Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Thursday, May 17, 1934 MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 35 May 17, 1934 No. 115 Martin Quigley Editor-in-Chief and Publisher MAURICE KANN Editor JAMES A. CRON A dvertising Manager Published daily except Sunday and holidays by Motion Picture Daily, Inc., sub sidiary of Quigley 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 contents 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 CHI CAGOAN. 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 • — ■ Cable address: Quigpubco, London; 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. Freuler Is Awarded Title Freuler Film Associates have been awarded the title "Marriage on Approval" by Justice Aaron Steuer in the N. Y. Supreme Court. Right to the title was challenged by Michael Kallesser, who wrote a play under that name which was produced in 1928, The Freuler film was based on a newspaper serial first published Oct. 31, 1927. "U" Theatres to Pay Universal Chain Theatres Corp. has declared a liquidating dividend of $2.50 on the preferred. The circuit is in receivership. Ball League to Meet The M. P. Baseball League holds its first meeting of the 1934 season tonight at the NBC offices in Radio City. Denies Goldhar Report Al Lichtman denied yesterday Jack Goldhar, district manager of the Detroit territory, will be appointed one of his assistants. Cullman Reports May 28 Howard S. Cullman expects to file his report with Federal Judge Francis G. Caffey for the last six months' operation of the Roxy on May 28. Krellberg Well Now Sam Krellberg yesterday left Polyclinic hospital and is on his feet again after being struck by a taxi last week while crossing 8th Avenue. Carroll Flies Film To Waldorf Showing Earl Carroll's swift cross-country airplane trip with his Paramount musical, "Murder at the Vanities," landed a print of the feature at the Le Perroquet Room in the WaldorfAstoria at 10 o'clock last night. Nearly 100 press representatives, company officials, and others in the entertainment field saw it screened and attended a dinner afterward Among the entertainers were Lanny Ross, Gordon & Revel, Burns & Allen, and Borris Morros with the Paramount Theatre talent, including the orchestra. Carroll, accompanied by William Pine and others, left the Coast Sunday and has been showing the picture in two and three cities a day, including Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Omaha, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh showing was early last night and the plane arrived at Newark in two hours. The next stop is Boston, with the party scheduled to leave at 11 o'clock today. Cincinnati, May 16. — Earl Carroll arrived from Detroit at noon in a private plane in charge of Paul Mantz, with Bill Pine, Teet Carle and Tom Rooney of the Paramount, Los Angeles. Fifty were entertained at luncheon as guests of Irving Waterstreet. Carroll broadcast over station WLW and left for Pittsburgh at 3 o'clock. No screening was given here because of limited time. Earl Carroll-Fox Deal To Run Several Years Earl Carroll's new deal to produce two pictures per year for Fox release will have several years to run, Carroll stated last night on his arrival from Hollywood. The deal has not been signed, but agreements have been reached all around, he disclosed. Carroll said the pictures would be 'girl shows" with substantial plot and story values built around them. He plans to start the first in July, with all production centered at General Service Studios, Hollywood, under an arrangement with Erpi. Amity Darkens Saturday Amity has joined the major companies which will operate on a five day week during the summer. All German Theatres Now Under Goebbels Berlin, May 16. — In a law promulgated last night by the cabinet all theatres in Germany were placed under the direct guidance of Dr. Paul Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda and Public Entertainment. Goebbels is now empowered to open and close theatres, appoint or dismiss directors and stage managers, ban plays or order performances. The law applies to all theatres, regardless of ownership, and empowers Goebbels to control the Prussian state theatres which heretofore have been under the jurisdiction of General Hermann Goering. Entertain Ampa Today A flock of entertainers will be on hand at the Ampa luncheon today at the M. P. Club. They will include Block and Sully, Mack Gordon and Harry Revel, Bob Murphy and his Rascals ; Kenyon Nicholson, co-author of "Sailor Beware," with members of the cast ; the