Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Thursday, February 15, 19 1 Many Reject Places Upon Code Boards (Continued from page 1) tions agrees on certain boards, notice is sent to Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt so that quick action on checking impartial members can be made. It is expected that the committee will complete all board setups by tonight for presentation to the authority tomorrow. Personnel of the first group of boards, including impartial members, may be announced following the session tomorrow. However, that depends on Rosenblatt, since no boards will be announced without the outside men being included. Also expected to be announced after tomorrow's session is the ruling of the NRA supporting Rosenblatt's 10 per cent cancellation order. The meeting is scheduled to be held at the authority's headquarters in the RKO Building. 36-Hour Week Fails To Excite Industry (Continued from page 1) ing on a 40-hour basis, the film industry being one of the few exceptions. While General Johnson has sent out "feelers" as to the possibility of a 32-hour week, it is generally believed that he will not press for less than 36 hours, in which event the film industry will not be required to make any changes in its present labor program. Authority Will Go Into Court Tuesday (Continued from page 1) Congress theatre, Newark. The official notification was submitted to Judge Knox. Injunction proceedings come up next Tuesday before Judge Bondy in the U. S. District Court. No agreement has been reached on unification of defense. Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt will be defended by the NRA legal department, but whether Code Authority members will be represented by one attorney instead of individual counsel has not yet been determined. Denies Code Forces Hays O.K. on Indies (Continued from page 1) standards in production and to adhere to the regulations promulgated by and within the industry to assure the attainment of such purpose. This provision, however, is not interpreted as authorizing the establishment of any central censoring agency. Lowell Complaints Up Lowell, Feb. 14. — Complaints against two theatres for refusal to pay wages required under the code have been referred to the State Compliance Board for review. The two theatre managers in question were summoned to appear before the local Compliance Board, and when they failed to appear, the cases were sent to the State Compliance Board for action. Inclement Weather Keeps Gross Down in Key Cities (Continued from page 1) ports gathered by Motion Picture Daily in 22 cities. In that two-week range, the cities that showed a decline currently over the previous week are Boston, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Kansas City, minneapolis; New York, where the drop was over $37,000; Oklahoma City and Providence. Cities reporting an increase are Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Omaha, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Paul and Seattle. How the two weeks compare: Week Ending Feb. 2-3 Week Ending Jan. 26-27 No. Theatres Gross Boston 6 $102,500 Buffalo 5 48,000 Chicago 7 126,000 Cleveland 6 57,100 Denver 5 38,100 Des Moines 5 28,500 Detroit 6 61,400 Indianapolis 5 27,500 Kansas City 4 33,600 Los Angeles 11 95,819 Minneapolis 5 23,000 Montreal 4 39,000 New York 12 270,652 Oklahoma City 4 12,250 Omaha 4 28,000 Philadelphia 9 103,600 Pittsburgh 6 50,900 Portland 6 25,300 Providence 6 39,100 San Francisco 7 72,000 St. Paul 5 17,700 Seattle 7 38,250 135 $1,338,371 No. Theatres 6 5 7 6 5 5 6 5 4 10 5 5 12 4 4 9 7 5 6 7 5 7 135 Gross $112,500 43,700 125,500 44,450 39,500 29,500 66,300 26..000 37,700 85,615 24,000 43,000 308,452 17,600 26,500 87,400 40,900 23,000 48,400 64,500 16,000 38,000 $1,348,517 Comparative grosses for the last nineteen weeks, compiled from day-by-day box-office reports, show this : Week Ending September 29-30, 1933 October 6-7 October 13-14 October 20-21 October 27-28 November 3-4 November 10-11 November 17-18 November 24-25 December 1-2 December 8-9 December 15-16 December 22-23 December 29-30 January 5-6, 1934 January 12-13 January 19-20 January 26-27 February 2-3 (Copyright, 1934, Quigley Publications) Theatres Grosses 135 $1,342,710 141 1,417,886 143 1,544,838 141 1,581,308 143 1,509,422 142 1,500,740 141 1,379,560 144 1,375,132 141 1,431,209 141 1,418,753 142 1,558,832 139 1,221,032 133 1,071,457 138 1,433,289 136 1,714,824 138 1,435,649 136 1,305,267 135 1,348,517 135 1,338,371 Jerome Held Technicolor William Travers Jerome, New York's famous district attorney of 30 years ago, who died Tuesday of pneumonia in his 75th year, was at one time the controlling head of Technicolor. It was in 1920 that he acquired control of the Technicolor process and gave it his backing. He developed the company from nothing to a $22,000,000 business when he withdrew from it eight years later. In New Offices Code Authority yesterday moved into its permanent offices on the 23rd floor of the RKO Building. The meeting of the authority will be held there tomorrow and will mark the first gettogether at the board's headquarters. New Advertising Idea Hollywood, Feb. 14. — A new wrinkle in advertising pictures will be revealed here for the first time tonight when Paramount will project scenes from forthcoming films on a billboard device, 70 feet wide by 60 high, on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Serrano St. The device will be operated continuously. "Henry" Argentine Hit United Artists has received word that "The Private Life of Henry VIII" broke all records at the Mar del Plata in the town of that name, a seaside resort outside of Buenos Aires. Scales were raised from 70 cents to $1. NRA Seeking Code Change Suggestion (Continued from page 1) days ago that public hearings wou have to precede actual changes. Subjects to be discussed have be divided into five general groups as ft lows : Group 1 — Possibilities of increasii employment ; wages and hours ; cor parative situation of capital goods ai consumer goods industries. Group 2 — Trade Practices : Cos j and prices ; protection against destru tive competition, and against exces ive prices and monopolistic tendei cies. Group 3 — Trade Practices : Contr of production ; limitation of machii hours ; restriction of expansion of f; J cilities ; ethical practices regulatir competitive relationship. Group 4 — Code Authority organiz; tion; code administration, includir compliance and enforcement ; inequal ties, inconsistencies and overlapping i codes ; inter-industry and inter-coc coordination ; the financing of code ar ministration; use and control of tt] code eagle. Group 5 — Operation of codes i small enterprises; position of minor ties. President Roosevelt will address tr. first public meeting in Constitutio Hall on the morning of March 5. Ar other public meeting is set for th following day with group and ger eral conferences to be held on Marc 7 and 8. Allied Withdrawals Fail to Arrive Her Although two members of Alliei Theatre Owners of the Northwes went on record at a meeting Jan. 31 to send in letters to Code Authorit; withdrawing their unqualified assents no copy of such letters has reache< the authority headquarters and m word has been given by Division Ad ministrator Sol A. Rosenblatt o: receipt of the missives. St. Louis Theatres Dickering on Dualt St. Louis, Feb. 14. — First run ex hibitors in the downtown area an prepared to drop twin bills providec subsequent run houses fall in line Meetings are being held regularly bj independent theatre owners in ar effort to secure a concerted move tc eliminate doubles. Columbia After Baer Hollywood, Feb. 14. — Columbia and Max Baer are talking over one-picture contract. Harry Cohn awaiting word from his brother in New York before okaying the pact. Baer is not going into Mae West's next picture because of a dispute over billing. mDia er a tin if Jack Seat Showroom Opened International Seat Corp. has opened a showroom in the Paramount Building with J. George Feinberg, vicepresident, in charge.