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

Page Six INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN Saturday, March 14, 1931 WNSIBECACT One Year - Published Every Saturday $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. Published by INSIDE FACTS PUBLISHING CO., LTD. 230 Bank of Hollywood Building, Hollywood, Calif. Telephone HEmpstead 8797 Downtown Office: 809 Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre Building Film Row Cuttings By VI JACK JOSEPHS President and Editor Vol. XIII Saturday, March 14,1831 No. 10 A manager who neglects the back of his house is doing his employers an injury that no amount of fixing up out front can overcome. For the tempo of a show, and the manner of its delivery for public consumption depend in the last analysis upon the" dis- positions of the performers when they step out to offer their stint, of entertainment. If they are unhappy or angry, this will show in their work, and it takes a consummate showmanship, which is possessed in its extreme degree by only a few, to over- come the handicap. Dressing rooms for the performers are a matter which will warrant constant thought by a house management. Neat, airy, clean places for the hetween-show waits, and ones to which a performer likes to go, mean a lot to the tempo of the bill. From satisfied cows comes the best milk, and from satisfied performers comes the best work. Unpleasant dressing rooms are not only unhumanitarian but also bad business. There are several spots where we could name names in this regard, both complimantarily and otherwise, as by no means is Los Angeles a 100 per cent efficient city in this matter. REHEARSING ACT Tack Trainor, who was with Jack Lait’s vaude act, “Help Wanted,” recently arrived here from the cast. He is rehearsing an act, “Girl Wanted,” which carries three peo- ple. MIDGETS SIGNED Paul Remos’ Midgets have signed a contract to open for Fanchon and Marco shortly. IS NOW IMPERIAL The Victory Theatre at San Diego has been re-named the Im- perial, under the new ownership of Edward Zabel. OPEN REDONDO Barsky Brothers, new owners of the Rcndondo Theatre, Long Beach, opened the house March 7 with “Renegades.” HOTEL REGENT Rates $2.00 per Up 6162 Hollywood Blvd. Conveniently located in the center of Hollywood’s business and theatrical district, The Re- gent has gained much favor with visitors to this famous city. The hotel is also within easy reach of all the important studios and only twenty min- utes from the seashore and beaches. Every Room with Private Bath Located across from Pantages Theatre Special Professional Rates Ben Gould, manager of Fox Ex- change, and Salesman W. T. Wall left for San Diego and La Jolla Wednesday morning, selling and calling on the boys. A. L. Sanborn is installing West- ern Electric sound-on-film equip- ment at his El Monte Theatre. B. F. Robinson, Fox city salesman, has a fund of technical information on sound equipment that he can, and docs, explain in a highly illum- inating manner. After being ex- posed to such explanations clut- tered up with technical phraseology in the past and being left sadder, but no wiser, it’s a relief and a pleasure to hear him discourse on the subject in a way one can un- derstand. RKO theatres have completed arrangements to play the series of Johnny Farrell Golf shorts which are being released currently. Kay Hush, “the world’s most beautiful golfer,” plays opposite Farrell. Camille Kelley,. contract clerk at RKO-Pat-he, and Emanuel Kauk were married on Thursday, March 12th. The bowling season is , on at Film Row. The 22-week run start- ed Tuesday. The teams are backed by various business organizations, including three, cafes on the Row. It’s still too early in the season to start predicting results of. the tournament, but there’s plenty of speculation even at this date. Charles Rosenzweig, vice-presi- dent of RKO Distributing Corpora- tion, is in town on a brief business’ trip. The RKO sales drive is keeping Fred Wagner, salesman, on the hop, but just for the moment he’s in town again. A few more who have made ap- pearances on the L. A. horizon are Gil Haline, exhibitor, who came in from his Palomar Theatre at Oceanside. Max Kravatz of Hughes-Franklin has come back from a 10 weeks trip, and . Nick Diamos is in from Tucson buying pictures for his Plaza Theatre. Reporting considerable improve- ment around the -territory, Jack Nelson is back at his desk at the Educational exchange after a 10- day trip to Arizona. Carl Drane of the Lark and Ar- row theatres, was doing business on the Row, looking very well, thank you, after a three weeks’ illness, and recuperation at Palm Springs. Warner Brothers-First National Exchange is busy working on their contest honoring Sam Morris, cleaning up contracts and going great. The first release on the new RKO-Pathe set-up is a Constance Bennett picture. The working title, "Lost Love," lias been changed to "Born to Love.” Co-operative will release the first Hoot Gibson in May. Otto Brower is directing and the story is by- Jack Cunningham. Expert Exploitation By JAY PERRY SILVEY San Francisco Office, inside Facts More of the gross receipts is probably spent on advertising in the theatri- cal business than in any other line of endeavor. And probably also, less attention is paid to this expenditure. It is the old story of familiarity breeds contempt. The house budget calls for so much to he spent, which is divided into several groups — billboards, newspapers, lobby, radio, windows and vari- ous special appropriations. No other business advertises through a greater variety of mediums, and it is imperative to the welfare of the theatre that these items be properly apportioned, so that each receives full value for the money expended. These arc the points that it is the wish of this department to bring out , To spend the advertising appropriation wisely and well, and to heed the successes of others as well as to profit by their errors. Fox West Coast's recent acquisi-, Francisco Fox tied a semen maga- tion of the Sal* Francisco Para- mount chain manufactured a siz- able stack of work for Paul Spier, but he is plenty capable of handling it, and each new attraction secs quantities of smart advertising and