Three Cubanolas, Charles Winninger, Jimmie Savo, Lou Brown and Lillian Ellis. Hal Home will be guest chairman. K-A-0 Profit $167,522 Net profit of $167,522.49, without provision for Federal income tax, was reported yesterday by Keith-AlbeeOrpheum Corp. for the first quarter ending March 31. This compares with a loss of $76,742 for the same period of last year. Against Star Reviews New Orleans, May 16. — Opposition to the star system of reviewing has been voted by directors of the Gulf States Theatre Owners' Ass'n. They also have gone on record against daylight saving time. Sheldon Off for Europe Hollywood, May 16. — E. Lloyd Sheldon left last night for Europe, returning to Paramount Sept. 1. M-G-M May Pick A. C. M-G-M may hold its eastern regional meeting in Atlantic City some time next month. Cohen Closes Wallack Max Cohen has closed the Wallack on West 42nd St. Trading Light on Big Board Eastman Kodak Fox Film "A".... Loew's, Inc Paramount Publix Pathe Exchange RKO Warner Bros. . . Trans Lux Net High Low Close Change Sales 2654 26J4 2654 54 200 157/6 15% 15^ + V* 100 9454 93 9354 + Vi 200 135 135 135 20 1454 14 14 Y2 700 295^ 30 — H 2,100 454 4 454 1,600 2Vi 2H 234 1.400 20 2m 1934 + 54 1,300 3 2% 1,100 su 554 554 -V% 3,200 ; on Curb Net High Low Close Change Sales 2 2 + Vs 200 Pathe Bonds Off iy2 -r . . , „ _ High Keith B. F. 6s '46 gg Loew's 6s '41 ww deb rights 10054 Paramount Broadway 554s '51 45 Paramount F. L. 6s '47 4654 Paramount Publix 5;4s '50 4754 "athe 7s '37, ww 94 Warner Bros. 6s '39, wd 5854 Low 68 100 44 4654 4754 94 57 Close 69 10054 44 4654 4754 94 57 Net Change Sales 13 8 2 34 3 54 1 —154 4 34 45 Fox Met. Set For Sale to Bondholders Acquisition of Fox Metropolitan Playhouses by bondholders at a foreclosure sale is provided for in the reorganization plan just completed by the committee representing holders of 6y2 per cent convertible gold notes and 6}4 per cent sinking fund gold debentures, it was learned yesterday. The committee represents more than 85 per cent of the bondholders of Fox Metropolitan, or $10,000,000 of the approximately $13,000,000 of the company's bonds. The committee is prepared to bid the full amount of the bonds held by it against any outside bidder, it was learned, thus making it necessary for any other bidder to put up approximately $13,000,000 in cash in order to acquire the circuit at foreclosure. It is reliably stated that the committee's stand has the effect of shutting out all other prospective bidders, of whom there are known to have been three, at least. Irving Trust Co., receiver for Fox Metropolitan, reported yesterday that it had received inquiries from Warners and Walter Reade as to the operating results of the circuit during the two years of receivership, the inquiries ostensibly being made for the purpose of arriving at a bidding price for the properties at such time as they might be sold at foreclosure. Third Bidder Revealed David W Kahn, downtown attorney, representing undisclosed interests, has revealed to the bondholders' committee what is apparently a third bidder for the properties at foreclosure. Declining to identify his clients prior to the sale of the properties, Kahn has stated that they are prepared to offer $3,000,000 in cash for Fox Metropolitan assets, constituting leaseholds in approximately 75 theatres. Under the bondholders' plan Skouras and Randforce would continue to operate the circuit, as they have done for the receiver. The plan, which is now awaiting approval of the U. S. District Court here, provides for sale of the assets at foreclosure and their purchase by the noteholders. A new company would be organized which would exchange new debentures for 50 per cent of the outstanding bonds and would issue 20 shares of new common stock for each $1,000 of Fox Metropolitan debentures. In this way both the stock and debentures of the new company will be held together so that in order to obtain control of the new company any outside interest would be obliged to buy up the debentures as well as the stock. Unmortgaged cash of Fox Metropolitan would be pro-rated among the $l,000-bond holders under the reorganization. A board of voting trustees is provided for in the plan, to be composed of Sidney R. Kent, president of Fox ; Herbert Howell, president of the Commercial National Bank & Trust Co., and Richard C. Hunt, investment banker. They, with the president of the new company, would be members of. and would control, a new board of directors of seven members. The new company would sublet the theatres to Skouras and Randforce.