Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1935)

Monday, August 12, 1935 MOTION PICTURE DAI LY Admissions Up In Many Areas As West Gains (Continued from page 1) increase tariffs at this time, _ with action on the policy being considered for early fall and simultaneously with the better releases of new season pictures, sales executives report. Detroit ^ has evolved a definite plan for boosting scales this fall. Pre-release houses will take the lead there and subsequent runs have indicated a willingness _ to cooperate in the move by following suit. Little or no discussion so far this season has been held on the subject by large New York circuits. Some distributors account for this on the theory that Federal relief has not been appreciable enough in New York to better the spending ability of large sections of the population. It is pointed out that the city still has more than 1,500,000 on relief, and that this mass group, nominally theatre customers, is almost wholly shut off from film entertainment. Other sections of the country, distribution executives believe, have been more directly benefited by employment on Federal projects instead of being the recipients of a dole. Also, they state, industrial recovery in smaller cities brings immediate and direct benefits to large sections of the local population, whereas the revival of a single factory or even an entire industry in New York may result in no noticeable improvement in the spending power of the city's populace. Warner Men Here to Discuss "Dream" Ads Zone advertising managers of Warner theatres meet today and tomorrow at headquarters to discuss advertising and publicity campaigns for "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Plans include a luncheon at the Advertising Club today, followed by a screening of the picture in the afternoon. Comments will be withheld until a second meeting tomorrow, when the round table discussion will be followed by talks from Joseph Bernhard, S. Charles Einfeld, Mort Blumenstock and members of the home office. Here for the parleys are L. S. Stein, Chicago ; Sydney Dannenberg, Cleveland ; Dan Finn, New Haven ; Bob Paskow, Newark ; Charles Smakwitz, Albany ; Harry Goldberg, Philadelphia ; Joe Feldman, Pittsburgh ; Frank La Falce, Washington ; Sid Blumenstock, Atlantic City, and Ben Hendricks, Memphis, who happens to be in New York on vacation. David ("Skip") Weshner, first run zone manager in Philadelphia, likewise will attend. Zeisler to London Berlin, Aug. 11. — Alfred Zeisler, for a long time supervisor of Ufa films, is going to England to produce "The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss" for the new Garrett Klement Pictures, Ltd., in London. Author of the film is Phillip Oppenheim. It will be released by General Film Distributors, which will also handle the first English-made film of Anna Sten. This is "A Woman Alone" to be made at Elstree, also by Garrett Klement. Bing Doesn't Reply Bing Crosby has turned turfman in a big way and has brought six horses on from California to race at Saratoga. When Billy Rose heard of this he wired Crosby at the upstate Spa offering him $2,000 a week to appear with the bangtails in "Jubilee" and $2,500 per week for the horses alone. Crosby didn't answer. Ontario Tax Bears Down on Exhibitors Toronto, Aug. 11. — Exhibitors of Ontario are taking a terrific trimming in the amusements tax regulations instituted last June by Premier M. F. Hepburn. For July, the second month of operation of the new levy, the revenue was five times greater than for the corresponding month one year ago. That the situation is steadily getting worse is indicated by the fact that the tax returns for June were three times greater than for the same month last year. The Government collected $265,000 in the amusements tax during the past month, as against only $54,000 for July of 1934. Total tax revenue for June was $239,000, as compared with $80,000 during June, 1934. For the first two months under the new Hepburn impost, the Government has collected $504,000, despite the fact that this is the off-season for theatre patronage. Judging by the trend in business, the drastic levy is providing a permanent off-season for all exhibitors. The province collected $900,000 all told in the amusements tax for the whole 12 months of 1934 under the previous scale of taxation, so that the Hepburn Government has gained much more than half of last year's total take in the first two months alone under the new act. Allied Getting Set For Shore Confabs National and eastern regional officers of Allied will attend the annual convention of the New Jersey unit to be held Aug. 21-23 at the Ritz, Atlantic City. Officers of the eastern regional group will hold a special session on the first day of the three-day meeting. Re-election of Sidney Samuelson and other officers of the New Jersey unit will take place on the last day. Among those expected are Abram F. Myers, Aaron Saperstein, Herman Blum, Walter