Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Wednesday, February 21, I93<< Predicts Production Boom Herein '34-35 (.Continued from page 1) of feature production and believes the east to be the "logical place for shoot ing a diversified schedule of short sub jects." After 20 years in Hollywood studios, he sees casting and economy advantages in production here which, he believes, major companies cannot ignore For long. "The eastern producer can avoid routine production because of his opportunity to choose economically from new personalities always available here from the stage, radio and vaudeville," Christie said. "They are already 'name' performers and, because they have made good here, the producer's battle is half won when he has engaged them. He only needs to present them in the proper vehicles to have real box office pictures." Christie believes that the east will develop a greater diversification of two-reelers, which he believes to be the great need of short subject schedules now. Slapstick will continue to be supplied by Hollywood, he believes, but new types of two-reel subjects will be developed here. Christie has made 11 shorts for Educational at Eastern Service Studio since leaving the coast. He has 10 more to go on the current schedule, five of which are in preparation. Business Gaining, RKO Group Is Told Chicago, Feb. 20. — Business is on the upgrade, especially in the South, Cresson E. Smith, western and southern division manager for RKO, told a gathering of his sales forces here which closed tonight. Screenings took up practically the whole day, with "Keep 'Em Rolling" and "Spitfire" the highlights. Talks were given this afternoon by W. E. Branson, Midwest district manager, Mort Singer, James Coston, Barney Balaban and Jack Connolly, general manager of Pathe News. The home office representatives were : J. C. DeWahl, F. J. McConnell of the Van Beuren Corp., and Connolly. Chicago representatives were : Branson, Jack Osserman, branch manager ; R. Nolan, E. Phelps, J. Clarke, W. Grolick, M. Kassel. Those from other branches were : Des Moines, B. J. McCarthy; Kansas City, T. R. Thompson ; Milwaukee, A. N. Schmitz ; Minneapolis, L. E. Goldhammer ; Omaha, A. M. Avery ; St. Louis, L. Elman ; Sioux Falls, S. W. Fitch. Talks by Singer, Costen and Jules Rubens ended today's meeting and Smith left for Memphis where another meeting will get under way Thursday. MOTION PICTURE DAILYS HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW "The Mystery of Mr, X" (M-G-M) Hollywood, Feb. 20. — Melodrama with unique suspense situations blended with unusually charming romance sets "The Mystery of Mr. X" for popular reception. Police murders in London, crime detection in Scotland Yard and a jewel robbery, intertwined with a love story, form the basis for the engrossing entertainment presented. A polished jewel thief, Robert Montgomery, escapes while purloining a huge diamond, which links him with the murder of a London bobby, one of four already killed by the predatory Mr. X. With the police sure he is Mr. X, Montgomery inveigles himself into the good graces of the chief of Scotland Yard by testifying on behalf of the chief's future son-in-law, Ralph Forbes, accused of attacking an officer, although playfully. Montgomery's testimony admits him into the chief's home where he meets his daughter, Elizabeth Allen. At the chief's home he discusses methods of capturing Mr. X, but excites the suspicion of Connor (Lewis Stone), assistant chief, who senses Montgomery's criminal tendencies. With the trail hot, Montgomery decides to outsmart Connor, goes after Mr. X himself, and in a slam-bang action finish, gets the murderer and wins the girl. The production, with Montgomery differently clever and with a strong supporting cast, seems destined to give fine entertainment satisfaction, especially to the masses. Jt is good in the creative departments and is peaked with the necessary box-office elements, including comedy. The picture opens at the Capitol, New York, Friday. "Dark Hazard," tonight's preview at the Rialto, was reviewed from Hollywood by zvire on Nov. 20. Charles Ford Comes To Reels' Defense A defense of the newsreels in the form of a reply to an American Mercury article of last November, which described the reels as having "abandoned the service of history and set up shop as entertainers" was despatched to Alfred A. Knopf, publisher of the Mercury, yesterday by Charles Ford, managing director of Universal's Newsreel and author of the reply. Ford's defense of the reels charges the article with "generalizations" and points out numerous shots of a historical nature obtained by the reels which were ignored or dismissed with slight attention by the author of the article. RKO Contingent East Hollywood, Feb. 20. — A. H. McCausland, J. R. McDonough, B. B. Kahane and Ned E. Depinet leave here Wednesday night for New York, where they are scheduled to arrive Saturday following