Inside facts of stage and screen (December 6, 1930)

/ ESTABLISHED 1924 EDITED BY JACK JOSEPHS Vol. XII Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927, at Post- office, Los Angeles, Calif., under Act of March 3, 1879. Saturday, December 6, 1930 Published Every Saturday at 800-801 Warner Bros. Down- town Building, 401 West Seventh St., Los Angeles, Calif. No. 23 * FRANKLIN MAY RUN THEATRES OF U. A. Here’s another new job talk- ed about for Harold B. Frank- lin. With United Artists and War- ners reported on the verge of a tie- up for their theatres, William Fox is rumored as planning to align with the potential merger. Harold B. Franklin operated West Coast under Fox, and the natural inference is that he will toss in with the U. A.- Warner grouo, if the merger is effected and Fox takes hold again. There’s also some talk that Fox’s name is going to be taken off the theatres, which he controlled up to a year ago. His name has al- ready come down from the studio signs. Franklin has furnished news copy, always in rumor form, since his withdrawal from Fox-West Coast. Until he gets set, he’s al- most as good for the trade paper as Aimee McPherson and Clara Bow are for the dailies. If the name, Fox, is lopped from the theatres, as well as the studio, it at least means work for the elec- tric sign industry. ALGIER IN PICS Sidney Algier, who for the past year has been general production supervisor for Franklin Productions at the Mayan Theatre in Los An- geles, returns to the motion picture field as general production man- ager for M. H. Hoffman, president of Liberty Productions, with head- quarters at Metropolitan Studios. EASY PICK FOR BOYS AT STAR’S BACKDOOR A name, in Hollywood, ac- companied by a phone number and an address is worth any- where from a dime to a dollar, or better. It’s a new racket, proving highly profitable to certain grocery boys, ice men, water bottle dispensers and other drivers of wagons, who call at homes of the stars. Despite efforts of certain stars to keep their phone number and even their house address private, every- one gets this information these days, from the source or another, with the delivery boys finding it a new and easy way to cash in on extra dough. Numerous firms and individuals, ranging from attorneys and collec- tion agencies to oil and bond sales- men, are ready to pay cash for names and numbers. Before hard times hit Hollywood, the tradesmen would have hesi- tated to jeopardize his job by tak- ing a chance. Now, everybody’s ' taking a chance on almost any- thing. And when the phone jingles at a late hour, and the star answers, he's in for a lot of wondering how the supposedly secret information leaked out. So far, bootleggers haven’t fallen under suspicion of selling out on their customers. LESSER EXPANDS Sol Lesser has opened a Holly- wood office for his Sol Lesser En- terprises. HOUSE IN TIE-UP With the yearly all-city high school football team selections to be announced this week by the Los Angeles Record, Loew’s State tied in with the paper, whereby awards to the picked gridiron stars will be made on the stage of the theatre.- KENNETH HARLAN AT HIS HEW POM-POM NIGHT CLUB HE’S ANTICIPATING Joseph Cawthorn has two pre- views noted in his engagement book which he will be interested to at- tend. One is “The Princess and the Plumber,” Fox, and the other, “Kiki” starring Mary Pickford, United Artists, Cawthorn plays prominent roles in these pictures. More Phoney Stuff Artificial Xmas trees for streets af artificial Hollywood were made by Oscar Balzar, gift shop op- erator, and Otto K. Olsen, Kleig specialist. Downtown Los An- geles has real fir trees. HOLLYWOOD MANNING QUITS Norman Manning has left the Roosevelt hotel as entertainment di- rector. The Monday guest nights I LAMBERT RETURNS Eddie Lambert had just returned in his private car after several months of personal appearance are also called off at the Hollywood I tours throughout the East and West hostelry. 1 to work for Screen Snapshots. MILDRED AT SHOP Mildred Harris has signed as a principal in the “Eleven-Fifteet Revue,” girl show which opens or January 2 at Ralph Herman Play Shop, Hollywood. Niblo Goes East Fred Niblo has left Hollywood for a time at least. He has gone to New York to negotiate for his independent productions, which he will make on the coast. YOU'LL. 1