Inside facts of stage and screen (May 2, 1931)

Page Six INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN Saturday, May 2, 1931 NSIDE KACTS One Year Published Every Saturday $4.00 Foreign $5.00 Film Row 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 HEmpstcad 8797 Downtown Office: 809 Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre Building 44 JACK JOSEPHS President and Editor Vol. XIII Saturday, May 2, 1931 No. 17 A Test of Self-Respect Indelibly associated with Hollywood is the amusement industry. In fact, Hollywood IS the amusement industry. Its people have made the spot famous; its color makes the spot a mecca for the tourist world; its expenditures per you are approximately $100,000,000. Then, it is to be hoped in the name of all common sense, that the amuse- ment industry of Hollywood will have sense enough to march to the polls next Tuesday, May 5, and send to the city council a man who will represent its interests. The theatrical profession has long considered itself composed of smart people. It is. The smartest people—and the most likeable—in the world. It is to be counted upon that these smart people will do a conglomerate smart thing by putting in the city administration Judge Edward L. Davin. Judge Davin, former judge and now a practicing at- torney, is a man who is bound to no special money inter- ests. That is something seldom found in politics. His attachment is to the theatrical and motion picture profes- sion, and it is not one of subservience because of money. It is one of allegiance founded upon personal contacts and personal knowledge of the profession and its people. His friendships in the movie colony are innumerable, and the services he has rendered to the industry are likewise in- numerable. His record speaks for itself: it is one of un- faltering loyalty to those he serves. Judge Davin is running as the candidate of the Stage and Screen Voters' League, under which title is embraced the Troupers, the Masquers, the Writers and all the other inajor organizations of show people in Hollywood. Also included are hundreds of show people who do not belong to any organization. His platform is a promise to see that show business gets a fair and square deal in all the innumerable matters concerning it which come up before city council in the course of a year. The promise is scarcely necessary. Those who know Judge Davin know, without the promise, that he will do so. From his associations he is himself a part of show business. For years it has been the practice of petty politicians to publicize themselves at the expense of the theatrical profession and its people. Excepting that great bally- hooer (or ballyhooey, if you prefer) Aimee Semple Mc- pherson, there is no tie-up so readily crashing the news columns as show business. And heretofore this self-pub- licizing at the expense of the profession has been safe. Show business has been unorganized politically. It has been a houn' dog which might be kicked around with im- punity. Its members could be bundled into patrol wag- ons; its profits could be cut down by foolish and unneces- sary regulation; hardships could be inflicted upon it col- lectively and individually at will, and there was no re- course. Just because of lack of organization. It is yet to be written that the Steel Trust, the House of Morgan, the Doheny interests, or similar well organized powers are the pooh-ba of politicians. Just let the politicians try it. Judicial thrones would topple like chaff in the wind; gubernatorial heads would fall in the basket like black- berries in July. Potentially show business has this same power to de- mand and obtain a square deal. Charles Miller, coast head of Equity and known throughout the West for his unceasing activity in behalf of show people, knows this and has set about to bring it to pass. The Stage and Screen Voters* League, conceived and largely brought into being through his efforts, is an attempt—and so far a highly successful one—to put a ban on political abuses committed against show business. Next Tuesday is a test of its strength. It is to be hoped there is no member of the profession in the Hollywood district who has so little respect for his calling that he will fail to do his bit to im- press that the heirs of the kicked-about wandering min- strels are now serving notice that they are human beings and demand a human being's right to fair treatment. That/s what every vote for Judge Davin nionns. Al O'Keefe, Herb Maclntyic, Francis Bateman and Sam White- head have returned from the RKO Pathe convention at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. It must have been a grand convention if that RKO Pathe announcement book of Al O'Keefe's is indicative of the general scale. The 1931-32 announcement is called (appropri- ately) the Personality Group. The book is in that just-right shade of pink and silver and the by- words are class, quality, distinc- tion. President Lee Marcus' re- marks on the first page are well put and to the point. And the pictures of the line-up of stars really deserve a rave. Constance Benett, Ann Harding, Ina Claire, Helen Twelvetrees, Bill Boyd and Eddie Quillan are the big names. They are all scheduled for four