several weeks of conferences at the Radio studios which resulted in numerous executive shifts announced earlier. Allied Meet a Flop Trenton, Feb. 20. — A meeting of Allied of New Jersey here turned out to be a flop because of the heavy snowstorm. Only a handful of members attended. K. C. Club Is Formed; Hensler Named Head Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 20. — A Variety Club was organized here today. Officers were named as follows : Frank Hensler, M-G-M, president ; Arthur Cole, Paramount, first vicepresident : Clarence Schultz. Commonwealth Theatres, second vicepresident; Francis Ritter, Fox Midwest, secretary ; Charles Shafer, Fox Midwest, treasurer. The following were elected to the board of governors : L. J. McCarthy, Fox Midwest : T. R. Thompson, Radio ; Elmer Rhoden, Fox Midwest ; Irwin Dubinsky, Ralph Li Beau, Paramount ; William Warner, Warners. Fox Studios Using Two Writing Staffs Hollywood, Feb. 20. — Fox has two writing departments, one for the Hollywood studio where Sol Wurtzel presides and the other for the Westwood Studio headed by Winfield Sheehan. Jason Joy, who has just returned to the latter after several months back at the Hays office, gets the title of scenario editor. His duties will include cooperation with Julian Johnson, head of the story department ; handling writers and their assignments, following through on scripts and conferring with producers on the written product. Milwaukee Receives "Moulin" Travelers Milwaukee, Feb. 20. — The "Moulin Rouge" caravan rolled into town with plenty of excitement. L. K. Brin, owner of the Garden, opened the place for a special show with the visitors at 75 cents top and sold out. One of the features of the visit was a broadcast from station WISN, the Sentinel-News affiliate. Later the troupe broadcasted from the Hotel Schroeder over WTMJ. Chicago is the next stop. Insiders' Outlool (Continued from page 2) rumor, you know. . . . Cautiou; Erpi is pinning faith, certain!) much and very nearly all, cn those sound experiments conducted in the Engineering So ciety Building a couple of week ago. Privately, officials declare the potentialities lurking in tli< development which is Dr. Harve) Fletcher's are terrific. Fletchei is director of physical researcl of Bell Telephone Laboratories You won't hear much about mil perhaps for a couple of years but then. . . . What old-time cir cuit man is about to unload plen ty and maybe make a lot of fel lows uncomfortable? Curb you, patience. You'll find out. . . K A X X Para. Loaned U. A $3,000,000— Zuko Paramount loaned United ArtifJ $3,000,000 at one time but the trar | action did not call for acquisition any interest in the company, Adol Zukor Paramount head testified yt terday in refuting an implied link 1 tween the two companies in t course of his examination in conn(: tion with the anti-trust suit brous by Frank Rembusch against maj; companies and the M.P.P.D.A. T; suit, seeking damages of $2,000,0 is in its second week of trial befc Judge Alfred M. Coxe in U. S. D; trict court here. Zukor's testimony was largely a historical nature, dealing with t development of Paramount and otl companies. He testified that at I height of its theatre expansion Pai mount held "probably 800 or theatres." Preceding Zukor on the stand Louis Phillips, of the Paramot legal staff, who introduced in evider a large number of franchise agn ments between Paramount and hibition companies. He stated tl j such agreements made with indeper ents outnumbered those made w affiliated concerns "15 to 1." Grace McCracken, bookkeeper Rembusch, a former Indianapolis e hibitor. testified that the complain; is now on parole from an asylu The trial is scheduled to resume I dav. Judell Gets Majestic Chicago, Feb. 20.— B. N. Judell, Inc., has again acquired the Majestic franchise for this territory. Local Maiestic branch will be closed with Mike Kahn, Majestic branch manager joining the Judell organization in charge of Majestic sales. "U" Lab to Reopen Hollywood, Feb. 20. — Universal will reopen its laboratorv around April 1, having paid off $400,000 "of its $1,000,000 loan from Consolidated, with the balance as a first mortgage on its studio properties. This means saving $300,000 yearly. Mrs. Shenberg Dead Hollywood, Feb. 20. — Mrs. Hymen Shenberg, mother of Mrs. Louis B. Mayer, is dead after a long illness at 72. P-P Meet Snowed Und* A meeting of Paramount Pub creditors scheduled for yesterday 1 fore Referee Henry K. Davis w postponed to Feb. 28, due to the ability of several attorneys to be hand. Samuel Isseks, of counsel f Paramount Publix trustees, advis that he was snowbound in New Jf sey, while Godfrey Goldmark, attc ney for Paramount, was confined his home with a cold. Cooper Sticks with Pari Hollywood, Feb. 20. — Gary Coc, er gave the lie to rumors that would become a free lance upon cor pletion of his current contract wi I Paramount by signing a new loil termer with the company todaj'.