Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1935)

Wednesday, September 25, 1935 MOTION PICTURE DAI LY Sirovich Committee Calls for Film Men Al Lichtman, United Artists president; Jack Cohn, Columbia vice-president and Capt. George McL. Baynes, Eastern Service Studios, were subpoenaed yesterday by the House committee investigating patent pools. The subpoenaes are returnable Sept. 30 when the committee opens its inquiry at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Representative William I. Sirovich heads the committee. Will H. Havs, John E. Otterson, Adolph Zukor, R. H. Cochrane of Universal and George Quigley of Vitaphone were subpoenaed earlier. The committee's accountants have completed their compilation of statistical data at Columbia and Warners and are now working at Fox. The investigation, in connection with House Bill No. 4523, is designed to ascertain whether patent pools are in the public interest. David Harrison Berger is counsel to the committee. Denver Men Protest Star Review System Denver, Sept. 24. — Members of the Denver Theatre Managers' Ass'n. recently held a meeting here for a round robin on the four-star reviewing system in the Rocky Mountain News, a Scripps Howard paper. Attending were Charles B. McCabe, publisher, and Alberta Pike, dramatic critic. About 30 exhibitors voiced a protest on the system. McCabe told the men that "it is not the intention of the newspaper to foster a system not constructive to the theatres." He said a survey will be made in a door-todoor canvass of readers for opinions. McCabe promised to turn over the questionnaire to the managers' association and indicated that if the matter warranted the system would be modified. The managers expect to hold another meeting in a few months to discuss the reactions of the public. Marcus to Do Three Features, 36 Shorts Lee Marcus, associate producer, will make three features and 36 shorts on the current RKO program, he stated yesterday. The first feature, "The Rainmaker," has just been completed with Wheeler & Woolsey. The comedians will appear in a second picture Marcus will make while Gene Raymond has been cast for the third. Marcus flew in from the coast Monday to attend the 54th birthday celebration for his mother yesterday. He plans to take the air route back to the studios today. Biloxi Pickets Resume Biloxi, Miss., Sept. 24. — Picketing of theatres here and in Gulfport is threatened as a result of labor controversies. One theatre here and two in Gulfport are affected. Stage Employes' Local 14 asking the SaengerParamount houses for a signed contract for an additional day's pay for Sunday, claiming they work seven days for six days' pay. Plan Amateur Pictures New Orleans, Sept. 24. — The Amateur Cinema League has been organized here by Norma Laescher, Fred Lazarae and Louis Hodges to produce amateur pictures which will be shown privately before the Louisiana Council for Motion Pictures. Purely Personal HARRY and Jack Goetz, Joe Moskowitz, the Goldstein Brothers, George Weeks, Paul Mooney, Pete Harrison, Jay Emanuel, Benny Rubin, Albert Hovel, James A. FitzPatrick, Herman Robbins, Ed Fay, Colvin Brown, Charles Casanave, m. a. schlesinger, arthur W. Kelly, Haskell Masters, Martin Quigley, Charles Paine, Bill Heineman, Jack Miller, James Coston, Harry H. Thomas, Al Friedladder, Ben Bernfield, Frank Cassil, A-Mike Vogel, Gertrude Merriam, Herb Berg, Herman Gluckman, Budd Rogers, Jack W. Springer, A. H. Schwartz, Joseph D. Basson, Kay Kamen, Erwin Kleeblatt, Jack Rose, Sherman Krellberg, Arthur Mayer, Bert Ennis, Edward Rugoff and Charles Moses, at the Tavern for a round of chatter and plenty of food. Quip of the Day Over a recent weekend at Robbins' Roost which is Herman Robbins' place on Schroon Lake, the host served Polish ham sandwiches. The repast clicked and one of the guests asked how and where to buy it. Yesterday he received a ham from Robbins with this note : "Here's a tasty dish for Yom Kippur and perfectly within the code." Joseph P. Kennedy sails on the Normandie with his family today for a vacation abroad. Also Europe bound on that boat are Constance Cummings and Benn Levy, Buddy Rogers and Max Schall. • Jack Miller, Jack Rose, Izzy Slaven and James Coston made a special trip from Chicago to witness the fisticuffs last night. Coston, who flew in, will return on the Century this afternoon. Primo Carnera entered the Music Hall yesterday at 3 :30 o'clock to see "Steamboat 'Round the Bend." He had to get reserved seats before he passed by the doorman. • Karl MacDonald of the Warner foreign department has left for Havana to confer on distribution in Cuba and Central America. • J. Real Neth of Columbus, O., is in town. He came for the fight. His attorney, John Connor, accompanied him. • Brad Angier, New England correspondent for Motion Picture Daily, was a visitor yesterday. • Joe Pollak reached New York from Hollywood yesterday to visit his brother, who is ill. • Phil Reisman is due to return here from a European tour on the M ajestic next week. Regina Crewe discussed "A Midsummer Night's Dream" over WINS yesterday afternoon. • Irving Berlin flew in from the coast for the Stadium event last night. BERT WHEELER, Bob Woolsey, Gus Van and Dave Vine are among stage and screen players