Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1935)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY MOTION PICTURE DAILY (Registered U. S. Patent Office) Insiders' Outlook By RED KANN \ ol. 37 January 30, 1935 No. 25 Martin Quigley Editor-in-Chief and Publisher a MAURICE KANN -r, I Editor \SU 1 JAMES A. CRON Advertising Manager Published daily except Sunday and holidays by Motion Picture Daily, Inc., subsidiary of Quigley Publications, Inc., Martin Quigley, President; Colvin Brown, Vice-President and Treasurer. Publication Office: 1790 Broadway, New York. Telephone Circle 7-3100. Cable address "Quigpubco, New York." All contents copyrighted 1935 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 Chicagoan. 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. Kutenberg , Representative; Paris Bureau: 19, Rue de la Cour-desNoues, Pierre Autre, Representative; Rome Bureau: Viale Gorizia, Vittorio Malpassuti, Representative; Sydney Bureau: 600 George Street, Cliff Holt, Representative; Mexico City Bureau: Apartado 269, James Lcckhart, Representative; Glasgow Bureau: 86 Dundrennan Road, G. Holmes, Representative; Budapest Bureau: 3, Kaplar-u, Budapest, II, 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. U.A.-M-G-M Win in Midnight Show Case Pittsburgh, Jan. 29. — Unauthorized midnight showings prior to the day set in contracts for the first exhibition of a film were barred in a decision handed down this week by U. S. District Court Judge Gibson. The case was brought by United Artists and M-G-M against Bart Dattola, operator of the Paramount at New Kensington, Pa. The court ruled that an exhibitor must have written permission to show a film prior to 6 A.M. of the day set for the start of a run. The defendant contended he had oral permission and that he had included the receipts of the midnight showing in his accounting of the first day's gross, but the court ruled that because he had failed to make a separate accounting of the midnight gross acceptance of the money by the two distributors could not be construed as approval of the showing. Big Ampa Lineup Set Gene Raymond, Freddie Bartholomew, Charles B. Cochran, Emil Boreo, Jack Whiting, Irving Jaffee, Count Byron Kuhn de Propok, Rachel Carlay, Jerome Mann, Rosita Ortega, Hugh Sinclair and Leon Quartermaine will be Ampa headliners at tomorrow's regular meeting at the M. P. Club. Monroe Greenthal will preside in the absence of William Ferguson who is down Florida-way trying to take a vacation from M-G-M exploitation duties. FROM Gatti-Casazza up or down the line, as you like it, to syndicate writers, magazine editors, daily and trade paper critics, Erpi executives, an occasional independent distributor and the more lowly in publicity dispensers, a formidable group turned out and into the Wraldorf as evening fell last night to see what the first release of the muchheralded "March of Time" had to say for itself. No longer the experimental subject, this was what first runs will get beginning Friday. . . . T It is a six-part affair, twenty minutes in length. It is interesting and refreshing and true to the conception behind Time, the magazine and the subject's mentor, that news, provided the editorial judgment that sifts it is nicely balanced, is most arresting when it is interpreted. Outstanding far and away to this observer is the story built around Prince Kimmochi Saionji, "'the wise old man of Okitsu. twice premier of Japan, last of the Elder Statesmen." With flashback and editorial ingenuity and in the space of a handful or more of minutes, the screen shows and the narrator explains the crisis which confronts Nippon. Are the men of war or the men of peace to plant their standard in victory? "The March of Time" poises the issue, gives no answer but pungently, dramatically and emotionally, tells and shows the factors that maintain the scales in the balance. . . . ▼ There is significance in that Japanese episode. It demonstrates that when the producers find something into which they can sink their teeth, they bite hard. This column urges that they continue to look and to bite in the conviction that enough of guts and interest in this troublesome, issue-sodden existence is waiting to have its story presented. The very title, "The March of Time," induces visions of a record on celluloid and on sound track of events that mean something to the transients in a world beset with vexatious and interesting problems. Under its own decreed policy of interpretative news, peering into the why, how and when, "The March of Time" has an unusual opportunity to be provocative and attention-holding without necessarily being partial. . . . T For its other five episodes, the producers selected the story of "21," famous New York speakeasv and how its owners beat the Feds during prohibition; the safety