have smartened the fourteen year old mind a lot. Libraries have helped. Pictures have made them a little more discriminating in their taste for screen fare, more choosey. So much so, if you recall, they were giving the declining product of the old silent era the gentle razz.” “But,” sa'd Backer, grasping for straws. “ the fan is getting talkies now. They’re different.” MENCKEN QUOTED “You mean they talk, and the novelty of that is wearing off. Thi old razzberries are still walkinj across the sheet. The fan recog nizes them.” “H. L. Mencken says the movf fan is a moron,” protested the Boss ‘‘Mencken is the Pagliacci o Critics. Even if he rates the fan’ intellect low'er than a marathoi dancer’s ambition, the fan is razz .ng two pictures out of ten, just th< same.” “Two out of ten?” groaned Back er, unconsciously returning the pii to his coat lapel. “Four out of tei pictures were loosing money in thi silent days.” ‘Wouldn't that be forty per cen °f (( the gross?” inquired Gate. "Yes.” Grim harassed line creased the Backer’s forehead. “Forty per cent of the gros, means means eighty per cent of thi net, doesn’t it?” “Pm afraid it does.” The Bos; was troubled. “It means that the theatre buck: competition, weather and bad time: with an average profit of less that twenty per cent.” “And the exhibitor puts bar: tcross his office so he won’t b< tempted to take the short exit.” “It’s a precarious business, shou business is,” glummed the Boss. r , “It’s a tough racket,” repliet -jate, but Backer had momentarily forgotten rackets. He wa sthinking ibout the rotten box office report: rom his own and second run thea tres. “When the manufacturer of a na tionally used product turns out mer chandise that is forty per cent con istently bad, year after year, hi finds out why. And he doesn’ change department heads.” GARBAGE CANS? “This is show business. It doe: not ship its product in crates am boxes.” (Continued on Page 7) B. B. B. Says: • • • • Oscar Taylor in great voice at the Chinese Theatre . . . Jack Lester in great step with the Celestials in the Enchantment Idea .... My two pals, Harry Vernon and Ted Ledford also F and M, ing it ... . Election is over .... so what? .... B. B. B. P. S. — The Cellar is at Cosmo Street and Hollywood Boulevard . . . between Vine and Cahuenga . . . the phone numbers are GRanite 3382 and ^Hollywood 9159 . . Parking is free at the lot across from the CELLAR . . . The CHRYS- LER and SAMSON are there. Thank You.