Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 35 May 5, 1934 No. 105 Martin Quigley Editor-in-Chief and Publisher MAURICE KANN M_ Editor *?-B JAMES A. CRON Advertising Manager Published daily except Sunday and holi days Dy Motion Picture Daily, Inc., sub sidiary of Uuigley Publications, Inc. Martin Quigley, President; Colvin Brown Vice-President and Treasurer. Publication Office: 1790 Broadway, New York. Telephone CIcle 7-3100. Cable ad dress "Quigpubco, New York." All con tents copyrighted 1934 by Motion Picture Daily, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Quigley publications: MOTION PICTURE HERALD, BETTER THEATRES, THE MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC and THE CHICAGOAN. Hollywood Bureau: Postal Union Life Building, Vine and Yucca Streets, Victor M. Shapiro, Manager; Chicago Bureau; 407 South Dearborn Street, Edwin S. Clifford, manager; London Bureau: Remo House, 310 Regent St., London, W. 1 Bruce Allan, Representative; Berlin Bureau. Berlin Tempelhof , Kaiserin-Augustastrasse 28, Joachim K. Rutenberg, Representative; Paris Bureau: 19, Rue de la Cour-desNoues, Pierre Autre, Representative; Rome Bureau: Viale Gorizia, Vittorio Malpassuti, Representative; Sydney Bureau: 102 Sussex Street, Cliff Holt, Representative; Mexico City Bureau: Apartado 269, James Lockhart, Representative; Glasgow Bureau: 86 Dundrennan Road, G. Holmes, Representative; Budapest Bureau: 11 Olaaz Fasor 17, Endre Hevesi, Representative. Entered as second class matter January 4. 1926 at the Post Office at New York City N. Y., under Act of March 3, 1879. Subscription rates per year: $6 in the Americas, except Canada $15 and foreign $12. Single copies: 10 cents. Herman Kramer Dead Detroit, May 4. — Herman Kramer Sr., builder of the Kramer and its operator for several years, is dead. He was injured in an auto accident two years ago and has been in ill health since then. He is survived by his son, Walter, who operated the theatre until recently, when it was leased to the Krim brothers, and another son, Herman, Jr. W. C. Bernower Passes Akron, May 4. — William C. Bernower, 62, for many years identified with theatres here, is dead. He was for many years leader of the pit orchestra at the Colonial and also the leader of the band at the Meyers Lake Park Theatre, Canton. He came here 19 years ago from Canton. A daughter, one sister and a brother survive. Burial was in Akron. Saturday, May 5, 1934 Insiders' Outlook Stevens Funeral Today Funeral services for Harry M. Stevens, caterer to the sports world and intimate of many film men, will be held today at 11 A.M. in the Campbell Funeral Church, with burial at Niles, Ohio. Stevens died Thursday night after a long illness. He was 78 years old. Friedlander Ends Trip Having returned yesterday from a three-week tour of First Division exchanges, Al Friedlander plans to leave on a similar trip early next week. In Pittsburgh, First Division has taken over the Majestic franchise and Joseph Skirball has been placed in charge of the office. Skirball replaces Abe Schnitzer in that post. Boston is Friedlander's first stop on his scheduled trip. Hollywood, May 4 npHE creative workers are far A better business folks than tradition, or outside opinion, credits them. It may be the majesty of the Federal law makes them so, but it is a fact the rising curve in income taxes is rapidly fashioning a trend in production, the manifestations of which may as^ sert themselves more concretely as this year gets older and the next creeps in. It's being talked about, and not behind barricaded doors, either. . . . . ▼ What's happening has to do with the attitude of representative stars and directors and, as they see it, the futility of making three or four pictures a year, rolling up a terrific income to give half of it to the Government in tax assessments. They reason, as a consequence, that two annually will be plenty; that they will be able to keep the wolf from the gilded door without difficulty and increase available time for travel and divertissement. . . . ▼ This may be construed as NRA and much flag-waving. If the stars and directors stick to what appears their decision favoring a brace only per annum and if the industry runs along at its present production, gait, more key jobs must become available. Somebody has to turn out those pictures, regardless of what the celluloid captures. It's the tax impost that's made some important Hollywoodites patriotic, not the theory of the NRA. . . . ▼ The vertical trust idea, sponsored principally by Hugo Stinnes, German industrialist, has intrigued the Warners, word around town has it. The Stinnes plan called for business, self-contained and complete in itself — raw material, manufacture and consumption. What has this to do with the Warners ? Merely this, according to report: The company is figuring on 90 pictures next season, thereby making it unnecessary for Warner theatres to turn to outside producers