campaign in London under Transport Minister Leslie Hore-Belisha and what the public did to his beacons; Fred Perkins, York, Pa., battery manufacturer who defied the NRA and found rallying round him legalistic talent which fortunes could not buy; Moe Buchsbaum, arrested for speeding in France who refused to pay his $6.60 fine unless to the American Government by way of reducing the Frence war debt ; Gatti-Casazza and his 28th and final first night of opera at the Metropolitan. . . . T Merit runs through all of the subject matter. The selection is adroit, the treatment different and fresh. But there remains additional opportunity to go further. If the vigor and viewpoint which have made Time such a publication gargantuan prevail, as indications have it they will, "The March of Time," as good as it i^. making as auspicious a debut as it does, sounding oft a newsreel idea sans ski jumpers, baby parades and fashion shows and concentrating more on the fibre than the fluff, will better with succeeding issues. . . . T T Many are the versions of the Paramount, Adolph Zukor situation, et al. Reason, not hearsay, credits the inside fight, over now, to exclude him from the board of the new company as a movement led principally by H. A. Fortington. representing securities controlled by big and British insurance companies ; John D. Hertz, one-time chairman of the Paramount finance committee ; Floyd Odium, through Atlas which owns large blocks of bonds never deposited with the bondholders' committee; William Greve of Allied Owners and, presumably, several important creditor banks. These interests capitulated only when conviction finally became theirs that the Zukor name means something at Paramount, the convincing being credited to the A. Z. supporters. . . . T Not merely that, however. This point is supposed to have been made : That Zukor, out of Paramount and with a competing company might have traveling by his side Paramount executives and Paramount talent of sufficient weight to help the competition and handicap Paramount. At any rate, he is on the board. And now what what? Will he be president and, if he is, what brakes will be placed upon his functioning? Or isn't it a conjecture closer to fact that he will be named to head an executive committee whereon other mem Wednesday, January 30, 1935 bers will carry vote as well as voice? . . . T The executive committee — it doesn't even exist so far — is expected to be the real force in the management. In addition to actual administrative powers, it is very apt — it might well do it — relied upon heavily by the uninitiated and new board of directors for practical slants on what the film business is all about. Speculative solely, but around plenty, if you listen, is the report George J. Schaefer is likely fodder for the presidency. Around as well are other reports about that post, the names most frequently mentioned belonging to Charles E. Richardson, John D. Hertz, Zukor. And Steve Lynch. . . . ▼ Yesterday developed a doubt about Kuhn, Loeb and earlier reports that Paramount's original financial daddy was out of the situation. Archibald Palmer, about wdiom more is told if you will turn this page to the left, charged in court that Frank A. Yanderlip, one of the new directors, and several bank nominees have K., L. connections by either directly representing that firm's Paramount bond holdings or through K., L.'s stock interest in several of the banks with representation on the board. Some insiders lean toward this viewpoint. That's a whisper. Counsel for the bank group, as well as for Vanderlip, in court yesterday denied the allegation. That's a statement. . . . Missouri Has a 10% Ticket Tax Measure Jefferson City, Mo.. Jan. 29. — A measure providing for a 10 per cent tax on theatre tickets, as well as a number of other commodities, has been placed before the State legislature by Representative Lindhorst of St. Louis. The tax would be used to finance old age pensions. File Against Greenblatt Pathe Exchange, Inc., has filed a bankruptcy petition against Arthur Greenblatt, Inc., in the U. S. District Court on a claim of $984. Greenblatt operates the Greenblatt Exchange in the Film Center Bldg. and recently merged with General Pictures, operated by Phil Meyer before the latter joined Gaumont British as New York branch manager. Roach Down with Flu Hollywood, Jan. 29. — Hal Roach is confined to his home with influenza, but expects to be up and about shortly. Henry Ginsberg, vice-president and general manager of the Roach studio is battling a cold in New York. TV. O. Votes a New Tax New Orleans, Jan. 29. — The Commission Council has voted an occupational tax on industry, which begins at $25 on gross sales up to $50,000 and rises to $6,000 on sales of $10,000,000 or more. The tax is expected to vield $500,000 a year.