Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

The Leading Jfewsp3j>et|| Motion^ Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent the Inlilstry in All Branches VOL. 35. NO. 8 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1934 TEN CENTS Yamins Vows To Champion Indies' Cause N .E.ShowmenHonorHim At Boston Dinner By RED KANN Boston, Jan. 9. — Expressing his confidence in men like Sidney R. Kent and conceding independent interests in the industry were represented on the Code Authority with a minority vote, Nathan Yamins tonight voiced his helief a fair deal seemed assured. His efforts, he declared, would be toward combining with Charles L. O'Reilly and W. Ray Johnston, also members of the Code Authority, in a move to champion the cause of the independents and by this constant championing seek to swerve Code Authority members representing major interests to such a sympathetic and lasting point of view. Yamins' talk came as one of the highlights of a dinner tendered in his honor by the New England film in (Continued on page 8) Goldwyn Sees Jump In Theatre Scales Chicago, Jan. 9. — Where admission prices are below normal they will have to go up to meet increased costs under the NRA, declared Sam Goldwyn, passing through here on his way to New York. "Labor and other costs have mounted so considerably," he said, "that I don't see how they can be absorbed unless admission scales are raised where they are low at present. He mentioned specifically the 25cent top at Loew's Midland, Kansas City, where, he said, the scale is too low for the quality of the pictures {Continued on page 2) New Theatre Union' Seeks Recognition Demands for recognition of Local 118, Building Service Employes Union, and for a closed shop with a 40-hour week and wages commensurate with NRA standards, and a sixday week were voiced by 1,500 members of the new local at a dual meeting at Bryant Hall last night. Ushers, janitors and doormen were represented. The first meeting convened at 8 o'clock and the last at midnight. The meetings went on record (Continued on page 8) Erpi Experimenting on Broadcasting by Phones 107 Names in Second List Of Authority Continuing its publicity drive on recommendations for nominations on the 64 clearance and zoning and grievance boards, the Code Authority lists 107 names from 17 key centers as the second list of applicants. Again the authority reminds those making suggestions that they have 10 more days left in which to send in names. Unless candidates mail in compliance forms by Jan. 31, they will not be considered by the committee of six making the selections. The second list of suggestions follows : Boston — George A. Giles, E. M. Fay. Stanley Sumner, George Ramsdell, Martin J. Mullin. Buffalo— W. H. Cadoret, John Reed, Sidney Samson, Jack Berkowitz, Vincent J. McFaul, Charles Hayman, Leon Shafer, H. T. Sixon, Dave Miller. Chicago — Henry Herbel. Cincinnati — Maurice White, Paul Krieger, (.Continued on page 8) Authority Finances Up for Further Talk An adjourned meeting of the second Code Authority session, scheduled for tonight at H. M. Warner's office, will discuss a workable plan for financing the authority. Although headquarters in the RKO Bldg. are set, official announcement will be made after tonight's session. S. R. Rent will preside. Code Assents Warning Given By Kuykendall Qualified assents to the code, or approvals of it with any reservations whatever, are not acceptable to the Code Authority, Ed Kuykendall, member of the authority and M.P.T.O.A. president, said in a statement issued here yesterday. "It is my firm opinion that any association or individual who advises exhibitors, or anyone else in this industry, that they should send in an an assent to the code with any reservations whatsoever, is misleading those to whom they make the statement and in all probability is helping them to get into serious difficulties," (Continued on page 8) Non-Signers Can't Protest — Rosenblatt Washington, Jan. 9. — Reports the NRA has issued a ruling that exhibitors need not sign the code as a requirement to the filing of protests against clearance and zoning schedules were today declared at administration offices to be without foundation. Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt said he was without knowledge of such a ruling. The provisions of the code itself, requiring acceptance as a condition to the securing of relief, he asserted, have not been amended or suspended. NRA Man Here Charges Code Is Loosely Drawn Claiming that the film code was loosely drawn, James H. Hodgson, regional NRA compliance board chairman, yesterday proposed reopening hearings on the code in an attempt to tighten the moot points which are being contested by various factions in the industry. He made the proposal before members of Local 306, I.T.O.A. and Allied M. P. Operators at a hearing on code violation charges filed against the I.T.O.A. and Allied union by Harry Sherman, president of Local 306. While he pleaded with the I.T.O.A. and Allied operators to observe the spirit of the NRA in connection with (Continued on page 8) Many Enter Home Field With W. E. Building New Apparatus Experiments in broadcasting over telephone wires direct to homes are being conducted by Erpi, and, providing the development proves to be commercially feasible, will result in Erpi's entering a new field as merchandiser of the equipment involved. Manufacturing would be handled by Western Electric, Erpi's parent company. Although the experiments now under way have progressed to the extent where the Gotham Hotel has been wired for telephonic broadcasts, it is known that the .plan is not yet revenueproducing. The most that is claimed for it, to date, is that it has demonstrated that transmission of broadcasts by wire can be far superior to radio transmission, particularly in sound reception. The plan is understood to contemplate amplification of broadcasts by a system similar to that now employed in "stepping up" trans-oceanic telephone conversations. Reception in the home would be by a loud-speaker attachment for wires with charges, de (Continued on page 2) No Film Help Seen In Foreign Quotas Increased import quotas obtained from France and England by the State Department are not regarded by representatives of major company foreign departments here as having any direct effect on American film exports at this time. It was pointed out that the Administration's policy is to favor agricultural products wherever relaxed quota regulations permit an increase in our exports, and such products are regarded as the first to benefit from the quota negotiations at this stage. Where an increase in our agricultural exports cannot be absorbed, man (Continued on page 2) Chase States Film Interests Improve The Chase National Bank, in its annual statement issued yesterday, reported that considerable progress had been made in 1933 in safeguarding (Continued pit page 2)