who will appear at the "Save Vandeville" mass meeting tonight at the St. James. Joe Laurie, Jr., vice president of the American Federation of Actors, will preside. Labor officials will speak. • W. G. Van Schmus will be host today in the studio apartment atop the Music Hall when John Kenneth Hyatt, managing director, and Murray Martin, director of publicity of the Center, will be introduced. Details of policy will then be divulged. • Watt Parker, Spectrum distributor in Atlanta and Charlotte, is in town on business. He was accompanied north by P. E. Ausband of Atlanta. John Cosentino, special representative of the same company, has returned from an extended tour of the south. • Herb Yates, Ned Depinet, Willard McKay; Sam Dembow, a temporary bachelor what with his wife visiting her family in Cleveland ; Ed Churchill and Lynn Farnol at "21." • Claude Ezell and Eugene Reed, Denver attorney for Bank Night, leave today for Philadelphia. They have just returned from a Canadian trip. Ketti Gallian, Mrs. Wesley Ruggles and Mrs. Joe E. Brown arrived here yesterday. They all are staying at the Waldorf-Astoria. • Sam Goldstein of Guaranteed Pictures sails today on the Washington for London on a business trip. • William and Mrs. Boehnel sail on the Washington today. James Dunn is at the Ritz Tower. . . . Denver Frank Culp, manager of the Isis here, has returned from a three months' leave of absence. Wayne Gossett, formerly with Fox West Coast, has joined Fox Intermountain. He is temporarily handling relief assignments until Rick Ricketson sets him at a definite theatre. W. H. Ostenberg of Scotts Bluff, Neb., is taking a vacation which will permit him to take in the World's Series in Chicago and Detroit. Harry Goodrich of Fox Intermountain is on vacation in Montreal, New York and Florida. When he returns he will manage the Ogden here. Goodrich was formerly with International Amusement Co., local circuit. Joe Ashby, veteran exchange manager of the local RKO branch, has returned to his desk after a serious operation. C. H. Butler's wife is out of the hospital. About three weeks ago she gave birth to a son. Demourdant & Drennan of Blackfoot and Idaho Falls tonight open a new $65,000 theatre seating about 750 at Rexburg, Ida. Charles Hugh Yaeger, president of Affiliated Enterprises, agent for Bank Night here, is all set to attend the World's Series in Chicago and Detroit. Rick Ricketson is due back from New York within the next 10 days. Greenberg Charges Warner Negligence Charges of mismanagement and negligence in their official duties were made in the Supreme Court yesterday against the directors of Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., by Adolph Greenberg, a stockholder. The suit, which is for an accounting, also names as defendants executives of the estate of Moe Mark, Goldman, Sachs & Co., McClure, Jones & Co., and Renraw, Inc. In a 25-page complaint the petitioner sets forth that he is the owner of 40 shares of common stock of Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. He charges that individual defendants, among whom are Harry M., Albert and Jack L. Warner, failed to perform their duties in that "they did not give their care or oversight to the business and affairs of the defendant corporation, but utterly neglected same ; that they did not administer the affairs of the defendant corporation in an honest, careful and prudent manner, but on the contrary they deliberately and negligently permitted the money, property and effects of the defendant corporation to be wasted and squandered." Cites 1928 Deal Greenberg cited a transaction in November, 1928, whereby he charged that Warners improvidently purchased 90 per cent of the voting stock of Skouras Brothers Enterprises, Inc., at a price far in excess of its true value. He also attacked a deal with the Stanley Co. of America on Oct. 2, 1928, whereby in exchange of stock Warner Brothers acquired an interest in First National Pictures, Inc., by paying to the Fox Film Corp. a profit of $6,000,000 which, he charges, was excessive. The plaintiff also attacked the purchase of four music publishing houses in 1929. These were M. Witmark & Sons, Inc., The Music Publishing Holding Corp., Harms, Inc., and Remick Music Corp. He further attacked the purchase and creation of 200 subsidiary companies in 1929 and 1930. Charges Nepotism The complaint also contains charges of nepotism and pool manipulations and declares the defendants engaged in an extravagant program of theatre construction. The petition seeks the removal of directors and asks that the court take jurisdiction over the company's affairs and any other remedies which the court may deem fit. The defendants have entered denials to the charges and explanations of the transactions. Greenberg has applied for an order to strike out the defense entered by Renraw, Inc. Hearing is set for Friday, Sept. 27. Comment on the suit was refused by Warners' legal department. RKO in a China Deal A deal has been closed by RKO with the Peacock Motion Picture Co. of Shanghai for the distribution of RKO product in China. Percy N. Furber, vice-president of Peacock and Ned E. Depinet officiated. wyv»v NICK LONG, Jr. "BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936" WILLIAM MOREIS CfFICC