Inside facts of stage and screen (February 7, 1931)

EDITED BY JACK JOSEPHS ESTABLISHED 1924 Vol. XIII Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927, office, Los. Angeles, Calif., under Act of ’March at 3, Post- 1879 Saturday, February 7, 1931 Published Every Saturday at 809 Warner Bros Down- town Building. 401 West Seventh St., Los Angeles, Calif. No. 5 PLAN ‘JITNEY THEATRE’ CHAIN FOR PAC. COAST +- Press and Show Biz In Clash ' A war which has been , brewing leaf ween local theatre interests and the local press was all set to break oqt in dead earnest this week. The Los Angeles Illustrated Daily, News, a morning- tabloid, fired a broadside into show busi- ness under a five-column line on page 2 of their Thursday editions, panning the gala premiere policy to a fare-ye-well. While the News shot was particularly at the pre- miere of RKO’s “Cimarron” at the Orpheum Theatre, it was a crack at the whole premiere practice. ' Info from inside the battle lines, coupled up with the fact that the Orpheum has radically reduced its space in.the News, was to the effect that the -News pan was in retalia-. tion for the cut-down of Orph. ad- vertising in that sheet. Is Widespread The brewing battle is not con- fined to these two interests, . how- ever. Publix-Paramount are under- stood to be at swords’ points With the Los Angeles .Evening Herald (Hearst), and the West 'Coast is reported not so friendly with the -Los Angeles Times and with the News. There has been a noticeable diminution in advertising in these various mediums. Local showmen are, by and large, highly incensed at the rates made ~to them for advertising, as com- pared to the amount of free pub- licity which they are allowed. • They, declare that the rates in Los Angeles run from 40 per cent to 90 per cent over what the papers are entitled to as compared to cir- culation. List Overcharge ,- They list this reputed overcharge as follows: The Illustrated Daily' News, 90 per cent. The Times, 66 per cent. The Evening Herald, 47 per cent. The Examiner, 44 per ceiit. The Record, 44 per cent. The. Express, 40 per cent. _ There is also said to be consider- able feeling among other picture producers over the amount of bally- hoo given M-G-M pictures in the Two Hearst papers, the Examiner and Herald, particularly when cer- Tain M-G-M stars are having a pre- miere. In addition to this alleged so- called, “overcharge,” the showmen are riled regarding the amount of publicity show business is given as compared to that of other busi- nesses which advertise. Others Get Break For instance, they declare, the (Continued on Page 11) RICHARD DIX OPENS OFFICES Hardy C. Love, who has joined the staff of Inside Facts as south- west representative, has opened of- fices at 203 Pacific Southwest boule- vard, Long Beach. Hardy’s head- quarters will be in Long Beach, from which point he will cover beach cities and continue through San Diego to the important spots in Mexico. STOCK COMPANY OPENS The Roy Claire Dramatic Stock Company opens February 14 at the Grand Theatre, El Paso. Forrest Taylor and Marion Burns are to play the leads. The cast includes Norman Feusier, Rupert Drumtn, Alan Dailey, Fred McKaye, Jimmy I Malone, Tove Linden and Mildred | Hastings. The Harry K. Blaney | Agency handled the casting. CHANGE IN BOOKING The RKO offices have put a ban on supplying unit show acts to the State at Long Beach. The only reason given for the change in pol- icy was that the Long Beach house is some competition to the RKO Theatre when both spots play the same acts. However, the RKO offices will continue to book other acts into the house, it is under- stood. MX Group To Finance 10c Houses A chain of miniature theatres, of two hundred seating capacity and to operate on a 10 cents admission schedule, is planned by a Nip-tY.-"k orgr’fization which ha? sodufcs on the toa-on. • ove • prospects for nikiatiiifc Jha.., here. The plan is to spot the houses in class picture neighborhoods, play- ing opposition to the 65 centers and relying for their draw on the smaii admission fee. The program will be a feature, a comedy and a newsreel. Overlu■;<■„ will be practically nothing outside the house and film rentals. There will be no staff apart from the man- ager and janitor. Entrance for the customers will be through a turn- stile. which operates automatically upon deposit of a dime. Two Phases The New York group are rely- ing upon two phases of the eco- nomic situation m give them the break which they think they will get trom trfe project. First they point to the rapid popularity which accrued to the miniature golf links latst year. They declare this shows the public will flock to entertain- ment cheaper than the high prices which the class houses now charge, and which the neighborhoods ap- proximate, considering the pro- grams they run. They think the ten cent houses will become drop- in places, just as the golf courses were. Secondly, they figure that people actually cannot afford the present high prices, despite the fact that they want to see pictures as much as they ever did. They declare that the opinion that people are tired of pictures is erroneous, and that the real reason for the falling off in at- tendance in the 'big houses is purely economic. Studio Tie-in The eastern people are still secre- tive about the particulars of their plan. They say, however, that they have an optional tie-up with one of the big istudios to get an early third run release on their product, and that this will carry the names of big stars and expensive production; into their houses, thus preventing them from getting the derogatory- nomenclature of “jitney spots.” Money for the proposition is coming out of Wall Street, they s Ay, and intimate that one of the bank- ing groups which is already heavily (Continued on Page 2)