Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1934)

8 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Thursday, May 17, 1934 J It has enough laughs for two hits | — that's why they're all seeing it • I twice! Even the critics are review J I ing it twice! John Barrymore in "20th Century" with Carole Lorn j | bard, Walter Connolly, Roscoe J Karns. A Howard Hawks Produc| tion from the notable New York J i stage success by Ben Hecht, Charles i I MacArthur and Charles Bruce Mil ' I holland. "Should cop the Academy ] Award for 1934 ! " — Picture Play , I ~. 1 1 J A landslide of laughs! An earth J | quake of mirth! An avalanche of . , riotous merriment! "The Party's I Over" with Stuart Erwin, Ann I Sothern, Arline Judge, Chick j i Sothern, Arline Judge, Chick j ! j I Chandler, Patsy Kelly. From the ' | stage comedy hit by Daniel Kusell. / Directed by Walter Lang. / Michael Shea Dies Suddenly In Buffalo, 75 (Continued from page 1) considerable fame locally as a battler. He began his career as a structural iron worker, helping in the construction of bridges in various parts of the country. Shea was projected into the show business at 23, when he opened the Music Hall here on a shoestring. Many noted French and English players appeared at this theatre, which was destroyed by fire 11 years later. Undaunted, he built and operated Shea's Garden for several years. In 1905 he opened Shea's Court Street, which for many years was one of the country's leading stands for two-a-day. In association with B. F. Keith and E. F. Albee he formed a sort of booking arrangement whereby all the biggest stars of the legitimate theatre and variety stage played the Court Street. Built $2,000,000 House The Court Street was succeeded as a vaudeville stand by Shea's Hippodrome. In 1926 the showman pooled his resources with Paramount-Famous Players, progenitor of ParamountPublix, and erected Shea's Buffalo at an outlay of more than $2,000,000. In 1933, Shea discontinued his association with Paramount-Publix, taking over entire control of his theatres. Even before then he had never relinquished his right to a final say in their operation, having retained 51 per cent control of the stock, with Paramount-Publix holding the rest. Peculiarly enough, Shea personally never cared for films ; yet he was one of the first to realize their importance and to bill their titles and the names of their stars on the marquees of his houses. Thanks to his showmanship, "Tillie's Punctured Romance," in which Marie Dressier broke into pictures opposite Charlie Chaplin, became one of the first outstanding film successes in Buffalo. Fostered Talent Ever on the watch for new talent, Shea was credited with the "discovery" of many of the present stage, screen and radio headliners. The show'man, noted for a frankness of speech that often was carried to profanity, never feared to tell even the biggest "names" what he thought was wrong with their acts and to suggest changes. Shea's widow was the former Josephine G. Carr. The couple were married in 1899. Surviving, besides Mrs. Shea, is a daughter, Mrs.Emil Giffoniello. Her husband is a junior executive of the Shea circuit. The Giffoniellos have a son, Michael Shea, born in 1933. The infant was one of Shea's greatest prides. Sam Dembow of Paramount, closely identified with Mike Shea for years, said yesterday: "He was the youngest old man I knew. Unlike many other veteran showmen who discoursed on how they did it 30 years ago, Mike Shea constantly was on the alert to new developments and constantly willing to accept them. "He was a grand old man." Darryl F. Zanuck Writes Darryl F. Zanuck, vice-president in charge of production for 20th Century, as this is written is somewhere on the deep blue bound for Italy and beyond that, Africa and big game. Prior to his departure from New York late last week, he took his typewriter in hand to rid his mind of several matters. What they are, as he saw and wrote them, editorially treated only for directions to the linotypers and not as to text, follows. His objections to certain published material in Motion Picture Herald and Motion Picture Daily are set forth frankly. Just as frankly and, as a matter of fact, gladly as well does does Motion Picture Daily give the communication the space it requires to tell Zanuck's side of the incidents. The picture referred to is "The Affairs of Cellini," previewed from Hollywood recently as "The Firebrand." To the Editor of Motion Picture Daily : An editorial appearing in a recent issue of the Motion Picture Herald refers to me as a representative of the typical Hollywood producer who, so the editorial states, expects every criticism on every picture to be complimentary regardless of the merits or demerits of the picture. This editorial appears to have been based on a misunderstanding of my reaction to a review in Motion Picture Daily. I don't in the least object to being branded as "a typical Hollywood producer" or as "a representative Hollywood producer." As a matter of fact, I consider it a distinction and an honor to be "a typical Hollywood producer." The production of moving pictures is my business ; I am proud of my business and proud of my work and not in the least ashamed to "represent" Hollywood producers, editorially or factually. I do. however, refuse to believe that Hollywood producers, as a group or even the leading producers as individuals, expect to receive editorial congratulations where none are due. Thev do expect the reviewers to be fair and honest and sincere, and in most cases, I am sure, they receive this treatment. I have never objected to any review published by any paper. Reviewers have a right to their opinion and a right to express it in any manner they see fit. I do, however, question the right of any reviewer to misstate facts. I found fault with the review of one of our forthcoming productions, not because the reviewer did or did not like the picture but only because he mis stated certain facts in the review, and I question the right of any reviewer to misinform exhibitors or to prophesize. To date there has been no accurate prophet in the motion picture industry. The particular review in question "warned" the exhibitor that the production was a costume picture. I believe that such a warning is not within the reviewer's province. Too many tremendously successful pictures recently have been costume pictures, such as : "The House of Rothschild," "The Bowery," "Henry the 8th." Thus, a "warning" of this nature to the exhibitor comes under the heading of erroneous labeling. In this same review Motion Picture Daily also "suggested to the exhibitor the possibility of the picture being subjected to severe censorship." This happens to be an obvious misstatement of fact. The picture has been passed with the highest possible recommendation by the Hays office and the state censor boards have discharged the picture without elimination. Certainly it must be agreed that the reviewer was again not within his province in "warning" the exhibitor to beware of censorship where such a possibility did not exist. In closing please let me state again that I do not now, nor will I ever question the right of any reviewer to express his ooinion — good, bad or indifferent — about any 20th Centurv picture, but I must, in fairness to the exhibitors and our own pictures, feel it my duty to call to attention any misstatement of fact. Sincerelv yours, Darryl Zanuck "Riptide" Tops "Champs" "Riptide" heads a list of eight "Box-Office Champions" compiled by the M. P. Herald for April. The other seven are : "Wonder Bar." First National ; "Melody in Spring," Paramount ; "House of Rothschild," United Artists ; "It Happened One Night." Columbia ; "George White'1; Scandals," Fox ; "Men in White," M-G-M; "Wild Cargo," Radio. State Tax Drive On Albany, May 16. — Books and records of all of the larger business firms in the state will be audited by a staff of examiners under the supervision of Tax Commissioner Mark Graves in an effort to ascertain whether officers and employes have complied with new tax laws, it was stated here today. M-G-M Plant 10 Today Hollywood. May 16. — The M-G-M studio celebrates its 10th year of oneration tomorrow, having made 675 pictures in that time. Because too larere an attendance, some 20.000, was indicated, the public picnic planned by the company in observance of the occasion has been called off since no place could be found near enough to stage the event. "He Who Gets Slapped," with Norma Shearer. Lon <~hanev and Tohn Gilbert, was the first film to be made at the plant. Lawrence to Leave Soon "Laudy" Lawrence, European manager for M-G-M, expects to leave for Paris next Wednesdav or Thursday. While here he is conferring with Arthur Loew.