for film. So several important Hollywood segments figure. Officially, Warners deny any such ambitions for their program. Factually, Warner theatres some weeks ago renewed their deal to play Radio product. . . . T Hal Roach gave a party for visiting Irvin Cobb the other night. As guests arrived, they were handed prisoners' garb provided from remaining costuming used by Metro in "The Big House." They were also photographed and fingerprinted, profile and full face. "Doc" Giannini registered mild and jocose protest. "It's all jolly for you motion picture guys," said he, "but consider the poor banker — me." . . . Out in the sun before Levy's on Vine Street in a wheel-chair sits an oldtimer, dark glasses for specs and presumably blind. Topsail to the breeze passes a Hollywood cutie. Did he turn his head or was his head turned ? . . . ▼ In "Half a Sinner," which is heading for generally pleasing business because it is that kind of an attraction, Eddie Grainger, scion of James R., has turned out one of the lowest cost pictures produced on the Universal lot in some time. Proving it can be done, as some others, aside from Grainger, are "demonstrating constantly. . . . "Relatively speaking" is a pat local expression. It has nothing to do with the Einstein theory. ... KANN Eastman Pfd. Up 5 on Big Board Columbia Pictures, vtc Consolidated Film Industries Consolidated Film Industries, pfd. Eastman Kodak, pfd. Fox Film "A" Loew's, Inc Paramount, cts Pathe Exchange Pathe Exchange "A" RKO Warner Bros Net Hi-;h Low Close Change Sales 2sy$ 28 28-4 + 5/8 300 4^8 4% 4y8 + Vs 100 1654 16J4 1654 a 600 915/& 903,4 9iys +ia 300 140 140 140 +5 20 16A 1554 15'/ + A 1,400 33 32^ 3254 + 54 4,100 4J4 4H 4/ + Vs 1,000 3 3 3 + 54 100 23 22 22'4 + A 800 354 VA 3!4 + A 600 7 6V» 644 1,200 Columbia Loses Quarter on Curb Columbia Pictures Sentry Safety Control. Technicolor Trans-Lux High . 2634 . 54 . 9M Low 26?4 54 954 2% Close 2634 54 954 Net Change 54 Some Bonds Take Big Profit High Low Close General Theatre Equipment 6s '40 1054 1054 1054 General Theatre Equipment 6s '40, ctf 954 954 954 L"ew's 6s '41. ww deb rights 10154 10154 5CU4 Paramount Broadway 554s '51 44 4?4i 44 Paramount F. L. 6s '47 4954 49 4954 Paramount Publix 554s '50 49 49 49 Warner Bros. 6s '39, wd 62 6154 62 Net Change +154 +1 + A +154 Sales 100 100 400 100 Sales 10 1 5 30 11 6 24 i PurelyPersonal ► Harry C. Arthur, Harry H. Thomas, Al Friedlander, Hal Horne, Phil Reisman, Joe Vogel, David Loew, Mort Spring, David Bernstein, Col. E. A. Schiller, Joe Vergesslich, Emil Jensen, Arthur Abeles, Laurence Bolognino, Frank Driscoll, Al Suchman, Edward Schnitzer, Louis Nizer, Leopold Friedman, Herman Robbins, Toby Gruen, Joe Brandt, Milton C. Weisman, Leo Brecher, Oscar Doob, Morton Van Praag, Budd Rogers, Louis Geller, Lee Ochs, Harry and William Brandt, Clinton White, Nathan Saland, William Barrett, Charles G. Snowhill, Joe Bernat, Jack Kopfstein, Edward Schwengeler, William Brenon and Harry Sherman gathered at the M. P. Club yesterday for lunch. Hal Wallis, associate executive in charge of production for Warners, will be on his way to New York from the coast tonight accompanied by his wife, Louise Fazenda, with whom he sails on May 12 on the Conte di Sai'oia for Europe on a combined business and pleasure trip. While abroad Wallis will search for talent and story material. Lloyd Bacon is accompanying the couple to New York, where he plans to spend a short vacation. David Selznick, Howard Estabrook. George Cukor, George Raft, Willia'm Koenig, Warner studio manager, and his bride ; Norman McLeod, director ; Monte Banks, English comedian, and G. N. Charington and A. A. Zanchino, scenario writers, will be among the outgoing passengers on the lie de France today. John Powers Copley's "Fruits of Divorce," an unproduced play, has been acquired by Famous Authors Pictures Corp. The script is now being prepared on the coast and will go before the cameras in August. Louis Hyman, executive vice-president of Principal, is in town for a few days. He leaves for the coast next week, but will make a number of key city stopovers enroute. Myke Lewis, Paramount western district manager, returned to the coast yesterday after conferences with Neil Agnew, general sales manager. Howard S. Cullman is in favor of a five-month receivership term for the Roxy, provided he can take a vacation for the extra month. Krellberg and Livingstone, lawyers with many film clients, are now ensconced in new offices at 535 5th Ave. Lou Irwin left town yesterday on the Hotel Owners' Special to attend the Kentucky Derby. He'll be back Monday. _ Mort Blumenstock, advertising director for Warner theatres, left last night for Cleveland on a week's trip. Edwin Burke, writer for Fox, arrives in town today for a month's vacation. Charles L. O'Reilly underwent a minor operation yesterday. Morris Kinzler is mourning the loss of his grandmother, Jack Shea is going to Atlantic City for the week-end.