Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1934)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY Tuesday, August 14, 1934 MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Vol. 36 August 14, 1934 No. 37 Martin Quigley Editor-in-Chicf and Publisher MAURICE KANN Editor 'iZM JAMES A. CRON Advertising Manager % PuWicaticn OH'ice: 1790 Broadway. New days by Motion Picture Daily, Inc.. subsidiary of Quigley Publications, Inc., Martin Quigley, President; Colvin Brown, Vice-President and Treasurer. Publication Office: 1750 Broadway, New York. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address "Quigpubco, New York." All contents copyriKhted 1934 by Motion Picture Daily, Inc. Address all correspondence to the New York Office. Other Quigley publications: MOTION PICTURE HERALIX BETTER THEATRES, THE MOTION PICTURE ALMANAC and THE CHICAGOAN. ^ , ,, . -., Hollywood Bureau: Postal Union Lite Building, Vine and Yucca Streets, Victor M. Shaiiro. Manager; Chicago Bureau: 407 South Dearborn Street, Edwin S. Cltfford. 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. Rntcnbcrg, Representative; Paris Bureau: 19. Rue de la . Cour-desNoues, Pierre Autre, Representative; Rome Bureau: Viale Goriiia, Vittorio Malfassutt, Representative; Sydney Bureau, 102 Sussex Street, Cliff Holt, Representative; Mexico City Bureau: Apartado 269, James Lochhart. Representative; Glasgow Bureau; 86 Dundrennan Road, G. Ho/»i«,_ Representative; Budapest Bureau: 3, Kaplar-u, Budapest, II, Endre Hevest, Representa '^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. Funeral Tonight for Melville E, Tucker Funeral services for Melville E. A. Tucker, secretary, treasurer and director of Consolidated Associates ; the Setay Co., Inc., Setay Royalties and Metropolitan Royalties; secretary and treasurer of Biograph Studios and Columbia Phonograph Co., and purchasing agent for Consolidated Film Industries, will be held tonight at 6 o'clock at Universal Funeral Chapel, 597 Lexington Ave. Services will be private. Tucker died Saturday. He was recuperating from a short illness. A widow, Harriet Tucker, and one son, Melville, Jr., survive. Thomas Burial Tomorrow Funeral services for Augustus Thomas, dean of American playwrights, who died at the Clarksburg Country Club from an apoplectic stroke, will be held tomorrow at 10:30 o'clock at St. George's Protestant Episcopal Church, 207 East 16th St. Thomas was made executive chairman of the Producing Managers' Ass'n. in 1922. "Editha's Burglar." "Alabama," "Arizona," "In Mizzoura," "The Copperhead" and "Love Will Find a Way" are some of his plays. He wrote about 50 in all. Quickies Bad For Business, Mayer Asserts (Continued from page 1) that M-G-M will go into British production on that or any other basis. Mayer is guarded in his discussion of the problem. He says that if the company does decide on London production the product will be made on the Hollywood scale with ace directors and stars and the Hollywood schedule would be reduced accordingly. ♦ ♦ ♦ That American producers and directors have been running copies of "Henry VIH" to bits studying the technique of the picture was another Mayer revelation. It lent point to his remark that Ainerica would welcome up to 40 "Henry VIII's" a year. So would England ! ♦ * * Rumors that the Stoll circuit of variety theatres was being acquired by a film group revived on the statement that Manchester Hippodrome would go talkie in September. No official announcement. ♦ * * Court ruling of importance to producers made by Justice Luxmoor in dismissing First National's appeal against the refusal of the Board of Trade to register "The Blue Squadron" as a British production. Fact that 2,900 of the 8,000 feet of the subject were from Italian official air force films disqualified the subject from the legal description "British," said the Judge. Warsaw Exhibitors Again Seeking Cuts Washington, Aug. 13. — The annual plea for a reduction of amusement taxes is in full swing in Warsaw (Poland), according to American Commercial Attache Clayton Lane in a report to the U. S. Department of Commerce. At the beginning of each summer season, exhibitors have applied to the city magistrate for seasonal tax reductions, basing their claim on the decline in business. The reductions asked vary from 20 to 30 per cent of the taxes now paid. Bernerd Denies Lee Will Quit Gaumont Jeffrey Bernerd, general manager of Gaumont British, denies rumors that Arthur A. Lee will resign as head of the company's American activities. His duties will be increased under the proposed expansion, Bernerd asserts. "Mv mission here is to effect a complete reorganization of the company," Bernerd says, "and set in motion the initial plans for