Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1934)

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The Leading Motion^ Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent the In in All Branches . OL. 36. NO. 146 NEW YORK, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1934 TEN CENTS Fox Theatres Claim Out of New Met Plan Vo Provision Made for Common Stock Issue Complete disavowal of any obligaion to Fox Theatres Corp. is made i the plan of reorganization for Fox ■letropolitan Playhouses, just comleted by the bondholders' committee i the latter company. Asserting that Fox Met is insolvent, he plan states that the common stock f the company, therefore, has no Blue and will be canceled without :;>mpensation to the holders. Fox Thetres Corp. is the owner of all of the tock of Fox Met and had filed a laim against the debtor for $4,536,742. "his claim was provided for in the xiginal Fox Met plan prepared last pring and was to be settled bv pavnent of $100,000 to Fox Theatres, toether with provisions for adjustments in theatre leases in which Fox Thetres has an interest. The completed (Continued on pane 10) Sew RKO Sales Unit For the Continent London, Dec. 20. — Radio Pictures nternational, Ltd., was formed here rior to the departure for New York f Phil Reisman, foreign sales manger for RKO, to handle sales on the ontinent and in the Near East. E. D. Leishman, who heads the •oard of management of Radio Picures, Ltd., here, is managing direcor of the new company. Ned E. (Continued on fage 7) Production to Halt For Two Week-Ends Hollywood, Dec. 20. — Production vill be practically at a standstill over he Christmas and New Year's weekends. It is predicted that studio acivity will be on less than a 10 per :ent basis Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and about the same for the following week-end. 1928-1932 The dollar parade in exhibition and production, as revealed by tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Bureau from 1928 to 1932 inclusive, is displayed on page 10 today. For 'Better Understanding9 League; Better Days Seen By B. B. KAHANE President, RKO Studios Hollywood, Dec. 20. — It is my opinion that in the coming year pictures will be better. Pictures have been showing a steady improvement i n quality year by year since production started and there is no reason to believe that this forward progress and improvement will be halted. Moreover, the experience of the past year has taught us that it is the outstanding product that does exceptional business and accordingly producers {.Continued on page 13) By A. MONTAGUE General Sales Manager, Columbia We will need no Legion of Decency if the industry continues to further develop a Legion of Better Understanding among and between its component elements. The progress in this direction is the most promising factor in the outlook for the new year. Through it we have learned to make better pictures and the exhibitor has learned how better to sell them to the public. This development merely has started. (Continued on page 13) Treasury to Study Overlapping Taxes Washington, Dec. 20. — Treasury experts immediately will undertake a broad study of the tax situation, the first move toward a policy which will prevent duplication of taxation, ordered today by President Roosevelt. The inquiry will cover the three fields of Federal, state and municipal taxation, and will determine the extent to which the taxing agencies of each group encroach upon the others. Tax experts have long held that (Continued on page 7) British May Bolster Block Booking Rule London, Dec. 20. — The block booking clauses of the quota act may be strengthened under the proposed revision of the measure, it was learned todav. Huge Poster Drive Is Set by Industry Within the next six weeks the first of a series of posters will go out to every theatre in the land in the industry's greatest drive for the good will of the American public, according to the M. P. P. D. A. Plans outlined by the producer organization call for the prominent display of the posters in theatre lobbies. There will be no charge to exhibitors, the cost of the campaign being borne by the member companies of the (Continued on page 10) Council Is Behind Clean Films Drive The New York Council of the Legion of Decency, in the first meeting since its organization yesterday at the Empire State Club, declared (Continued on page 7) Some Talks, Some Ribbing, Some Crowd at Ampa Lunch Between charitable reminders on behalf of the industry's less fortunate ones and uncharitable "ribbing" of some others, 1,500 persons, comprising the largest gathering ever to attend an A.M.P.A. annual Christmas party, were sufficiently diverted at the Astor yesterday to refrain from embarrassing the hostelry by asking for second helpings. Liberally mixing gags, introductions, entertainment and speakers, the masters of ceremonies, William Ferguson, A.M.P.A. president, and John W. Alicoate, editor of The Film Daily, (Continued on page 13) Kuykendall Is For Zoning to Preserve Code Will Bring Order Out of Chaos, He Insists Asserting that the establishment of clearance and zoning schedules is needed "to preserve the code," Ed Kuykendall, Code Authority member and M.P.T.O.A. president, yesterday renewed his demand for a "fair and equitable method of clearance and zoning" and for retention in the code of the leasing clause with provisions for its enforcement added. Kuykendall's declaration for retention of the leasing clause was a reiteration of his testimony given in Washington on Wednesday at the hearing before Deputy Administrator William P. Farnsworth on amendments proposed by Campi, one of which would eliminate the provisions prohibiting interference with leases. "A fair and equitable method of clearance and zoning must be secured for the theatre owners of this country to bring some semblance of orderly procedure out of the present chaotic (Continued on page 10) Smalley Lease Case Is Heard in Capital Washington, Dec. 20. — Details of the controversy between William C. Smalley of Hamilton, N. Y., and the Meyer Schine circuit over the possession of the Hamilton theatre were laid before the National Compliance Council today. The case was brought to Washing (Continued on page 10) Predicts a Buying Strike for Oregon Portland, Dec. 20. — Robert White, president of Allied of Oregon, in a signed statement, predicts independent theatres in this state will stop buying major product before the July period because of increased percentage demands and discrimination in selling policies. More Awards Hollywood, Dec. 20.— The Academy will extend its annual awards this year to embrace short subjects. Composers and film editors also will be accorded recognition, form not yet determined.