Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1933)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Friday, October 13, 1933 Hollywood^ Bitter^ Plans Meeting Coast Talent Bitter Over Clauses 9, 10 (Continued from page 1) made to frame a protest to be sent to President Roosevelt and Deputy NRA Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt. The Academy protest has already been sent. It was framed at a meeting attended by President J. T. Reed and the executive committees of all branches. In this protest it was asserted that the two controversial articles might in the end result in costly strikes and lower the quality of pictures. Eddie Cantor to Go on Air Over Salary Cuts Hollywood, Oct. 12. — With writers and actors incensed over the revised Article 10, now 5 in tlie code, dealing with blacklisting and anti-raiding, Eddie Cantor, president of the Actors' Guild, goes on the air Saturday night to urge all interested creative branches of the industry to attend what is expected to be the largest mass meeting in the history of Hollywood at the El Capitan Sunday night. Principal speakers at the session will include Cantor, Lucille Gleason, Fredric March, John Howard Lawson, Ralph Block and Oliver H. P. Garrett. Says 466 Get 51% Of Coast Payroll (Continued from page 1) by reason of the fact statistics show that of the total cost of salary and labor expense in producing pictures an average of 466 persons received 51 per cent of the total salary and labor payrolls, although more than 12,000 are salary and general labor employes." Asked if code authority prerogatives could be construed as controlling salaries, Rosenblatt was noncommital. Chicago Combine to Stay — Saperstein Chicago, Oct. 12. — Denying reports from Washington that he intended disbanding his cooperative buying organization because distributors refuse to sell him pictures, Aaron Saperstein declared this afternoon that the Northwestern Theatre Corp. will book for its 45 members if it cannot buy for them. "We have not given up," he said. "The code ducked this and eight other leading points. That is why we walked out. However, Allied hias renewed its eflforts to get a definite ruling and in the meantime we are marking time. Theatres in need of pictures are being given permission to buy direct." Code Remains About Same; Major Executives Depart (Continued from patic 1) Cochrane, Harry and Jack Cohn and Nathan Burkan. Behind them were left their attorneys, including Edward Raferty, Louis Nizer, Joseph Hazen, Harold Bareford, Edwin J. Loeb, and William Jafife, who has been confined to his quarters for almost a week with a heavy cold, which for a time threatened to become more serious. While the majors are in agreement on practically all clauses there remains a real sized job of re-phrasing provisions over which there is no complete agreement. Chief among these is former Article 10, which would bar secret negotiations among producers for talent and throw negotiations on new contracts into the open under a system already detailed in Motion Picture Daily. The Academy continued to move for the elimination of Article 10 in toto. Several Hays member companies, including Columbia, Universal and United Artists, are anything but hot for it in its present form and propose continuing their stand that its scope is to be made less comprehensive. The insurgent group of independent producers, distributors and exhibitors is back in Washington in almost as heavy an aggregation as was on hand last week. This group held a meeting tonight to discuss point by point its analysis of the NRA code. This analysis, prepared by Abram F. Myers for Allied, Jacob Schechter for the Federation of the M. P. Industry, Mitchell Klupt for the Independent M. P. Exhibitors' Protective Code Committee and Milton C. Weisman for the I. T. O. A. of New York, is scheduled to be submitted to Rosenblatt on Friday morning. M.P.T.O.A. Completes Analysis The M.P.T.O.A., after almost two days of solid and intensive effort, completed its own analysis tonight and was angling for changes with Hays lawyers. This aggregation meets with Rosenblatt Friday morning in what it is hoped will be a final session. Labor provisions are a source of concern to certain delegates in M.P.T.O.A. ranks. The I.A.T.S.E., it developed today, is far from cheerful over the code. Its member unions have thousands of contracts, T.A.T.S.E. men declare. Many of them antedate the Aug. 23 date which the code decrees is the starting point for prevailing operator wages. The union contingent wants to know where it gets off on that score. Conferences between Rosenblatt and Ralph Blum, acting for coast agents, are reported to be behind the statement made by the deputy today in which he softened the intent of former Article 9, which would place almost unlimited