Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

The Leading Daily Newspaper erf the Motioiyi Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent and Faithful Service to the Industry in All Branches 35. NO. 22 NEW YORK, FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1934 TEN CENTS oldwyn Aims nother Blast t Hollywood ist Wake Up or Face Eclipse, He Says By RED KANN Wess Hollywood wakes up to vorld around it and refashions its uction methalong qualie. not quanve lines, it Is in grave ;er of losing ;upremacy as picture-makcenter of the d. There is and cannot ny monopoly [>rodu ction, ether geohically o r nvise, and h of the an • to that is the progress being a in British production today, he executives in this industry are (Continued on page 2) Samuel Goldwyn ►per Sees Menace f Wild Prosperity ashington, Jan. 25. — Fears that United States in the near future suddenly run from depression ini era of prosperity difficult to conwere expressed today by Secreof Commerce Daniel C. Roper, making before the Kiwanis Club (Continued on page 6) itain in Bid for 7op Ranking: Kelly •thur W. Kelly, vice-president of ed Artists in charge of foreign ibution, who arrived from Southmi last night aboard the Euro pa (.Continued on page 6) Goes Two-a-Day United Artists is so keen bout its "Catherine, the reat," produced in London y Alexander Korda, that it as set the film in at the As)r on a two-a-day basis beinning Feb. 14. "Queen Christina" is now laying there. Look for Fox Midland Deal About Feb. 15 Ten-Month Delay Due to Woolf -Shanberg Claim Kansas City, Jan 25. — Delay in working out a satisfactory settlement of claims involving almost $500,000 held by M. B. Shanberg and Herbert M. Woolf against Fox Midland Theatre Co. is slowing up reorganization of Fox theatre companies which filed petitions in voluntary bankruptcy here last March. It is anticipated, however, that the matter will be disposed of by or around Feb. 15, when reorganization of Fox West Coast is expected to be completed. Announced as on the way last summer, the settlement has been retarded by the reported inability of New York attorneys for F. W. C, Chase National Bank and other major creditors to agree on the terms. The stay in the Fox Midland proceedings obtained by Shanberg and Woolf and other actions they have pending in the Federal court have had (Continued on page 6) Rosenblatt Receives Report on Extras Hollywood, Jan. 25. — The extra committee appointed by Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt to investigate conditions among extras reported to him today following a twohour session. On the basis of its report Rosenblatt advised the appointment of sub-committees to look into problems affecting these players. He (Continued on page 7) Favor Present Fire Rules for Code Use Fire rules which have been in force at all exchanges throughout the United States for the past eight years will be proposed by the special committee for adoption by the Code Authority, it was decided yesterday at the first meeting of George J. Schaef (Continued on page 7) Vaudeville to Get Code Consideration Although vaudeville interests requested a separate code in Washington, the committee appointed by R. H. Cochrane yesterday agreed to work out their problems under the film code provisions. The group has decided to hold a public hearing next Wednes(Continued on page 7) Very Much Alike Pittsburgh, Jan. 25. — John H. Harris had a chance to go through Buckingham Palace while on his last trip to London, The ushers and uniformed attendants reminded him of American theatres, he said. The corridors, richly decorated with marble, bore an even stronger resemblance. They were all empty. Believe Loew Holdings Sold Only By Chase Despite unusual trading activity in Loew's common on the New York Stock Exchange within the past 10 days, approximately 500,000 shares of . the block of 660,900 shares formerly held by Film Securities Corp. are believed to be still in the possession of three of the four principal groups to whom it was distributed last month. Chase National Bank is reported to have disposed of its block of 165,000 shares in the open market during the past 10 days. This block represented the Chase equity in the $18,300,000 defaulted notes of Film Securities, on which the 660,900 shares were posted as collateral. Chase's investment was $4,000,000, and on the basis of average market prices during the past ten days, the bank apparently (Continued on page 6) Repeal of Ohio 10% Tax Now Predicted Columbus. Jan. 25. — Repeal of the 10 per cent amusement tax during the special session of the General Assembly which reconvenes next Tuesday, is considered probable, it is learned from authentic sources close to legislative interests. Although recommendations of the special joint taxation committee appointed by Governor White have not been released publicly, it is under (Continued on page 8) Baldwin Prophesies End of Censorship Declaring he was against government control of the industry and state censorship, Roger Baldwin, secretary of the American Civil Liberties Union, yesterday told the Ampa that next week a bill to abolish censorship in (Continued on page 8) Figure Para. Well on Way To New Deal Estimate 90% of Finance Problems Solved One year ago today Paramount Publix consented to a friendly equity receivership a few hours after its important theatre holding subsidiary, Publix Enterprises, filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy. Less than two months later, oh March 14, Paramount Publix went into bankruptcy. In the 12 months intervening since Paramount's financial difficulties were climaxed by the equity receivership of Jan. 26, 1933, the company not only has progressed along the road of reconstruction to a point where it is now reliably estimated to have overcome 90 per cent of the obstacles in the way of a reorganization and discharge from bankruptcy, but it has also during that period maintained its position as one of the industry's leaders in production, distribution and exhibition. Official opinion holds that Paramount Publix may be discharged from bankruptcy within the first six (Continued on page 6) Reade-Storrs-Para, Deals Are Approved Approval of a mutual cancellation of claims by Paramount Publix, Walter Reade and Frank V. Storrs, theatre lessors, involving an estimated $500,000, was given yesterday by Referee Henry K. Davis. Reade and Storrs had filed claims (.Continued on page 6) Authority to Move Against Broadcasts The Code Authority will be requested at its next meeting, Feb. 9, to join with the Code Authority of the legitimate theatre in protesting allegedly unfair competition by the radio (Continued on page 7) No Deal Yet Fox Movietone News is scouring Broadway for a suitable newsreel theatre to follow in on the heels of the old Embassy. In the list is the Central, but no deal has been made, according to Truman H. Talley.