Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

he Leading ;»aily •lewspaper the 1 M Motion •icture idustry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent and Faithful Service to the Industry in All Branches . 35. NO. 32 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1934 TEN CENTS mes Stirs Speculation Over Credit iustry Leaders Study Warning to Banks dustry leaders are speculating on probable effects on credit of Jesse ones' warning to the New York e Bankers' Ass'n. that if loans lot extended more freely the FedIgovernment may go into the busi of lending. speak both as a banker and as -man of the Reconstruction nee Corp.," Jones told his listenand this is taken by film execu who do not care to be quoted he moment as an indication that nessage reflected the views of the .ident. ■nes described the depression "as >ily behind us" and appealed to his {Continued on page 8) iqualified Code \ssents Now 7,002 nqualified assents to the code ed the 7,000 mark yesterday with receipt of 68 additional forms exed according to the form preDed by the Code Authority, n Monday, code assents totaled 4. The 68 received yesterday lght the total to date to 7,002. •e than 8,000 assents are expected re the final deadline for receiving a, Feb. 28. uthority Members To Hire Attorneys ivision Administrator Sol A. Roilatt will be represented by the >rney General's office and the NRA 1 department in the action brought inst the Code Authority by the gress, Newark, and sponsored by ed States, John C. Flinn, execusecretary of the Code Authority, yesterday following a telephone (Continued on page 8) abinson Balks An Vttack on the NRA Washington, Feb. 6. — Only prompt on by Senator Robinson of-ArkanDemocratic floor leader, prevented lediate consideration today of a )lution introduced by Senator Nye North Dakota which would focus (.Continued on page 8) No Relatives Out of Para., Says Cokell Resumes Testimony at Creditors' Hearing No instances of relatives of Paramount Publix executives being discharged as a result of the preparation of a list for John Hertz, former chairman of the finance committee, detailing relationships within executive ranks could be recalled yesterday by W. B. Cokell, assistant treasurer of the company, as he resumed testimony in a Paramount creditors' examination before Referee Henry R. Davis. Cokell testified a week ago that Hertz had requested him to prepare the list of relatives, and under cross examination yesterday by Saul E. Rogers, attorney for a Paramount bondholders' group, said that with the exception of Sam Ratz, who resigned, (Continued on page 11) New Union Is Still Discussing Scales New wage scale contracts for ushers, doormen, ticket takers and janitors are still in a process of negotiation between Local 118, Building Service Employes' Union, and New York circuits. The local expects the first contracts to be closed within the week. Negotiations with Paramount, the Roxy and Rialto are under way and conferences with Loew's are scheduled for later. The local claims a membership of about 4,500 now. A meeting of the organization may be called late this week to vote authorization to Charles C. Levey, secretary-treasurer, to call either a general strike or strikes against individual houses. F^arnsworth Out of Theatre Authority Washington, Feb. 6. — First steps toward making effective the NRA policy of removing administrators from service on code authorities once the codes for industry divisions which _ =» (Continued on page 8) Zirn Prepares to Go Into Highest Court Samuel Zirn, attorney for a Paramount Publix bondholders' group, ntoved yesterday to take two legal actions involving the Paramount bank(Continued on page 11) Secrets Something is in the wind and it has to do with plans of the Actors' Screen Guild. Kenneth Thomson, now on his way back to Hollywood, made a trip here to see Eddie Cantor, president of the Guild. Cantor, however, refuses to comment on what it's all about. Stage Talent Wage Slashes To Be Fought Prospects of vigorous opposition to any changes in the code provisions covering stage talent loomed last night as a sub-committee appointed by the Code Authority convened at the New York Athletic Club to agree on prospective changes. The sub-committee will report its findings to the Code Authority at the Friday meeting of that body. Members of the sub-committee are : Sam Dembow, Jr., Paramount; Major L. E. Thompson, RRO ; Joseph Bernhard, Warners ; Louis R. Sidney, (Continued on page 8) Educ'l Expected to Keep Present List Educational probably will stay at its present quota of short subjects for 1934-35, according to Earle W. Hammons, who declared yesterday final plans had not been completed. Preliminary discussions, however, have been held with Fox sales execu (Continued on page 11) Aylesworth to West On Studio Problems M. H. Aylesworth, chairman of the board of Radio Pictures, left for Hollywood yesterday for the announced purpose of aiding in the reorganization of the studio along unit producer lines, following the resignation of Merian C. Cooper as production head. Walter Trumbull to Do MPPDA Publicity Walter Trumbull, who served as introducer of the radio talks nationally broadcast last summer by Louis McHenry Howe, one of the President's (Continued on page 11) Vitaphone vs. Erpi Goes to Arbitration Delaware Supreme Court Rules on Appeal Dover, Del., Feb. 6.— The longstanding differences between Vitaphone and Erpi must be determined by arbitration as set forth in the original contract between the two companies, the State Supreme Court held today. The decision held the Chancery Court in Wilmington should have refused to assume jurisdiction in the accounting suit filed by Vitaphone against Erpi, held that the lower court erred when it overruled Erpi's plea that all matters involved in the litigation should be submitted to arbitration in New York and erred in ordering the defendant to file an answer to the bill of complaint. The opinion added that the arbitration proceedings which have been in progress for four years have not wholly broken down and failed in their purpose and that Vitaphone was not justified in repudiating obligations entered into by it, and, having done so, is entitled to no relief from the courts here. Vitaphone alleged a breach in three royalty contracts by the defendant. The court today revealed that arbitration, as far as it had gone in New (Continued on page 8) Court Orders 306 Men Back to Jobs In denying a re-argument to the I.T.O.A. for alleged violation of New York State laws when local exhibitors discharged 55 operators of Local 306 from 11 theatres, Judge Collins in the Supreme Court yesterday upheld the NRA Regional Labor Board and ordered the dismissed men returned to their former posts. Local 306 recently was granted a (Continued on page 11) Two Radio Stations In Deal with MPTOA Two radio broadcasting stations against which complaints of unfair competition have been brought by M. P. T. O. A. members have indicated they will cooperate in eliminating the practices complained of. Ed Ruykendal, M. P. T. O. A. president, reported (Continued on page 8)