pictures with the exception of Miss Claire who will make only one. In addition to the regular RKO Pathe short subjects there are two interesting special series. Thirteen Floyd Gibbons' ''Su- preme Thrills" covering new and colorful personal thrill angles of the war and a series of Masquers comedies to be made with the collaboration of the Masquers Club. And what casts have been lined up for these comedies. The best ever. Magda McCormick, MGM cash- ier, has been worried about an accident in which her husband was injured, but now he is well enough to plan on going back to work in about a week. Bill Quinn of the Advance Trailer Service has recovered from his injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Lancaster last week, too. He's okay and attending to business again. Fox salesman, W. T. Wall, is swinging through the south again. San Diego and Encinitas, to be specific, Nick Dlamos was in town this week straightening out bookings on his newly acquired circuit of Arizona houses. Also in town this week: Harry Nace, and Charles Carr who is in charge of Arizona bookings for Paramount-Publix. Universal's exploitation expert, Howard McBride, was married last Friday to Ruth Dickerson. One man on the Row is con- vinced that business is on the up- and-up. He's Col. Early, who has been doing well with his Acme Arc Company talking picture ma- chines on foreign sales. Austra- lia, Japan, China, Mexico now have his machines, with orders pending from South American countries and the Amtorg Asso- ciation of Soviet Russia. Howard Stubbins, Co-operative office manager, is in Arizona on business. Manager Jack Fear of the Na- tional Screen Service, left town for the Dallas office on Wednes- day. G. L. Sears, Warner Brothers- First National western sales man- ager, sent a telegram of* congrat- ulation to the L. A. exchange on consistently retaining first place thus far in the Sam Morris drive. Bill Caliban, C. E. Buchanan and Irving Carlin left Thursday for San Francisco to attend MGM's regional convention at the St, Francis Hotel. J. J. Mil- stein went directly from the Chi- cago convention to this one. Geo. Hickey of the L. A. Exchange, all the men in his division and Western District Manager Eddy Saunders, are very much among those present. A. Moussa, W.B.-F.N. auditor of the New York office, likes it so well out here that he is try- ing to make his work last as long as possible. An the local exchange is glad to have him around. Artistic Scenic Advertising Curtains By Far the Best in America CURTAIN PRIVILEGES BOUGHT FOR CASH OR SCENERY CHAS- F, THOMPSON SCENIC CO. 1215 Bates Avenue Phone OLympia 2914 Hollywood, Calif. In Hollywood - - Now By BUD MURRAY BUD MURRAY To a special preview, of the first "Masquer Presentation " of a two-reeler, produced by RKO-Patlie, entitled "Stout Hearts and WilhngJIands," directed by Bryan Foy-Lew Cody, as the ♦sfilyun-— Frank Fay, the noble hero—our very dear friend Laura La Plantc played the part of "Little Nell " the heroine—and Mary Carr was the same old sweet Mother—Alec France, the "old homestead- ~r7 ^^^^^ ^^^^ appeared in this picture would take pages to mention all—suffice to say, they were marvelous, including the three Moore Brothers, Owen, Tom and Malt—Eddie Quillan, Ford Sterling, Bobbie Vernon, Chester Conklin and many others—A series of six of these shorts are being made by the "Masquers," the Holly- wood stage and screen stars' club—At the pre- view we noticed a few old-time stage favorit'^s u I « including—Willie Collier, Sr., Johnny Hyams, Ed Kane, Hale Hamilton and Grace La Rue—Paul Nicholeon, the Gleason lamily,Edmund Breese, Walter Weems, ex-vaudevillian and now a writer of dialogue at Fox Studios—Georgie Harris, the young feller who runs a picture frame store, and has a side line acting on the stage and screen—Rite now Georgie is playing a jockey part in Eddie f?nT r^"'* *'Whoop-de-doo" kid—Jimmy Finlayson who is ahvays CLOSE-Buy"—Bill Arnold now a picture actor v/ho was formerly with us in the Passing Show of 1916 at the New York Winter Gar- den—Maurice Black the rough "guy" in pictures—Gene Pallette, an- other tough "mug" actor—Mitchell Lewis, Harlequin of the Masquers making a short speech of welcome—Tony Moreno one of the old fav- orite picture players—Harry Joe Brown, chairman of the entertain- ment committee now directing at RKO-Pathe for Charles Rogers pro- ductions—Arthur Rankin selling tickets in the lobby of the Vine Street Theatre for the Public Revel which happens May 9th, and if you haven't your tickets, better get them now, while thev last—IN HOLLYW^OOD NOW. Then to Henry's restaurant on the Boulevard for a little "snack," where we bump into Jackie Fields, former welterweight champion, who is now training steadily to start a new campaign to regain his crown—- Our pet protege and pupil, Junior Coghlan, with his manager, Sol Salinger—Ed Tierney who runs that modernistic dancing school in Pasadena, and his Missus Marjorie White, the little commedienne now appearing in Fox pictures—Slim Martin, the maestro at Pantages Hollywood Theatre, drops in after the last show—A couple of old- time picture actors w^ho started way back when they made-real silent comedies, Lee Moran of the old team of Lyon