B. Littlefield, Nathan Yamins and Abe Stone. Schine's Expansion Plan Is Confirmed Canton, O., Aug. 11. — Louis Lazara, Ohio zone manager for Schine Enterprises, has confirmed the report that the circuit is expanding generally in Ohio. He says he is looking for theatres in all parts of the state. Recent acquistions have been the Forum, Norwalk, and houses in Bucyrus, Van Wert and Wooster. The Vine at Mt. Vernon has been enlarged. The Soisson at Connellsville, Pa., is to be opened soon by John Bixler of the Scottdale Amusement Co. Ascap to Keep Present Fees Another Year (Continued from page 1) nounced which, exhibitors estimated at the time, represented increases of from 300 to 1,000 per cent, being based on the highest adult admission charge of the individual theatre. After vigorous protests from exhibitors and several months of negotiations a compromise schedule was agreed upon and placed in effect. It is this schedule which will be continued for another year. Ascap's present rates are 10 cents per seat for theatres of less than 800 seats and charging not more than a 15-cent adult evening admission; 15 cents per seat for theatres of 801 to 1,599 seats, and 20 cents per seat for all theatres over 1,600 seats. Announcement of Ascap's new schedule was followed closely by the filing of an anti-trust suit against the organization by the Attorney General's office. The suit charged Ascap and other organizations licensing copyrighted music for public performance with being monopolies and alleged that their price schedules were arbitrarily fixed. Trial of the suit was begun late last spring and adjourned for the summer. It is scheduled to be resumed Nov. 4. Uphold Marathons Ban Madison, Wis., Aug. 11.. — The Senate has killed the Phillips bill permitting marathon contests under regulations. The bill was introduced after Gov. Phil La Follette had signed the Mulder bill outlawing marathons. It was declared that running of a marathon in the Eagles' Club, Milwaukee, was dependent on passage of the Phillips measure, restrictions of which included requiring presence of the hall manager at all times and physical examinations for the contestants. Lasky Signs Martini Hollywood, Aug. 11. — Jesse Lasky has signed Nino Martini to a fiveyear personal contract, calling for two pictures a year from the singer. After the preview of "Here's to Romance," Martini will go east for a vacation, and will later resume his radio, opera and concert work. He will return here in February to make his next picture for Lasky, regardless of whom Lasky may be associated with at that time. 3 Arbitrate "Cellini" Case Here Aug. 15 United Artists' complaint against Louis Geller of the Palace, Jersey City, for not playing "Affairs of Cellini," will be arbitrated at the New York Film Board on Aug. 15. Robert Benjamin, Louis Nizer's assistant, will represent the exchange in the absence of the secretary of the board, who is now on the high seas bound for a vacation in Europe. Edward Bell, Paramount, and Harry Hummel of Warners have been chosen by U. A. as arbitrators, while Geller has picked Tom Murray and Henry Suchman. Korda Signs Air Expert London, Aug. 11. — Alexander Korda has signed Charles Dollfus, an authority on lighter-than-air craft, as advisor and to appear in "The Conquest of the Air." Dollfus has been a regular contender in the Gordon Bennett balloon races and is a curator at the Air Ministry Museum in Paris. To Confer with Army Hollywood, Aug. 11. — Gordon Mitchell, manager of the Technical Research Council of the Academy, is planning a trip to Washington next month for conferences with U. S. Signal Corps officers. This branch of the Army and the Academy have collaborated closely for some time on technical aspects of instructive films for officers. Nickolaus on Committee _ Hollywood, Aug. 11. — The executive committee of the Academy Technicians' Branch has appointed J. M. Nickolaus, M-G-M laboratory superintendent, chairman of a committee to choose a slate of nominees for various branch offices to be elected shortly. To Resume Day and Date Hollywood, Aug. 11. — L. J. Halper. Warner Theatre west coast zone manager, has arrived back here from lengthy home office conferences and has revealed that the day and date policy would be resumed at Warners' downtown local houses effective Aug. 29 with no change of prices. To Drop Hollywood Duals Hollywood, Aug. 11. — Loew's State and the Chinese will abandon dual bills the first week in September, and will play single features day and date. The first single bill, starting Aug. 29, is to be "China Seas." AIR CONDITIONING CHARTS that represent standard practice in air conditioning for motion picture theatres. Practical advice on how to attain the best atmospheric conditions for your house winter and summer. Devised to be put on the wall for constant reference. Available until the supply is exhausted at 25 cents each, payment with order. Write direct to QUIGLEY BOOKSHOP 1790 BROADWAY NEW YORK CITY