restrictions on agents and would set up severe penalties if infractions of the clauses are made. The Screen Writers' Guild, which is affiliated with the Authors' League, is beefing about what was once known as Article 10 and claims it to be irksome to its members. A hitherto unexpected hitch in the studio labor provisions which earlier in the week appeared to be entirely set added to the complexities of the situation today. The difficulty is understood to bear on alleged ambiguities of the language in which these portions of the code are couched, and as is the case in many provisions of the NRA draft, call for clarification. Therefore, Pat Casey, producers' labor contact, is back in Washington, and late this afternoon with major company lawyers, plus Abner Rubien, attorney for the I.A.T.S.E., met to discuss the situation in Rosenblatt's office. Authors, Writers Attack ''Blacklist" Washington, Oct. 12. — Attacking former Article 10 and that section of it which would prohibit negotiations for new talent until 30 days before expiring contracts terminate, the Authors' League and the Screen Writers' Guild tonight issued a joint statement charging that the proposed clause "legalizes blacklisting and victimizes the entire profession in order to protect producers against their own mistakes." The statement, at another point, said, "If writers are to be blamed for the high cost of pictures, we demand these charges be proven in a public hearing or elsewhere." Louise Sillco.x and William Hamilton Osborne signed the statement for the Authors' League and Sidney Howard and James Ashmore Creelman for the Screen Writers' Guild. Licenses for Agents May Not Be Invoked Washington, Oct. 12. — There is no present intention of licensing agents as is currently provided for in the NRA code, according to Deputy NRA .Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt. Today he explained that provisions permitting such licensing had been included in the code but would be invoked only if it becomes expedient to do so. Rathner in Eastern Post for Principal liarry Rathner has been appointed eastern sales manager of Principal I^istributing Corp. Louis Hyman continues as western sales manager with headquarters in New York. The company plans to roadshow "Thunder Over Mexico" in 10 cities. Stewart in New "U" Post Kansas City, Oct. 12.^-Jack Stewart is the new Universal salesman in northern Kansas, succeeding Dan Myers, resigned. No Successor For Franklin Named As Yet No successor to Harold B. Franklin, who resigned as head of RKO theatres on Wednesday, was named by M. H. Aylesworth, RKO president, on his return from Washington code conferences yesterday. Broadway rumors, however, continued to make nominations to fill the vacancy, with virtually everyone who had ever managed a theatre, and a few who had not, being named as likely successors to Franklin. Foremost among yesterday's nominees in point of frequency of repetition was Major L. E. Thompson, operating head of Trans Lux theatres. Mentioned earlier were Nate Blumberg, Orpheum Circuit executive; Charles D. Koerner, RKO district manager ; Phil Reisman, Franklin's assistant ; Herschel Stuart, former assistant to Franklin, and a number of others, who, according to some RKO executives, were "disqualified for reasons more or less obvious." Efforts to reach Aylesworth yesterday for comment on the various rumors were unsuccessful. Returns on Monday Meanwhile, Franklin, whose resignation is effective Sunday, left for a week-end vacation at a nearby resort. He plans to return to New York Monday and will leave for the west coast shortly thereafter to make plans for his announced independent production activities, returning here, according to present plans, in about three weeks to establish eastern headquarters in Radio City. Prior to his departure, Franklin declined to reveal who his proposed production associates would be. If the production venture materializes, it is stated he may release through RKO Radio. Mount an Announces Lineup for 1933-34 D. J. Mountan, president of Showmen's Pictures, Inc., has just sent out his 1933-34 product announcement, a 16-pa.ge book in black and white. In a foreword he says several of the company's proposed 15 features have been completed. It is also stated that the company has acquired the Alexander Bros. Studio in Hollywood. A\ Alt is vice-president in charge of production, with Sam Katzman as production manager. The titles listed are : "His Private Secretary," "Police Call," "Public Stenographer," "Ship of Wanted Men," "Golden Head," "St. Louis Woman," "The Big Race," "The Moth," "Within the Rock," "Unlimited," "Souls in Pawn" and "Special Duty," "Angel" Set for 2 Weeks "I'm No Angel" opening day and date at the New York and Brooklyn Paramounts today is set for a two weeks' run in both houses.