establishment of a nationwide exchange system. I wish to state that Lee's status with this company is in no way affected by these plans except as his responsibilities are broadened and increased." tt Navy" at $17,321 In Its Third Week "Here Comes the Navy" was still going strong at the end of its third week in the Strand. It held up to $17,321. "Friends of Mr. Sweeney" was good for $11,000 in its second week at the May fair. "Personality Kid" at the Rialto took $8,000. "Handy .Andy" grossed $13,100 at the Roxy over the week-end and is being held a third week. B, F. Keith Reports Loss of $59,198,24 A net loss of $59,198.24 is reported for B. F. Keith Corp. and its subsidiaries for the half year ended June 30, 1934. While the company made a net profit after income taxes of $336,734.79, depreciation of $395,933.03 caused the unfavorable showing. For the same period Keith-AlbeeOrpheum and its subsidiaries reported a net profit of $485.73. No Dillinger License Permission to appear on the stage here has been denied John Dillinger, .Sr., by License Commissioner Paul Moss. Samuel J. Burger, handling the arrangements for Dillinger's appearance here, explained that the gunman's father was to give a brief talk, "A Sermon and A Lesson for Parents and Others Generally." i Purely Personal ► JOSEPH BERNARD, general manager of Warner Theatres, accompanied by his son, Jack, spent the week-end with a party of friends at the Lazy K Bar dude ranch of Ralph Bldd, Warner personnel manager, in the Delaware River valley. William Scully returned yesterday from a two weeks' tour of M-G-M exchanges in Boston, Washington and Charlotte. Ben Goetz, Jack Cos man and PiuL Reisman are on the high seas bound for England. They are on the Paris. Mrs. Dewey Robinson is here from the coast to join her husband, who has a role in Select's "Gigolette." They are stopping at the St. Moritz. Leslie E. Thompson will be chairman of the next Campi session. R. H. Cochrane follows Thompson. Georgie Price has been signed for a two-reel musical short to be made at the Vitaphone studio in Brooklyn. William E. Atkinson, receiver for Fox Theatres Corp., is back from a week's visit to his home in Virginia. William Melnicker, South American head for M-G-M, is on his way home after several months here. Lee Ochs hasn't made up his mind when he'll take a boat for the Argentine. Glenda Farrell is recuperating at the Warwick from her recent appendicitis operation. Dave Palfrey man treks to Indiana the end of the week for a vacation which will last until Labor Day. J. Louis Geller is back from a week's vacation. Hal Horne returned from the coast yesterday. Adolph Zukor is on his way to the coast, having left Sunday. Anita Loos checked in at the Warwick yesterday from the coast. Mrs. Hal Roach Injured Hollywood, Aug. 13. — Mrs. Hal Roach, and her daughter, Margaret, were slightly injured here today in an automobile accident. Increasing Gem Capacity Seating capacity of the Gem, Far Rockaway, which will be taken over by Loew's Sept. 1, is being increased from 600 to 1,500. Stocks on Big Board Advance Columbia Pictures vtc Consolidated Film Industries. Eastman Kodak Fox Film "A" Loew's Inc Paramount Publix cts Pathe Exchange Pathe Exchange "A" RKO Warner Bros Technicolor Trans Lu.x Loew's 6s '41 WW deb. rights Paramount F. L. 6s '47 Paramount Publix 5%s, '50 -11 Pathe 7s '37 ww Warner Bros. 6s '39 wd Net High Low Close Change Sales 27V4 2714 27M +m 100 2% 2^8 2H -Vg 100 9m 98H 98H -fm 100 10 y?4 10 -f-54 200 27H 25^8 27H +m 3.700 3/4 3'/8 3!4 + v% 1,100 1'4 1'4 154 + Vs 200 14 135^ 13^ + 'A 200 2'/« 2 2 500 4-4 37/8 4^ + Vb 1,100 /g on Curb Net High Low Close Change Sales 12'A uVi 12^ /s 300 VA 1-/8 VA -H/s 100 3on ds UpVs Net High Low Close Chanse Sales ICO^ 100 lOO/s + n 7 39 39 39 -fi 1 •11 41 41 + % 1 93 93 93 -H 1 53 53 53 -V2 2 To Broadcast ''Gigolette'* Calling it a radio trailer, Sam Taylor, WMCA screen reporter, will stage a scene from "Gigolette" at the Biograph Studio tonight from 7 to 7:30 over the American Broadcasting Co.'s hookup. Charles LaMont, director, will have most of his cast on hand, including Adrienne Ames, Robert Armstrong, Ralph Bellamy, Donald Cook, Dewey Robinson, Ernest Wood and Milton Douglas. ''Dames** Opening Set Warners are putting on a heavy campaign for the opening of "Dames" at the Strand tomorrow night. The activity in the lobby will be broadcast over station WINS and Phil Baker will sing songs from the picture into the lobby microphone. Twelve girls in a contest to become Dick Powell's leading woman in "Hollywood Hotel" will be escorted to the house by the Vitaphone chorus. Chadwick Returns West Cutting short his stay here, I. E. Chadwick, independent producer, has returned to the coast.