and Mack, "The Hall- room Boys" and Harry Meyer who recently appeared in Charley Chaplin's "City Lights"—Noah Beery, that marvelous "heavy" who runs that beautiful spot near Palmdale—"Paradise Trout Farm"— Mushy Callahan, former junior welterweight champicn, always spic and span and a darn good advertisement for the "Haberdashery House of Callahan"—Harry Gribbon telling us about the "good ole days" when Wi trouped, and Harry was head comic and we played whatever was left—and we are IN HOLLYWOOD NOW. Dropt into Loew's State especially to see our old boy friend Jack Waldron whom we have seen for years, and we gabbed about the days when Jack workt with Lou Lockett and then Jack thru away the *'clogs" and got smart and dug up jok.s "old and new"—and now he is on both feet as a real comic making them laugh harder than some of the alleged comics we have seen in some of these F & M Ideas—- IN HOLLYWOOD. To the Friday Nite Fites at the Hollywood Legion run by Tom Gallery—we noticed this flock of directors scattered around the arena —Seymour Felix, a former dance director for the Shuberts and wield- ing the megaphone at Fox Hills Studios—David Butler at the same studios—William Wellman, the man who loves to direct air pictures and why not, he's an ex-air ace—Bob McGowan, the man with the most patience in directing pictures who directs the "Oug Gang" com- edies at Hal Roach Studios—We see that Al Boasberg is back at the Fites again—A few words with Gus Shy who played in a musical in Noo Yawk and is back to take up his picture contract with MGM— and here are a few more comics including Bert Wheeler and his pal Bobby Woolsey—Al Shean, formerly of Gallagher and Shean—Char- ley Winninger who doesn't seeni to be getting the style of parts he can play—Benny Rubin of the chosen people and back making pic- tures after a personal appearance tour through the east—Jack Oakio in the good old sweat shirt and another youthful comic with him, Eddie Quillan—Eddie Borden, a real funny man on the stage—Jchn Medbury entertaining his young son Junior—B.B.B. who still runs the "Cellar"—and then we see plenty of stage and screen artists— Bill (stage and screen) Boyd, Edmund Lowe and Lillyan Tashman, both all tanned up. How come?—Joseph Santley, now a real honest- to-goodness Californian—"Good-bye to Great Neck," says Joe-—Bob Armstrong back from a very quick trip to Europe and goes rite to work in a new picture—Nate Stein still sits in the first row as does the "Dummy Newsboy" rite down there with the sports writers—To the Brown Derby for lunch and we run into Al Newman, that dimin- utive musical maestro who directed several of George White's scandals and now at United Artists Studio—Victor MacLaglen in person in a booth with all the females gaping—In the next booth Lew Cody, he gets a few looks, too—Vic Barnett the professional "ribber" trying to get a rise out of us, and knowing his Pater Luke Barnett, "we no speek eenglish"—An old time baseball idol on the Noo Yawk team when we were a kid so high, that great Mike Donlin, now a picture actor at Paramount Studios—Guy Robertson who has played in many Shubert and Hammerstein operettas possibly he is in pictrues—with his boy friend Bill Woolfenden, former Chicago producer—and in a booth waving his hands wildly Charley Judels, another former Shu- bertlite now acting and directing and writing and what have you at Warner Brothers Studio—George Rosener, formerly same place, now doing the same thing only at Pathe Studio—Frances McCoy, a Tox picture actress—Sweet Mary Brian (our former pupil) lunching—A flock of booking agents, looks like an agents' convention—including Hatless Lew Schreiber Bill Perlberg, Ivan Kahn, George Frank and a few others—Maybe Ralph Farnum started something with his pro- posal to the Hollywood booking agents to organize into an agents' protective association—as though an agent needs any protection, (Oh, Yeah) Gardenias are now selling at 5 cents a piece in front of the Brown Derby—They quit selling apples—IN HOLLYWOOD NOW, The biggest surpiise we have had in ages was running into an old showman, John Henry Mears—Well, sir, John is here getting a new plane fixed up for another try at a record for a trip around the world—John has made a couple of record trips already—but now wants to beat every record around the world, and to look at him one would never suspect that he was that sort of a dare-devil—A^ f'^r us we stay on the good old terra-firma—Hey Hey. The "Masquer" club house these days is a veritable mad-house, what with rehearsals going on in every corner—Flashlites being taken of Elliot Nugent, Russ Gleason, Bobby Vernon and Stan Taylor all of the younger set at the club—who will appear as girls m the Public Kevel IN HOLLYWOOD. A coincidence or very bad booking judg- ment on the part of the managers of local picture houses, when you consider that no matter what first class picture house you dropt into this week, you had to take a GANGSTER picture whether you wanted it or not—For instance at the same time playing gang pictures were— Last Parade at the Orpheum—Dance Fools Dance at Warners—City Streets at Paramount—Secret Six at Criterion and HeH Bound at the Los Angeles—So what are you going to do about it.