Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1934)

The Leading Motion" Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent and"' :1|J ffalthfjf Service the Industry in All Branches VOL. 35. NO. 101 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1934 TEN CENTS Fox Control Not Involved In Stock Sale Four Dividends Will Put B Holders on Board Substantiation of the belief in film and financial circles here that current buying of Fox Film Class A common from Chase National Bank is an investment activity only was given by Fox executives yesterday who pointed out that control of the company will rest with the Class B stock as soon as the company has paid four consecutive quarterly dividends of $1 per share. At present the A stock controls the company, with nine of its 12 directors being elected by the A shareholders. As soon as the required dividends have been paid, however, the B stockholders can elect seven directors and the A, five. Chase, which holds 1,149,000 shares {Continued on page 3) Loew 28-Week Net Up to $3,973,472 Net profit of Loew's, Inc., for 28 weeks ending March 15, 1934, after the subsidiaries' preferred dividend had been subtracted, was $3,973,472. as compared to last year's $2,013,281. This is equivalent for the period to $2.38 per share on the common stock as compared to $1.04 for the corresponding period of 1933. Operating profit for this period was $6,680,713, a gain of $2,251,469 over the similar period of last year. Depreciation and taxes were $2,707,241 for the 1934 period, slightly more than 1933's $2,415,963. Court Writ Issued For "Hitler" Film To prevent possible interference with the showing of "Hitler's Reign of Terror" at the Mayfair, Jewel Productions secured an injunction from Supreme Court Justice Alfred Frankenthaler. The stay is directed at the commissioner of education, the board of regents, members of the censor (Continued on page 8) FitzPatrick Going West in Two Weeks James A. FitzPatrick leaves for the Coast in two weeks to line up players and material for his first feature. Although he plans to produce it (.Continued on page 8) That's Right! New Orleans, April 30. — The height of unconscious humor was reached by the Plaza at North Claiborne and Ursuline Aves., when it displayed a sign which read: "Mae West in I'm No Angle." U. A. Program Seems Headed For About 20 By RED KANN Hollywood, April 30. — It looks like a total of about 20 features next season for United Artists. Darryl Zanuck, head man at 20th Century, will make eight or 10, as against the 12 which he completed in his first year of operation. Leaving here Wednesday for New York en route to Africa on a big game hunting expedition, Zanuck already has gone over the script of "The Mighty Barnum" in which Wallace Beery will play the title role. Gene Fowler and Bess Meredyth did the writing job. Looming large in his plans as well is "Cardinal Richelieu" with George Arliss starring. Both of these will be made on a large scale as the first two of Zanuck's new production philosophy which boils down into one line : "Every picture a Rothschild." He is on the hunt for vehicles suit(Continued on page 2) Fox Convention Is Advanced to May 30 May 30 to June 1 have been set as convention dates for Fox with meetings to take place at the WaldorfAstoria. Approximately 260 delegates are expected to be on hand. William Sussman, assistant to John D. Clark, will be in charge of details and arrangements. MPTOAMoves Against Duals To Start Soon Several Tentative Plans To Be Discussed Here Campaigns to curb double featuring, eliminate five and 10-cent admissions and premium nights will be among the first objectives of the M.P.T.O.A. executive committee when it reconvenes here within the next few weeks to carry out policies adopted bv the recent national convention in Hollywood, it was learned yesterday. Double features have already received attention from the committee which has under consideration three plans for curbing the practice. One plan is to seek distributor aid through (Continued on page 3) Rosenblatt to Get Daily Code Report Daily check on activities of the 62 code boards throughout the country is being maintained by Division Administrator Sol A. Rosenblatt. Impartial members of clearance and zoning and grievance boards, according to regulations, send in written reports at the meetings as they take place to Rosenblatt and he files them. These reports are particularly valuable to the division administrator when appeals come before Campi. Rosenblatt attends all Campi meetings. Allied of Nebraska Fights Code Setups Omaha, April 30. — Nebraska and Iowa Allied and a group of indenendent exhibitors, headed by Lester F. Martin and Calvin Bard, have protested the NRA board appointments, all of which went to M. P. T. (Continued on page 3) Grosses Fall, But Seven Features Continue Strong In a week marked by falling grosses in a number of key spots "House of Rothschild," "Tarzan and His Mate," "Wild Cargo," "Bottoms Up," "Men in White," "Catherine the Great" and "The Private Life of Henry VIII" were the outstanding money makers. The Arliss vehicle surprised San Francisco by going to $12,500 at $1.65 top, and "Bottoms Up" was the only attraction to do big business in Cleveland. The San Francisco showing of "House of Rothschild" was at the Geary. The picture probably will be held another four weeks. "Wonder Bar" also turned in a fine $9,500 at (Continued on page 2) Schaefer Says Theatres Must Be Stabilized Asserts First Run Cuts Have Harmful Effect Chicago, April 30. — Warning that the industry must do something to stabilize admission prices in view of the increased costs of production and distribution under the Administration's recovery program and that this must take the form of correction of unfair relations between scales of first runs and subsequents was sounded by George J. Schaefer, general sales manager of Paramount, at the conclusion of the two-day meeting of branch and district managers at the Edgewater Beach hotel last night. The meeting, which ran the gamut of questions and problems demanding attention for the 1934-35 sales season touched especially upon the matter of percentage sales, admission prices gen(Continued on page 3) Production Jumps To Season's High Hollywood, April 30. — Production activity last week skyrocketed to a new high level for the season with a total of 46 features and 11 shorts before the cameras as against 38 and 13 for the preceding week. Pictures in preparation and final editing stages also shows a noticeable increase, with 29 features and seven shorts in the final preparation stages and 43 features and 25 shorts in the final editing stages. Paramount heads the list for ac (Continued on page 3) Services Tomorrow For Wm. H. English Funeral services for William H. English, banker and member of the board of Paramount Publix for many years, will be held tomorrow morning at 11:00 A. M., at the Chapel of the Intercession, 155th St. and Broadway. Interment will be private. English died late Sunday night in (Continued on page 3) Ohio Admission Tax Repeal Hopes Fading Columbus, April 30. — Prospects for passage of the general retail sales tax, and repeal of the 10 per cent admission tax which is expected to result therefrom, are rapidly diminish (Continued on page 3)