exploitation for these houses. On “Fighting Caravans” at the Paramount, Spier paid particular attention to the window displays in the downtown locations. He wasn’t satisfied with the stock win- dow cards, but made up a special in half-sheet, size. Using a 11 by zine to his coming attractions in an exceedingly novel manner, in that he received full window space in several stores for both the Fox the- atre and the magazine. The tie-up was. effected by featuring the stars’ pictures and stories in the book and ilie copy that they would be seen soon on that theatre screen with a list of his forthcoming attractions. Advertising of this nature never did any theatre any r harm, hut to the contrary has been the means of sell- 14 colored still, he mounted it on a ing a number of seats that would bright cardboard backing, and had dates printed and pasted. This saved heavily on the cost of the job otherwise remain unoccupied. The Fox is also a consistent user of in- sert cards and has acquired some and was by far more attractive than excellent locations in prominent the average. [places. Frames were'made for these Plugs For Rango j and they are changed each week “Ranges” is the next attraction-and j on the day preceding a new attrac- is now receiving his full attention. 1 tion. Paul is using the same thought in j Bob Gilmore, at the Warfield, the window cards but is duplicating as nearly as possible a circus job. This same thought applies on all used the title of "Parlor, Bedroom and Bath" to the fullest possible extent by tie-ing with one of the Lola Adams Gentry finds time to make a wide variety of thoughtful gestures in addition to her Film Board of Trade activities. On Wednesday she got up an im- promptu birthday party for Polly and her Film Row pals, who dropped in with congratulations. Joe Stout was birthdaying on Wed- nesday, too, but whether or not he got a-ny of the cake is problem- atical. this attraction s advertising. And city’s largest furniture stores. The no better way could be found of! store built a special display on their selling this calibre of picture. The mezzanine floor and threw a three lobby of the Paramount will be column ten inch ad in the papers transformed into an African jungle with a still from the picture and tor the occasion, but once again; co-op copy. Spier departs from the cut-and- 1 Chinese Selling dried formulae with a live* animal i William B. Wagnon, of the lobby. By robbing, begging and | Davies, San Francisco,, booked an borrowing from the various zoos “Anna May Wong” feature titled and animal stores he has quite a [ “Flame of Love.” And knowing the menagerie of wild animals all set, city’s Chinatown to be one of the to go in the outer foyers on the | largest in the world, figured out a opening day. And it is understood j way to tell the clever Chinese of that only expense is the cartage ' and feeding of same. For “It Pays to Advertise,” com it. He noticed that on certain corners there is a sort of a free .. . newspaper service composed of mg to tile ^California, ten thousand ! many, colored posters in Chinese pasted on the walls. So he had a Chinese printer set up his story in similar style with a cut of Miss Wong in a hot pose for good meas- ure and plastered Chinatown, both on the walls and as throwaways. They were sold all right, as the Chinese attendance at the theatre transcended all bounds for the week of the picture's showing. Emil Umann put out a great cam- paign on “Millie” at the Orpheum hut the best and the least expensive was a gingcr-alc tie-up. Placards with a still reproduction from the feature showing the leads and a bottle of ginger-ale, and appropriate theatre copy, and the selling copy, for the ginger-ale were posted at all accounts handling this brand. And this is a large coverage as the ginger-ale is a popular product and a big seller even in this age of pro- hibition. In practically every, fea- ture there is an opportunity for a stunt of this kind for the wide- awake lad who will take advantage miniature bars of soap were pro moted from a local manufacturer. These are labelled on one side with the cop.v, “This cake of soap, cour- tesy of L. A. Soap Co, 'It Pays to Advertise’ ” and on the reverse with "13 soap unlucky for dirt, but lucky for entertainment—‘It Pays to Ad- vertise’ at the California Theatre. A stunt of this nature is a variation of the candy or gum gag and is sure to be successful if the distri- bution is well watched. Magazine Co-operation Herman Kersken, of the San Carl Walker on his way up from supervising in Huntington Park and San Pedro for W. B.-F. N. strolled into F. F. Benson's office at United Artists Exchange with a tough tale. While driving along he obediently halted at a stop sig- nal, and in return for his good be- havior got an awful whack from the car behind him, whose driver was not so conscientious. The re- of it. And Emil never misses, suit is that he’s got a jammed up auto and an aching diaphragm from being thrown with sudden force against his steering wheel. But Walker came up smiling just the same, after the first shock wore off, so all’s comparatively well. The Continental-Syndicate-Ray- art Convention with W. Ray John- ston presiding will be held at the Ambassador Hotel, Atlantic City, next month. George N. Mont- gomery, representing All Star Ex- changes will be present. WITH BUD MURRAY Eddie Larkin, who was with Larry Ceballos and Jack Haskell at the First National and Warner Brothers studios, is now with Bud Murray in the capacity of assistant dance director and stage manager for the Orpheum stage shows. BUYS AVALON The Avalon Theatre, Los An- geles, has been taken over by A. Willis. LOUIS *«< CHERIE “Gymnasts of France” With Fanchon and Marco’s “Mickey Mouse”, Idea Featuring Our Sensational Spin At Finale. Trick Fully Protected and Copyrighted. This Week Loew’s State Los Angeles H. E. BILLHEIMER SCENIC CONSTRUCTION CO. SPECIALIZING IN BUILDING SCENIC PRODUCTIONS FOR LEGITIMATE THEATRES HOlIy 0738 6122 Salem PL Hollywood, Calif. VILLAGE INN HOTEL One Block from Fanchon and Marco’s Office Making Special Low Theatrical Rates Wire, Write, Phone for Reservations 5724 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, Calif. Telephone HO. 4735