Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1935)

Motid Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent the In in All Branches VOL. 37. NO. 117 NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1935 TEN CENTS Campi Group Has Mystery; Witness Gone Six from Florida There, But No Complainant Campi's appeals committee found itself with a mystery on its hands yesterday. A complainant from Florida was missing and six defendants were on hand, and nobody could explain where the missing man was — not even his lawyer. John A. Cunningham, president of Dade Enterprises, Inc., arrived in town last Monday, but his lawyer, Jacob Schechter, hasn't been able to get in touch with him since Wednesday. Schechter wanted a postponement. Willard C. McKay, chairman ; (.Continued on page 3) Clearance Row Set For Coast Hearing Los Angeles, May 17. — Four exhibitor protests and maybe five have been set for hearing before the local board for May 23. Among these is the new protest of Harry Vinnicoff, demanding the Circle and Princess be taken out of Zone No. 12 and placed in Zone No. 9 similar to his Strand. He bases his demand on the former joint ownership of the three houses with Simon Lazarus, at which time (Continued on page 3) NRA Officials Quit Payrolls on June 16 Washington, May 17. — Compliance Director Sol A. Rosenblatt, Deputy Administrator William P. Farnsworth and all other officials and employes of the NRA will go off the payroll June 16, but will immediately be re-hired if the law is extended. Because of the fact that the law carries a termination date, the Industrial Recovery Board has held that all employes must file new applications for employment after June 16. Present plans are to retain the entire force, making the "firing" painless. Allied-Gulf States At Parting of Ways New Orleans, May 17. — Whether the rumors of a row between Allied Theatre Owners of Louisiana and the Gulf States Theatre Owners' Ass'n. had anything to do with it is not (Continued on page 4) Missouri May End Jam with 1% Sales Tax Governor's Forces Push Compromise Moves Jefferson City, Mo., May 17. — Although Senator M. E. Casey of Kansas City and other opponents of any increase in the state's one-half of one per cent sales tax have not given up the fight they have been waging since the middle of April, Gov. Guy B. Park and the administration leaders in the Senate are hopeful of putting through the substitute one per cent tax bill presented by Senator Albert M. Clark of Richmond on May 14. The tax would be levied on all individual sales above 14 cents, but would exempt street car and bus (Continued on page 3) Mexico Producers Want Taxes Ended By JAMES LOCKHART Mexico City, D. F., May 17. — Mexico's infant film industry is not as robust as was at first indicated, it develops. Since 1931 only two or three profitable pictures, have been made, it is stated in a report to the Ministry of Finance, and producers want exemption from all taxes except the income tax. The petitioners assert that Japan, Spain and the Argentine have exempted their film industries from all taxes for five years and that Mussolini has signed a bill awarding the {Continued on page 3) Hearts and Flowers Major I. E. Lambert is vicepresident and general counsel of Pansy Amusement Corp. It's not a gag company. Pansy operates the Regent, in Harlem, and is a subsidiary of RKO. Columbia 9-Month Net Increases 100% A net profit of $1,572,720.50 is reported by Columbia for the nine months ended March 30, comparing with $739,338.94 for the similar preceding period. Earnings this year are equivalent, after all charges, to approximately $8.62 per share of common after deducting preferred dividends, as against $4.17 for the corresponding period last year. The consolidated balance sheet as of March 30 shows current assets of $7,620,760.48 and liabilities of $1,492,624.72, resulting in an increase of working capital to $6,128,135.76. Earned surplus increased to $4,499,595.20. Flood of Talent Is Ready for NV A Show The amusement world will release a flood of talent in the cause of charity tonight at the Garden when the N.V.A. puts on its benefit show, which this year is being sponsored jointly with the Masonic Clubs of New York State. No end of shining names in the realm of entertainment will be on the program, not to speak of many notable figures in the world of sports. And in the midst of it all will be Amelia Earhart as guest of honor. The affair will open with a number (.Continued on page 4) 'G-Men,' 'Frankenstein9 Only Broadway Grossers With the Astor closed and demolition of the Rialto started, the number of Broadway first runs is reduced to eight, including the Palace, which occasionally dates a picture before it is shown in other Broadway houses. With the exception of the Strand and Roxy, business was rather dull last week. Both the Music Hall and the Paramount which anticipated unusual grosses ended the period with weak tallies. The second week of "G-Men" at the Strand netted approximately $36,000, while "Bride of Frankenstein" wound up the first stanza at the Roxy in the neighborhood of $38,000. Mae West's opening week at the Paramount garnered about $37,000, while "The Informer" at the Music Hall grossed $62,000. "Go Into Your Dance" and Abe Lyman and his band at the Capitol for a second week drew $18,000 less than the first seven days. For the second week, the combination got $20,000. The Palace with "Mississippi" corralled only $7,500. RKO Expected To Make Para. Product Deal Franchise Here Up, but Agreement Looked For RKO, in all probability, will get together with Paramount next season on a new product deal locally, despite the fact that the circuit cancelled its franchise effective Aug. 1. Circuit executives assert there is no desire to drop the distributor's product, but they are anxious to abrogate the six-year franchise which is now four years old and negotiate new terms from season to season. RKO heads contend they do not have franchises with any other company and do not want to be tied down to Paramount. Under the terms of the six-year deal signed Julv 31, 1931, RKO had (Continued on page 4) Para. Bank Deals Put Before Joyce An agreement for settlement of a $503,827 claim against Paramount Publix by Commercial Investment Trust and U. S. & Foreign Securities Corp., based on royalty agreements made with Paramount's purchase of Southern Enterprises from S. A. Lynch, was submitted to Special Master John E. Joyce yesterday for approval. The joint claim of the financial companies was filed in the amount (.Continued on page 4) Metro-Goldwyn Cuts Capital $3,960,677 Wilmington, May 17. — MetroGoldwyn Pictures Corp. reduced its capital here by $3,960,677.13 in the following manner : By retiring all of the issued and outstanding preferred stock of the company consisting of 146,691^8 shares, each of the par value of $27, and by providing that an amount not exceeding that part of the capital represented by the shares so retired may be charged against or paid out of the capital of the corporation. Local 306 to Hear Reports on Monday A special meeting of Local 306, I.A.T.S.E., for nomination of new officers of the local and the submis(Continued on page 4)