Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1934)

The Leading ^Newspaper \ Motion Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent 'Faithfjjj | Service 16 the Industry in All Branches VOL. 35. NO. 123 NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1934 TEN CENTS Radio Has 27 Set for Next Year— Depinet Remaining. 23 Will. Be Picked by June 18 Twenty-seven of Radio's 50 features for next season have been set and the remainder will be mapped out between now and the opening of the company's annual sales meet, June 18, at Chicago, Ned E. Depinet, Radio Pictures president, said yesterday following his arrival from the coast. Depinet and Robert F. Sisk, advertising and publicity director, spent two weeks at the Radio studio, going over new season plans and seeing new product. Both were enthusiastic over releases scheduled for the next three (Continued on page 4) Fox Midland Pact To Come Up June 6 Kansas City, May 25.— Fred S. Hudson, bankruptcy referee, has set June 6 for a hearing at which creditors will be asked to approve the proposed Fox Midland settlement with H. M. Woolf and M. B. Shanberg. Notices have been sent to all Fox Midland and Fox Rocky Mountain creditors. Simultaneously with discussion of this proposal Herbert V. Jones, trustee, will ask for authority to execute (Continued on page 4) Toledo Strike Hits Theatre Attendance Toledo, May 25. — Exhibitors report that the strike at the local Electric Auto-Lite plant, involving approximately 4,500 operatives, is having a dampening effect on theatre attendance. Rioting is in progress. Local police have been reinforced with several companies of state militia. In addition to the situation affecting those directly involved in the strike, the psychological effect on the local public has reacted against box-offices, film men claim. New Consent Decree In Radio Trust Suit Wilmington, May 25. — Judge John P. Nields in U. S. District Court here today signed a consent decree regarding exclusive licenses and sales arrangements that had been made by defendants with foreign companies in (Continued on page 2) Non-Assenters Arc to Be Called in On Clearances Censor Is Exhibitor Toronto, May 25. — A former censor has become an exhibitor. Famous Players Canadian Corp. has named P. J. Hanifen, formerly chief censor for Nova Scotia, as manager of the Garrick at Halifax. Hanifen resigned his censor post when the provincial government changed the last time. Coast Agreement On Duals Nearer Los Angeles, May 25. — Further plans for the elimination of duals and the treatment of previews were discussed at a joint meeting of exhibitors, producers and distributors yesterday in the office of Louis B. Mayer. The recommendation was advanced that a theatre be automatically deprived of future advance showings of major product for advertising a preview through any means whatever, (Continued on page 4) U. S. Seeks to Halt French Tariff Move Washington, May 25. — Negotiations with the French Government, seeking rejection of the proposal of the Chambre Syndicale for new tariff restrictions on the ^mport of films, (Continued on page 4) Texas Allied To Cooperate On Complaints Dallas, May 25. — So that code boards will not be burdened with unnecessary cases Allied Theatre Owners of Texas is urging its members to submit complaints to its offices for an opinion as to whether they merit presentation to the boards. "We are receiving daily complaints from exhibitors who have cases to lay before the boards," says a bulletin signed by Col. H. A. Cole. "We do not wish to burden the grievance board with small matters at present, as it will be very busy on those of vital inrDortance, but if you have any complaint under the code we suggest that you submit it to us and we will tell you frankly if we think you have a case, and will help you get it up if we_believe you have. "The independent exhibitor has made (Continued on page 3) Review Board Near Windup of Report Washington, May 25. — With its hearings closed, the National Recovery Review Board today was putting the final touches on its second report, (Continued on page 3) Warner 6-Month Operating Prof it Reaches $38,855.51 For the six months ending Feb. 24, Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., and subsidiaries showed a net operating profit of $38,855.51, continuing on the profit basis which set in during the last quarter of 1933 for the first time in four years. This profit compares with a net operating loss of $3,442,325.96 for the corresponding period last year. Net profit from operations before amortization and depreciation and Federal income taxes was $3,639,151.82. A total of $905,015.05 was credited to the deficit account, representing profit on the redemption of funded indebtedness, adjustment of income tax reserves of prior years and profit on sale of capital assets. There was charged against the deficit account $475,318.30, representing appropriations authorized by the board of directors in respect of in vestments in and advances to affiliated companies. The accumulated deficit now stands at $19,078,452.80 This is a cut of $469,452.26. Current assets shown by the consolidated balance sheet total $16,661,155.94. Current liabilities are $12,782,522.87. Total assets and liabilities are given as $168,409,965.21. Where Whole Territories Are Involved Protests Will Be Heard In order to expedite the setting up of clearance and zoning schedules throughout the country, the committee on clearance and zoning, composed of Charles L. O'Reilly, Harold S. Bareford and Neil Agnew, yesterday decided that in instances where protests filed with local boards may affect the entire territory, all exhibitors, whether code assenters or dot, shall be called in to attend the hearings on the proposed changes. These exhibitors will be given an opportunity to be heard relative to changes sought. After the local board decides on the plan of clearance for the particular territory involved, exhibitors dissatisfied with the schedule established can then appeal directly to (Continued on page 3) Campi's Clearance Ruling K. C. Shock Kansas City, May 25. — Campi's decision to hold up new clearance schedules proved a bombshell. First local information on it was contained in Thursday's Motion Picture Daily. Speculation is general both among members of the. clearance and zoning board and among exhibitors as to the (Continued on page 3) Brecher and Fox Go Before Arbitrators After an absence of two years, arbitration reappeared in the local territory yesterday. The case was between Leo Brecher and Fox on a protection issue. This, in spite of the code, or, in fact, because of the code. Brecher, who operates a number of houses, signed only for the Plaza when he complied, omitting from the forms the Odeon and Roosevelt among his other houses. Having failed to (Continued on page 3) Hearing Called on Employe Amendment Washington, May 25. — A public hearing on an amendment of the code to redefine the word "employe" to make it more inclusive and eliminate the possibility of evasions was set for (Continued on page 3)