Inside facts of stage and screen (February 14, 1931)

XTJftS.'.-SeGond. -Glass M®tt©r, Ajpril 29 , 1927 , vat Post- 17 P*a1m*11 SI 1*17 t A 1 QQT YUI. S^LLX office,. Eo* Angles, Calif., under Act of March 3 , 1879 OaXUrCiay, T eDTUary I<§, Published Every Saturday at 6253 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Calif. No, 6 PARENT-TEACHERS PLAN DRIVE ON SEX PICTURES f. ♦ Musicians Are Doing Comeback The situation for musicians in Los Angeles and other -coast cities is currently the best it has been since the talking -pictures threw a crimp into the whole musical field, a survey this week showed. ‘With stage shows and bands go- ing back into practically all of the major houses* a drive is now on foot to. restore flesh-and-blood music to outlying theatres. And initial movers in this direction have met with great success. The Los Angeles-and San Fran- cisco situations are particularly grat- ifying. Locally more houses are us- ing musicians than is the case in New York and Chicago put to- gether. Sixty men have been placed in the last two weeks, and this ratio . of placements is rapidly restoring the music profession to its pre- talkie status. Equally Optimistic In San Francisco the situation is equally . optimistic. The . musicians there negotiated an agreement with picture house operators placing a quota of 133 to be placed in vaude ■ and presentation places. But the quota has already- ibeeh exceeded, 160 being now so employed. The drive for flesh-andsblood mu- sic in outlying theatres around L. A. , resulted in the first negotiation in placing of three bauds in such houses. While this is no great num- ber, it indicates the trend back to real music in such spots, union offi- cials believe,.and they expect a big response to this drive they are launching. The electric transcription field has also proved a profitable one from the musicians standpoint. A big . slice of unemployment has been taken care of by it. No Traveling Band The, healthy local condition, one union man pointed out this week, is -indicated by the fact that there is not one traveling band in town at the present time. “And why should there ‘be. when we have such topnotch orchestras right here as those conducted by Gus Arnheim, Earl Burtnett and Abe Lyman. While the drive so far has ‘been highly successful, there is still a vast musicians unemployment situ- ation to be cared for, estimates run- ping that there are between 1500 and 2000 of them still looking for work. HOLDEN SIGNED Harry Holden has been signed for a part in “Shipmates” at M- G-M. BERT HOLLOWELL Conductor and M. C* at Loews State NITA AT POM POM Nita Mitchell, radio singer, is go- ing to produce the shows at the Pom Pom night club, which is go- ing under new management. Ken- neth Harlan, who has been backing the Pom Pom is transferring his in- terests, but Ralph Arnold, old timer at the spot, will remain as manager. Miss Mitchell plans to have about ten people in the floor show, includ- ing a small line of girls. AT FIGUEROA Vidadee Productions are opening a new play, “Terrific Street” at the Figueroa Playhouse, Feb. 22. Will- iam Desmond and Miami Alverez head the cast, which includes Verna Mensereau, Byron Aldenn, Harry Hollingsworth, Ray Largay, Harry Shutan, Jimmy Phillips, W. J. Dwyer, Cecille Leigh, Ralph Bell and Ray Lawrence. The play is co- authored by J. P. Riewerts and Vi Jenkens Riewarts, who did the N. McGAFFEY OUT Ken McGaffey, who was pub- licity agent at the Mayan, is no longer there. Sid Gratmian, pro- I ducer of “Once in a Lifetime” at the -house, brought in Ham Beall, well known screen and stage pub- licity director, to succeed McGaf- fey. No future connection for the latter has been announced. Y. play, “The Blue Ghost.” Charles King is directing, with Lee Fields as manager of production. Appeal To Hoover Is in Prospect The Parent-Teachers Association is planning a vigorous drive on the present type of talking pictures, ac- cording to undercover, but authentic information reaching Inside Facts. The advices stated that the organ- ization plans, other moves failing, an appeal directly to President Hoover, asking his intervention in a situation which they claim is working great detriment to the younger genera- tion. Louis B. Mayer is understood to be back in the East with one. pur- pose ,of his trip being a call for dinner and an overnight stay at the White House, but whether this had anything to do with the threatened drive by the P-T-A could not be learned from Hollywood sources. Used To Cater The ire of the P-T-A is said to have been aroused particularly by the increasing sexiness in the talk- ies, though a collateral indignation has been aroused ,iby the fact that even where sexiness is missing, there is little in the current crop of films for children. Their arguments advance along the lines that pictures in their early stage, when they needed a helping hand, catered to children in a large measure. They -point to the old Tom Mix films, the custard-pie throwers on the Mack Sennett lot, the Bill Hart crop, etc., as indica- tions of the extent to which the pictures went in for currying favor with youngsters. Slighted Kiddies But then, the argument continues, when the films reached the stage where they were building million dollar palaces and boosting prices to 65 cents tops, they found they could do without the dimes and nickels of the jmungsters. And now, with the coming of the talkies, it is stated, they have thrown off the last pretense of giving a hand for what the kiddies like, and are openly, flagrantly and deliberately making an output of product which is en- tirely t o o sophisticated to be grasped by any under the pubescent age. In addition to which, and more- important, is the fact that the so- phisticated pictures are not the kind parents would want their youngsers to see if they could understand .them. AT HOTEL OAKLAND OAKLAND, Feb. 12—Richard Acton and orchestra are in at the Hotel Oakland.