Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1935)

Mot+o Picture Industry MOTION PICTURE DAILY Alert, Intelligent the In in All Branches VOL. 38. NO. 25 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1935 TEN CENTS Hollywood and Apollo May Be Taken by Loew Move Aimed to End Long M. & S.-RKO Row Loew's is expected to close with M. & S. either today or tomorrow for the purchase of the Apollo and Hollywood, two lower east side theatres, which have been the subject of legal controversy between M. & S. and RKO for the last year. The surprise move is said to have been brought about by a product situation facing Loew's Ave. B, Commodore, Delancy and Canal. The four houses are reported to have been affected by the Apollo's elevation into the first run category under RKO (Continued on page 2) Plans Are Set for Jacksonville Meet Jacksonville, July 29. — Plans are all set for the summer convention of the Southeastern Theatre Owners' Ass'n. scheduled to be held here Aug. 11-12-13. One business session and a lot of varied entertainment are on the program. An attendance of between 400 and 500 is predicted by M. C. Moore, Riverside Theatre, who is entertainment chairman. In addition, to a big delegation of members it is expected a (Continued on page 4) Schreiber to Seek Rehearing of Case Detroit, July 29. — A petition asking re-hearing in his suit against Co-Operative Theatres of Michigan will be filed this week in Federal court here, Jacob Schreiber said Saturday. Master in Chancery William Sayres last week made a recommendation that the complaint be dismissed because it did not involve interstate commerce and, therefore, the United States court was without jurisdiction. In the suit, which was filed a year ago and which required several weeks for hearing, Schreiber charged that (Continued on page 4) U. A. Sold Solid to The Warner Circuit The Warner circuit had closed for the entire United Artists output next season, starting with "The Call of the Wild." Al Lichtman acted for the distributor and Joseph Bernhard for the circuit. Kansas Perks Up Following Dust, Drought Recovery Is Real, Tax Figures Reveal Kansas City, July 29. — Visitors from the east are amazed at the recovery of Kansas from the effects of the widely publicized drought and dust storms this spring and last summer. That this recovery is actual and not the product of optimism is indicated by tax figures made public by the state tax commission which show that values suffered little decrease during the year ended March 1. Total assessed valuation, both tangible and intangible property, as returned by the county clerks of 105 counties for the present year's taxes, amounted to $2,714,165,022. This compares with $2,716,104,723 a year ago. It had been feared that total assessed (Continued on page 9) Philadelphia IEPA Talking Zone Buys Philadelphia, July 29. — Some 25 independent exhibitor leaders met here today at a non-partisan meeting at I.E. P. A. headquarters to discuss a buying combine for the local territory and to zone the city into six sections. The zones picked were Kensington, North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia and suburban, Germantown, (Continued on page 4) Kalmus Deals Before Directors Tomorrow Announcement of various deals negotiated by Herbert T. Kalmus, president of Technicolor, while abroad will be made tomorrow after a meeting of the company's b<~>grd of directors, Kalmus declared yesterday upon his arrival on the N ormandic . Asked about the story published July 24 in Motion Picture Daily which stated Sir Adrian Baillie, Alexander Korda and Gerard Industries (Continued on page 9) Indiana ATO Wants Arbitration Moves Indianapolis, July 29. — Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana favor industry arbitration and urge members to affix signatures to contracts so providing. In a bulletin, the organization says exhibitor associations everywhere are urging their members to go for the practice. Hot Weather Note An Erpi engineer was called in by Paramount officials to oversee the installation of a cooling system in the hew office quarters for John E. Otterson, Paramount president. The installation completed, another Erpi specialist tested the equipment just to make sure that there would be no flaws in its performance. Otterson is now at the Paramount studio on an inspection visit of indefinite length. Italy Talking Rental Tax to Aid Its Films Washington, July 29. — Italy is studying various measures designed to foster home production, declares Commercial Attache C. A. Livingood in Rome in a report to the U. S. Department of Commerce. At present a project is reported to be under consideration involving (1) the existing limitation on import of films would be removed to the extent that imports would be allowed equal to 100 per cent of the corresponding imports in 1934; (2) the present "dubbing" tax of 25,000 lire (about $2,000) per film would be eliminated; (3) a (Continued on page 9) First Division to Take 18 from B.I.P. First Division, headed by Harry H. Thomas, has closed a deal with Arthur Dent, managing director of British International Pictures and vicepresident of Alliance Pictures, Ltd., to take over American distribution of 18 selected productions out of a list of 25. At a luncheon yesterday at the St. Moritz, Thomas told trade press representatives and theatre men that First (Continued on page 9) St. Louis Shies Off Most Theatre Prizes St. Louis, July 29. — With a circuit attorney who might enforce the laws covering the situation and local newspapers that decline to carry advertisements remotely touching on anything resembling a lottery or the (Continued on page 9) Begin a Move To Probe Fox, 20th Century Committee to Seek Aid Of Attorney General Moves to enlist the aid of the New York Attorney General in a probe of stock transfer angles involved in the 20th Century Fox merger are to be discussed today at a meeting in the office of Henry L. Sperling, attorney for a stockholders' committee. L. T. Pidwell is chairman of the committee and Cromwell Gibbons is secretary. They are not generally known in the industry, although it was learned that Pidwell has been connected with banking institutions. Sperling said yesterday he had asked for information from Fox Film Corp., 20th Century Pictures and United Artists on details of the plan. He says there is no hope in a proxy plan of opposition to the merger. "A majority of the Fox stock has always been voted as a unit," he says. "Some of the members of the present committee surveyed the situation at (Continued on page 4) Zanuck Himself Will Handle 20th's Series Sidney R. Kent, in a statement issued yesterday designed "to clear up any misunderstanding that might exist as to the duties of Darryl F. Zanuck," made it clear the producer will continue to "personally supervise" the 20th Century end of the Fox lineup. "Mr. Zanuck," read the statement, "will be in charge of all production of the Fox Film Corp. In this capacity he will have general supervision (Continued on page 4) Say Lasky Favored For Pickford Aide Jesse L. Lasky is understood to have the edge on all other contenders as Mary Pickford's co-producer, although Miss Pickford informed Motion Picture Daily last night she will not divulge the appointee until she arrives on the coast Monday. She has abandoned stage plans and (Continued on page 4) Campi Office Will Darken Tomorrow Campi will close its office in the RKO Building tomorrow. The financial report recently completed by Price, Waterhouse will be sent to the Code Authority finance committee.